Love and Other Words is filled with that hope, the spark of something so beautiful that you fear outside influence. You just know that left alone this love will flourish and become...beyond words. So you cling to it, you huddle around it and try to keep it out of the storm. The storm, you don't even know what kind- just that it's coming.

So here you sit cradling this football sized spark, hunched over keeping it out of the rain, when a Category 5 hurricane blows through. It left you in the wreckage. Your hands are empty and you cannot identify a single thing in a half mile radius. The spark is gone. You have no idea where, what, or how. That feeling- lost, bereft, and torn apart- is how Love and Other Words starts.

Bereft, lost, and torn apart...simply existing. Knowing full well the spark is gone with no clue how to get it back, that is how Macy is...existing.

But the spark isn't lost anymore, no, Elliot is here. Now... Macy needs to figure it all out. Vexing as it maybe, Love and Other Words is a story that needs to be proclaimed.

Not only will you enjoy the story but there are some great words to toss around.

This book was good. Heartfelt. About young love lost and the fight to get it back.
Back and forth books always take me a little longer to read but I like being able to see how connected they were when they were young and how that carries over into adulthood. Even when time comes between them

http://www.willowaster.com/podcast/2018/4/23episode17-christina-lauren

In this special edition, Willow meets writing duo, Christina Lauren. They discuss their journey from the pages of fan fiction to the New York Times bestsellers list, and the joy of doing what you love the most with your best friend.

"We enjoy the process, no matter what, but I think we enjoy it most when the book takes control."
— Christina Lauren

Truly an enjoyable read with a shocking mid-end that I did NOT foresee at all. It did not disappoint and gave the story more life if that was even needed to begin with.

I grabbed this book on a recommendation from a friend. Boy, am I ever glad I did. There'e something to be said about a second chance romance. For me, I'm a total sucker. Better yet, when you get to watch the characters in different times so that you can connect the dots as why and how things happened. I worried I wouldn't like the alternating timelines, but I believe it was perfectly suited for this story.

I enjoyed Lauren's writing and will most definitely pick up any of her future books! I give this a solid 4.5 stars!!

Generally, this author is a favorite of mine. But, for some reason, this time, just didn't work for me.

I am excited to read the next title, and I am certain that this will be the one of this duo that didn't work, and I will go back to loving the books!

Great book! I just loved everything about the characters and flow of events in this sensual, enthralling story. Capturing friendship, love and lust in a most eloquent and entertaining way. A great read. Thank you NetGalley for the reader copy, all opinion are my own.

I really loved and enjoyed this book. Such a great story with great characters. cant wait to read more.

I didn't know what to expect when i received this galley. You know that powerful love that you dream about... the kind that pulls at your heartstrings, the kind of love that starts off as young love and becomes something more—the anxiousness of that "more" that consumes your every waking minute—this is how I felt reading Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, a new favorite of mine. Get this book, read this book, savor this book!

Love and Other Words was my first Christina Lauren book. It’s a beautiful love story of second chances and forgiveness some of the scenes seemed a little racy but I just skimmed over those parts (wink) and got on with it. I really really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by the author

Unpopular opinion alert: I didn’t think it was possible for me to not like a Christina Lauren book. I’ve been turning it around in my mind for months to pinpoint what went wrong because I am definitely in the minority opinion here.

This is being marketed as Women’s Fiction but it read as a less steamy version of their contemporary romances. I wanted there to be more to the story but really it centered around whether Elliot and Macy would get back together. Totally fine it was a romance but I struggled to see where Women’s Fiction fit as the genre.

Then there was the representation of San Francisco. If you’ve never lived there, then the way the city was depicted probably didn’t stand out to you. While I was pleased to see one of my favorite restaurants Nopalito featured, there was so much about city and Bay Area life that was wrong and it was so distracting and definitely impacted my enjoyment of the book. No way could someone have found parking close to Golden Gate Park on a Saturday at noon! It’s the most diverse city I’ve ever lived in but the San Francisco we see here is Very White. Or is it?

Sometimes culture is alluded to but more often then not, there was a complete lack of description for character’s cultural background. Macy doesn’t even mention her “South American” blood or having dark skin until about 25% in. Her fiancé might be Asian American because his last name is Chen but there’s no real description of him or his daughter. Representation is so important, especially in urban settings, and this missed the mark.

But what really bothered me was how emotionally manipulative the story turned out to be. The whole time we’re waiting for Macy and Elliot to deal with whatever happened in their past to drive them apart. When we learn the truth, I could not believe the events actually went down that way or understand why these two hadn’t dealt with it from the moment they decided they were going to try to be friends again.

I’m really glad for other readers who enjoyed this story but it didn’t work for me. But by no means am I done with Christina Lauren books. I’ll be the first in line for their next contemporary romance or YA offering! They’re a talented writing team and I look forward to seeing what’s next.

Disclosure: I received an advance copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really don't know how to rate this book! It's one of those reads where you love it but sometimes question if you hate it?! The characterization is amazing and was beautifully written but I just felt at times it went too slow for my taste and was driving me crazy wanting to know more! I love this author's work and will definitely continue reading her novels. I think many will enjoy this bookish(I know right?!!!) Women's fiction novel. It was sweet, heart warming and wrenching and full of feels! Just ugh for my impatience sometimes!

This is the best women's fiction book I have read in a long time. It was almost as good as Swear on This Life, which is saying a lot for me. It sucked me in from the very beginning, and my pre-baby self would have probably finished it in one sitting. Even now, I was reading it as much as I could. The emotions were so well done, and the past-present format worked great in this case. Usually, I like either the past or present more, but I was eager to read both sides of the story. This was my first book from Christina Lauren, but it definitely won't be my last.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I haven’t read anything by Lauren in the past, but I’ve heard a lot of good things from various other readers so I was excited to give this one a try. This is going to be a hard one for me to write down though, not because I didn’t like it but because there honestly just aren’t enough words to describe how this book made me feel. The emotions and reactions this book invoked from me were powerful and raw. The plot was perfectly captivating, it has been a long time since I’ve read a book that so perfectly captures what that first love feels like. There is joy, but hand in hand with the joy there is also pain, and the situation in this book in particular led to intense heartbreak. Reading the development and intensity of Elliot and Macy’s relationship though was like a testament to true romance. I just couldn’t put it down, I stayed up until one in the morning last night reading it. This book was a roller coaster of emotion that I didn't want to end. I just can't say enough, I loved this book and everyone should read it!

I received a free e-copy of Love and Other Words from the publisher (Gallery Books) and Netgalley. All opinions expressed below are my own.

Love and Other Words was the first novel by Christina Lauren that I read. I've heard about many of her novels, but I just recently became more interested in the "romance" genre. This one was available for request on Netgalley, so I figured it would be a good time to give it a chance - and I'm so glad that I did! I adored this novel!

It is so much deeper than I thought a romance would be. The premise of the story is that Macy runs in to her childhood BFF and first love (first EVERYTHING), Elliot, at a coffeeshop while she is in her medical residency in Berkley. We don't know what went wrong - only that Macy still has major feelings for Elliot but there are some pretty big reasons that she hasn't talked to him for forever. The story is told with flashbacks to when Macy and Elliot's relationship first began and took its big downfall.

I'll admit it - I totally cried when we found out why Macy totally cut Elliot from her life. Man, this girl had it rough and it really made her life decisions make so much more sense. I like that this information was kept from us as a reader while we explored Macy and Elliot's current lives and their past relationship. Of course, this was a love story, so while not giving away any spoilers, I must say that I loved the ending as well!

Overarching thoughts - I really enjoyed this one - it made me cry but also picked me back up and left me feeling happy. I definitely recommend this for fans of more modern romantic reads! I'll likely be checking out more of Christina Lauren's (Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings) other works! 4.5 stars rounded up for the pleasant surprise!

I loved this book. LOVED LOVED LOVED it. The emotions it brought up, I wish I could get them every single time I read this book.

You won't be able to put it down. It's a fast read, and you'll want it to be so your heart stops racing. :)

NO IDEA why I didn't write a review when I finished this book, but that's probably a good thing, this is much shorter because of the delay.

I really enjoyed the character development between Macy and Elliott, especially the evolving of their friendship. I am not familiar with Northern California but the setting was extremely descriptive – makes me want to travel! I also enjoyed the premise and the ending of the book, although the ending took longer than expected and appeared to be a little forced. I did not how the book when from past to present although I can see somewhat of a need due to the storyline. All in all, I did find this one to be enjoyable.

3.5 Stars
I liked this book. It was good. Not my most favorite ever from CL but good.
I wasn't a fan of the jumps back or the back and forth with Macy.
It was a good quick read that was enjoyable.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I devoured it..enjoying every heart wrenching turn. Every shared memory and glance. My angst little heart is overjoyed and completely sated..Christina Lauren completely enraptured this time and area. I was so excited to see my hometown area in the forefront. My river that I grew up on. My first love was a boy that vacationed to the river every summer from Pinole Ca. And man I adored him..he was the life guard at rio nido pool and when we finally dated for a year I couldn’t even breathe. No comparison between my sad ending and this epic tale but I felt every single moment of this story as if I were living it. I loved it!! So much so I have bought and gifted it to everyone I know that reads, including my daughter! Can't recommend this one enough!

BEAUTIFUL SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE.
What did you love best about this story?

Christina Lauren are those kind of authors whose books I read without reading the synopsis—yes, I’m not afraid to say this, it’s just a fact about myself, I try my best not to do this with other authors and books, but with CLo I feel safe enough that they will deliver the best book for my heart—and Love and Other Words was a big surprise for me. I always have sexy, funny and romantic books from Christina Lauren, and this book was so much different from that. Yes, it’s romantic and has its funny moments, but this book is so much more emotional than their previous books and that’s exactly what I loved most about it.

In this book, Macy and Elliot were best friends and then fell in love with each other when they were teenagers, but sadly their relationship ended abruptly and they lost all contact. So many years later they found each other and Elliot wanted, above all things, reconnect with Macy and get back together, but she was so afraid to let that happen and she had her reasons.

The way this book was written was perfect to reveal why Macy never contacted Elliot again, why it was so hard for her to open up to him, despite her obvious feelings toward him and why she needed to forgive herself and him and move on from the past and finally be together.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were so many emotional moments in this book. I cried so much while listening to it, my heart felt so much for Macy and when I finally knew what really happened all those years ago, my heart ached so much for her and I wanted to take her out of the book and hug her forever. Thank God Elliot was there for her to hold her and support her and help her move on, but mostly to love her with all his heart, that was the most beautiful thing in the world.

What about Erin Mallon’s performance did you like?

Erin’s performance was perfect, just perfect. She did the best Macy, with a soft voice and an emotional reading to make the audiobook experience more intense. I loved her inflections and how this audiobook didn’t have a boring moment, making not want to stop listening to it.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. This is a beautiful story of second chances, forgiveness and true love.