Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Hello book lovers! So, I recently just finished Love & Gelato and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't completely sure if I was going to do a review or not, but I really enjoyed this book, so I decided to. Anyways, I'll stop prolonging this and get into it!

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Goodreads Synopsis;

“I made the wrong choice.”

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

The start was engrossing from page one. It was so exciting to read about this whole tragedy and how Lina was dealing with her loss. I thought that Ms. Welch dealt with this topic very well, but didn't overdo it either. It is hard losing someone close to you, but the way it was portrayed was both saddening and heart-warming. She missed her mother, and that is very important because sadly some people are not as close with their parents or family as Lina was.

I really loved the whole mystery of the journal. I found it both intriguing and developing. It definitely shed more light on some of the characters. But, I did find that while we were mainly focused on Lina and the journal (as well as a few others), that some of the other characters were a bit underdeveloped. And since some of these characters were close to Lina, or played a huge role in the plot of the story, I found it lacking in that department. Also, a few things were a bit unrealistic. I mean, Lina has only been there for about three days and is already falling for our main love interest? That was a bit insta-lovey but based on how detailed the story is, it didn't seem as such. It is only when you take a step back from the rich, fulfilling story that you find these flaws. Plus, Howard is probably one of the coolest people ever. His house, his life, his story (however sad). I did find some issues concerning him to be a bit obvious, but the story makes up for it!

In the end it wrapped up quite nicely and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I found it to be both sweet and refreshing. It did seem to end quite fast for how slow it started out but, I really enjoyed how the love triangle(s) were a little more girl vs girl for the guy because usually it's the other way around in YA.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend this book to you all. Lina's voice is sarcastic and light-hearted, making this a pretty fast and easy read. Overall, it had very few flaws, it was very refreshing, and very engrossing. I couldn't pull my head out of this story!

FINAL RATING~
4.5/5 stars

Thanks for reading! I know this was a little critical, but I am trying to be more honest and not hide my emotions. I tend to hold back with what I review because I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and decide to pick up this wonderful read!

~Evie