ARC Review: Love & Gelato (Love & Gelato #1) by Jenna Evans Welch
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Series: Love & Gelato #1
Author: Jenna Evans Welch
Published June 1st 2017 by Walker Books
Goodreads Synopsis
The dying wish of 16-year-old Lina's mother was for her daughter to live in Tuscany and get to know her father, whom Lina has never met.
"Howard is the best man I've ever known," her mother says, "he'll keep you safe." Why did her mother wait so long to tell her about him? Lina has a happy life in Seattle and doesn't want to leave. Shortly after she arrives at Howard's home, Lina meets Sonya, who gives Lina a diary that belonged to Lina's mother, the one she had kept while she was a photography student in Florence. While Lina is living her life and exploring Tuscany with her handsome neighbour, Ren, she follows in the footsteps of her mother and gets to know her as never before. She also finds out the truth about her father. Mostly she finds out about herself.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
This book was the perfect summer read when it arrived. Lina has never met her father, always living with her mother in Seattle. However, when her mam is diagnosed with terminal cancer, her last wish is for Lina to meet her father, a man called Howard, living in Tuscany. She doesn't want to leave Seattle, or her best friend Addie, who she now lives with, but she has to honour her mam's last wishes, and flies across the world one a whim. Howard is unlike what Lina expected. Quite quiet, living in a cemetery, and not someone she can see her mother falling for. However, she soon finds herself falling in love with the city, and with their handsome neighbour, Ren, who helps her discover more about her parents history, through the diary that was left to her. Over coming her grief, and coming to terms with her new life, Lina feels like she's being passed from pillar to post, but throughout the course of the book, she truly comes into her own.
Lina is such a real character, struggling with her grief and the reality of living in a world without her mam. She has been sent to the other end of the world, where she doesn't understand anything, and it's not just the language barrier. She struggles with living in an international cemetery, and is quite rude about it to start off with - which got my back up. However, she did grow on me as the book progressed, but the hands down best character in the story was Howard. He was awkward, and shy, and really tried to be a good dad to Lina, and they dynamic was perfect for the situation. I really liked the sub plot of reading the diary and finding out about Howard and her mam as teenagers and uni students.
The romance between Lina and Ren was very quick. Within just a few days, she was saying she was in love with him, but did acknowledge how weird that was, but still, I found it a bit too convenient. I did like him, but I wouldn't say he's my favourite love interest I've read recently, though as the book progressed, I did grow invested in their story.
I've heard that there's a companion book out about Addie, Lina's best friend, set in Ireland, and I'm definitely looking forward to giving that a try.
Dates Read:
August 8-10, 2017Rating
4 Stars
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