Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch

Narrated by Lisa Flanagan

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Addie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding, and hoping she can stop thinking about the one horrible thing she did that left her miserable and heartbroken—and threatens her future. But her brother, Ian, isn’t about to let her forget, and his constant needling leads to arguments and even a fistfight between the two once inseparable siblings. Miserable, Addie can’t wait to visit her friend in Italy and leave her brother—and her problems—behind.

So when Addie discovers an unusual guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, hidden in the dusty shelves of the hotel library, she’s able to finally escape her anxious mind and Ian’s criticism.

And then their travel plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with Ian and his admittedly cute, Irish-accented friend Rowan. As the trio journeys over breathtaking green hills, past countless castles, and through a number of fairy-tale forests, Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother.

That is if they don’t get completely lost along the way.

“Labels aren't big enough for people. And once you try to categorize someone, you stop looking for who they actually are.”

I loved Love & Luck! I was worried it wouldn't be as good as Love & Gelato, but they were both amazing! They're easily two of my favorite reads this year.

Love & Gelato focused on friendship and family, a new home in a different country, and an unexpected romance. Love & Luck was mostly about family and forgiveness. I really liked that the story focused on Addie and her relationship with her brother Ian. They've both been keeping secrets from each other and the rest of their family, which resulted in their friendship becoming strained. Addie and her siblings are really close, so it was hard for her to lie to them and keep her problems to herself. Honestly, I really enjoyed all of the family interactions -- so realistic!

The Ireland setting was fantastic, and I really enjoyed the excerpts from the guidebook (Ireland for the Heartbroken) Addie was reading. It really added another layer to the story, and I thought the author was hilarious!

“Do you know what I love most about humans, pet? It’s our utter dogged stupidity. When it comes to love we never learn. Ever. Even when we know the risks. Even when it makes much more sense to relocate to individualized climate-controlled caves, where our hearts have at least a fighting chance at remaining intact. We know the risks of opening our hearts up. And yet we keep doing it anyway. We keep falling in love and having babies and buying shoes that look incredible but feel like death. We keep adopting puppies and making friends and buying white sofas that we know we’re going to drop a slice of pizza facedown on. We just keep doing it. Is it ignorance? Amnesia? Or is it something else? Something braver?”

Addie is surrounded by three brothers, and she knows how to fight back. She'll happily tackle one of her brothers when they do something ridiculous (which is often). She also isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and loves working on cars. Addie wasn't concerned with appearances, and it was refreshing to read about someone that liked themselves. She may not have liked the decisions she made, but she was still confident and knew herself.

An unexpected road trip through Ireland? Yes, please! Addie travels with Ian and his friend Rowan on an epic journey. She's constantly fixing Rowan's car, Clover, so they can get from one place to the next. I laughed at how clueless the boys were, and Addie's quick remedies for fixing truly terrible mechanical problems. Duct tape does not fix everything...

Rowan was adorable! I loved how he inserted himself into conversations just to keep Addie and Ian from fighting. He's dealing with his own problems, but chooses to focus on their trip instead of dwelling on something he cannot change. After awhile, Rowan starts sharing pieces of his story as they travel, and he and Addie do the guidebook homework together. It was nice to see Addie and Ian put aside their issues so they could work together and help Rowan. Additionally, Rowan and Ian would do something nice to help Addie, and Addie and Rowan did a lot to make Ian's dreams come true. They were such a great team!

There are so many wonderful things I could say about this book (the audio was amazing for one thing), and I adored Addie and her family. They fought (physically and verbally), kept secrets, spilled secrets, laughed, and loved unconditionally. It was an authentic experience that I really enjoyed. Also, their mom was awesome! She could be intense and scary, but she obviously loved her children and would do anything for them.

I highly recommend both Love & Luck and Love & Gelato! It was a wonderful adventure that I doubt I will ever forget! (The characters overlap, but both books can be read on their own.)

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Narrated by Rebekkah Ross

Synopsis (via Goodreads): “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.

“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.” 

This was the perfect summer read! Lina's story really resonated with me, and I could definitely see myself doing the things that she did. I wanted to both speed through this one and savor the experience, so it's a good thing I listened to the audiobook with a set pace. I think I might have devoured it too quickly on my own and it would have been over too soon. (Also, the narrator was phenomenal!)

Lina lost her mother and was tossed into an unfamiliar world with a father she didn't know, a country she had never been to, and a culture she was unprepared for. I enjoyed watching Lina navigate her new life, and the journal she inherited from her mother was just icing on the cake. Lina's mother was a prominent character, and we mostly only see her through journal entries. Despite that, the author makes Hadley (her mother) stand out and claim part of this story as her own. I loved listening to those entries and trying to solve the mystery along with Lina and Ren.

Ren was the sweetest guy and was eager to help Lina find her footing in Italy. They ran into each other on accident, but their relationship made me believe in fate. They were meant for each other, and I liked watching their relationship grow despite some obvious problems. I'm happy Lina decided to share her mother's journal with him, because adventures with Ren were infinitely better than sulking solo.

I also adored Howard (her father). He didn't know Lina existed until shortly before she came to live with him. He did everything he possibly could to make sure she felt welcome and was comfortable. He didn't try to force her into conversations she wasn't ready for, or try to be an overbearing parent, but simply let her live and gave her room to breathe. Howard knew she was hurting and needed time to adjust before they tried to move forward.

Lina keeps in touch with her best friend by making random phone calls and video chatting. Again, the author brilliantly portrays a secondary character with very little information. It was like we'd all been friends forever.

It was such a wonderful reading experience on so many levels. I've never had a strong desire to visit Italy, but now I have an itch. Jenna Evans Welch has successfully made me want to traverse Italy and see every site mentioned in this book. Love & Gelato is my own version of Lina's mom's journal. It will be my map to secret bakeries, interesting sculptures, and the best gelato in the world. I cannot recommend this one enough!

“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.” 

“A life without love is like a year without summer.”