Genre Fiction
![Christina Lauren - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_christina_lauren.jpg)
Love and Other Words
Love, loss, friendship, and the betrayals of the past all collide in this first women's fiction novel from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Autoboyography, Dating You / Hating You).
The story of the heart can never be unwritten.
Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.
But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos-the first and only love of her life-the careful bubble she's constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy's entire world-growing from her gangly bookish friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother...only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.
Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more-spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy's decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.
The story of the heart can never be unwritten.
Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.
But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos-the first and only love of her life-the careful bubble she's constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy's entire world-growing from her gangly bookish friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother...only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.
Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more-spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy's decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.
Readers Top Reviews
Shaztwirl
Usually I just fly through books one after the other but this one I kept putting down, delaying the inevitable. I didn't want to get to the "why." The reason it all went wrong. And when I did finally get there, the first part was totally expected. The second was a *gasp* moment. Did not expect that! Overall, the book was a real journey of emotions. Highs and lows. A very enjoyable reading experience.
Elaine AfanadorSh
I wasn’t sure if this would be my kind of book as I had gathered from previous reviews that it touched on topics that seemed rather sad and heartbreaking. But so many people highly praised it that I got curious, and I’m glad I decided it to give it a chance. It is a beautiful love story. It is so well written that it captured my interest from the very beginning and I just couldn’t stop reading. I wanted to know so badly what went wrong for them that they were no longer together in the present after having loved each other with such intensity. I kept wondering different scenarios but it was only at the end when realisation came seconds before the unexpected revelation. The book brought so many emotions and the ending with that very last sentence was so touching that it made me smile and cry at the same time. I highly recommend this book. It is now one of my favourite stories that has stayed in my thoughts long after I finished reading it.
CharlotteMElaine
I was hooked from page one. Before then, with the blurb. I have such an emotionally charged love for Elliot and Macy. I loved the skipping between past and present and the slow unraveling of not only their history but of their connections, their love and what seems like Macy's sanity, but is really her carefully formed 'easy' into something wild, and so very beautiful with Elliot. If you read something to kick start 2022 is should be this. And then read it at least once a year for the rest of your life. It's the kind of book that makes you want to be a poet, learn new words. Have a closet to hide in filled with beautiful books. Makes you appreciate things more. Cry with hurt for your favourite characters but also laugh out loud. I can't recommend this book enough.
ACharlotte LillCh
this book started out promising but it really just didn't make sense as it went on, I felt like the writing was off *SPOILERS*- what happened with Rachel? the ending felt rushed, macy's appearance wasn't well described at all. After all those years, he didn't reach out via social media? Elliott character seemed consistent at the start then just went all over the place. I found myself forcing to finish the book, honestly I'm not sure why people love it so much.
