RRG: Romance Reading Group discussion

Hello y'all! Today and tomorrow we are going to be discussing ALL of the books that we read together in May! These books are: Love & Gelato (4th BOTW), Love at First Fight (5th BOTW), and Matched (6th BOTW).

FIRST BOOK: Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Did you enjoy this book? Why or why not?

Summary/Review:
(view spoiler)[Her life already upended by her mother’s short illness and death, Lina, 16, moves to Tuscany to live with the father she’s never met.

Lina’s repulsed to discover that her father, Howard, is the caretaker of a World War II cemetery in Italy. She’s had enough of death, thanks, and doesn’t need to see all those crosses outside her bedroom window. Determined not to stay, Lina secures a promise from her best friend, Addie, to help her return to Seattle. But as readers probably know by now, Tuscany is irresistible. Soon Lina’s seduced by its rolling hills and Florence’s myriad beauties and attractions. Gelato and a guy play their parts. Lorenzo, known as Ren, a handsome, half-Italian, half-American neighbor, attends the school she’ll be enrolled in if she stays. He introduces her to classmates who welcome her into their close-knit posse, including a wealthy—and hot—Brit, Thomas. Howard proves both likable and an ideal parent—caring but not hovering. Why her mother never mentioned him until she became ill, and why Lina looks nothing like him, remain mysteries she’s determined to solve. The journal her mother mailed to Italy—detailing her own year in Florence as a photography student—holds some but not all the answers. Lina narrates in a breezy style, her mother’s journal entries interwoven to provide revelations at carefully paced intervals.

Seasoned with luscious descriptions of Renaissance architecture and Italian food, a sure bet for fans of romance fiction and armchair travel.
-Kirkus Reviews

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SECOND BOOK: Love at First Fight by Maggie Dallen

Did you enjoy this book? Why or why not?

Summary/Review:
(view spoiler)[Band Geek vs Quarterback... One humiliating photo, a stupid prank, and a hashtag that goes viral. That's how my senior year goes from predictable to absurd in a heartbeat. This year is supposed to be easy. I've finally scored first chair in band, my college applications are done, and all my friends and I have to do is survive one more year of high school before our real lives can begin. Instead, I find myself in trouble with the principal, humiliated in front of the entire school, and fighting with my neighbor—AKA star quarterback, Prince Charming, and nicest guy on the planet. And that's just on the first day back at school. Trust me, it only gets worse from there. As #GeeksGoneWild trends on social media, my friends and I are the targets of an online witch hunt. But they've picked on the wrong people and retaliation is severe. As the tension escalates, it soon becomes clear that someone needs to step up and put an end to this nonsense. If that means playing nice with the quarterback, I guess that's what I have to do. Now if someone could please tell my heart that this new friendship is just for show. And the kisses...oh, the kisses. Someone please remind me that they don't mean a thing.
-yabookscentral.com

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THIRD BOOK: Matched by Ally Condie

Did you enjoy this book? Why or why not?

Summary/Review:
(view spoiler)[Seventeen-year-old Cassia Reyes lives in a futuristic society that is ruled by unforgiving Officials who tightly control birth, housing, jobs, marriage and even death. No one dares defy the government for fear of punishment; in fact many, including Cassia, happily comply in order to live comfortable, stable lives. So on the night of her Match Banquet, Cassia is elated that Officials have selected her best friend Xander as her future husband. But then someone makes a mistake and briefly pairs Cassia up with Ky Markham, a boy with a mysterious past. Suddenly Cassia is drawn to Ky, and the two begin an innocent, yet subversive, romance. As Cassia falls in love, she defies the Officials, leading to danger not only for herself, but for her family and Ky as well.

Told in first-person point of view, Cassia’s narration is riveting as she describes life without liberties. On losing her grandfather, she notes, “Today is Sunday. It is Grandfather’s eightieth birthday, so tonight he will die. . . . Things didn’t use to be this fair. In the old days, not everyone died at the same age and there were all kinds of problems and uncertainty.” As Cassia changes and embraces all that’s forbidden—first love, poetry, free will—readers will be captivated by her desperation and rebellion. Her poetic voice and struggles will stay with readers long after the last page.

Despite the violence characteristic of dystopian favorites such as The Hunger Games, there is no overt bloodshed in this novel. Just as Cassia is unsure exactly what the Officials are capable of, so is the reader, who anxiously expects the Officials’ cruelty at every turn.

Ally Condie is a masterful storyteller whose latest novel will ignite meaningful conversations about the power of free will in a totalitarian society. An impressive work, Matched joins the ranks of classics such as Brave New World and 1984. Destined to be a classic for teens, Matched is also a compelling read for adults—and readers of all ages will eagerly await the impending sequel.
-Review by Kimberly Giarratano
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I hope y'all enjoyed these books! :) Now, time for some discussion questions that you can answer about any one of these books.
1. "What was your initial reaction to the book? Did it hook you immediately, or take some time to get into?"

2. "Do you think the story was plot-based or character driven?"

3. "What was your favorite quote/passage?"

4. "What made the setting unique or important? Could the story have taken place anywhere?"

5. "Did you pick out any themes throughout the book?"

6. Any "If/then" Questions??

7. "How credible/believable did you find the narrator to be? Did you feel like you got the 'true' story?"

8. "How did the characters change throughout the story? How did your opinion of them change?"

9. "How did the structure of the book affect the story?"

10. "Which character did you relate to the most, and what was it about them that you connected with?"

11. "How did you feel about the ending? What did you like, what did you not like, and what do you wish had been different?

12. "Did the book change your opinion or perspective about anything? Do you feel different now than you did before you read it?"

13. "If the book were being adapted into a movie, who would you want to see play what parts?"

Enjoy!
-Becca<3