Jenna Evans Welch's romance novel Love and Gelato revolves around Carolina Emerson. Lina plans to visit her biological father in Italy to fulfill the last wish of her dying mother. Sonia, Howard's friend, gives Lina her mother's private diary from her time in Italy when she was young. She wrote about her love life in this journal and mentioned her lover as X. Initially, Lina thought it was Howard, but she found his name written in the journal.
Meanwhile, Lina meets Ren, who attends the same school. Lina feels comfortable around him, and soon, they become friends. She realizes her feelings for him while spending time with him, but she knows about his girlfriend, Mimi. Lina meets Thomas at her school, a British guy who's attractive and likes her. She spends some time with him, but their relationship doesn't bloom.
Lina and Ren decide to find Hadley's anonymous lover. Their search ends at Matteo Rossi, a professor at fine arts university. Lina is convinced that he is her biological father because of their similar appearances, but Matteo talks rudely to her and even insults her mother for being delusional. Lina feels brokenhearted when he refuses to acknowledge her as his daughter. Lina never expected her first meeting with her father to be like this. Ren attempts to comfort her as she regrets her decision, and they end up kissing each other. Ren suddenly pulls away, leaving Lina embarrassed. She lies that he's just a friend for her to save her face. After this, Ren's behavior changes towards her.
In the meantime, Lina finishes reading her mother's journal. After breaking up with Matteo, she met Howard and fell in love with him, but after finding out about her pregnancy, she left Italy. Howard receives the journal from Lina, and she conveys the message that her mother has truly loved him. Howard also tells her that he always thought of Lina as her daughter. After Ren proposes to Lina, she decides to stay in Florence with her newly found family and her mother's sweet memories that will remain in her heart forever.
