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christinemcgoveran's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
sad
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
4.5
This was a delightful and fun read. It was hard at points because it does deal with death and loss. I liked the idea of the two timelines, past and present. The story of Elliot and Macy going through their teenage years together and how they reconnected was really touching. I loved how books, reading, and words plays a role in the story. I will remember this books and recommend it to other people.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Abandonment, Car accident, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death
nicolelovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
The dual timeline in this book is very well-done. The characters truly felt like younger and older versions of themselves and they were both endearing despite their flaws. There was a lot of angst in both timelines, which was well-done (CLo certainly know how to write angst!!) but it was also heavier than their other books. I will say that this was not my favorite CLo, but I wasn't surprised about that once I read in the acknowledgements that it was categorized as "women's fiction" rather than romance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Car accident, and Death of parent
charlottasimojoki's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Car accident, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Cancer, Misogyny, and Mental illness
deluna's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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: Death of parent, Car accident, and Cancer
catrayhill's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Initially, I liked this book. In the past I have read one other Christina Lauren book, The Unhoneymooners which I was not a fan of, but I was actually enjoying myself with this one. I really liked Elliot as a character and all his quirks (the favorite word thing was delightfully corny and incredibly romantic, and fit right in with his character and his dynamic with Macy) which I could not say for Ethan (the love interest of The Unhoneymooners) and in general, I much preferred this plot. The books do share some issues like both female main characters fall into the "not like other girls" trope who slut-shame other female characters, a behavior that is not only left unchallenged in both books but is justified by the authors writing all other female characters that show any interest in the male love interest as two-dimensional, judgemental nuisances to the main characters. Despite this, I was for the most part enjoying myself and was planning on giving Love and Other Words a 3.5ish rating up until the "reveal" that comes in the last quarter of the book.
The book switches back and forth in time from "then" and "now" and consistently in the "now" section the characters allude that the main character, Macy, and the love interest, Elliot, had some sort of falling out eleven years ago and hadn't spoken since. I was feeling quite happy with the build-up to the reveal, I felt they did of foreshadowing what had occurred between them without making it explicitly obvious and I was honestly excited to see what they would do with the implications these actions had on Elliot's character. But then I actually got to it.
The reveal is that eleven years before the present day, Macy had walked in on Elliot in a compromising position with a longtime female friend, Emma, who had been pining after Elliot for a while and had become a point of contention between the main characters due to her infatuation with Elliot and their shared history (they had kissed before). Macy runs off and avoids Elliot for years after that, an action I entirely understand from her point of view at that moment.
My issue is the way Elliot's explanation of the events is framed and how it impacts the rest of the book. Elliot admits to Macy, when they eventually reunite, that he had been incredibly inebriated that night and had woken up to someone kissing him, and was under the assumption it was Macy. He confesses that he was so drunk that even in his memory, it was Macy, not Emma that night. He remembers engaging willingly, but again, under the presumption that it was Macy and not Emma. Consent cannot be gained under false pretenses/through deceit. That is sexual assault. The book (and Macy, the main character, whose point of view we read from), however, frame it as more "accidental cheating" and even worse, this framing is left entirely unchallenged.
I think there are ways to engage with this subject critically. I don't think Macy was unjustified in her feelings of betrayal given the fact that she did not know what really happened, and even when she did find out, I don't think that she had to just throw out all of her emotions from the past 11 years due to the new information. It is a difficult situation. The problem is the book doesn't treat it with any nuance. No one refers to it in any way as possible sexual assault, Macy calls it a "heartbreaking mistake" (pg 368), and it honestly seems that the authors themselves don't view it as SA which to me is a problem. The closest they get to it is when Elliot mentions how he had a panic attack the next time he attempted to engage sexually with another woman, Rachel. This can be read as PTSD for Elliot from being sexually assaulted, but it is more framed as guilt for how things ended with Macy. Rachel references this when she accuses Macy of having "fucked up" (pg 280) Elliot emotionally, and Elliot himself describes it as "the first person to go down on me after you left" (pg 370), directly correlating his emotional reaction not with what happened with Emma, but instead with Macy leaving him.
Male sexual assault survivors face a heavy stigma (as do all survivors of SA) and in particular, there is a lot of shame put on the survivor when the assailant is a woman. Some people just straight up don't believe it is possible for women to sexually assault men. By failing to engage fully with what happened to Elliot that night the authors inadvertently perpetuate this belief, simply having Elliot apologize to Macy and her accepting it. I have to think about if the roles were reversed if Elliot was a woman and Emma was a man. I think more people would have referred to it as sexual assault rather than "unintentional cheating" and the subject would have been engaged with much more critically.
Then the sequence of the car accident occurs and that really cemented my feelings towards this book. It just felt like trauma porn at that point and once again, nothing was engaged with critically. The concept of Macy partially blaming Elliot for her father's death despite knowing it is unreasonable is really fascinating to me, but they did nothing with it. The circumstances of her father's death are just thrown at us haphazardly in the last 40 pages of the book and there is no emotional reckoning, by the time we know all the details Macy is ready to move on. Then the book is tied up with an uncomplicated happy ending like we weren't just bombarded with both of those revelations.
I will likely not be reading any more Christina Lauren books.
The book switches back and forth in time from "then" and "now" and consistently in the "now" section the characters allude that the main character, Macy, and the love interest, Elliot, had some sort of falling out eleven years ago and hadn't spoken since. I was feeling quite happy with the build-up to the reveal, I felt they did of foreshadowing what had occurred between them without making it explicitly obvious and I was honestly excited to see what they would do with the implications these actions had on Elliot's character. But then I actually got to it.
The reveal is that eleven years before the present day, Macy had walked in on Elliot in a compromising position with a longtime female friend, Emma, who had been pining after Elliot for a while and had become a point of contention between the main characters due to her infatuation with Elliot and their shared history (they had kissed before). Macy runs off and avoids Elliot for years after that, an action I entirely understand from her point of view at that moment.
My issue is the way Elliot's explanation of the events is framed and how it impacts the rest of the book. Elliot admits to Macy, when they eventually reunite, that he had been incredibly inebriated that night and had woken up to someone kissing him, and was under the assumption it was Macy. He confesses that he was so drunk that even in his memory, it was Macy, not Emma that night. He remembers engaging willingly, but again, under the presumption that it was Macy and not Emma. Consent cannot be gained under false pretenses/through deceit. That is sexual assault. The book (and Macy, the main character, whose point of view we read from), however, frame it as more "accidental cheating" and even worse, this framing is left entirely unchallenged.
I think there are ways to engage with this subject critically. I don't think Macy was unjustified in her feelings of betrayal given the fact that she did not know what really happened, and even when she did find out, I don't think that she had to just throw out all of her emotions from the past 11 years due to the new information. It is a difficult situation. The problem is the book doesn't treat it with any nuance. No one refers to it in any way as possible sexual assault, Macy calls it a "heartbreaking mistake" (pg 368), and it honestly seems that the authors themselves don't view it as SA which to me is a problem. The closest they get to it is when Elliot mentions how he had a panic attack the next time he attempted to engage sexually with another woman, Rachel. This can be read as PTSD for Elliot from being sexually assaulted, but it is more framed as guilt for how things ended with Macy. Rachel references this when she accuses Macy of having "fucked up" (pg 280) Elliot emotionally, and Elliot himself describes it as "the first person to go down on me after you left" (pg 370), directly correlating his emotional reaction not with what happened with Emma, but instead with Macy leaving him.
Male sexual assault survivors face a heavy stigma (as do all survivors of SA) and in particular, there is a lot of shame put on the survivor when the assailant is a woman. Some people just straight up don't believe it is possible for women to sexually assault men. By failing to engage fully with what happened to Elliot that night the authors inadvertently perpetuate this belief, simply having Elliot apologize to Macy and her accepting it. I have to think about if the roles were reversed if Elliot was a woman and Emma was a man. I think more people would have referred to it as sexual assault rather than "unintentional cheating" and the subject would have been engaged with much more critically.
Then the sequence of the car accident occurs and that really cemented my feelings towards this book. It just felt like trauma porn at that point and once again, nothing was engaged with critically. The concept of Macy partially blaming Elliot for her father's death despite knowing it is unreasonable is really fascinating to me, but they did nothing with it. The circumstances of her father's death are just thrown at us haphazardly in the last 40 pages of the book and there is no emotional reckoning, by the time we know all the details Macy is ready to move on. Then the book is tied up with an uncomplicated happy ending like we weren't just bombarded with both of those revelations.
I will likely not be reading any more Christina Lauren books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Car accident
Moderate: Rape, Cancer, and Sexual assault
justinareads's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Cancer and Vomit
elinmln's review against another edition
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, and Death of parent
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
I think I can officially say that the duo of Christina Lauren has successfully infiltrated my heart into the deepest, most emotional parts.
I feel numb after finishing this one, because I felt everything else while reading it. It didn’t take me long at all to pour through it, but somehow I’m left thinking I’d been inside those words for years and years. It was so comforting, real, sweet, honest, deep, heartbreaking… and other words.
To say this is a ‘great romance’ is doing it a disservice—it is an overwhelming portrait of every pulsing vein that makes up a contemporary romance. The chemistry between Elliot and Macy, built up so naturally, stretched into an aching slow burn, the intensity of raw hurt and mixed signals, dialogue dripping with honesty, the painful passage of time lost. Short chapters switching between “then” and “now” made it all the more heart racing. Would love prevail?
This isn’t a romcom, like the other books by Lauren that I’ve read. I adore romcoms, but I adore real stories even more. Real characters, real emotions, real loss, real situations. And this is real, this is all-encompassing, this is love.
Lauren’s full-hearted leap with this romantic drama is an instant winner for me. Hard to believe it was their first foray into women’s lit. What a home run.
I feel numb after finishing this one, because I felt everything else while reading it. It didn’t take me long at all to pour through it, but somehow I’m left thinking I’d been inside those words for years and years. It was so comforting, real, sweet, honest, deep, heartbreaking… and other words.
To say this is a ‘great romance’ is doing it a disservice—it is an overwhelming portrait of every pulsing vein that makes up a contemporary romance. The chemistry between Elliot and Macy, built up so naturally, stretched into an aching slow burn, the intensity of raw hurt and mixed signals, dialogue dripping with honesty, the painful passage of time lost. Short chapters switching between “then” and “now” made it all the more heart racing. Would love prevail?
This isn’t a romcom, like the other books by Lauren that I’ve read. I adore romcoms, but I adore real stories even more. Real characters, real emotions, real loss, real situations. And this is real, this is all-encompassing, this is love.
Lauren’s full-hearted leap with this romantic drama is an instant winner for me. Hard to believe it was their first foray into women’s lit. What a home run.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Cursing
Minor: Addiction and Pregnancy
lacyloveslit's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
If you're looking for a story that will make you feel all of the emotions, this is it. Macy and Elliot's love story was so sweet and genuine. The way they bonded over books and reading made me melt. I loved how Elliot made Macy feel so safe and allowed her to open up to him about her mother while also not treating her like she would break. I felt like their friends to lovers story was so well written and believable. It made me feel like they were real people, living somewhere in the city.
I really enjoyed the duel timelines, flipping back and forth between their relationship 'then' and Macy and Elliot's reunion 'now'. I didn't understand the reasoning behind not speaking to someone you were so close to for 11 years- that seemed extreme to me while I was wondering what possibly could have happened to cause that sort of reaction. It made more sense in the end, but I still feel like that part was a bit much considering how destined the two seemed for each other.
The last part of this book ripped my heart out. I was not expecting it and it threw me.
I recommend this book if you:
-like the friends-to-lovers trope
-believe in soulmates
-are looking for a believable love story
-enjoy rekindled romance
For more reviews, find me on IG- @lacyloveslit
I really enjoyed the duel timelines, flipping back and forth between their relationship 'then' and Macy and Elliot's reunion 'now'. I didn't understand the reasoning behind not speaking to someone you were so close to for 11 years- that seemed extreme to me while I was wondering what possibly could have happened to cause that sort of reaction. It made more sense in the end, but I still feel like that part was a bit much considering how destined the two seemed for each other.
The last part of this book ripped my heart out. I was not expecting it and it threw me.
I recommend this book if you:
-like the friends-to-lovers trope
-believe in soulmates
-are looking for a believable love story
-enjoy rekindled romance
For more reviews, find me on IG- @lacyloveslit
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, and Death of parent
iheartnormalpeople's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer