Sunday, May 22, 2016

Love, Lucy

A little throwback to my trip to Italia! Usually when I go on a trip to a famous country or city I search for a book that has a plot in that country or city. So my search for a book in Italy began and I found the perfect book: Love and Gelato. It wasn't published until April so I thought, okay things will be on time I don't leave until the end of April... But the book was postponed to May! I had to find another book in Italy and then found this one: Love, Lucy by April Lindner.

Lucy is backpacking through Europe together with a friend. Their last stop? The big Italy! Even though Lucy is liking the trip, she had to give up her true passion to go there. And all this because of her dad who didn't agree with her passions. Going on with her trip Lucy falls in love with cities but falls even harder for Florence. Not only because of the maleficent sights but also because of one person. As the trip comes to an end, Lucy is confused with what she wants and which desires she feels like fulfilling. Will she ever see him again? Will she ever restart with her true passion? And the most important: will she ever make her own decisions?

This book turned out more differently than I thought. With that I mean that there actually was a really small part in Italy but more about that later. First the characters! Lucy created a lot of mystery around her in the first part of the book. Her friend kept talking about what she had to give up for this trip and that's when a reader starts thinking! Who is she really? The first part we only saw a girl eager on adventure and getting lost in new cities. Something I could really relate with and therefore this character was something good in the book. Later in the book we get to know what has happened to her and what she had to let go for a trip in Europe but that doesn't change the character that much. If I had to describe Lucy then I'd say she's a very dependent character. I can't go into much detail but let's say she's not so good at making her own decisions and she gets criticized for that. Because of that we do see how she reacts to it and if she'll grow into this or not.



Another character I'm dying to talk about is Charlene. First of all I'd like to complain about her because she was such a mean person! Absolutely so mean that I wanted to crawl into the plot and strangle her... that says enough doesn't it? However her rudeness could've been because Lucy and she have been looking at each other's faces for far too long. Which I can understand, when I went to Italy and came back I was glad that I could have some time apart and rest out. Whether she changed a bit and I could grow accustomed to her is something I'm going to leave in the dark and let you find out yourself! By the way, a quick note: it's not only Charlene I didn't like... but also Lucy's dad. Please find out for yourself what I'm talking about ;)



The person Lucy meets in Italy is something I'd love to keep a secret. The premise on the back doesn't say a lot about him so I think I shouldn't either. What I do want to tell is that that person is a lot more different that I would have thought and I really enjoyed that person's presence... 

Now the plot! As already mentioned it was a lot more differently than I had expected. Is that in a bad way? I don't really know. Even though it was different, I still enjoyed the book. My original plan was to find a book that was in Italy, this one was only a little part in Italy. That kind of disappointed me. I did see things in Florence, which was a good thing because I relived the atmosphere and I also loved Florence when I was there... but it was so fast paced! And that's really what made me feel more disappointed. So if you read the book to find the atmosphere of Italy, I wouldn't recommend it. It's too short for that.

Other than that the plot did give me a lot of feels and we all know how such books are: amazing! And it did surprise me multiple times which made up for the fact that the book didn't have a lot of Italy in it. The plot will change scènes a lot and with that Lucy will also grow in her behavior which I liked. And we'll know more and more towards the ending of who Lucy really is. With that I mean, we'll get the whole picture and not only a fragment. The ending was something predictable but the way things went is also something that is like a predictable movie and I don't know whether to like or or dislike it so I'll leave that in the middle.

This book was one that I did enjoy, even though it did disappoint me a bit because of the short, fast-paced bit in Italy. The characters were very open and you can easily relate with them, especially if you're someone who loves to get lost in a city and has a true passion for something. The plot has its surprises but it can also be predictable which will either leave you with a good feeling or a mixed feeling. But overall, it was a good book!

" When a person really loves something… or someone… You just have to stand back and let them.”   







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