Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch (2016-05-03) Unknown Binding – January 1, 1845

What a fun book to read and so well written! I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I don't read a lot of "romance" novels or books in that genre, so I'll admit that I bought it on the reputation and recommendation of one of my favorite authors, Richard Paul Evans, the author's father. I am so happy that I took a chance on this book. I was pleasantly surprised that, while love and romance were a major theme of the book as is clearly implied by the title, there was as much emphasis on all the other kinds of love that we experience in life; i.e., love between a parent and child, love between friends, and love of oneself. The reader is taken on a journey of discovery, both of self and of others. While the book is marketed toward young adults and it is an easy read, it is in no way "dummied down" or simplistic. I believe that anyone of any age can gain wisdom from reading this book, as we all need times of reflection, introspection and discovery to find out who we were, who we are, who we can be, as well as who those around us really are as compared to who we thought they were. Lastly, for those concerned about profanity and sexual gratuity, I wanted to mention that this is a "clean" book. There is no profanity or sex which, aside from being a nice break from what has become so common in books lately, is just not necessary to move the story forward. If anything, it would take away from the story, and it is such a sweet and beautiful story that nothing should be allowed to take from it.

This was such a sweet, fun book and I could have ten books following Lina and her time in Italy and still want more! I had such a good time reading this book and it got me excited about contemporaries again. It was really the best kind of contemporary to read near the end of Summer.In Love & Gelato we follow Lina after her mother has passed away and she is sent to Italy for the Summer to live with the father she didn't know she had. While in Italy, Lina is given a journal from the year her mother got pregnant with her and begins to uncover all of the mysteries her mother left behind.I think one of my favorite aspects of this book was how light it went on the romance. I had expected this book to be pretty romance-heavy, which is fine with these kind of books, but I was genuinely surprised to find that the romance was more of a subplot rather than a dominant narrative. It was really nice that we got to focus more on Lina learning more about her mother and forming a bond with the father she didn't know she had.With that being said, the romance was really sweet and fluffy and didn't feel forced at all. I really loved her romantic interest, though I did feel like the love triangle thing was a little unnecessary. It didn't hinder my enjoyment, but it also could have easily been written out. However, I do see how it is supposed to mirror her mother's love triangle struggles. I feel like maybe if the love triangle had been stronger, then it might have worked better. This sort of love triangle just didn't cut it.I also really loved how much like Mamma Mia it was. I'm not sure if that was intentional on the author's part, but I just kept being reminded of Mamma Mia. Lina's reading her mother's journal to find out things about her, she's in a foreign country, she isn't totally sure who her dad is... A lot of the same elements seem to be there which is nice for someone suffering from a Mamma Mia hangover! I've been wanting to find more books with that same feel, and I'm glad that Love & Gelato is fairly similar.Getting to know more about Lina's mother and her time in Italy was so great and could have easily been its own book! I also really liked how we got a lot of Lina's mother's journal entries to read. It really felt like we were right there with Lina finding out more about her mother. It was also cool to get to see some of Florence's history and have a little bit of Latin thrown in there!Overall this is just a really fun contemporary to read and I felt like I was breezing through it. I would imagine that just about anyone would enjoy this book and not find too much wrong with it. It's not the strongest contemporary out there, but it was so enjoyable and it was so fluffy that I have to give credit where credit is due. If you're looking for something light to read, then this book is the right one for you!

I’ve just gone through a week of starting a book and giving up on it. I just couldn’t get into at least 5 books. I searched for fiction set in Italy, and I was immediately engaged. Can anyone really turn away from gelato. Love and Gelato was just right for me at this time—cuteness, teenage angst, fun, grief, mixed signals, in the middle of a cemetery! Maybe not a Pulitzer, but it entertained me.

This book was wonderful!! It's the story of Lina, who's sixteen-year-old life pretty much falls apart when her mother is diagnosed with cancer and she dies in a matter of weeks. As if that weren't enough emotional upheaval, she's sent off to Italy to meet - and live with - the father she has never known. Once there, she is given a journal that her mother kept when she lived in Italy all those years ago. It doesn't take long before Lina and her cute neighbor Ren are buzzing around the Tuscan countryside on his scooter, discovering the world described within its pages. But even as the Italian countryside begins to grow on her, Lina struggles to accept the woman her mother really was, and the man and life she left behind. (Ages 12+)I loved this book. Absolutely {loved} it! It was sweet, cute, quirky, and fun. I love books that can make me cry, as well as books that can make me laugh out loud. This did both. The tears mostly just pricked my eyes and my heart, but the laughs - oh, the laughs!! We're talking side-splitting, can't-hardly-breathe, get-a-new-pair-of-underwear laughs. Multiple times. I picked it up about 11:00 in the morning and could hardly put it down. Perhaps it was funnier because I ended up staying up late to finish it, and things always seem more humorous when I'm exhausted, lol.There was a general air of mystery surrounding everything pertaining to Italy: Lina's father, her mother's past there, and what actually happened. There were some good hints along the way that got my gears turning, and by the time I figured out what was really going on, Lina had almost figured it out as well. I really appreciated that the author didn't wait until the end to "reveal it all," since it is so incredibly annoying to me when I figure things out way ahead of the protagonist. The timing and pacing were perfect, the resolution was satisfying, the characters endearing, and the writing was beautiful. I thought it was a brilliant book by this debut author, and I'm already craving more from Ms. Welch!!

It was pretty okay, but nothing wow.Lina, the heroine of the story, has to spend her summer in Italy, whether she wants to or not. Apparently, it's with the father she never knew about. Her mother had only started mentioning him towards the end. So why does she have to stay with a complete stranger?I think out of everyone, I loved Howard most. I kind of figured out what the truth actually was, but I also liked the journal of Lina's mom as an added touch.Lina has to jump through some hoops, in order to find out the truth and get to know a side of her mom's she hadn't known, before.As I mentioned, nothing wow so it's not a memorable read. Guess I was expecting something more.3 stars.

I picked this book up on a whim, attracted by the pretty cover mainly! I was so pleased that I did.We meet Lina who has arrived in rural Tuscany, outside Florence, six months after her mother's death from pancreatic cancer. She is angry, hurt, still grieving and completely unprepared to enjoy her time in Italy. She wants to keep it to a minimum and return to her friend Addie's house back in the States to see out high school. However, she promised her mother that she would spend some time living with her friend Howard, and her recalcitrance can't override that promise.Within hours of arriving in Tuscany Lina has met Howard, the man she thinks is her father, Sonia and Ren - her sexy, Italian/American neighbour and begun a whistle stop tour of Florence. An unexpected gift from Sonia brings her mother's memories of her time in the city to light and sets Lina off on a journey into her past, which just might help her understand why her mother was so keen for her to be in Italy and help her to fall in love with the country just as she did.I don't read a lot of YA but I so enjoyed this book. Welch writes with such love of Florence and, as a city that I would love to visit, following Lina and Ren through the streets and seeing her embrace the sights, sounds and tastes of the city was wonderful. Her discovery of the city goes hand in hand with her discovery of her self and of her mother's history. It's really well written and deserves to break out of the YA niche and reach a wider audience.

This story has the perfect backdrop to a perfect story. Italy is my dream home location so no doubt about it thay it’s why I chose to write this story. And I couldn’t have been happier with my read. Her mom died and she got shipped to Italy to meet her father and falls in love.The plot was so fun, eccentric and fluffy read which had me laughing out loud. The characters were all so diverse and unique which I admired.We got to map ourselves around Rome and Tuscany which is great for the readers because we get a true feeling offing that with the characters. And the characters are what I loved most -Ren. Ren is an adorable Italian American boy who lives over the field who becomes Linas first friend in Italy. His exciting and bubbly personality makes the read all the more enjoyableLina. Lina is a a character who needs the fun and bubbly personality of Ren. And that’s exactly what she gets in this book.

Well a book featuring a summer aboard, a long lost father and a romance with a hot Italian boy pretty much makes Love & Gelato a story I needed to read. It was a quick read that sucked me straight in. I read it in two sittings and I really liked how it was paced. Lina is a well rounded character and I enjoyed her voice,although the only downside was the romance. I never felt it, I wanted butterflies and swooning but I got a mediocre blah. I feel this book could have worked without it. That being said I'm excited to see what Jenna writes next!!

This book was a lovely read, and with such a beautiful ending especially with the beginning being so sad and heartbreaking. I really became invested into the story line and needing to know what was going to happen and what Lina must know and learn