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A review by bookspam
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
1.75
Look. If I had read this book when I was a teenager I think this would've been a five-star read. And even now, I can acknowledge that Elliot and Macy's story caused a visceral reaction in me. However, I can't in good conscience give a higher rating because the way this book handled sexual assault just didn't sit right with me and truly soured my overall enjoyment!
The Good:
First of all: the audiobook narrator was excellent! So, so good. If you read this book, don't skip on audio!
And then... childhood friends to lovers? Second chance romance? All of my faves. The teenage yearning was immense and picked right back up in present-day adulthood. Sometimes, I find that that type of time jump can be hard to believe (*cough* Funny You Should Ask), but because the foundation of their relationship was a deep friendship that turned into love, it helped immensely with making all those emotions feel real. Immature? Yes. Should they probably seek therapy instead of each other? Definitely.
Plotwise, the twist in the end (the part that WASN'T the SA) was incredibly heartbreaking and I thought WAS a very good reason for the long-term fallout that happened. It was like a new version of the miscommunication trope - NO communication. lol. I cried... (which makes the fact that I ultimately am rating this book so low all the more disappointing).
I read this book in one day, which I have never done for any other Christina Lauren; so I can agree that it is an incredibly bingeable book. And the spicy scenes? What! In A Holidaze was a fade to black, and I now know that it didn't have to be and am frankly a little annoyed by that.
The Bad:
The middle of the book should've just been called JEALOUSY and other words. Boy, doesn't this set a strange example of how two people in love should treat each other? There were many moments where I felt there were red flags in the past I only saw CONTINUE into adulthood. Again -- why didn't anyone go into therapy when there was so much obvious trauma? Or like, process? I feel like there was such a great opportunity to talk about a nuanced topic that is rarely discussed. Loss of a loved one, sexual assault... sigh...
Because these young adult traumas are never unpacked, I found that the HEA didn't really see either character GROW. It's like taking the all-consuming, slightly toxic love of your high school years and re-purposing it into an adult shape minus the actual emotional maturity.
The Ugly:
As I mentioned, the fact that this book sped through date rape and deemed it a "mistake" with zero acknowledgment or processing of the emotional trauma that that character experienced during and after is just... ick! It didn't sit right with me and I'm honestly shocked by how many people call it cheating when Elliot was literally so drunk he mistook Emma as a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON and then could barely remember what had happened that night. And then he had an emotional breakdown the next time he was intimate with someone. Like????? That's awful. I can understand if you're being a generous reviewer and giving the benefit of the doubt that Macy's forgiveness is acknowledgment that Elliot "didn't do anything wrong" and therefore a recognition of his own pain... but even that feels like a stretch.
Are the people calling it cheating the same people who thought that Daphne forcing Simon to inseminate her in Bridgerton was justified? uhhhh. C'mon y'all.
I also hated having another childhood girl friend of the hero as the lowkey main antagonist of the entire freaking story... and as ANOTHER VICTIM. Ugh.
The Good:
First of all: the audiobook narrator was excellent! So, so good. If you read this book, don't skip on audio!
And then... childhood friends to lovers? Second chance romance? All of my faves. The teenage yearning was immense and picked right back up in present-day adulthood. Sometimes, I find that that type of time jump can be hard to believe (*cough* Funny You Should Ask), but because the foundation of their relationship was a deep friendship that turned into love, it helped immensely with making all those emotions feel real. Immature? Yes. Should they probably seek therapy instead of each other? Definitely.
Plotwise, the twist in the end (the part that WASN'T the SA) was incredibly heartbreaking and I thought WAS a very good reason for the long-term fallout that happened. It was like a new version of the miscommunication trope - NO communication. lol. I cried... (which makes the fact that I ultimately am rating this book so low all the more disappointing).
I read this book in one day, which I have never done for any other Christina Lauren; so I can agree that it is an incredibly bingeable book. And the spicy scenes? What! In A Holidaze was a fade to black, and I now know that it didn't have to be and am frankly a little annoyed by that.
The Bad:
The middle of the book should've just been called JEALOUSY and other words. Boy, doesn't this set a strange example of how two people in love should treat each other? There were many moments where I felt there were red flags in the past I only saw CONTINUE into adulthood. Again -- why didn't anyone go into therapy when there was so much obvious trauma? Or like, process? I feel like there was such a great opportunity to talk about a nuanced topic that is rarely discussed. Loss of a loved one, sexual assault... sigh...
Because these young adult traumas are never unpacked, I found that the HEA didn't really see either character GROW. It's like taking the all-consuming, slightly toxic love of your high school years and re-purposing it into an adult shape minus the actual emotional maturity.
The Ugly:
As I mentioned, the fact that this book sped through date rape and deemed it a "mistake" with zero acknowledgment or processing of the emotional trauma that that character experienced during and after is just... ick! It didn't sit right with me and I'm honestly shocked by how many people call it cheating when Elliot was literally so drunk he mistook Emma as a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON and then could barely remember what had happened that night. And then he had an emotional breakdown the next time he was intimate with someone. Like????? That's awful. I can understand if you're being a generous reviewer and giving the benefit of the doubt that Macy's forgiveness is acknowledgment that Elliot "didn't do anything wrong" and therefore a recognition of his own pain... but even that feels like a stretch.
Are the people calling it cheating the same people who thought that Daphne forcing Simon to inseminate her in Bridgerton was justified? uhhhh. C'mon y'all.
I also hated having another childhood girl friend of the hero as the lowkey main antagonist of the entire freaking story... and as ANOTHER VICTIM. Ugh.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape