** spoiler alert ** As someone who read Welch's previous two works in her "Love and..." series (though it's not really a series in the sense you need to read all of them in order), I was so excited to get Love and Olives as an ARC. I have to say, this is Welch's strongest work by FAR. If Love and Gelato leaned too far into the teen romance side at the expense of the family/personal growth issues,, and Love and Luck didn't give romance its due in the book at the expense of the family/personal growth issues,, in Love and Olives, Welch finds a much more balanced middle ground between the two major themes. To that end, the chapter headers that expand on Olive's list of 26 Things was a really smart structural decision.

It's by far the author's most mature work, thematically, and I really appreciated it. The themes of healthy relationships, reconciling with your past, and viewing your parents as flawed adults all really resonated with me, even as a 30 year-old woman lol. I also appreciated that it had a plot beyond "girl in a foreign country and there's a cute boy". The search for Atlantis thread really helped to ground the work and give it forward momentum: it gives the tension with Olive and her dad, Olive and Theo, and Olive and herself the scenes and plot to work through tough questions (and a beautiful backdrop for everything. Swoon!)

I also really appreciated Olive/Liv as a character; she's a believably flawed protagonist, and her struggles and the choices she makes were grounded and made sense for her as a character. Even if I didn't *agree* with her decisions, I understood why she was doing them and how it made sense for her character.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Pulse/Simon and Schuster Books for the free ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are mine alone.

Another amazing book by Jenna Evans Welch! I patiently was waiting for this book and feel so grateful for the ARC from NetGalley and the publishers.

Liv doesn't have a good relationship with her father, considering he left her when she was 8 years old to go back to Santorini, Greece in search for the lost city of Atlantis. When Liv receives an "invitation" to visit her father in Greece for two weeks in the summer, she is of course, hesitant, but her mom insists that she goes leaving her boyfriend and summer before her senior year of high school behind.

Once she arrives, Liv struggles with her emotions as she deals with attempting to build a connection between herself and her father, and the fight between her heart and her head with her father's protege, Theo.

Welch beautifully writes YA novels that I feel are appropriate for mature middle schoolers (not too much romance!) and will gladly add this book to my classroom library.

If you loved the first two in the Love and Gelato series, you are going to LOVE this one!! I absolutely adored this book. It was such a great YA romance but also a great story between a father and daughter. You get so many great moments between Olive and her dad but also Olive and Theo.

Olive was a great main character. She had a lot of validation for feeling the way she did towards her father at the beginning and you really get to see her grow into her own skin and into the woman she wants to be. She is such a strong girl and wants to follow her passion for art and watching her come to terms with what she wants and that it is okay to want to go to art school was great.

Oh man did I love Theo. He was the super cute, slightly annoying, partially greek boy of my dreams. He had such great motives behind everything he did and was such a wonderful character. Watching him and Olive's love story unfold was truly one of the best parts!

Olive and her dad had such great bond before he had left and watching Olive struggle with her feelings of seeing her dad for the first time in a long time felt like I was getting insight into her brain. She struggled with wanting to trust her dad again but had a hard time! It was a totally normal teen girl reaction.

This book also dealt with a lot of topics regarding mental health. It was really nice the way they were covered. You were able to see multiple perspectives into the situation like Olive's parents and also a young Olive's POV. I thought this was handled very well.

Overall, this is a book I am highly recommending to anyone who loves YA and YA romances. I loved this story so much. I would honestly read Jenna Evans Welch's grocery list.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Wow. This book! Love & Gelato has been a favorite of mine since the moment I read it...and now I think I may love LOVE & OLIVES even more!!! The magical undertone of hunting for Atlantis immediately pulled me in. I couldn't wait to see if they actually found proof of its existence! I smiled so many times as the main character's friendship with the new guy she met in Greece blossomed, and I loved watching her form relationships with everyone there. The complicated father/daughter relationship was written so well, it was nuanced and rich and I truly felt for both of them. I rarely actually cry during books, but there was a moment in this one where real tears were rolling down my cheeks as I read. Still, overall it was incredibly heartwarming, and I also LOVED the important mental health topic that was covered in a sensitive, genuine way. This is also the first book that has filled me with wanderlust for a place that I never even considered wanting to travel to before, but the descriptions of the island of Santorini, Greece were so incredible I found myself longing to go see it in person (and to eat all the delicious food, too). I couldn't put it down, and I know this is one that will stick with me for a long time.

Thanks NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the free eARC to review.

(I'll post this review on my social media and blog a month before pub date)

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/66y54DtsGEEfu/giphy.gif"/>

An adventure book! 👏 Greek myths and the lost city of Atlantis. 26 Things My Dad Left Behind, by Indiana Olive. Except she isn't Olive anymore. She goes by Liv. Liv Varanakis and she doesn't ever, ever talk about her absentee Atlantis hunter father, Nico- he fled to Greece when she was eight. Liv finds out...from a postcard😱!...that National Geographic is supporting a documentary about Nico's theories on the golden city. Her mom encourages (read: coerces) her to go to Santorini to reconcile with her dad. Put things to rest. But when she arrives things are....awkward. Emotional earthquake level. Confusing. Clouds of sadness. Liv def doesn't want her dads "crew"- party of one- to witness the uncomfortable vibes. The crew? That's a Greek boy. Theo. 😍 He's next-level attractive and smug just seemed to add to his charm. His nickname for Liv, Kalamata, is completely endearing. So the trio galivant all over the island capturing the beautiful sunsets and turquoise water while searching for proof of Atlantis. However, Liv realizes that maybe she isn't in Santorini seeking a lost paradise, but possibly for something much more meaningful. The characters were amiable! Bapou is massively likeable and doesn't speak a lick of English. "Beautiful! Welcome to Santorini!" Ok, four words. He's precious. I NEED that recipe for Sunshine Cake 🍰! My mouth was watering at the mentions of thick chunks feta cheese🧀 and juicy tomatoes🍅. Yum! Love & Olives is the third girl aboard, coming-of-age story about grief, betrayal, abandonment, mental illness, and love.

🎶 song: Mykonos by Fleet Foxes 🎶

OMG this book got me in the feels! I think this is by far the most emotional book of the Love & series. My heart went out to Olive throughout the entire book, but I was still rooting for a reconciliation at the same time. The resolution does come a bit late in the book for my taste, and I wish there had been more of a romance aspect to the book, but overall this is a great read.

Love & Olives is another great addition to the Love & Gelato series. In this novel LIv goes to Greece to see her father whom she hasn't seen since she was 8. Love & Olives is more about LIv and her relationship with her father than the budding romance. During the quest for Atlantis, LIv learns to see things from different perspectives. She learns about her father and herself and gains true confidence instead of a persona she puts on. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Santorini and definitely want to visit! This is a great read especially in a season when travel is restricted. Thank you to #NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was soooo sweet. I loved every aspect of Liv's adventure and relationships that saw so many trials and tribulations. From going to Greece to finding Atlantis, from a bookstore to a near death accident, this book does not disappoint.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

I've recently read both of Jenna Evans Welch's other previous novels. And when I say recent, I mean in about the last 6 or 7 weeks! And this might be my hands down favorite of her books! First, thanks Netgalley and Simon & Schuster's Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read this eARC. It honestly made my weekend! Now I am book hungover for beautiful Greece!

The book begins with a bit of getting to know Olive and her life before she jets off to Greece. Olive -- no, Liv-- seems to like holding people at arms length. There are no mentions of friends back home, so it's hard to understand whether she had them and if she did, none were as close as the best friends in Welch's other two books. You get the impression that Liv's only connection she deems worthy of mentioning is her boyfriend, Dax, who apparently wants Liv to faithfully follow him everywhere and stick to the future he wants. Dax chooses only to see the Liv he's invented, and weirdly, Liv prefers to keep it that way, having put on a persona to mask her pain from her father's abandonment. All Liv knows is that when she was eight, her father left her and her mother to find the lost city of Atlantis, and he left behind 26 things, which young "Indian Olive" carefully catalogued. The theory and mythology of Atlantis was the thing she and her father bonded over. Now, Liv is deciding where she wants to attend college (with Dax pressuring her to go to Stanford to be with him while Liv wants to go to Rhode Island School of Design for art) and approaching her senior year of high school. Then when she is about to go with Dax on a his peer visit to Stanford, she receives a postcard from her father telling her he wants her to come visit him in picturesque, Santorini, Greece and help him with a special project. While she and her father had exchanged postcards a few times, there was no other contact since he'd left. Her mother insists she go, so Liv reluctantly ships off to meet her long-lost father and inevitably confront her traumas.

Some of the below portion is edited to omit spoilers. :)

This book had the most beautiful descriptions of the setting. Felt like I was really in Greece, but I can't say for sure because I have not been to mainland Europe. I loved Bapou and Ana and Geoffrey and the weird literary cats. That was great. The details in all of this were amazing. My favorite scenes in Greece were the Atlantis bookshop (omg travel goals) and the Minoan ruins/visit. Both of those were fascinating!

I absolutely loved Theo. From minute 1. My favorite scene with Theo and Olive is the escape scene. I loved Theo and Olive's interactions and how Theo drew out Liv's thoughts and feelings. He was so good natured, but I didn't want him to be a boy Mary Sue either. I just wish we could have gotten more of his little details and memories. He paid a lot of attention to the people around him, but in some ways, it felt like he didn't share enough of himself. He still seems so mysterious behind the camera. (Also, if I had slept in the same room as a boy at that age, I would have been up all night freaking out. Even if he was a calming presence...) I have a hard time believing, because obviously Olive has anxiety, that she didn't freak out the whole way back from the escape scene with some weird energy going on between her and Theo.

The moments with the film and her dad though was absolutely phenomenal. A few unresolved questions: Nat Geo, yes or no? Does Olive try for RSID? Does a long distance relationship work? And we never figure out whether she stopped with her fear of the ocean after having her panic attack.

It just seemed like something was missing from the ending. Perhaps an epilogue? It just didn't seem like the perfect ending point for Theo/Olive since it was almost anticlimactic. Perhaps this was because I wanted Theo to say more.. But he doesn't, really. I mean I wanted some big long spiel. I felt like he deserved to tell his part of the story too, and while he did mention a little about their future, he didn't say anything about how he was surprised to find she was special to him too. It's almost you have to be there to see it (which would probably be amazing on film), but didn't translate into it as much on the page. 4.5 stars for missing just this little bit.. Overall, I loved this story, the characters, the writing, Greece *sigh*...and as always with good books, you just want to spend more time with them! Definitely pick this book up in November. It can be read as a standalone. It's the perfect vacation or escape reality read. Thanks again, NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, and Jenna Evans Welch for writing a sweet and beautiful rom-com. I would love to see this on screen. (Picture Liv falling out of her bookshop sleep grotto? :'D)

I just recently read Love & Gelato and Love & Luck and I knew I had to get my hands on Love & Olives. I love Jenna Evan Welch's stories and I LOVE Greece so I was so ecstatic that it was the backdrop for this one. While this is the third novel in the series, as far as I could tell the main character is completely independent from the main characters in the first two novels so you don't have to read the other two novel first before reading this one.

This book had all the magic of Love & Gelato - the importance of family, a little bit of romance, a heartwarming story, and a beautiful setting. I was a little wary about the whole Atlantis trek, but it ended up making sense in the end, and I felt like this novel had a lot more depth than the previous two. Jenna Evan Welch shines a light on mental illness and combats stereotype with it's portrayal. I did think the novel could have been about 50 pages shorter, but all in all, it was a cute escapism read and had me wanting to travel to Greece again ASAP.. It' my second favorite in the Love & series by Welch.

I am hoping for Love & Macarons next! Fingers crossed. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

rating: 3 stars.

Love & Olives is the third book in the Love & Gelato series. Which I didn't realize when I began reading. I feel that I should go back and read the series for a better understanding but it was a decent story without having the knowledge from the other books.

The protagonist Liv takes us on a trip to Greece. Where she is headed to help her father who moved to Greece when she was only eight years old.

I really appreciated how this book tackled the subject of anxiety and mental illness by weaving it seamlessly into the story. There was a cute romance and as I got a feel for the characters about midway through the book I felt invested in finishing to find out what was going to happen.

I recommend this book if you've read the others because you will probably become invested sooner, but it was a cute book and I am glad I read it.

I went into this book knowing I would love it. Having read Jenna Evans Welch's Love & Luck as well as Love and Gelato and falling head over heals for those, this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I adore the focus that Welch puts on family in these books. True, there is romance in each novel, but the emphasis on family is what is key to me.

First off, the premise of this book, centered around Atlantis and discovery was something that I think was very well laid out throughout the book. I am a fan of any kind of adventure like this, but having the special bond between Olive (Liv) and her dad Niko was something that added to the story in such a fun and unique way. The reader spends the book on the edge of their seat, trying to anticipate what comes next with their discoveries. Each new item or discovery of the book lends to the story and makes it so you literally can't put the book down.

Next, I loved the filming aspect of this book. Having the documentary be what reunites Olive and her Dad, but also being what introduces Olive to Theo. This key part of the book not only linked everything together, but also proved to be a key component to the end of the book as well. I loved watching Olive grow as a person through the filming, as she got to the point where she could could not only move on from the past but also get to a place of forgiveness and acceptance of her father and herself.

Finally, the importance of family in Welch's books is my favorite part of them. True, I am a die hard romantic. I am always down to read a good romance and there is always one in Welch's books, but it's the focus on family that really get's me. Both Love & Luck as well as Love & Gelato have this focus on family that really stoked my love for these books. I feel like this is something that Welch does so well and is missing from a lot of other YA novels. The thing about the family focus is that each of these families is different. Some broken, some mixed and some full, each family has their own quirks and things that make them special and this book's family is no exception. Though Olive's family is broken, Welch shows how they function and the healing that happens between them.

If you love a good family book with.a little romance this is such a perfect book. In addition to the above, Welch also goes into mental health and the toll this has on families. Though not much of the book is focused on the actual mental illness I think she does a great job of portraying it and giving it the attention it deserves.

Again, I can't recommend this book enough. It was a solid 5 star book for me.

It's been years since I've read Love & Gelato and I remember enjoying it. I just finished Love & Luck and I loved it! However, Love & Olives is easily my favorite of the series. Love & Luck's tension was a lot of mystery behind the main character's summer experience. However, Love & Olives' tension is just pure romantic chemistry and I just couldn't get enough!

Despite the crazy times we live in, this series is such a fun and lighthearted way to experience the world and, in a way travel. So this is definitely a great read for anyone missing the experience of going to new and beautiful places currently. I have never wanted to visit Greece more, but even better, the bookstore in this novel, Atlantis Books is a REAL place!

The romance in this story is filled with tension and I could not stop reading. It's one of those perfect, yet unique, contemporary romance, romances. So even though this is a pretty quick read, it will be hard to forget this perfect summer read!<Although I love a good romance, the other plotlines of this story are just as amazing and important. Liv deals with her relationship with her father. There's also quite a few little twists and turns along the story that I didn't see coming! Not to mention a few tears were shed! Out of sadness or just pure emotion, I won't tell! I guess you'll just have to read it to find out!

Jenna Evans Welch is a perennial favorite in my Library. Love & Olives doesn't disappoint. Liv's journey to revive her relationship with her father and search for the lost city of Atlantis is fun and sweet, but also earnest and emotional. She's a strong character who struggles with all of the people telling her to let go of her hurt or forgive and forget. Her relationships are complicated, and it lends to an enticing read. Reading this, I felt like it was the most emotionally evolved of the trilogy. Welch's books usually pack a punch, but there's a lot of nuance in how the characters interact with one another here, and it takes a flirty summer read to a new level. I'm so excited to be able to recommend this to patrons left and right, and can't wait for it to hit the shelves!

Review to be posted to Instagram through @honeyedwordsreads closer to the publication date.

Thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

rating: 3.5 stars.

Love & Olives is the third book in the Love & Gelato series. This story takes us on a trip to Greece. Our MC, Liv, doesn't have a lot of good memories with her dad. He moved to Greece when she was only eight years old. But she remembers their shared love for Greek myths and the city of Atlantis. After finding out National Geographic is funding a documentary about his theories, she flies out to Greece to help out.

I really appreciated how this book tackled the subject of anxiety and mental illness. It fit in perfectly with the story, and the author did a great job talking about it. I also enjoyed the cute romance between the MC and her love interest. The ending was by far the best part of this whole book. It was exciting, and page-turning, which is what I look for.

I recommend this book if you've read the others! It covers a father/daughter relationship, romance, adventure, and mental health.

This was a quick, fun read that made me laugh out loud and cry. I want to go to that bookstore! And to Greece. Somebody at least give me some salty feta, please!

Of all the books in this series, this one has been my favorite by far. It had the adorable romance and amazing setting of the others, but this one had so much more depth!

Liv's father left his family many years ago to continue his search for the lost island of Atlantis. When she gets an unexpected invitation to join him in Greece for the summer before her senior year of high school, she is skeptical and uncertain whether she is ready for a reconciliation. But her summer in Greece surrounded by a loving yet eclectic group of friends, including gorgeous teen film-maker Theo, brings Liv to new understandings about family, sacrifice, quests, and finding one's personal Atlantis. Another fun teen read following the successful and enjoyable pattern of Love and Gelato, and Love and Luck. A highly recommended summer getaway!

The mystery of Atlantis is the perfect counterpoint to Liv's mysterious father who left her and her mother years before. Fast-forward to Liv's current life with her mother remarried with a new family. When her father reaches out about spending the summer with him in his native Greece, Liv isn't excited to uproot herself from the plans she's made and the persona she's cultivated. However, her mom insists and she finds herself on the island of Santorini picked up from the airport by a young (and of course handsome!) stranger who is her father's videographer for the National Geographic documentary about her father's search for Atlantis.
The blue-domed churches and white-washed buildings of Oia provide the backdrop of discovering what happened in the past with Liv's dad, but finding out if Atlantis existed and what we can learn from asking the big questions about what we really know.
Important: I love this book and have already ordered it in every available format. So good!

It a big fan of this one, couldn’t care about the main character alters enough and didn’t really feel the love interest, full review on goodreads!