The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. The only weakness of this fast-paced, witty read is its lack of diversity: The characters are uniformly white, straight, middle-class, and nondisabled.Ī skillfully rendered exploration of heartbreak, friendship, family, and destiny-and a quick and enjoyable read. Furthermore, Welch ( Love & Gelato, 2016) describes Cubby’s violation of Addie’s trust realistically and sympathetically, deftly addressing the very real issues surrounding love in the digital age. A quick-tempered athlete who is a whiz at fixing cars but struggles with school, Addie is a welcome departure from the bookish, quirky characters who are so often the heroines of teen romances.

But a fistfight, an alternative music festival, and a guidebook for the brokenhearted derail Addie’s Italian plans-and, ultimately, give her what she needs to get her life back on track. When her family travels to Ireland for a wedding, Addie plans a side trip to Italy, intent on visiting her best friend (who moved to live with her father in Florence) and fixing her life.

Out of her three older brothers, Addie has always been closest to Ian-until she dates Cubby, Ian’s football teammate, despite Ian’s warnings. When an ill-advised romance threatens Addie’s friendship with her brother, Ian, it takes an Irish road trip to mend their relationship-along with Addie’s broken heart.

Jenna evans welch love & luck