Love & Olives

By: Jenna Evans Welch

Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers

Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

A New York Times best seller

From the New York Times best-selling author of Love & Gelato comes a Mamma Mia!-inspired tale about a teen girl finding romance while trying to connect with her absent father in beautiful Santorini, Greece.

Liv Varanakis doesn’t have a lot of fond memories of her father, which makes sense - he fled to Greece when she was only eight. What Liv does remember, though, is their shared love for Greek myths and the lost city of Atlantis. So when Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father explaining that National Geographic is funding a documentary about his theories on Atlantis - and will she fly out to Greece and help? - Liv jumps at the opportunity. 

But when she arrives to gorgeous Santorini, things are a little...awkward. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. And yet Liv doesn’t want their past to get in the way of a possible reconciliation. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo - her father’s charismatic so-called “protégé” - to witness her struggle. And that means diving into all that Santorini has to offer - the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the hidden caves, 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. 

©2020 Jenna Evans Welch. All rights reserved. (P)2020 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

I loved it!

This book caught my attention from the beginning. I really enjoyed getting to know Olive and her father's search for Atlantis. This book made me Feel since I can relate with growing up without a father. *Spoiler Alert* Many may find it a bit incredible how Olive was able to forgive someone who has hurt her in a great way so quickly. But we have to put ourselves in Olive's shoes and her situation at the time. At some point in the book, she thought her dad was lost or dead at sea and then in that same day she learns that he is ill and may not have long to live. I find that when faced with such a situation, people are more susceptible to forgive and try to move on. I think Olive forgave her father because she did not want to live with regrets like her mother did with her father. Anyways no more spoilers. I highly recommend to read. I'm sure you'll enjoy it just like I did!

WHY ??

Things that Olive's heart did:
1) it jumped
2) it slowed
3) it got into her throat
4) it burst
5) it shook
6) it broke
and I guess if the book went on it would've joint the gymnastics because it did all kind of stuff throughout the book .. IT WAS ANNOYING !!!!
so the story is about Olive, she is 17, HAS A BOYFRIEND ( who is amazing by the way) and her dad left her to look for some mythical land when she was 8 years old .. one day out of nowhere her father sends her a letter telling her she has to leave her whole life and comes to him because .. he said so (actually he said it was for a project but who cares ? ) so as every girl who is mad as hell at her father, what does olive do ?, PACK HER BAGS of course !!!, so this time we are in Santorini Greece where Olive is supposedly mad at her father but she is smiling and laughing with him from day 1, and not cheating on her boyfriend with Theo a guy who works with her dad and keeps pushing Olive to do things she doesn't want to do (true love .. ? ) so yeah thats the story in a nutshell

I'm so so so mad and disappointed .. this book was one of my most anticipated books for this year and it was .. this ? .. why isn't it as AMAZING as the previous too ? what happened ?? why is her father redeemed so easily ? *UGH* I rolled my eyes so much during this book and this rating makes me so sad .. hopefully the next books will be better than this

as for the narrator .. let's just say she did her best

Relaxing fun!

This book was fun to listen to. Relaxing easy to follow and PG rated. The performance was excellent. Really enjoyed the book.

A great book to escape in

Jenna has brought yet another great book that not only keeps you entertained but will make you want to buy the next ticket to Greece to see that places you read about in person.

so charming

really adored this story
charming characters
beautiful setting
fun adventure
did I laugh? yes
did I cry? definitely

Can’t wait to visit Santorini Greece!

A beautiful young girl on a journey to find her father and regain a lost relationship. The story is written so well I feel like I have actually been there! Another tender story written for both the young and the young at heart!

this is the love &

so awesome. my 11 y.o.son picked up love and gelato at the bookstore. I thought it was interesting bc it seemed like a love story. I guess he got it bc it had gelato in the title and he thought that was funny. he loves the book and said it was funny. I think it's great, bc he freaks out at very innocent kissing scenes in movies (maybe just when I'm around😉). there's just a little love, more about the build up of friendship. he wanted to read the series so i did too. all three are good. this one definitely captured me. the character development is so perfect, the methology, the relationship between father and daughter. I think there are quite a few daughters out there with complicated relationships with their dad. not exact circumstances, but def similar with some very spot in feelings. definitely recommend it.