A review by booksnapsandcatnaps
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

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

4.0

"Love and Other Words" was quite a journey of emotions.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was the dual timelines. It was fascinating to see Macy and Elliot fall in love as children and then navigate their way back to each other as adults. I found myself particularly drawn to the past timeline, where we saw Macy deal with the loss of her mom and her relationship with her dad.

However, I did have some issues with the depth of the impact of their past relationship on Macy and Elliot as adults. There were some missed opportunities to delve deeper into their trauma and how it affected them as adults. Despite this, the flashbacks were still incredibly cute and made me feel giddy.

Macy and Elliot are complex characters carrying a lot of emotional baggage. Still, I felt like Elliot's trauma wasn't fully acknowledged or processed in the story, which left me wanting more from his character development.

That being said, the storytelling and writing in this book are beautiful. Christina Lauren did an amazing job capturing the essence of grief, first loves, and heartbreak. I found myself deeply invested in the characters and their journey, making this book truly beautiful despite its flaws.