Synopsis
“I made the wrong choice.”
Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.
But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.
People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.
More Details
Genre: Young Adult
Page Length: 352
Characters: Lina, Ren, and Howard
Publication Date: 1st June 2017 (first published May 3rd, 2016)
Format: eBook
Review
I’ve had my eye on this book for a couple of weeks, but I’ve had a few ARCs to get through so I’ve only just gotten around to reading it.
This book takes place six months after Lina loses her mum to Pancreatic Cancer. Lina has gone to Tuscany to Live with Howard as per her mom’s dying wish. This was such a lovely read. I mean that in every sense of the word. The subject matter of losing a parent was beautifully done. I loved how mature Lina was when it came to handling the Howard situation, she had every right to be angry and rage but instead she took it all in her stride and gave him the opportunity to explain things.
Her friendship with Ren was sweet, I liked understanding Ren was of Lina’s feelings. He is there for her every step of the way and supports her to help discover all the secrets her mom kept, and the pace in which they fell for each other was really good.
“Turns out there’s a reason they call it falling in love, because when it happens – really happens – that’s exactly how it feels. There’s no doing or trying, you just let go and hope that someone’s going to be there to catch you. Otherwise, you’re going to end up with some pretty hefty bruises. Trust me, I would know.”
The thing that I loved the most was that this book was really feel good, even though the subject matter was heavy, it never made me feel depressed instead it made me feel hopeful.
The Bottom Line:
This was a fab little read, and it made fall even more in love with Italy! I am determined to get a visit to Florence in at some point in time. If you love YA then this is a must read.
My Rating: 4/5 🌟 🌟🌟🌟
About the Author
Jenna Evans Welch spent her high school years in Florence, Italy, where she drove a scooter, danced in fountains, and ate entirely too much gelato. She now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and young son. Read her blog, The Green Lemon, at JennaEvansWelch.com.
Until Next Time 🤓
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