Series: Love & Gelato #3
Also in this series: Love & Gelato, Love & Luck
Published by Simon Pulse on November 10, 2020
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 506
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Edelweiss)
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Santorini felt like an island holding its breath. As if it were keeping in a secret...
Liv Varanakis doesn’t like to think about her father much, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight, leaving her with just a few painful memories of their shared love for the lost city of Atlantis. So when teenage Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father, who explains that National Geographic is supporting a documentary about his theories on Atlantis—and asks if she will fly out to Greece and help—Liv is less than thrilled.
When she arrives in gorgeous Santorini, things are just as awkward as she'd imagined. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. Liv doesn’t want to get sucked back into her father's world. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo, her father’s charismatic so-called protégé, to witness her struggle.
Even so, she can't help but be charmed by everything Santorini has to offer—the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the sun-drenched villages, and the delicious cuisine. But not everything on the Greek island is as perfect as it seems. Because as Liv slowly begins to discover, her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important.
I don’t read as much YA as I used to, but I loved Love & Gelato and Love & Luck (although, not as much as the first)! I was delighted to discover a third book was coming out in this series of companion novels, this one taking place in Santorini! I loved the idea of a girl reconnecting with her father who left her, and jetting off to Greece to help him film a documentary on the lost city of Atlantis. I love stories that take me to new places, especially beautiful ones that I would love to visit on my own. The awkward relationships between Liv and her dad is painfully cute. He doesn’t know what to do with a teen girl, and she doesn’t know how to have a dad. Things are bumpy and not at all easy, but I loved watching him try to figure it all out. Sweet father daughter relationships always melt my heart a little, and even though this dad abandoned his daughter without a word to go Atlantic hunting on the other side of the world, he’s ready to make amends and get to know her. He has fully owned his mistakes and wants a relationship.
My very favorite part of the book, though, is the setting. Jenna Evans Welch is so, so good at bringing readers to the location she has written about. The descriptions of the water and the sunsets and the night sky were just beautiful, not to mention the winding pathways of Santorini and the white buildings with the blue roofs (we even get to learn about why the building are all blue and white, which I found fascinating). I also loved the little tidbits of info about Atlantis and the theories surrounding it. I’ve always been very intrigued by the legend of Atlantis, so reading a book about people trying to find proof of its existence was so much fun for me. It’s such a compelling mystery, and I really enjoyed learning about it as Liv, her dad, and Theo went sightseeing and interviewing people about it as they filmed.
I loved Theo, Liv’s love interest and videographer for the documentary. He was funny and sweet and enjoyed being the go-between between Liv and her dad. I thought it was so sweet how he tried to help grow and foster a relationship between the two of them, counseling with them both when he could tell they needed it. There’s a lot of pain, regret, and more serious issues that weave themselves through the story, so Theo provided some comedic relief and a lighter side to contrast with the darker one. My biggest struggle with this book surrounded Liv’s father’s actual reason for asking her to fly out to help him. I won’t spoil anything but, upon discovering what that reason was, I found myself sad and melancholy as I read. I loved the scenery and the characters and the developing relationships between multiple duos of people, but there was this constant feeling of sadness in the pit of my stomach that made it a little harder for me to read. If things had been more upbeat, I would have flown through this. Even so, I’m glad I read it. Jenna Evans Welch writes great scenery and great characters, and it was fun to escape to Greece during a time when travel is pretty much impossible. I would love to see a forth book in this series in the future!