2019 Contemporary Romance Challenge
Review: Love & Luck (Love & Gelato #2) by Jenna Evans Welch
10:00
Series: Love & Gelato #2
Author: Jenna Evans Welch
Published June 4th 2019 by Simon Pulse
Goodreads Synopsis
From the author of the New York Times bestselling Love & Gelato comes a heartwarming tale of a road trip through Ireland filled with love, adventure, and the true meaning behind the word family.
Addie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding and hoping she can stop thinking about the one thing she did that left her miserable and heartbroken—and threatens her future. But her brother, Ian, isn’t about to let her forget, and his constant needling leads to arguments and even a fistfight between the two once inseparable siblings. Miserable, Addie can’t wait to visit her friend in Italy and leave her brother—and her problems—behind.
So when Addie discovers an unusual guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, hidden in the dusty shelves of the hotel library, she’s able to finally escape her anxious mind and Ian’s criticism.
And then their travel plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with Ian and his admittedly cute, Irish-accented friend Rowan. As the trio journeys over breathtaking green hills, past countless castles, and through a number of fairy-tale forests, Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother.
That is if they don’t get completely lost along the way.
Goodreads
Review
I read the first book in this series back in 2017, and hadn't realised at the time that there would be a sequel, especially as it wasn't being published in the UK this time around. However, when I found out it was about Addie, Lina's best friend, and would be set in Ireland, I knew I needed to at least give it a try, so ordered a copy, and dove in when it eventually arrived.
Addie has gone to Ireland for a family wedding, and once it's done, her and her brother are due to travel to Tuscany to meet up with Lina and her family. However, her brother throws a spanner into the works when he decides he's not going to Italy, and is instead meeting up with an online friend, Rowan, and touring Ireland to follow his favourite band on their last tour. Addie, conflicted on whether she should travel alone, or follow her heart, and her new book, on getting over heartbreak in the Emerald Isle, decides to join the two on a car trip across Ireland, getting closer to the previous unknown Rowan.
I definitely preferred this book to the previous one. I think it's because to me, Addie was much more relatable, and was a more reliable narrator. Her heartbreak was authentic, and the guidebook that she used as her bible on the trip was hilarious - I found myself looking forward to the interludes that had passages from the book. Her relationship with her brother, Ian, felt authentic too. They fought, a lot - including one that resulted in them rolling down a hill, covered in mud, at their aunt's wedding - but you could see that they cared for each other too. Both thought they had known the other, but they hadn't, and throughout the book, Addie especially, discovers more about Ian than she could've expected, and seems to respect him more now that she knows the motive behind the whirlwind trip.
The romance in this book was more believable too. Rowan and Addie both were overcoming breakups, and the guide book helped each other them, and is ultimately what brought them together. Their sub plot wasn't a large part to the book, rather the sibling relationship took the lead, I thought, but the hint of romance definitely helped the story, and now that I know there's a third book out soon, I hope that Addie and Rowan play a part.
Dates Read:
July 10-12, 2019
Rating
4 Stars
