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readwithria's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Love & Other Words was a sweet and surprising romance that made me laugh, tear up, and feel a whole gambit of deep emotions. It was a great time, and if you’re looking for a lighthearted yet emotional romance I would definitely recommend it.
Macy and Elliot, especially in the “then” chapters of the book, are so sweet! Seeing their relationship grow from new friends to new love was so sweet, and I’m glad the book was structured the way it was. I do think some of the chapters were a little short, but the back and forth between then and now worked really well for me.
I do wish we had gotten a little bit more time in the now after their reconciliation, but other than that and the open door teen sex scene, which while it worked in context still always gives me the ick in adult books I had a really great time with this book.
This was only my second book by Christina Lauren, and it won’t be my last. 4 stars.
Macy and Elliot, especially in the “then” chapters of the book, are so sweet! Seeing their relationship grow from new friends to new love was so sweet, and I’m glad the book was structured the way it was. I do think some of the chapters were a little short, but the back and forth between then and now worked really well for me.
I do wish we had gotten a little bit more time in the now after their reconciliation, but other than that and
This was only my second book by Christina Lauren, and it won’t be my last. 4 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Car accident
Minor: Alcohol and Infidelity
allie_sousa4's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Love this book. My favorite so far!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Drug use and Vomit
madspaint's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
takarakei's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
When I’d gotten to 80% in and the past conflict still hadn’t been revealed I knew I was going to feel like the ending would feel unresolved. And I was right.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, and Grief
syazahaniss's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It started off sweet and a potential 4.5-star book but gradually it became more explicit, which I didn’t really appreciate. Not every interaction has to lead to sex.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
gummymom5314's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
motherofpearly's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Exactly what I wanted for a Valentine’s Day read. The childhood friends to lovers theme is one of my favorites, and this one gave me lots of butterflies. Comfortably predictable but still kept my interest the entire time. Perfect amount of spice. Also fun that it was set in the Bay Area.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-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
This book was gifted to me by my friends for my birthday last year. Yes, I'm embarrassed with how long it took me to getting round to read this book. However, I usually enjoy Christina Lauren’s books, but I was just bored.
This book is based on Macy Sorensen, and she is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: word hard as a new paediatrics resident, planning her wedding to an older, financially secure man and keeps her head down and heart tucked away. But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulou – 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.
I enjoyed Sabrina and the fact that both of their friends and family basically called them on their shit and that they hadn’t gotten over each other so Rachel and Sean were just collateral damage. I loved the friends-to-lovers trope, and I would have liked it if it grew from childhood to adulthood without the eleven-year break.
The main issue I had was the switch between the past and present, like I would have loved to know what the conflict was before the back and forth. It was giving me a headache. I just think the passion could have been more as well. Like I get and liked the innocent childhood romance that was blossoming but as adults, I was just bored of them. Being in Macy’s thoughts was exhausting, how does that woman look after children because she was miserable and usually doctors who work with children have a talent of being caring and not boring. The whole conflict and resolution happened in three chapters, so this book could have been cut by 100 pages and it wouldn’t have made a different. There was just no character development between the two of them and they both needed to move on eleven years ago.
I think this is going to be the last book I read by Christina Lauren for a while because I struggled with this book and if it wasn’t for the case of me reading multiple books at a time this probably would have put me in a reading slump.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Car accident, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault
chloeve's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A beautiful love story! I am obsessed with Elliot! I love how mature he was at a young age. He was so well spoken throughout the book, especially about his feelings. We need more men like Elliot! I was so happy Macy and Elliot resolved everything and started a life together. I wish we got more of their life after they moved in with each other, or even a second book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Vomit
readers_sea's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
I loved Macy and Elliot's story so much.
Macy and Elliot meet when Macy and her father buy a "vacation home" in the small town where Elliot lives. They're still young, but immediately hit it off and become inseparable. Since Elliot lives there full time and Macy doesn't, their time together is sporadic and unpredictable sometimes, but they always make the most of it when they are together. Growing up together, they saw each other grow a lot, and of course that led to first loves and other firsts.
This book is told in dual timelines. One timeline is the past when Macy and Elliot were younger and still getting to know each other. Throughout the book, we get to see them slowly grow up throughout this timeline. In the other timeline, we are in the present. The present starts a decade after Macy and Elliot last talked/saw each other. Their departure was abrupt and left a lot of questions for some characters. As the story unfolds we are leading up to the night ten years ago when they stop talking. We get to see what happened and what led them to where they are today.
This story was so well done and layered. I loved how it was told in dual timelines because I felt like both stories were unfolding perfectly. I was rooting for them in both timelines, but also so curious as to what led them to not talk for a decade after seeing how they were growing up together. This story had a lot going on, and I loved watching it all unfold. There were a lot of themes and subjects that were brought up that I wasn't expecting, but overall I really enjoyed it and these characters.
Macy and Elliot meet when Macy and her father buy a "vacation home" in the small town where Elliot lives. They're still young, but immediately hit it off and become inseparable. Since Elliot lives there full time and Macy doesn't, their time together is sporadic and unpredictable sometimes, but they always make the most of it when they are together. Growing up together, they saw each other grow a lot, and of course that led to first loves and other firsts.
This book is told in dual timelines. One timeline is the past when Macy and Elliot were younger and still getting to know each other. Throughout the book, we get to see them slowly grow up throughout this timeline. In the other timeline, we are in the present. The present starts a decade after Macy and Elliot last talked/saw each other. Their departure was abrupt and left a lot of questions for some characters. As the story unfolds we are leading up to the night ten years ago when they stop talking. We get to see what happened and what led them to where they are today.
This story was so well done and layered. I loved how it was told in dual timelines because I felt like both stories were unfolding perfectly. I was rooting for them in both timelines, but also so curious as to what led them to not talk for a decade after seeing how they were growing up together. This story had a lot going on, and I loved watching it all unfold. There were a lot of themes and subjects that were brought up that I wasn't expecting, but overall I really enjoyed it and these characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Car accident, and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Sexual assault