Love and Gelato

Love and Gelato

Author: Jenna Evans Welch

Rating: 4.8/5

Recommend: Most definitely. If you’re a fan of

glorious pizza, a mesmerizing story, and descriptions of places so vivid that they almost feel real, Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch comes highly recommended for you. 

This book has topped my favorite list for exactly three reasons:

1. The immersive, flowing writing which made me feel as if I am the main character

2. Thoroughly original and suspenseful story lined that had hooked for two days and a night straight

3. IT IS SET IN ITALY!!! 

I’ll give you some time to let the last one sink in. 

Love and Gelato follows the story of sixteen year old Carolina Emerson after her mother’s death. Soon after the event, our young protagonist finds herself spending the summer in Italy – and living in a house in a cemetery with a very tall man who claims to be her father. Seriously. 

As if all of the above wasn’t enough, Lina is also given her mother’s old journal, the same one she kept while spending two years of her life in Florence. Thus begins a story of healing old wounds, forging new friendship, and an adventure that will change Lina’s life forever. Throw in some delightful descriptions of Italian cuisine and presto! You now have one of the most unique YA novels in our time. 

I adored quite a few things about Love and Gelato, which led to the very high rating above. Jenna’s clever way of creating suspense had me hooked from the very beginning; I mean why would her mother suddenly be talking about a strange man called Howard after falling ill? The casual style of storytelling was a big pull. 

Throughout the story the atmosphere of suspense builds: we keep getting clues about Lina’s mother’s life from her journal, but the question still stays, of why she didn’t tell any of this herself. I sympathized with Lina, suddenly separated from her best friend and still strongly grieving her mother’s loss.  Love and Gelato is a roller coaster of strong emotions expressed in words across the page. The descriptions of a few places (such as the tower) will leave you with a huge ache in your heart, and a desperate yearning to dive into the book itself. 

Soon after her arrival, readers will happily see Lina making new friends. As in all other YA books, Ren is the ideal love interest and things worked pretty smoothly between them (except for a bump or two). His character is sweet and has flaws, hence I approve. But instead of just focusing on a romance, Jenna Evans put more time into describing the gorgeousness that is Italy and Lina’s experiences as she discovers it, bit by bit - this for me is what sets this book apart from ones like Anna and The French Kiss. 

Sure, it’s not all sunshine and gelato, there are parts which hurt and hurt deeply. This book will make you cry in sorrow and laugh in joy within the span of just a few chapters. The ending however, does justice. Jenna does a great job tying up the loose ends and the reader finally gets a view of the whole picture. 

If you enjoyed reading books like Anna and The French Kiss and the Amsterdam parts of The Fault In Our Stars (who doesn't), then I am 99% sure you'll enjoy Love and Gelato. These were my favorite lines from the book: 

"People come to Italy for all sorts of reasons, but when they stay it's for the same two things. Love and Gelato." 

P.S. Would LOVE to see a movie of this soon! After the recent hit of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Netflix will surely do a great job producing this one. Who's with me?