Love & Gelato

"Not sure why but didn't think this was ya for some reason. Anyways it was a fast, cute read! Definitely ya though!"

"I’ve been on a romance novel kick lately, and when there’s mention of icecream in the title, you know I’m in! This was different from the stereotypical love stories I’ve been reading. Sadly, in the first few pages you are faced with a tragedy. Lina’s mother dies of cancer, and she makes a promise to her mother that she will travel to Italy. Lina’s mother had fond memories in Italy and a very close friend that she wants her daughter to meet. After her mothers death, she drags her feet… but ends up moving to Italy to live with her mothers friend Howard. Of course things get interesting when you find out Howard lives in a cemetery and had a closer relationship with Lina’s mother than she led on. Throughout the story, you get flashbacks of Lina’s mothers life in Italy through her journal entries. This specific journal was mailed to Lina after her mothers death, and although she was hesitant at first to read it, she finds comfort in her mothers storytelling. Lina uses the journal as a guide to visit the same landmarks and hole-in-the-wall locations as her mother. As Lina continues to read her mothers journal, she tries to uncover the mystery of “X”, the unnamed man she was dating as she wrote the journal. She also tries to find answers to some of her questions, such as who is Howard? Why did she never speak of him until she was sick? Why did she leave Italy? Why did she never tell Howard about her? I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of this novel. I liked trying to put together the pieces and make predictions as Lily started to follow the bread crumbs herself. I didn’t find the storyline to be predictable, so it kept me interested cover to cover. The only part that I wasnt too fond of, was the scattered Italian throughout the book. The characters would have short conversations in Italian, but there was no translation. I felt that without the translation piece, I was missing out on some of the story."

"This book was so realistic, and I love how the characters were portrayed. They weren’t introduced as some negative force or a complete sweetheart. The author really lets the audience interpret that for themselves. It was a wholesome experience, and it was heart warming to see Lina and Howard’s bond grow into a true father-daughter relationship. ❤️"

"9/10 this one is amazing such a great story!!!"

"Sooooo cute! "

"This book is magical. I need to go to Italy now. "

"Read this soley because of my trip to Italy this summer. This was a cute read, but not a memorable read. I skipped a few pages throughout the book if I’m being completely honest. It wasn’t horrible, but it’s not my favorite"

"absolutely loved!!! there really wasn't much love until the end, but once there was, it was AMAZINGG. and the mystery aspect of the book is fantastic and keeps me wanting to read more even to the last page"

"Pretty predictable but a cute romance. Worth the read I think."

"Absolutely loved this book. Read it in like 2 days because I could not put it down! The storyline was so good and you never quite knew what was going to happen next. And obviously, obsessed with seeing the love bloom between the two friends!! "