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emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love Unwritten by Lauren Asher is the kind of romance that grabs you by the heart and doesn’t let go. If you're a fan of emotional slow burns, small town settings, and deeply layered characters this one’s going to wreck you in the best way.
Ellie and Rafael’s story is built on one of my favorite tropes: single dad x nanny, with a gorgeous grumpy x sunshine dynamic. Their connection is filled with tension, vulnerability, and moments that make your heart ache and melt at the same time. Ellie is full of warmth, music, and quiet strength. Rafael? Cold on the outside, emotionally complicated on the inside, and deeply protective of his son.
This book is more than just romance it’s about healing. About learning to trust again. About choosing love, even when it’s terrifying. Ellie and Rafael are both dealing with trauma, fear, and complicated pasts that make their journey raw and real. And their growth? So incredibly satisfying.
Lauren Asher doesn’t shy away from hard-hitting topics, but she handles them with so much care and empathy. The emotional depth is just phenomenal. I found myself crying, laughing, and cheering these characters on the whole way through.
There are so many small, beautiful moments in this book that will stay with me forever. The setting is comforting, the writing is poetic, and the characters feel like people you genuinely know and love.
And if you’ve read Lauren’s previous series? You’re in for a treat with a few subtle, heartwarming tie-ins.
Absolutely stunning. Love Unwritten is everything I want in a romance, emotional, thoughtful, and utterly unforgettable.
Lauren Asher, you did it again.
Ellie and Rafael’s story is built on one of my favorite tropes: single dad x nanny, with a gorgeous grumpy x sunshine dynamic. Their connection is filled with tension, vulnerability, and moments that make your heart ache and melt at the same time. Ellie is full of warmth, music, and quiet strength. Rafael? Cold on the outside, emotionally complicated on the inside, and deeply protective of his son.
This book is more than just romance it’s about healing. About learning to trust again. About choosing love, even when it’s terrifying. Ellie and Rafael are both dealing with trauma, fear, and complicated pasts that make their journey raw and real. And their growth? So incredibly satisfying.
Lauren Asher doesn’t shy away from hard-hitting topics, but she handles them with so much care and empathy. The emotional depth is just phenomenal. I found myself crying, laughing, and cheering these characters on the whole way through.
There are so many small, beautiful moments in this book that will stay with me forever. The setting is comforting, the writing is poetic, and the characters feel like people you genuinely know and love.
And if you’ve read Lauren’s previous series? You’re in for a treat with a few subtle, heartwarming tie-ins.
Absolutely stunning. Love Unwritten is everything I want in a romance, emotional, thoughtful, and utterly unforgettable.
Lauren Asher, you did it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Let’s be real, Nico is the real star of the show. That little boy is so adorable and funny and I want to fight his mom 😤 he deserves so much better and I’m glad he has Ellie in his life.
Rafael and Ellie were cool too, I guess 😏🌺
Rafael and Ellie were cool too, I guess 😏🌺
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Noah B. Perez always knows how to cook a narration!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic friendship
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Self harm
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lauren Asher has become one of my favorite authors to read as soon as possible, and this book just solidifies that resolve. Love unwritten tells the tale of two people who have been through some serious trauma both in their childhood and recent relationships. They are afraid to give second chances to feeling big feelings with anyone, but slowly finding connection with each other and their families, they relearn to be open to caring about others and letting them care for you as well. Asher writes this process in such a real and emotional way that you can't help but get sucked into the lives of these characters.
The MMC Rafael is a millionaire grumpy single dad who is afraid to let anyone close anymore. He has been hurt too many times in the past by those he considered dear to him. Now he struggles to have a realtionship even with his son, and keeps everyone else at arm's distance to hide his struggles. Letting new people is even harder because of all the stacked up trust issues he has gained through is trauma.
The MMC Rafael is a millionaire grumpy single dad who is afraid to let anyone close anymore. He has been hurt too many times in the past by those he considered dear to him. Now he struggles to have a realtionship even with his son, and keeps everyone else at arm's distance to hide his struggles. Letting new people is even harder because of all the stacked up trust issues he has gained through is trauma.
Loneliness might be temporary, but heartbreak?
That emotional damage can last a lifetime.
– Rafael
Ellie is the nanny to Rafael's child Nico. She is a hopeful romantic and a songwriter, but is afraid to go after her dreams in the music business, because she has past trauma of doing just that and getting exploited and disregarded. That trauma hinders her love life as well, because her trust is waning.
"We can want a lot of things, but it doesn't mean anything if we don't put in the effort to make any of it happen."
– Ellie
The romance between Rafael and Ellie is a delicious slow burn. Both of them struggle with admitting to even themselves how smitten they are with each other. They take steps forward, but also backtrack and make mistakes; e. q. they struggle with trust issues, mental health struggles, and the power imbalance in their work situation mixing with the relationship/situationship they begin to give in to.
"Things were never going to work out. You didn't value me or my time enough, while I valued your family way too much. It would only get worse with time, so you firing me just sped up the process."
– Ellie to Rafael
The key is that they are willing to work on their own issues as wel as, eventually, they are open with communicating their feelings and needs with each other. That lets them find out how right they could be for each other.
"The one does exist, but not in the way you thought I meant, like some soulmate or something cosmic. To me, the one is someone willing to do everything in their power to be the person you deserve, not because they are fated to love you but because they choose to."
– Ellie to Rafael
This constant working on themselves and helping each other with that process made me feel, at times and in the best way possible, like I was reading a sneaky self-help book that lets you see a process of therapeutic healing of someone you care about. Seeing how determined both Ellie and Rafael are to work through their past traumas affecting their current behavior and to become better versions of themsleves makes me feel very hopeful. The book is full of insightful quotes you could frame to get motivation to work on yourself as well, and I love how they are so ingrained in the character's personalities that it comes across truly compassionate.
This constant working on themselves and helping each other with that process made me feel, at times and in the best way possible, like I was reading a sneaky self-help book that lets you see a process of therapeutic healing of someone you care about. Seeing how determined both Ellie and Rafael are to work through their past traumas affecting their current behavior and to become better versions of themsleves makes me feel very hopeful. The book is full of insightful quotes you could frame to get motivation to work on yourself as well, and I love how they are so ingrained in the character's personalities that it comes across truly compassionate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content