By Jenna E. Welch
It’s been a very long time since I read a YA book and I am glad I read this one by Jenna E. Welch. I can easily tag it as an adorable story of this young girl Lina who reluctantly resolves to spend the summer in Tuscany, Italy, to fulfill her dying mother’s wish of getting to know her father. Howard is a gentleman and tries his best to make Lina comfortable however she has her own set of questions and awkwardness towards him because of the fact that she hasn’t seen or heard of him in 16 years of her life.
“You know, people come to Italy for all sorts of reasons, but when they sat, it’s for the same two things.”
“What?”
“Love and gelato.”
The story further unfolds with Lina finding her mothers journal (embedded in the book) which she had written during her time as an art student in Florence.Even though she is in low spirits, she decides to explore various places which her mother had alluded to in her journal and ends up exploring Italy through her mother’s eyes.
So… Italian gelato. Take the deliciousness of a regular ice-cream cone, times it by a million, then sprinkle it with crushed-up unicorn horns.
The sweetest character of the book is Lorenzo, whom Lina befriends and they in unison explore and try to uncover the secret which Lina’s mother has hidden from her. Eventually, she finds unexpected love,truth and a family that she can count on.
I reached reverently into the bag, then took a big bite of the cornetta. It was warm and melty and tasted like every perfect thing that could ever happen to you. Italian summers. First loves. Chocolate.
The book is a fantastic read. The charm of Florence, the taste of authentic Italiano pizza, celebrated pubs, flavors of Gelato, the history of the places are very well depicted and will keep you hooked till the very end.The fact that it is set in Tuscany is lovely, & I loved the way author has described the streets, architecture and various other landmarks. It absolutely tempted me to visit Florence. Also, I like how the mother’s journal has been embedded in the book, it provided an insight into her life while she was in Italy. I don’t generally like romance as genre, so I would have been happier if it wasn’t a part of the book. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful read.
Picture Credit: amazon.com
Babe with a book 