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A review by gymnerdreader
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
3.0
I went into this one blind and did not even read the synopsis, which I like NEVER do. This one was not quite what I was expecting. It was so many different things and I am not so sure exactly what I would call it. It's marketed as a YA contemporary romance, but eh romance is kinda debatable...
Synopsis
Lina's mother, Hadley Emerson's dying wish before she passes away is for Lina to meet her father and spend time with him. She wants her daughter to move in with him and establish a relationship that has been non-existent for 16 years. The only issue is that Lina will have to move to Italy and live with her father, which is something she is less than enthused about doing. When Lina receives Hadley's journal documenting her travel experience in Italy, Lina starts to get more than she bargained for in terms of family and ultimately love.
:)
I LOVED the journal entries of this one and I loved how Lina's journey to discovering more about her mom also led her to discovering more about herself in the process. The journal entries were interesting and gave snippets of Hadley's life before Lina and it was fun learning about Italy through both Lina and Hadley's eyes. The fact that this takes place in Florence and references a lot of the famous sights around the city is also a bonus. It is one of those books that will make you want to travel. This is a very light, fluffy book. Geared more towards younger YA.
:(
I could not really connect with the characters. They just seemed too flat for me, with not enough development. I found Ren to be a weirdo, stalker of sorts and I thought Lina was a bit shallow and dare I say boring for my tastes?? I will say that Hadley's story is far more interesting than Lina's story, which is sad because Lina is our MC and we should be rooting for her and her relationship. This is marketed as a YA contemporary romance, but there is not much romance and if there was any there was like 0 development. It all seemed rather juvenile rather than meaningful. I think this book has an audience of course because I would have probably loved this one if I was younger than I am. If I read this at 14 or 15 I probably would have loved it. This one just is too young for me. It is one of those YA books you read where you know you are reading YA, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Also, many of the plot elements in this book came across as very unrealistic in my opinion, especially the reason why Lina even goes to Italy in the first place.
All in all, I got what I wanted out of it, which was a contemporary fix from all these fantasies I have been reading. This just is not one I would necessarily read again. Personally, I think I am done with YA contemporary romances because they always fall flat for me in some form or fashion. I think I just need more at my age than cute when it comes to romance. Who's with me? I will say I am enjoying my reading evolution this year!
Final Rating: 3/5 stars
CAWPILE rating: 6.86/10
Synopsis
Lina's mother, Hadley Emerson's dying wish before she passes away is for Lina to meet her father and spend time with him. She wants her daughter to move in with him and establish a relationship that has been non-existent for 16 years. The only issue is that Lina will have to move to Italy and live with her father, which is something she is less than enthused about doing. When Lina receives Hadley's journal documenting her travel experience in Italy, Lina starts to get more than she bargained for in terms of family and ultimately love.
:)
I LOVED the journal entries of this one and I loved how Lina's journey to discovering more about her mom also led her to discovering more about herself in the process. The journal entries were interesting and gave snippets of Hadley's life before Lina and it was fun learning about Italy through both Lina and Hadley's eyes. The fact that this takes place in Florence and references a lot of the famous sights around the city is also a bonus. It is one of those books that will make you want to travel. This is a very light, fluffy book. Geared more towards younger YA.
:(
I could not really connect with the characters. They just seemed too flat for me, with not enough development. I found Ren to be a weirdo, stalker of sorts and I thought Lina was a bit shallow and dare I say boring for my tastes?? I will say that Hadley's story is far more interesting than Lina's story, which is sad because Lina is our MC and we should be rooting for her and her relationship. This is marketed as a YA contemporary romance, but there is not much romance and if there was any there was like 0 development. It all seemed rather juvenile rather than meaningful. I think this book has an audience of course because I would have probably loved this one if I was younger than I am. If I read this at 14 or 15 I probably would have loved it. This one just is too young for me. It is one of those YA books you read where you know you are reading YA, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Also, many of the plot elements in this book came across as very unrealistic in my opinion, especially the reason why Lina even goes to Italy in the first place.
All in all, I got what I wanted out of it, which was a contemporary fix from all these fantasies I have been reading. This just is not one I would necessarily read again. Personally, I think I am done with YA contemporary romances because they always fall flat for me in some form or fashion. I think I just need more at my age than cute when it comes to romance. Who's with me? I will say I am enjoying my reading evolution this year!
Final Rating: 3/5 stars
CAWPILE rating: 6.86/10