Love & Gelato Book Review
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch book review and recommendation with NO SPOILERS
Date: 11-30-25 Post Written By: MK Overall Rating: 9.2/10
Book Cover Rating: 8.5/10
(My personal opinion)
Title: Love & Gelato
Author: Jenna Evans Welch
Pages: 386
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Subplots: Italian
Romance: No spice, but prominent part of plot
Series: Love & Gelato #1
Publisher: Simon Pulse
First Published: 2016
Number of Editions: 59
Goodreads Rating: 4.03/5
Number of Goodreads Ratings: 182,908
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
Number of Amazon Ratings: 7,257
Common Sense Media Age Recommendation: 12+
Movie/TV Show?? : Yes! A movie!
Book Type: Standard
Hook: Lina had a happy life with her mom. That changed when, in a matter of weeks, her mom went from healthy to passing away. Then, her grandma told Lina that her dad (who she has never met) lived in Italy and wanted to meet her. Lina promised her mom that she would go live with her dad once she passed away. So, she begrudgingly goes. She meets her father and he actually seems like a good guy. But, he does live in a literal graveyard- a bit of a sore subject for Lina, given her mom’s recent death. As she starts to settle in, another cemetery worker gives Lina a journal sent from her mom before she died. As Lina reads about her mom’s years in Italy while growing up, she learns how her mom fell in love with Italy. But, the journal also brings up many questions for Lina. Lina digs through the journal, unraveling past truths as she goes. Luckily for her, she met a boy- Ren- who goes through it with her. The journal poses many questions, but speaks to Lina more than she ever could have immagined.
My Review
Main Characters:
Carolina Emerson- Lina is the main character of this book. She is a high school student who has lived her whole life with her mom in the United States. So, she’s shocked when her mom passes away and she moves to live with her unknown father in Italy. She is bold and passionate once you get to know her, but is also described as quiet at first.
Lorenzo Ferrara- Ren is an Italian boy that Lina meets in Florence. He is part of a program of kids with connections outside of Italy. Ren is kind and thoughtful, but also not afraid to stand up for all the things he believes in.
Howard- Howard is Lina’s father. She only just meets him for the first time in Florence. He is kind and easygoing, but also has a fiercely protective streak. He lives in a famous cemetery in Florence. He is a care-taker and tour guide.
I LOVED these characters! They felt super personable and relatable, and I loved all of their interactions. The character development was great, and the major characters had a fair amount of depth. To be honest, there were a few SMALL instances when an action or choice didn’t make much logical sense to me, but I still loved these characters so much!
Character Rating: 9.7/10
Setting:
This book takes place in Florence, Italy
I loved hearing about Florence! This is a city that I’ve wanted to travel to for a while, so I loved learning about the architecture, food, and sites. It was especially interesting to hear about through the eyes of Lina, because it’s all new to her too. This setting was well described, detailed, and transportive. Loved it!
Setting Rating: 9.6/10
Plot:
YEAH!! SO many YA romance books that I’ve listened to recently are all romance, no plot. This was a BEAUTIFUL exception! I loved the romance between Lina and Ren, and I LOVED that there was outside plots as well. Essentially, Lina has many questions about what her mom was like when she lived in Florence, and a few directly relating to herself. Ren is sweet enough to try to find answers with her. To be fair, is the plot (outside of the romance- which was AMAZING), perfect? No. It was great, but felt a bit off at points. It was very emotionally important to Lina, but wasn’t life or death or anything. Regardless, this was such a fun read in comparison to the last few romances I’ve read.
Plot Rating: 9.4/10
Writing:
Wow! This was my first Jenna Evans Welch book, and I really enjoyed her writing. It matched the book fabulously- a good amount of depth and detail, without overwhelming the reader. I was super pleasantly surprised and will definitely be reading more of her books in the future!
Writing Rating: 8.9/10
Ending:
Loved it! This was such a sweet, heartwarming ending. It definitely left the reader happy and content. I do have a few SUPER small criticisms however: 1. It felt a little fast. Like, one minute we were deep into the plot, and the next, it was over. 2. There are a few small loose ends that are still bothering me. And 3. I needed more! (This is essentially a compliment because I loved this so much that I would LOVE to have a few extra chapters).
Ending Rating: 8.6/10
The Overall:
Overall, I loved this fun, summery read! The characters were AMAZING and went through a ton of development. The setting was transformative, informative, and unique. Additionally, I loved not only the romance parts of the plot, but the storyline as well. It had depth and reason behind it, and felt purposeful. I will definitely be reading more Jenna Evans Welch books in the future, and just wish this one had a little extra near the end in summary.
Overall Book Rating: 9.2/10
I would strongly recommend this book
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Jenna lives in Salt Lake City, Utah
She loved to read when she was young
She has multiple children
For more information, view Jenna Evans Welch’s profile on Amazon: Jenna Evans Welch
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