3.5*
Love & Gelato was a pretty enjoyable book overall, with a few hiccups along the way. It was cute, but I doubt it'll leave a lasting impression.
What I liked:
- Italy! Come on, that is going to be a huge plus of any book, right? Especially since the book was set in Florence (Firenze for the Italian speaking among us), and I have been there and absolutely enjoyed it- and have visited some of the places that Lina went.
- I enjoyed Howard and Lina's awkward but budding relationship. Meeting him for the first time, after her mom's death, had to be incredibly uncomfortable- and the book showed this! But Howard was so sweet, and so determined to make Lina feel at home, it was quite admirable. Plus, he just seemed like a decent stand up guy in general.
- Lina's friendship with Ren was great, even though their meeting was kind of too convenient. I think he was just an overall decent guy too, and I liked that he lived in a gingerbread house because... why? Who cares, it's fun.
- Lina's mom was featured as part of the plot, via her journal from the past when she first went to Italy. It was sad that we didn't get to see much of Lina's mom before she died, so "meeting" her via her journals was amazing. Lina got to learn a lot about her mom, and I just loved that they were able to still have mother-daughter moments even though her mom wasn't alive.
What I didn't like as much:
- The "other guy". I don't even remember his name, that is not good. ::Looks at Kindle:: Thomas, apparently. That's about how much of an impression he left on me. He was basically useless? I guess he was attractive but like... I can't see him so who even cares? He had literally no purpose other than being "the other guy".
- The whole "Lina moving to Italy" thing was kind of unrealistic I think. I mean, granted, I am not entirely sure how international custody arrangements work but... her grandma was just like "mmmmkay, Howard seems cool, see you later!". And I get that it was her mother's wish but also... why did anyone think this was a good idea? I had trouble wrapping my head around it.
- This one is a little spoilery maybe? I didn't realize it at first, but Lina had been there all of a week when she decided that she was "in love" with Ren. So... that isn't normal. And not in a "OMG I LOVE HIM" way, in a "I want to be with him forever" sort of way. So... yeah.
- While I was fine with Lina in general, there were times that I kind of wanted to maybe smack her a little? She just was like, uppity sometimes, for really no reason. And the worst was that Howard devotes his life to the upkeep of this World War II cemetery for American soldiers and Lina is like... not just weirded out, but has no concept of why it is so important. Okay, I get living at a cemetery would probably be strange for anyone, but how can she not acquiesce that it is a really moving tribute, and the fact that Howard is willing to live there and take care of it and help people tour it shows what kind of amazing guy he truly is? She also makes a few jabs at other people that just didn't sit well with me.
Bottom Line: Overall, a cute book, especially if you want to be craving Italian food for the next two weeks. Not perfect, but a sweet book that definitely left a smile on my face.