Reviews with content warning for War - The Light We Lost

Reviews tagging 'War'

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

19 reviews

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I went into book pretty blind. I didn't really know what it was about except for the fact that it was sad. Now I will say I read this book in a day. And that's the ONLY reason why my rating is as high as it is. I found this book really entertaining and very fast paced. And that's probably the last of my compliments for this book.

I knew this book wasn't gonna be a 10/10 for me once I read how unreasonably fast Lucy fell for Gabe even though she hadn't even spoke to him yet. And then when he pulled that stunt with his ex-girlfriend that's how I knew it was gonna be THAT type of relationship. I'm gonna state this right here and now what Lucy had/felt for Gabe was not love. I believe it was closer to LIMERENCE (I capitalize it because people seem to confuse the two; please look the word up it will really open your eyes on the difference variations between love, infatuation, lust, obsession, and attachment).

Now I see a very common theme in a lot of romance books/movies where the main character always describes love as their "big high" and a "wildfire" and "adrenaline rush". But I don't see it that way at all. If the feeling of bliss isn't there after all that "rush" is gone then I don't feel like that it was love to begin with.

Now I'm not saying that Darren was the best alternative, but he was clearly the better . And is the "love" really worth it if you're facing the ultimatum of hurting other people especially the people you love. Throughout the whole story Lucy is just obsessed with this guy who doesn't respect her life or her time at all. Gabe only calls Lucy when he needs her not caring about wrecking her peace in the slightest. And always took every opportunity he had to insert himself into her life. And my goodness Lucy seriously has no self respect because I honestly can't believe how she couldn't see how manipulative Gabe was.

He lied to her and messed with her feelings the first time they met when he kisses her and then immediately gets back with his ex. Then later when they reconnect again he leaves her with a broken heart to pursue a career that he didn't even consult her on before he took the offer. He only communicates with her when he's in crisis. He shows her pictures to the world without her consent. And then even when he's dying he makes her power of attorney giving her the decision to chose whether he lives or dies. And for some reason Lucy is so over smitten with this dude that she'll literally fall to his feet with a snap of a finger.

Or she saw it and chose not to care. She was willing to put her entire life that she built for her family, her husband and kids

by not only emotionally cheating on her husband to actually physically cheating on him

just to get this "high" that she felt for a dude. Ridiculous. I'm not negating the fact that Gabe did "love" (nope not love) had very strong feelings for Lucy too, but I seriously believe this is not the type of "love" anyone should aspire to have/strive for. A love that consumes who shouldn't engulf you in its flames.

And even with her relationship with Darren, albeit Darren was not perfect, she never really communicate with him enough. And constant comparisons she made throughout the whole book about Darren and Gabe were getting infuriating. She never let herself get over Gabe at all. Like she didn't even want to. And that's not healthy. What her and Gabe had was not healthy. This reason being why I didn't find the ending sad. I found it annoying because if in the end Lucy still had still undying devotion to Gabe and is still lying to her family.

Also I'd also like to add that using 9/11 as a motif is extremely distasteful of the author. It literally had such a minimal impact on the story and I feel was used to exaggerate the "tragedy" that is their love story. People lost their lives that day and for some reason the author decided it was a perfect time for the Gabe and Lucy to kiss while thousands of people are dying. Ridiculous again!🤦🏾‍♀️😒

Content Warnings

anewton's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book shattered me like no other. I found a surprising relatability with the main character that drew me in.
The emotions I felt in the last 1/4 of the book were raw and real. A book I will no doubt continue chewing over for a very long time.

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clofle92's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

A slow moving love letter to what could have been culminating in a tragic goodbye. The main character (narrator) isn’t perfect yet perfectly relatable.

Content Warnings

becsonthebeach's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad fast-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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

redheadorganist's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This is a conflicting book showing the reality of relationships and how things don't always go how they "should."

Content Warnings

cappuccino_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Truly a beautiful book that shattered my heart. 💔

Content Warnings

betsygrace's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I really loved this book. It’s so beautifully written and it really captures feelings I’ve never quite been able to write out into words. What a wonderful story of love and loss and life.

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erikalv97's review against another edition

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emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really liked the author’s writing style and the stylistic choices of this book.

I found the characters thoughts and actions pretty realistic, while the situations were, maybe, not as much.

All the same, this was a nice quick read.

Content Warnings

beyourownkindofyou's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

An emotional roller coaster! The book, told from Lucy’s perspective, is basically a recounting of her life and love for Gabe. It starts with their meeting in college, right when 9/11 occurs. They have this immediate connection during a traumatic event, but then life takes them in separate directions. A chance encounter a few years later in a bar beings them back together, in to a 1.5year relationship. What follows after is ~10 years of independent but never really separate lives. There are toxic parts to their relationship and draw to one another, but also a deep chemical connection.

Lucy is Gabe’s person, his “luce,” his light, even if he leaves her multiple times. And, while Lucy moves on and gets married and has kids, his pull on her doesn’t really go away either. I don’t love the infidelity component, but I understand why it happened. It also made me really sad though that Lucy felt less fulfilled and respected in her marriage. Of course she speaks about good times with her husband, and loves her kids a lot, but they way she talks of her husband’s views and expectations make it easier to accept that she would fall back in to Gabe’s arms, and his bed. Ultimately though, Lucy never gets Gabe back and is the one who actually has to make the decision to take him off life-support, while alone in Israel, pregnant with his child (from their one night together). The reader is left wondering if Lucy will return to her old life and blow it up with the news that her child is Gabe’s or return into the folds of the life she has built. But, she does mention that one day, her new son will know of his true father, a man she never stopped loving, the light they lost.

.
The audiobook is narrated by the author herself, which I think always adds to the listening experience because she is able to infuse the emotions and inflections intended with her words. I would definitely recommend giving this one a listen!

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