Love & Luck - Jenna Evans Welch.

Title: Love & Luck
Author: Jenna Evans Welch
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication date: May 8, 2018
303 Pages
5/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis

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.

Review

I read "Love & Gelato" last year and really enjoyed it! "Love & Luck" was no different for me. If you're looking for a fun, quick read, look no further!

I really enjoyed how this story went back and forth between passages from the guidebook that Addie discovered, and the adventures that Addie, her brother Ian, and Ian's friend Rowan are having. This book grabbed my attention right from the start and held it all the way through the story. 

At the beginning of the book you find out that Addie and her brother, Ian are not getting along - to put it mildly. The once close siblings have a wedge in their relationship; one that is only hinted at for a long portion of the book. All you know if that Addie has had her heart broken by a boy who is on Ian's football team, and that has something to do with their feud. The suspense of not knowing the details until later in the book helped keep that tension going. 

If you have siblings, you can relate to Addie and her older brothers. The love/hate relationship, how certain siblings are closer than others, and just each sibling's quirks. They were all really endearing. I really loved seeing Addie and Ian's family; their mom and 2 older brothers are great!

Addie is looking forward to going to Italy to visit her friend, Lina (who is the main character in Love & Gelato), and opening up to her friend about all her heartache. When that trip gets derailed, Addie is thrown together with her feuding brother, Ian, and Ian's Irish friend, Rowan.  Tensions rise, emotions flair, but the 3 of them go on a journey that also opens their eyes.  They see beautiful locations in Ireland, and also discover there are more to each other than first meets the eye. 

This is a story about recovering from heartache, about healing riffs between siblings, new friendships, old friendships, discovery yourself, not letting people's view of you shape who you truly are, taking time to enjoy the beauty around you, and the loyalty of family and friends. Just to name a few things.

I'm really looking forward to reading "Love & Olives" which will be published on November 10th, 2020!

Happy reading, everyone!