Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch // AGH. I'm in Love!

Love and Gelato, by Jenna Evans Welch
Publication: May 3, 2016, by Simon Pulse
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 389
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

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.

My Thoughts:

It is rare for me to be in love with a book, especially during my current tough reading slump. I find that it is quite difficult to find enjoyable books that are different than the rest and contain the most important thing I look for in a book: a plot that is in no way boring. However, Love and Gelato by the AH-MAZING Jenna Evans Welch shocked me and showed me that there is hope in this world to find good books. I loved the setting of Florence, Italy, and the romantic interest, Ren. Those are just two of the mini captivating points that I am still currently obsessed with.

Even though I closed this book back in August 2017, I feel as if I just finished it. Ren and Lina's story seems to be living in my head for an extra long period of time, longer than what I averagely deal with. This is not a story that is just about the romance, hence the title. Jenna Evans Welch creates Lina's persona as one that is struggling to find the truth about her roots and who she actually is. She has little to no knowledge about her father, and what Italy really means to her. However, as she has the best summer of her life (I am still envious to this day about what she experienced, agh) the secrets begin to flood out and we as readers begin to strive to want to find out THE TRUTH. And, to not burst your bubble or anything, the truth is not leaked until THE END. But not the last page - so don't be one of those sneaky people and scan the last page for spoilers. It won't get you anywhere. *winks*

This is one of those books that is perfect for you to read on a day at the beach, a day by the pool, or on a day where you can see twenty feet of snow outside of your window. It will develop so much wanderlust in you, and you will want to email the publisher like a maniac, asking them to show you the author's next novel. TRUST ME, I've tried. (Just kidding!) But I guess that this is a sign that you. Will. Be. Incredibly. Addicted.

Lina was the most kick-butt contemporary-romance protagonist I have read about in a looong time. I loved that she was skeptical of her surroundings and what she was being told by her father. She wasn't naive, WHICH, for chick-lit books, is a trait quite easy to find in narrators. And the best thing was that she had the most amazing connection with Ren. *heart eyes* REN IS MY BOO. MY LOVE. I'd really appreciate it if Lina passed him over to me!

Love and Gelato is my love. And right now, I could really use a cup of gelato (preferably cinnamon flavoured) to make my day complete. AND ALSO, if I booked a trip to Italy, I wouldn't ~want~ anything else. GO READ THIS RIGHT NOW. If you're seeking a 'best book of the year,' this is it!

What are some other YA books set in Italy?