Love and Other Words
Ratings222
Average rating3.9
Are you joking? I'm in DISTRESS
Just go read this right now
Just trust me okay? Seriously go read it. Run don't walk!!!!!!!!!!
Isn’t it the worst act of treason when a book disappoints? I was looking for a fun romance by one (or actually: two) of my favourite romance authors. That’s how I came across “Love and Other Words” by Christina Lauren and, sadly, and unusually, it turned traitor quickly!
Macy and Elliott have been friends since childhood. They’re perfect for each other and they both know it. They even get together until one day, Macy breaks off contact for a whopping 11 years. The reasons? They do make sense, but eleven years? I’m not sure I can suspend my disbelief that much.
This is where “Love” starts: Macy is now a resident physician. Elliott is, probably, some kind of author. Either we don’t really get to know, or I already forgot. He seems to pretty much have all the time in the world.
Once they meet again, things start moving inexorably to the inevitable happily-ever-after. Unfortunately, despite many nice ideas, “Love” tells us much about their shared past and a bit about their present but it always feels “low stakes”: Yes, there’s some rather weird drama in lieu of a third-act breakup but it’s over within a few pages and then we’re back with Elliott and Macy on cloud nine.
»His front door is flat brown, and before it is a thin doormat with the Dickinson quote The soul should always stand ajar.«
Emily Dickinson’s poem in full reveals a clever double meaning to Macy whose soul Elliott hopes to “re-open” and “visit”. It also serves as a warning not to let this chance pass…
»The Soul should always stand ajar
That if the Heaven inquire
He will not be obliged to wait
Or shy of troubling Her
Depart, before the Host have slid
The Bolt unto the Door —
To search for the accomplished Guest,
Her Visitor, no more —«
They both know each other so immensely well (and neither of them seems to have significantly changed much during that decade apart) that both Elliott, and, to an even higher degree, Macy, know full well how they’re going to end up. They often end up asking each other “Do you really question that?”, and the answer is always and unequivocally a “no”. They know beforehand.
This is one of the reasons I’m not much into second-chance romance: the people involved have already been together, and in this kind of romance, will always get back together. So where’s the thrill of discovery? The allure of the new?
All side characters stay schematic and either serve to cheer Macy on (Sabrina), to be “mini villains” (Christian), or to be just plain “exotic” (her Danish father or her late but ever-present mother, Laís). Even Elliott’s family, of which we get to “see” a bit more, remains nevertheless vague and relatively insignificant to the story as a whole. They all play a part, but come across more as extras.
Even more so in a scenario like this: Macy and Elliott read like two halves of a whole. Apart from the event that broke them, there’s nothing but violins and fluff. The respective partners are quickly disposed of (Elliott pretty much immediately leaves his girlfriend; Macy conveniently finds out she and her partner didn’t even love each other in the first place) and, if Christina Lauren didn’t spell out the exact date per chapter, you’d think everything happens during a few days, or maybe weeks..
During the later chapters of their past, when our protagonists are in their adolescence (16 to 18, roughly), they, naturally, discover sexuality and each other (to some degree). I’ll be fifty later this year; their “explorations” made me feel somewhat uncomfortable and voyeuristic.
The latter was somewhat eased by the sensitive writing, and sustained consistency of the authors: Christina Lauren’s prose is fitting and competent. Despite the novel’s shortcomings, it reads very well: medium-length chapters, much showing, few instances of telling, and the emotions feel believable.
“Love” reads like pure (and simple) wish or fantasy fulfilment. I seem not to share those wishes. If you, though, are looking for this kind of wish fulfilment, predictability, or even nostalgia for young love, “Love” might fit your bill.
Three stars out of five.
Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam
Originally posted at turing.mailstation.de.
Rating: 3.75 stars
The book is written with interlapping stories in the past and the MCs present, both written in chronological order but there's one chapter in the past followed by one chapter in the present and so on. The story follows Macy, a pediatric resident in the Bay Area with a past that is too painful to face, leaving some chapters still open that affect her present. She then sees Elliot, her best friend from her teenage years and the guy who broke her heart. Everything starts to change as old wounds are open, Macy starts to question her currently relationship, and advancing in parallel with her past you get to understand what happened that got her where she is.
Things I liked:
-Love is beautifully developed in the book, from the first interaction all the way through, some things may seem cringy but when one is a teenager you get to have that kind of conversation and find it natural because you are exploring your body. As an adult I didn't enjoy it as much but I understand how it plays in the story.
-I enjoyed pretty much the second half of the book, when Macy starts to take accountability in her current relationship and owns her part in her ghosting to Elliot
-I liked the healthy talks that were held: Macy's dad for one, how he managed being a widowed father and Macy's issues (I dropped my jaw when he managed THE talk every parent fears when their child reaches an age to appropriately address sexuality and safe sex). Also Macy and Sean's mature talk about their dynamics and how it would work when married, it was a nice chapter.
Things I didn't enjoy as much:
-Macy is the main character so both past and present are told exclusively from her point of view, in the end it works but it would have been so interesting to have at least some chapters from Elliot's POV as well, and the rest of the friends would be interesting as well, they are talked about throughout the book but some thoughts would be interesting to hear as they come and not filtered by Macy's POV.
-The first half made me think about DNF it, Macy felt very immature for her age, and like it was so annoying every time she expressed her confussion after seeing Elliot for a couple of seconds, and afterwards she felt like a teenager going to a Justin Bieber concert, and she was 28...... so I really disliked the start. Fortunately after the chapter where she talks with Sean about her final realization that they are not even compatible I think she suddenly matured.
-Linked to the last point, Elliot also seemed so cringy. Like why leave your girlfriend of (not sure if they lasted 1 or 5 years) just bc her saw Macy... huge red flag more than romance there. At least Macy's reason felt more reasonable because at first I thought she was being a dick but then it made sense with Sean being so not in sync with her so... it made sense for the breakup, but Elliot??? Nah...
-I would've liked a faster pacing in the first half, it took me almost 170 pages to stop considering DNF it
All in all I'm glad I didn't quit it, to me it got better past that half mark, and it all was worth it in the end. I got nice parenting advise, had a couple of good laughs, and cried so hard in the last 20 pages or so... which in the end made up for the bullets I didn't enjoy as much.
3,5
Esperaba más.
La historia me entretuvo y de verdad me gustó bastante, pero se me hizo muy “común”, esperaba algo que me sorprendiera y me hiciese entender el hype, pero no pasó.
No estuvo mal, pero me dejó con gusto a poco.
Now it makes sense that someone said [b:Every Summer After 58014893 Every Summer After Carley Fortune https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630101647l/58014893.SX50.jpg 90914930] copied the plot from this one.
Review FR/EN
"Love and Other Words" est un roman qui m'a charmée par son exploration sincère et émouvante de l'amitié. L'histoire suit les vies de deux personnages qui se reconnectent après des années de séparation, naviguant entre les souvenirs de leur jeunesse et les réalités de leur présent.
Ce qui m'a particulièrement touchée, c'est la profondeur et l'authenticité de leur amitié. Les émotions sont décrites avec une telle délicatesse que l'on ne peut s'empêcher de se sentir connecté aux personnages. Bien que j'aie trouvé quelques passages prévisibles, l'ensemble du récit est riche en moments émouvants et en dialogues sincères.
"Love and Other Words" est un hommage à la puissance des souvenirs partagés et à l'importance des relations qui nous façonnent. Avec 3,5 étoiles, c'est une lecture que je recommande à ceux qui cherchent une histoire touchante et authentique sur l'amitié et l'amour.
"Love and Other Words" is a novel that charmed me with its sincere and moving exploration of friendship. The story follows the lives of two characters who reconnect after years of separation, navigating between the memories of their youth and the realities of their present.
What particularly touched me was the depth and authenticity of their friendship. The emotions are described with such delicacy that you can't help but feel connected to the characters. Although I found some passages predictable, the overall narrative is rich in poignant moments and heartfelt dialogues.
"Love and Other Words" is a tribute to the power of shared memories and the importance of the relationships that shape us. With 3.5 stars, it's a read I recommend to those looking for a touching and authentic story about friendship and love.
This was well-written, but I don't love the ones that jump back and forth and build to the conflict, mainly because it seems harder to tie it up on a good note. That's how I felt about this one. Once it was all out, it seemed to just wrap it up, and it was too jarring. I didn't leave feeling swoony.
I had put off reading this for so long and finally gave it a chance and am so happy I did. This was so good. Elliott is perfect and so sweet and tender to Macy and I loved watching them grow up together. Friends to lovers is my favorite trope and this was so great, with the alternating then and now chapters. I loved the mentions of familial love sprinkled throughout and I lost my mind reading how her dad died all those years agoI can very very rarely get through a romance book, and it's even more rare to give a perfect rating. This book felt like a hug and I'm so glad I finally read it.
yet another fictional male to set my expectations too high. i am literally never going to date anyone at this point
reading the most wished for romances on Amazon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssbXPpwN4Ww
4.5
This was very sweet and cute. I really liked the childhood friends to lovers in this; I liked the flashbacks to their childhood where we got to see them become best friends, have that very close-knit friendship, and grow up together even though they didn't see each other all the time. I really liked Elliot, especially as a child; he was so cute and nerdy & the perfect friend that Macy needed at the time.
Some of the scenes from the childhood timeline when they were older were kind of cringe to me though, and I liked the scenes from their younger years a lot better.
I also thought this was a very realistic look at a childhood romance - the way there was romantic interest between them but they also didn't want to ruin anything and ever not be best friends. I liked learning about how they lost touch but then came back together after all those years, and I am glad we got the dual timeline to see both their past and their present.
I jumped into this one straight after finishing Emily Henry's Happy Place and it was difficult for me not to compare. This is by far my favorite Christina Lauren book. (FINALLY NO FADE TO BLACK BSSSSS!!) I binged this book in a single Sunday. I love Christina Lauren characters and this book gave me the squee moment I've been looking for lately. I laughed and cried and that is really all I'm looking for with a reading experience. Elliot is swoon-worthy, for the most part. I want more women's fiction from Christina Lauren.
Let yourself fall in love, a love that can also be true or just another fairytale, a movie love that you can see being a true one as well.
Because truth being told we run and hide from our feelings, from our truths and most of the time we don't give the others the chance to explain to say their own side of the story and this will lead to misunderstandings.
Read it, listen to it. Let it make you want to fall in love again.
Overall I really liked it! Some of the descriptions were a little bothersome in my opinion, but this book made me feel all of the emotions. I would absolutely recommend it.
Esse é meu primeiro livro das autoras. Confesso que às vezes evito livros escritos por mais de uma pessoa... Não sei bem o porquê. Mas a verdade é que esse livro, embora em alguns momentos eu sentisse essa diferença de narrativa, tudo é tão coeso e amarradinho que eu con certeza vou ler mais das autoras.
O amor e outras coisas é um dos melhores Friends to Lovers que já li (amei quaaaase tanto quanto EMMA) e tem tanta emoção e delicadeza que me peguei chorando como não fazia há muito tempo.
A escrita é linda. Achei alguns trechos tão emotivos e puros que tinha que parar a leitura e dizer “uau” a cada momento.
Fiquei encantada com a protagonista. E é sempre uma grata surpresa amar a personagem principal. Enfim, amei e quero mais.
⭐ Ponto positivo: A escrita, o plot, a profundidade dada aos protagonistas.
❌ Ponto negativo: eu queria um pouco mais de tempo pra digerir o plot twist do final. Foi um soco e eu não esperava... Queria um capítulo mais.
why did they have to do that with elliot and treat it like nothing? tell me why.