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A review by gattolino_nn
Love & Rome by Jenna Lo Bianco
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Without spoiling anything this book gave me strong feelings. I was reading this on a bus and could not contain my rage or fist pumps of success. I'm sure it made for interesting passenger watching.
I didn't realise this had a slight love triangle when going into and got quite a surprise with how we got introduced to the love interest Vincent compared to Marco. It was also good to see how Stella reacts to both and that the reactions are not the same. The men are not the same people and I would have felt disappointed if we got "oh no they are both hot" which can sometimes happen with love triangles.
The love triangle did make for an interesting read, as mentioned earlier the men are quite differnet from one another. Marco who is just a cinnamon roll, compared to Vincent's strong personality, and this also plays a role in how they are with Stella. This made for a really dramatic and emotion filled, not always good, read.
Despite my love for Marco and my tolerance of Vincent (I am a first impressions matter kind of girl) I felt more invested in Stella's story and growth. That is something that I am loving with Jenna Lo Bianco's stories, the romance isn't the whole plot. Stella has goals, motivations and agency. I loved watching her grow through out the whole book and the ending was just brilliant in my opinion. It was great to see Stella in such a good and happy state with her work and herself. It is the type of ending that I hope everyone gets to in their life, but also see that sometimes it can be hard and the journey may feel impossible but we can get there.
I really liked the story and cannot wait to read Venetian Lessons in Love.
I didn't realise this had a slight love triangle when going into and got quite a surprise with how we got introduced to the love interest Vincent compared to Marco. It was also good to see how Stella reacts to both and that the reactions are not the same. The men are not the same people and I would have felt disappointed if we got "oh no they are both hot" which can sometimes happen with love triangles.
The love triangle did make for an interesting read, as mentioned earlier the men are quite differnet from one another. Marco who is just a cinnamon roll, compared to Vincent's strong personality, and this also plays a role in how they are with Stella. This made for a really dramatic and emotion filled, not always good, read.
Despite my love for Marco and my tolerance of Vincent (I am a first impressions matter kind of girl) I felt more invested in Stella's story and growth. That is something that I am loving with Jenna Lo Bianco's stories, the romance isn't the whole plot. Stella has goals, motivations and agency. I loved watching her grow through out the whole book and the ending was just brilliant in my opinion. It was great to see Stella in such a good and happy state with her work and herself. It is the type of ending that I hope everyone gets to in their life, but also see that sometimes it can be hard and the journey may feel impossible but we can get there.
I really liked the story and cannot wait to read Venetian Lessons in Love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexual content