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Quick answer: If you loved Love and Gelato, read Jenna Evans Welch's Love and Luck, then Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, Isla and the Happily Ever After and To All the Boys I've Loved Before. All are cosy teen romances set in beautiful places with first love and food.
Jenna Evans Welch's 2016 novel follows Lina, who travels to Tuscany after her mother's death to meet her father and finds a journal that leads her around Italy with a charming boy. It is light, sweet and sunny. The books below offer similar teen romances with travel, mystery and warm feelings.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Love & Luck | Jenna Evans Welch | Teen | the companion |
| Anna and the French Kiss | Stephanie Perkins | Teen | study abroad romance |
| Lola and the Boy Next Door | Stephanie Perkins | Teen | San Francisco romance |
| Isla and the Happily Ever After | Stephanie Perkins | Teen | love in Paris |
| To All the Boys I've Loved Before | Jenny Han | Teen | love letters |
| The Summer I Turned Pretty | Jenny Han | Teen | summer love triangle |
| Just One Day | Gayle Forman | Teen | a day in Paris |
| The Sun Is Also a Star | Nicola Yoon | Teen | one day in New York |
| Along for the Ride | Sarah Dessen | Teen | summer at the beach |
| Since You've Been Gone | Morgan Matson | Teen | summer to-do list |
| Eleanor & Park | Rainbow Rowell | Teen | first love in the 80s |
| Everything, Everything | Nicola Yoon | Teen | sheltered love |
| Emergency Contact | Mary H.K. Choi | Teen | modern romance |
| Perfect Chemistry | Simone Elkeles | Teen | opposites attract |
| Under the Tuscan Sun | Frances Mayes | Adult | Italian escape |
1. Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch
A girl in Ireland falls for a boy during a family trip. Light and sweet.
Best for: the companion.
2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Anna is sent to a boarding school in Paris. Swoony and charming.
Best for: study abroad romance.
3. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
A costume-loving girl falls for the boy next door. Fun and sweet.
Best for: San Francisco romance.
4. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
Isla finally gets the chance to be with the boy she has loved. Dreamy and fun.
Best for: love in Paris.
5. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Lara Jean's secret love letters get mailed out. Sweet, funny and cosy.
Best for: love letters.
6. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Belly spends another summer at the beach house and everything changes. Warm.
Best for: summer love triangle.
7. Just One Day by Gayle Forman
A girl spends a day with a boy and then spends a year looking for him. Dreamy.
Best for: a day in Paris.
8. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
A girl and a boy fall in love on the day she faces deportation. Beautiful and moving.
Best for: one day in New York.
9. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
A girl who cannot sleep spends the summer with a night-owl boy. Gentle.
Best for: summer at the beach.
10. Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
A shy girl completes her best friend's list. Sweet and funny.
Best for: summer to-do list.
11. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Two misfits fall in love on a school bus. Tender and honest.
Best for: first love in the 80s.
12. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
A girl who cannot leave her house falls for the boy next door. Sweet and surprising.
Best for: sheltered love.
13. Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
Two teens connect by text. Realistic and sweet.
Best for: modern romance.
14. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
A cheerleader and a gang member become lab partners. Steamy and dramatic.
Best for: opposites attract.
15. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
An American woman buys and restores a house in Tuscany. Sunny and sensuous.
Best for: Italian escape.
How to Choose
For more Welch read Love & Luck. For European travel romance choose Anna and the French Kiss, Isla and the Happily Ever After or Just One Day. For summer reads pick The Summer I Turned Pretty or Along for the Ride. For emotional depth try The Sun Is Also a Star. For adults who love the setting read Under the Tuscan Sun. These are all light and fast, so they suit holiday reading. Love and Gelato has plenty of Italian food scenes, and it was adapted into a Netflix film in 2022. The book has more of the mystery of Lina's mother's journal.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Love and Gelato about?
A girl travels to Tuscany after her mother's death and follows her mother's journal.
Who wrote it?
Jenna Evans Welch.
When was it published?
2016.
Is there a film?
Yes, a Netflix film in 2022.
What age is it for?
Teens, usually ages 12 and up.
Is it a series?
It has a companion novel, Love & Luck.
Is it a clean romance?
Yes, it is sweet and mostly clean.
What should I read next?
Try Anna and the French Kiss.
Which book here is best for love in Paris?
Try Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, which is a good fit if you want love in Paris.
Which book here is best for a day in Paris?
Try Just One Day by Gayle Forman, which is a good fit if you want a day in Paris.