Love and Gelato

Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch is a realistic fiction (with a touch of mystery) novel set in Italy, and starts off with Lina’s mother dying of pancreatic cancer. While dying, Lina’s mother told stories about a man named Howard, and arranged for Lina to go live with him in Tuscany, Italy. When Lina finds that Howard is actually her father, and that he lives on a World War ll cemetery, Lina is slightly disturbed. The next day, one of Howard’s friends give Lina a journal that had belonged to her mother. Lina, however, can’t seem to bring herself to read it and be reminded of her mother’s death. Then, Lina meets Ren while she is doing her daily run, and soon, Ren is taking Lina to parties to meet his friends and to see the wonders of Italy. Soon after Ren takes Lina to get some gelato, she decides to start reading the journal in sections. While reading, Lina discovers that Howard may not be her biological father. As she is contemplating this information, Lina’s also having some boy drama with a perfectly great dude, and Ren, who already has a girlfriend. Soon, Lina is searching for her real father with Ren. In the end, Lina is happy with Howard, living in Italy, the guy she likes, and realizes that maybe Italy is where anybody can find Love and Gelato.
There are a few reasons as to why I recommend this book (mainly towards girls because of the big romance aspect). One reason would be that the character's personalities are relatable, likeable, and realistic. For example, I can imagine Lina reading her mom's journal and going to the sights that were mentioned in it. I also recommend this book because the words create very vivid and detailed pictures to go with the story's settings and emotions to really help you feel things like the loss of Lina's mother, the excitement of touring Italy, and the suspense of how the story will end. All in all, if you're looking for a nice romance-y read for the weekend, Love and Gelato is the book to go to.

Chloe S.
Ms. Spicer
Pd. 1/3