“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.
Do you want to read this book in your book club? Check out my books & baking post featuring book club questions for Love & Gelato!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
My blurb- Under the Tuscan Sun
meets Eat Pray Love
with a YA explosion.Drop whatever you are doing and go read this fun book! Okay, actually- go out and buy gelato first and then eat it while reading this book. This book is everything summer, food, and Italy should be. It is a cute read, even though there are some heavier elements in it. The author does this amazing job of even lightening up a tragic story line by giving us (drum roll please) HOPE! Also, some really enjoyable humor.The cast was amazing, and super likable. Also, is it me, or is it kind of nice to have a straightforward cast. Like, you think they're probably a bad person... ya they are! This has 4 stars on goodreads and I can't for the life of me figure out why! What more can you ask for in a YA contemporary? The main characters are Carlina, who goes by Lina, and Lorenzo, who goes by Ren (you thought I was going to say Enzo, huh?). You know how I feel about easily pronounceable names- so score one already for just this! But these guys are super funny, and adventurous. I finished the novel friends with them, and wanting to facetime them for a "where are they now?" update. They make you think- wait, why didn't I own a scooter in high-school and do whatever I wanted all summer long? And then you remember that it's a book. But you love it anyways.My only dislike in the novel was that they kept referring to Ren as weird. He wasn't weird at all to me. Wait... does that mean I'm too weird myself to notice? Oh great... haha.Sidenote- Do you guys like Hallmark movies? Because I LOVE them. I've seen two christmas movies called Mistletoe Inn and Mistletoe Promise, which were apparently best selling books before they became classic movies. (Yes, you read that right. Hallmark produces CLASSICS, and don't you dare let anyone convince you otherwise!) Anyways, our author for Love & Gelato, Jenna Evans Welch, has a famous father who wrote the previously mentioned classics! How fun! I may have to start making my way through his books soon!If I haven't convinced you yet, then read the little quote below drenched in the humor found throughout the book."On a scale of one to ten, how weird would it be if I printed out Thomas's profile picture and had it framed?"Best time to read: Summer. (Or Winter when you really want to escape to Summer)Best food to eat while you're reading: Gelato. And Pizza. And Pasta.(or better yet, make these homemade ice cream sandwiches I created in honor of this book!)Best Music to listen to while reading: Return to Me Soundtrack
If you would like to buy this book, click hereRemember, "A life without love is like a year without Summer,"
