I never gave this book the proper review it deserves as after all those years I do still remember this one. It is a book about a bookstore, that is struggling to keep its head above the water, but mostly it is about the letters that are included in the books of this bookstore. And also about two teenagers finding love and dealing with grief.

This book was to me a piece of art, it was absolutely beautiful. It moved me to tears, I bought the Dutch edition for my mother at the time so she could enjoy it as well.

Actual Rating: 4.5

Words in Deep Blue made me feel and cry in the middle of the night, and I just loved every bit of it! This book is about two best friends who lost contact, and regains it after one goes back to town. Rachel and Henry were best friends - they spent their days in the bookstore talking about anything and everything. That is, until Rachel moves to Sea Ridge and stops responding to Henry's letters. Years later, Rachel is back, with a job in the bookstore and the weight of the death of her brother on her shoulders.

You know how some books overemphasize some things and lose track of the other important things? Like you want more of some aspects and want the MC to just shut up about the thing she keeps talking about? This book is NOT it. This book was just the right amount of romance, friendship, family, grieving, deciding the future and all that, and it was absolutely amazing. I loved how realistic everything felt, and I loved how we also got to see the stories of like Martin and George, as well as Lola and Friedrick within the novel.

The most amazing thing about this book is the Letter Library. I just loved the concept and how people, even strangers, could communicate with each other through that means. It's such an ingenious idea and I was really so excited about it! It makes me want to go out and put random letters within library books, but nah, I'm not doing that. Anyway, this book was a quick and easy read. I would just sneak in a few pages every night before going to sleep, and before long I was craving to read the entire thing because of how much I loved it.

Words in Deep Blue is an ordinary story - you might say it's kind of a typical love story. But oh - the feelings it made me feel, and the connection it made me feel like I have this the characters, that is what makes it special.

I had a little bit of trouble getting into this book at the beginning. The pacing was slow at first and I wasn't sure I was going to like it. It did pick up and catch my interest about 1/4 of the way through. Our main character Rachel comes back to her hometown after her brother dies. When she left she had confessed her feelings to for her best friend Henry, by leaving a note in a book in his family's book store. When she returns to town she has to deal with her feelings for him and her heart break that he chose another girl over her, and also struggle with her feelings over her brothers death. Henry's sister has also been carrying on a conversation through notes in books with a mysterious admirer. I really liked the idea that there was a section in the bookstore for books that remained permanently for people to write notes to each other in and circle words in. I thought that aspect of it was really cool. There are also other struggles with Henry's family as well as in two of Henry and Rachel's friends. I thought all the different aspects of the story were interesting and realistic. I would recommend this story to young adults.

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley is a book for people who love books. The writing is lovely, and there's so many feelings that swirl through the pages. Everyone can find something to connect to in this story. A very moving tale that I highly recommend to anyone.

Another example of Cath Crowley's prowess. Lovely prose; the story is a slow-burn of emotions that evokes real investment & genuine enjoyment.

Wow. What a beautiful, well-written novel. This story of unrequited love and family is absolutely excellent. I would recommend this to book and romance lovers.

This book was written beautifully. I enjoyed the love story between the two main characters. I will forever read this book.

I wanted to LOVE "Words in Deep Blue" as I had loved the previous book I read from Cath Crowley. Unfortunately, I could not connect to the characters as hard as I tried, and ultimately had to call it quits.

I love Cath Crowley's writing and I waited for what felt like forever for this book to come out and then I was afraid to read it because expectations can be unrealistic. I shouldn't've worried. It was beautiful, just as I expected. This book is Avril's "Sk8r Boi" and Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" in book form.

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley has been chosen as THE MARVELOUS YOUNG ADULT NOVEL OF THE MONTH by The Marvelous Site. The following review is a reviewaka, based on an ancient Japanese poetry form. (To learn more about how to read a reviewaka, you can visit http://tinyurl.com/reviewakas.)

Words in Deep Blue
by Cath Crowley
c2017

unique bookshop home
there’s oceans of sorrow laced
with layers of hope

importance of love … and words …
marvelously underlined

MM

(3.5 stars)

I requested this book because I saw a tweet about it in under 140 characters praising how emotional and good it was. Come on, if you see something like that about an ARC, you have to request it.

So, I did. And, if you’re a book blogger that’s not up in the ranks of Tashapolis or emmmabooks, then you know how hard it is to actually get a requested book from Penguin Random Books.
So, I was surprised when I got this in the mail, but I was happy! Another accomplished request!

This book features the main character, Rachel Sweetie, whose brother has tragically passed away. So, she is kind of in a depressed state right now. It makes it worse when she goes back to the city to work next to her old crush and love, Henry, at the used bookstore that is on the brink of getting sold and torn down.
Henry is totally in love with his girlfriend Amy, who has just broken up with him for another guy. He is totally torn, but he is in denial, thinking he can win her back if he changes.

So, this book, to me, did not live up to the expectations. I wasn’t really moved by the story. It seemed to all happen really fast with a ton of missing parts in between. I didn’t learn much about Rachel or Henry. It just seemed like they tossed into a well-devised plot and then some of the plot was deleted for some reason. Hence, the missing parts.
Let’s talk about Rachel. It’s tragic that she lost her brother, but she is kind of rude. Sure, Henry probably deserves it. (I’ll get to him in a minute). But, even when she reveals her secret, she doesn’t really seem to make amends with everybody. For instance, her distraught mother is still left distraught. I would have appreciated a little mother-daughter interaction to kind of let out all the feelings. Rachel doesn’t even have much bonding time with her aunt Rose. Rachel used to have a best friend named Lola and there isn’t even much between them either! Bottom line: it’s all about Henry and Rachel, which was fine, but there should have been more between Rachel and the friends and family she still had.
So...Henry. I didn’t really find the attraction in him. He really must be dumb if he can’t figure out that Rachel was in love with him. And the girl he is in love with? Amy? I’m so glad she was barely in the book because she is the type of bitch (excuse my language) that only wants a man that she knows she can’t have. For instance, she only got with Henry in the first place because Rachel wanted him too. And she literally tells Rachel she can’t have him. What a bitch. And Henry is too stupid to see that. I just wasn’t a fan of him. He wasn’t the type of “book boyfriend” that you swoon over. You really just want to put tape over his mouth and lock him in a closet so he can’t bother another girl every again.
Or something like that.

Okay, enough negative Nancy. I did enjoy the whole concept of leaving letters in books for other people to read. It’s a romantic gesture and I wish there was something like that around here. I mean, there probably is somewhere in the world, but not where I am.
This book’s plot idea is very good, but it just wasn’t written and played out well. There wasn’t a lot of character building or development or relationship building beyond Henry and Rachel. It went too fast and it skipped moments that could have been added in.
I’ll still give Cath’s novels a try in the future, but I just wasn’t happy with this one.

I wanted to love this one. I really did. I mean, a teen romance set in a little independent bookstore? Love letters finding a voice through the pages of used books? What’s not to love? But for some reason, it just didn’t grab me like I’d hoped. I don’t know if the letters interspersed throughout the story were more of a distraction than a key story element, or if maybe I just didn’t connect with the characters. Good enough for me to finish, at least, but not great enough to be especially memorable.

This was highly anticipated too and I know many people who loved it, but I thought it was okay. I had to suspend my disbelief a lot to think these characters who are all in the small little bookshop are communicating through leaving letters in a book rather than just looking over and talking. Cute idea, but it was hard for me to find believable or compelling. Sweet story though. ★ ★ ★ ☆

Words In Deep Blue, I've heard so many good reviews about this book and my friends kept recommending this. Aside from that, my twitter feed is full of this. Out of curiosity, I decided to finally read my e-ARC. I'm honestly amazed with the book cover, simple yet catchy, I won't get tired of staring at it (or maybe I'm biased since I love blue color LOL). I've been searching for a hardbound copy in a local bookstore here in the Philippines unfortunately, I can't find one yet.

The story of this book is simple yet lovely. I've enjoyed every part of it especially about that Letter Library. I love the idea of it. I can somehow relate to the characters especially Rachel about losing someone you love. It was the hardest thing ever but Henry was there to help pick herself up despite the not so good relationship of Henry with his girlfriend because she dumped him. These two characters become each other's companion without them noticing.

Overall, I find this book gratifying to the point where I will recommend this to my friends as well. I already understand now why my friends keep on pestering me about reading this book. LOL. Books like this are hard to ignore, re-reading it wont be an issue to me. And because of this, I would love to read more Cath Crowley books!

I enjoyed this book and loved the book store setting with written notes.

Ten months ago Rachel's brother and best friend, Cal, died, something Rachel can't stop thinking about or moving on from. Her family sends her to the city, away from the ocean that took her brother, and back to the people she left behind three years before. Henry feels like his world has ended since his soulmate, the only girl he has ever wanted, Amy, just dumped him. When fate, or busybody families as it may be, bring the two together after three years apart, they are not sure how to act. But something they can agree on is that the bookstore is the most important thing to focus on, and maybe life will work it's self out among the shelves full of books.

When I found out that this is a book pretty much set in a bookstore, with characters that love books and can use them to help explain life, I knew that this was a story I needed to read. Well, this was a really emotional, sweet tale about dealing with grief in all its many forms as well as how to move on and make life worth living again, and maybe possibly find an unexpected love- all while having an old bookstore as a backdrop. As someone who loves books, loves bookstores and spent a chunk of her life working in a bookstore, this book really spoke to me.

The story is dual narrated by Rachel and Henry, two characters who have so much history, and yet are so different and so perfect together (regardless of them seeing it). This more than anything is character driven, making you care more about the people than any kind of plot or action.
Rachel's character is the same kind of reader that I am, reading the ending first, asking for spoilers and googling things to check for answers or information- I can relate to her, and the negative response she gets from her other reader friends. I thought both characters were good people and likable. Rachel brought out my empathy and I wanted to help her in any way I could to heal so that she could be herself again. Her heart was such a fragile thing with wings and hope, and she surprisingly was willing to give it to Henry again and I so wanted to protect her.

Through the course of the story, Rachel healed from her debilitating grief in a large part due to Henry who really grew as a person, learning what is really important in his life and what he should stand up for. I was a little miffed at how self-centered Henry seemed, his every motivation to get back his "soulmate" Amy, who was a terrible person to begin with. The fact that he is just fine being with a girl who only wants him because someone else might want him is ridiculous. He was so oblivious to how perfect Rachel was for him and how great they were together, stuck on his pursuit of a girl with no morals or backbone. But then I realized he just had no experience with real grief that he couldn't see the big picture, he wasn't trying to be a jerk he just didn't understand and he was a genuinely nice guy with an upbeat attitude, just poor decision making skills.

​This was a sweet story overall, but so much of the plot was based on miscommunication (which is something I am not personally a fan of, but I know tons of people love it)- Rachel was mad at Henry for his lack of response, but Henry was convinced she forgot him, and George is in love with ​a boy she has never met (or at least unsure of his identity) and can't have while a real live boy is pursuing her. Gah, I just wanted to shake all three and make them have an open, honest conversation.

I did really enjoy the between the chapter reading of the letters left in the pages of the old books (aka the Letter Library), some were random strangers, others were important to the development of the plot, but all such secret, intimate moments that the reader got to experience with the writers of those notes. It was really a neat idea, and kind of sweet, making me wish this was a real place near by me so that I could also become a part of this epic library with my random words. I previously thought writing on a book was a desecration, but now I can appreciate the relationship people can have this way.

Overall this was a super fast read that I really enjoyed and highly recommend to pretty much everyone. There were so many take home messages and feels littered through the pages, some so sad I wanted to cry, others so loving I wanted to cheer, but all so realistic I could feel them right along with the characters (Martin and his never-ending cheer was a for sure mood lifter!). I am excited to see what else Cath Crowley wants to write because I will for sure pick it up.

Find more book stuff from me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

Cath Crowley’s been on my to-read list since I found the book blogging community and was read the gospel of Aussie YA. However, I’ve never been great about deciding what to prioritize, so Words in Deep Blue is my first Crowley, though I do own both Graffiti Moon and A Little Wanting Song, which I will read…someday. Words in Deep Blue very much won me over.


Admittedly, it did take me a bit to really fall for Words in Deep Blue. At the outset, Rachel’s basically pure anger and sadness (over the death of her brother), and Henry’s an idiot chasing after his obnoxious ex. I very much did not like Henry for a good portion of the book, despite his bookishness. Ultimately, I sort of came around, but Rachel can totally do better. Then again, Henry’s a teenager, so maybe he’ll improve with age, as he learns to think more with his brain and less with his dick.

Actually, for all that Henry and Rachel are the main characters, I was wayyyyy more into Henry’s sister, George. She also has a ship (or is it two?!?! I won’t tell you), and it’s so freaking cute, unlike Henry and Rachel which is mostly frustrating until the end and also just not my particular brand of shiptrash. George’s flirtations end up happening in their family bookshop’s Letter Library, books that people are allowed to write in or leave letters inside. George is prickly and unapproachable with some A+ resting bitch face and attitude to match, but in her letters the soft side really shows through. I love epistolary romances, so obviously I could not resist this one bit.

The setting and sheer love of books is the other main point of appeal here, and I very much loved that. They generally aren’t discussing books I’m personally into, but most anything bookish is pretty great. I just wish that the book had centered more on George and less on Henry.

I went into this book knowing only three things: the main character was reeling from the recent death of her brother, there was a bookstore, and it was probably a second chance love story.

Being that the main character is dealing with the trauma of her brother dying this book obviously deals with some heavy topics. This I was expecting, but I still found myself sobbing multiple times throughout this book. What I wasn’t anticipating, however, is just how bookish this book was, although the cover should have tipped me off. I loved it. I felt like I would have been at home in this group of people. They all loved to read and would discuss what books they were currently reading at dinner. They communicated through letters hidden in the bookshop. It was wonderful. I found myself involved in all of the stories and was drawn to the characters, rooting for them along the way. I thought Henry was so blinded by his ex, Amy but still wanted to be friends with Rachel. While that did create a slight love triangle it ended up working out well in the end. I did find the mystery of George’s secret admirer to be really predictable but still cried when it was revealed.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

That. Was. Beautiful.

What an incredibly good, breathtaking, heart wrenching story. I wonder how Crowley was able to pack so much in 273 pages. Words in Deep Blue is the story of Rachel and Henry, two best friends separated by a misunderstanding and the neediness of an outsider. It’s a story about how Rachel grieves the death of her brother Cal and how that tragedy changed her past, present and future.

“We are the books we read and the things we love.”

Rachel came back to the city almost a year after her brother drowned in the sea they loved. This changed Rachel and her family in different ways and after failing year 12, she decides to go live with her aunt and she’s hired to catalog books at Henry’s family second hand bookstore. Henry is a lover books, poetry, words. He reads anything and everything. In his world, books are people and words are food. I LOVED how the bookstore felt like a character more than a setting.

“Sometimes science isn’t enough. Sometimes you need the poets.”

I feel in love with the Letter Library – a way to leave messages within the pages of a book – and with the bookstore. The way Rachel and Henry fall back into friendship and later back in love is so sweet and messy. The book is also very funny. Henry and his sister George are honest and straightforward and that’s so refreshing. All other characters, Lola, Henry’s parents, Martin, Rachel’s aunt and the patrons of the bookstore make such an amazing cast. I loved all of them.

“Words matter, in fact. They’re not pointless, as you’ve suggested. If they were pointless, then they couldn’t start revolutions and they wouldn’t change history. If they were just words, we wouldn’t write songs or listen to them. We wouldn’t beg to be read to as kids. If they were just words, then stories wouldn’t have been around since before we could write. We wouldn’t have learned to write. If they were just words, people wouldn’t fall in love because of them, feel bad because of them, ache because of them, and stop aching because of them.”

Crowley’s writing is awesome. Insightful, funny, heartbreaking, gripping, please give this book a chance because it’s amazing. The story is told from alternating point of views (Rachel and Henry) and between most chapters we get to hear from notes and letters left withing the pages of the Letter Library. So good.

Overall

Words in Deep Blue is a story about grief, friendship, love and their power to heal. About words and how much they mean and how they can change and grow and fill the emptiness. I loved it.