Love and Luck
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Love and Luck - published 2018
"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." - Goodreads
WHAT I LIKED
I have been looking forward to this book all year because I loved, loved, loved Love and Gelato! Though L&G's Lina was not the main character in this book, her best friend, Addie was. Whenever I read a long awaited sequel it always sort of feels like going home. It's been a while since I've read L&G, but I think I liked this one even better.
A lot of the books I've read this spring have been set in another country; this one took place in Ireland, hence the clover on the cover. I love the feel of books set outside of the U.S. It makes me want to travel so, so, so much.
The story opens with Addie and her closest brother having gotten in a fist fight. We know it has something to do with her most recent heartbreak, but we don't know why from the get-go. We learn pieces of the puzzle as the novel progresses and they travel through Ireland together, at one another's throats. It's sort of told in reverse order, but more like in present and past pieces. I liked it!
Addie is using a guidebook for broken hearts to ease her pain and help her get over whatever it is that happened with her recent crush, Cubby. So, in addition to present and past pieces, we also have excerpts from the guidebook. The guidebook was written by a woman who had recently experienced heartbreak as well and is challenging readers to complete various tasks to help mend their hearts along their travels in Ireland.These are things meant to put you out of your comfort zone and reflect on what's breaking your heart...things like walking into cold water until you can't handle it anymore and then waiting a little longer to show you can handle more than you think. What I liked most about it was that she used pet names to address her readers. "Listen, pet", "cupcake" or "kitten"; it was funny to me. Below is a snippet that I liked best:
"What work? Heartache, love. The aching of the heart. And unlike so many other tasks, it's one only you can do. No delegating or shortcuts allowed. We humans love to try to circumvent pain. We want a shortcut, a trapdoor, something that will slurp us up and spit us out on the other side, no sticky messiness necessary."
I also really liked that the three main characters insert of a lot of what I call "fun facts" about things they're interested in. I love fun facts!
Okay, so there's Addie, the main character (soccer player, lowkey mechanic, lovesick), Ian, her closest brother, and then Rowan. Rowan is a total stranger to Addie in the beginning, someone Ian found online to help him with his cause that I won't spoil for you. Rowan is awesome. He wears funny cat shirts, lists a lot of fun facts, and is the voice of reason when Addie and Ian fight.
I had actual emotions during this book. I for real cried. What is life? That's not a thing I do.
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE
It's a little cheesy and too-good-to-be-true, but I didn't mind.
This isn't really a criticism, but it could be a standalone. It's only sort of a sequel because the main characters have shifted from L&G. Going into it I expected it to be a continuation of Lina's story, but instead it was her best friend who is on her way to visit her in Italy. At least that's what she's supposed to be doing!
There could be a third. Again, not a criticism. I wonder if there will be another book that lets us know what happens with Addie and a certain boy and Ian's future. If Welch keeps up the same style, it would mean the third book would have to be someone else's perspective but with hints of what happened to Addie and Ian. I'd be okay with that, but I just really wanna know what happens next.
OVERALL RATING
