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A review by ashleysills
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I think this was my first contemporary romance — crazy, right? I usually read fantasy or historical fiction, so it was definitely a bit of an adjustment.
This book follows 16-year-old Lina to Italy to live with a dad she never knew after her mom passes away. While there, she’ll meet cute boys and start to uncover a mystery that changes everything she thought she knew about her family and herself.
This story made me feel so many things! Happy, lonely, angry, heartbroken, hopeful — Love and Gelato took me for a ride, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I loved experiencing Lina’s journey to navigate life after loss and get to know her mom (and herself!) better. I loved the sweet romance. Also, reading about Lina’s adventures in Italy reminded me of living in Spain, where I got gelato multiple time per week 😆
What I loved:
💜 The plot moved along quickly (sometimes I felt like it was too quick, but then remembered this was not a fantasy novel 😂)
💜 Lina’s “more-than-a-friend” love for food (me too, girl!🍦)
💜 REN. He’s funny, respectful and an amazing friend
💜 Lina’s found family
💜 The mystery! It was believable and engaging
💜 I loved that Lina got to experience Italy “with” her mom
Disclaimers:
🤷🏻♀️ There were times where I was a little confused why a character acted or reacted the way they did
🤷🏻♀️ There was definitely some cheese, but that isn’t to say it wasn’t cute!
🤷🏻♀️ I wish I could have gotten to know the characters a little better, but considering this book takes place over a short amount of time, it makes sense we wouldn’t get to delve too far into their lives
I had so much fun with this light (yet meaningful!) read and I definitely recommend it. I’m excited to read the rest of the series, but it will probably be a while until I get to them.
This book follows 16-year-old Lina to Italy to live with a dad she never knew after her mom passes away. While there, she’ll meet cute boys and start to uncover a mystery that changes everything she thought she knew about her family and herself.
This story made me feel so many things! Happy, lonely, angry, heartbroken, hopeful — Love and Gelato took me for a ride, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I loved experiencing Lina’s journey to navigate life after loss and get to know her mom (and herself!) better. I loved the sweet romance. Also, reading about Lina’s adventures in Italy reminded me of living in Spain, where I got gelato multiple time per week 😆
What I loved:
💜 The plot moved along quickly (sometimes I felt like it was too quick, but then remembered this was not a fantasy novel 😂)
💜 Lina’s “more-than-a-friend” love for food (me too, girl!🍦)
💜 REN. He’s funny, respectful and an amazing friend
💜 Lina’s found family
💜 The mystery! It was believable and engaging
💜 I loved that Lina got to experience Italy “with” her mom
Disclaimers:
🤷🏻♀️ There were times where I was a little confused why a character acted or reacted the way they did
🤷🏻♀️ There was definitely some cheese, but that isn’t to say it wasn’t cute!
🤷🏻♀️ I wish I could have gotten to know the characters a little better, but considering this book takes place over a short amount of time, it makes sense we wouldn’t get to delve too far into their lives
I had so much fun with this light (yet meaningful!) read and I definitely recommend it. I’m excited to read the rest of the series, but it will probably be a while until I get to them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
🌶️ just kisses