Review will be posted 6/7/18

It's the classic story of girl meets boy next door and sparks fly, but things are much more than that between Macy and Elliot. Macy returns to her family's vacation home often and that's where she meets Elliot who instantly becomes her best friend. They have the same interests and reading is their favorite pastime. They have a complicated relationship throughout their teen years, but it's definitely something more than friendship. Years go by and readers find Macy working as a doctor and she's engaged to someone else. That someone is not Elliot as they haven't talked in years! Elliot and Macy run into each other again in the present and there is still a deep connection despite their falling out. Readers are left wondering what exactly went wrong between them many years ago. Two story lines involving past and present come together as a satisfying love story in Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren.

I absolutely love the way that Lauren wrote Love and Other Words with dual story lines focusing on the past and the present. I enjoyed learning how things unfolded for Macy and Elliot during their awkward teen years; it was heartbreaking, beautiful, impulsive, and addicting in the only way that first love can be. What truly tugged on my heartstrings was the fact that Macy and Elliot are best friends. I love a good friendship-to-something more story line and Lauren does this so very well. She truly captures a summer love and its evolution throughout the years.

Sometimes when there is a dual narrative, I find myself interested in one storyline over another, but that wasn't the case in Love and Other Words. I really liked both plot lines and was dying to find out what exactly happened between Elliot and Macy. I mean it must have been a big deal as they stopped talking after the event. I loved how their paths crossed years later and despite the time that has gone by, they never really got over each other. Also, the dialogue in this novel was fantastic. It made me cringe, laugh out loud, and swoon. I loved it!

This is the first novel that I've read by Christina Lauren and I am pleasantly surprised. While the romance genre isn't my favorite, this novel wasn't overly saccharine and had the right balance of what I'm looking for when it comes to a fun summertime read. If you enjoy a good love story while on vacation or while spending a day at the pool, definitely throw a copy of out Love and Other Words into your bag this summer.

Best book of the year! Man, I love Christina Lauren but I was not expecting the roller coaster ride of Love and Other Words. Macy and Elliot’s love story is beautifully awkward as they grow up, only to take a dark turn. By the time these two reconnect as adults, the angst is off the charts and as I relived their youth, my heart just broke.

Now I won’t lie, I got frustrated a few times and I hated the reason for their initial separation. It felt like a cop out on the author’s part. BUT I’m so glad for the twists and turns that broke my heart and then put it back together.

I don’t agree with this being labeled as women’s fiction. To me this is romance all the way. The build up of friendship over their youth may not exactly be a love story but it works to strongly develop their relationship. Thank you, thank you for allowing me to review this book.

This book made my heart ache in the most delicious of ways. I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley and had put off reading it because I started seeing it everywhere and try not to jump on popularity trains. However, I finally sat down to read it a few weeks after it was published and I regret waiting so long. I absolutely LOVED this book. It's told in alternating timelines (present day and way back when) and takes us through the journey of Macy and Elliot, childhood friends recently reacquainted.

I really don't want to spoil too much because if you're reading this and then decide to read the book, I don't want to take any of the magic away. Just know that when the first nugget of "something went wrong in the past and now they don't talk" is dropped, I was hooked. Christina Lauren did such a great job of slowly rolling out the story in a way that both fills you in on their history and keeps you guessing and putting hints together on why the current situation is what it is. And OMG when the secrets are all out in the open, I COULD NOT STOP SOBBING YOU GUYS. I was utterly destroyed. Pick up this book if you love a beautiful story of all consuming love. Sigh, it'll make all of my fellow romantics squeal with glee while sobbing.

Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Love and Other Words takes us on the journey of Macy Sorensen and it packs an emotional punch, so be prepared. After the death of Macy’s Mom, her father decides to purchase a summer house, a great getaway place for the two of them, something he believes will be good for her. Her first visit to the house, she meets Elliot, the boy that lives next door and they hit it off and became the best of friends, looking forward to those summer vacations, so that they spend more time together. Over the years things began to change between Macy and Elliot. He becomes her first love, her first everything. One night changed everything for her though, and she left, not looking back…

Macy had grown up and moved on with her life, she’s a pediatric resident, appears to have a happy life and is engaged too. She thinks she has her future all planned out. She runs into Elliot Petropoulos, who happens to have grown into a gorgeous and successful man. All those feelings that she has kept buried, and the memories of their time came flooding back. It might have been a long time since Macy has seen Elliot, but some feelings don’t go away. But, whatever happened that night that caused her so grief and pain wasn’t clear, but it had to have been pretty bad for her to walk away like she did, and I really wanted to know what happened, should I not root for Elliot and her to be together again or not?!

Reading this was like getting two slow burning love stories all in one. Told in dual timelines, the past and the present, we get the budding friends to lovers romance, and now as adults 11 years later after their chance meeting. It was clear that these two cared for each other very deeply all those years ago, so can you imagine not seeing and not talking, literally nothing for 11 years and then running into the one who was your everything for so long? It would definitely be a chock to the heart. All those emotions and memories all stirred up again. These two have been living their lives just fine, well, they thought they were at least. The feeling they felt weren’t gone just buried right below the surface.

Getting to know Macy and Elliot was just amazing. Elliot was kinda awkward as a kid, and some who say he still was an adult. I thought he was great, and he had a heart of gold, the way he cared for his family both then and now, and for the way he felt about Macy made me adore him more and more as I was reading on. Macy had just lost her Mom, and losing your Mom as a young girl would devastating, but her Father was there for every step of the way. Man, did I Love him! As an adult however, she’s successful, but seemed to lost. The mystery of the one night that changed so much was revealed over time, and my heart broke for Macy, but I could completely understand her silence all these years. But I also had so many questions, would the love that these two have be enough to bring them back together completely? I found myself wanting to read faster, wanting to know everything, how it worked out, and rooting for these two. How could I not!

The journey that these two went on was full of passion and love, but also grief and betrayal. It’s poignant but powerful, I couldn’t help the emotions that it stirred within me. Love and Other Words was a beautiful story of second chances, but was also an all consuming love story. Amazing!

I loved this book so much! Christina Lauren has given us a book that is heartbreaking and beautiful. I loved all the references of the classics.

This book was told in past and present of Elliott and Macy’s story. They have known each other since they were teenagers. Macy’s mother passed away and her dad decided they needed a vacation home, which happens to be right next to Elliot’s house.

I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen next. I was really hoping these two would find their way back to each other years later.

This book is one of my top reads of 2018. I can’t wait for more work from Christina Lauren

Christina Lauren’s Love and Other Words is one of the best books I have read this year. I was so moved, so enamored, and so taken by this story of long lost love, hope and forgiveness.

Being a huge fan of this writing duo, I was beyond excited to get my hands on an early copy of their newest book. From the very first chapter I knew this was going to be an unforgettable read, and boy was I right. It was simply sublime.

This is a different book we are used to reading from Christina Lauren and it really showcased the talent these two authors hold. These characters and this story were so fresh, so lovable, so memorable. It’s a story of living a childhood filled with both pain and wonder. About finding that one person you connect with through the happiest of times and the most trying of times. About an unbreakable soul-deep connection you can never break, no matter what ups and downs you experience with that person. It’s a story about forgiveness and love. A story about learning to let go of the past and embrace what the future may hold. A story that is so well written you will connect with every word on every page.

I don’t know how these authors do it, but they manage to create worlds that capture a reader every single time. There were so many reason to love this story. Macy is an honest and vulnerable gal. Elliott is her total equal in both of those respects. Together they begin as two beautifully endearing kids and grow into interesting and admirable adults. Unfortunately, there is a painful moment that interrupted their relationship and after years apart fate sees to it that they have the chance to mend what’s been broken between them. What starts out as a relationship of innocence and first love turns into a beautifully emotional and lasting bond built on the love they found when they first met. Truly a love story for the ages!

If I’m being honest, there’s no way I can adequately tell you just how much I adored this book! I laughed, I cried, I devoured every page and this is a book I recommend on the highest level.

Thank you, Christina and Lauren, for this memorable and heartwarming story! #TeamMelliottFOREVA

Four stars: A breathtaking romance with all friendship, chemistry, passion and struggles.

Macy is slogging through life, not realizing she is going through the motions, until she sees him again. It has been eleven years, but she would know him anywhere, yet why does she try to run? Elliot was once her everything. Her best friend, her rock, her first love and her first heartbreak. Now reunited as adults, neither is able to deny the old feelings and the passion, but Macy isn’t sure she can go back. Will she find her heart?
What I Liked:
*Christina Lauren, the amazing author duo, has risen dramatically on my go to author list since last year. Once again, these two talented writers have written a touching romance that alternates back and forth in time. Loved this one.
*The friendship between Macy and Elliot is the heart and soul of this book. It all starts eleven years ago when Macy and her father buy a vacation home outside of San Fransisco. Reeling from the loss of her mother, Macy is heartbroken and lost, until she meets Elliot, the boy next door. Elliot and Macy quickly form a friendship based on a mutual love of words and books. Starting when they are fourteen until they are eighteen, the two are inseparable, and then something happens. Fast forward eleven years, when they meet again. The friendship once again slowly blossoms as the years melt away, and then it ignites into something more, just as it did all those years ago. I loved how the book is relationship is built on trust and honesty. Elliot and Macy share almost everything, and some of their conversations when they are teens are downright funny. I loved the heart and the chemistry in the friendship.
*The romance..... need I say more than friends to lovers? Okay, there is a big stumble, but all the passion, the heat and the sizzle is there, both past and present. It is beautiful. Loved the romance in this one!
*I know not everyone likes books that shift back and forth in time, but this one handles it beautifully. *I loved seeing Macy and Elliot in the past forming their friendship, and then seeing them in the future as they click back into place. I had no issues with the time switches.
*When Elliot and Macy reunite, Macy is in a serious relationship. I wanted to hate the man she was with, and I tried, but then I couldn’t because he turns out to be a good guy. I was surprised and pleased by this.
*I also loved the focus on family and friends. Both Macy and Elliot have strong parental figures in their lives, and good friends.
*I am not going to lie, this book packs a lot of emotion, and the climax is a gut punch. It made me cry. Still it was well worth the journey.
*The ending was just perfect, it left me with a big goofy grin on my face.
And The Not So Much:
8Something bad happened to tear Macy and Elliot apart, and once I found out, I was so sad. Still it upset me that the two suffered for years because they didn’t communicate. Why? I hate when that happens. It all falls apart because of a big misunderstanding. Ugh!
*I don’t know, the book was beautiful and tender and then when the conflict and the big reveal happened, I was angry at Macy for letting things go on and on when she could have fixed it, or why didn’t Elliot try harder. Was it worth the agony?

Love and Other Words is one of those books you just need to read for yourself. It is beautiful and heartbreaking all at once. I loved the best friends to lovers romance even if it did have a big stumble. This is a well written, heartfelt book that you need in your life.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

I was really hyped about Love and Other Words because it's by my favorite writing duo. Their book Beautiful Bastard is one of my all-time favorite contemporary romances and although I haven't read all of the books in their Beautiful Bastard and Wild Seasons series, the ones I have picked up I absolutely loved. I haven't read their newer adult standalones, but I have physical copies of them all because Christina Lauren is one of my auto-buy authors.

So, yeah, I was super hyped for Love and Other Words. And not only because it's by my favorite writing duo, but it also has one of my favorite tropes: childhood sweethearts meeting again and finding a second chance at love.

Love and Other Words had everything going for it and it started out really good (as marked by my Instagram post). I love Christina Lauren's writing style and I find it really easy to get into their books. When I first met Macy, I really felt for her because she was telling us about losing her mom and the list she left behind to help Macy's dad raise her. I also love Macy and her dad's father-daughter relationship, how close they were, and how they navigated Macy growing up together with her mom's list as a guide. Macy and her dad were actually my favorite part of the whole novel and it just about killed me when we learned what happened that fateful New Years Eve night.

But, the main focus of the novel was Macy and Elliot's relationship. We saw them meeting and growing up in the Then chapters and we saw them meeting again after about eleven years apart in the Now chapters. The thing was, the more I got to know Macy (especially as an adult in the Now chapters) and Elliot, the more I became indifferent to them. I liked them a little more in the Then chapters as they fall into an easy friendship through their shared love of reading, falling in love, and learning about sex together. But, as adults, they were both so blah. I didn't feel any chemistry between them, and I wasn't swooning over their second chance romance.

The thing is, I'm usually swooning over Christina Lauren's heroes--I haven't met a CLo hero I didn't swoon over even a little bit, but I wasn't swooning over Elliot in the slightest. Which was weird because he's a hot book nerd and I should've been all over that, but he was just... meh. There were more things that annoyed me, bothered me, and I eye-rolled over about him than liked about him. For instance, I didn't like how clueless he was during Thanksgiving when he invited both Macy and Rachel, his ex-girlfriend he dumped suddenly after he saw Macy again after eleven years. Seriously, you thought inviting both women couldn't end in anything but in an extremely awkward situation? And Elliot was supposed to be a smart man. *eye roll* And then that whole thing where he was so wasted he didn't know WTF he was doing that New Year's Eve where everything crash and burned? *eye roll*

It wasn't just Elliot, though. Macy, too. BOTH Macy and Elliot frustrated me. By the end I didn't care anymore whether they got their happily ever after or not.

Love and Other Words is definitely my least favorite that I've read by Christina Lauren. And it's not because Love and Other Words is "women's fiction" and all of the other books I've read by them were contemporary romance. It was the characters in this instance. Suffice to say, I will not be purchasing a physical copy of Love and Other Words, but I am still looking forward to reading CLo's upcoming releases and I'm excited to read their other books I already own this summer.

I cried, I laughed. I read it in one sitting. Beautiful intriguing story. I couldn’t figure out what went wrong to create such a distance between two people who obviously cared for each other so deeply. I couldn’t figure out her motives and why it was so one sided. Loved the story. Happy how it ended.

Macy met him in a closet.

Standing precariously on the cusp of an adolescence that was already feeling strained and uncomfortable, Macy Sorenson didn’t want to be where she was at that particular moment in time. The awkward and dark home her father deemed appropriate for weekend vacationing didn’t feel like a home at all, it felt like a dungeon. The fact that he’d only wanted to buy the place based upon one of her mom’s rules only served to make the place even more stark and cold; there was no emotion in the purchase save the ones wrapped up in the knowledge that this was a house her mother would never see or know or make her own.

Rule #25 in The Dead Mom’s Handbook to Raising Teenage Girls:

“When Macy looks so third after school that she can’t even form a sentence, take her away from the stress of her life. Find a weekend getaway that is easy and close that lets her breathe a little.”

And so he did.

Dad had followed every rule on the list her mother gave to him, a list given before her body succumbed to cancer. He’d faithfully followed them all to a tee thus far, using his dead wife’s words as a guiding light, so why stop now? Her father had spent years researching the best place to get away to; the best destination for some proper rest and relaxation. A place not too far from home in Berkley, but somewhere that would feel completely out of the way and foreign. A place where Macy could find solace and perhaps some quiet healing.

But do you ever really heal from the wounds set upon the heart? Scars may grow and cover the gaping holes, but they leave with it a toughened state of being. Rough and unsettled.

The house was creaky and needed work, but it had that closet. A closet she could turn into a library, filling it with the books that her mother made her father promise to spoil her with, and right at that moment – it also contained a boy.

Elliot Petropolous, the not-so-quintessential literal boy next door. He was all angles and edges, full to the brim with literary quotes and a disarming sense of honesty and honor. He grew up in a house full of people, and needed his own place to get away. He’d found it in the closet of the empty house next door, and when she opened the closet that day and he saw her staring down at him with a look of unbridled surprise, he felt something tug in the inner corners of his own heart.

The next few summers were spent laying on the floor of the closet-turned-library, the two of them ready companions who allowed themselves to be wrapped up in the adventures of Ivanhoe and the exploits of Robin Hood. Between chapters and and paragraphs about merry men and dragons, the two delved into every facet of one another’s lives . . . nothing was off limits or taboo; the closet was a place where anything could be discussed and where questions could be answered. It was a place where Macy could slice the sutures of her mended heart open and lay them raw and angry, allowing Elliot the chance to sew them back together with tenderness and understanding. Elliot did what no one else in Macy’s life could – he filled the gaps of her very soul, providing an instinctual lubrication consisting of blind acceptance and comfort, of loyalty and a deeply rooted love that was more than love. It was in fact, everything.

What’s your favorite word today, Macy?

Home, Elliot.

Modern-day Macy has no Elliot to brace the falls she takes as she trips and tumbles through adulthood. What she does have are a couple of old friends from high school and college she meet up with on random afternoons when she’s not on rounds at the hospital, a place where she’s working on her pediatric residency and is surrounded by sick children and basket-case parents. She has her boyfriend Sean – scratch that – fiancé; an artist with whom she spends the few hours a night she gets to sleep, hours somewhere between 4 and 7 am, along with a few breakfast meetings a week with his young daughter over Cheerios and orange juice at the dining room table they share in their cozy apartment. She wasn’t sure how it had all happened; one moment she was going on a date with this handsome artist and the next, she was moving in. Less than six months later they were engaged and she supposed she should begin planning that wedding. But . . .

What she doesn’t have – Elliot, her mom, Dad – those things echo like the metal chasms in an abandoned ship run into shore and left to rot; each pulse a painful reminder of the emptiness that resides inside of her no matter what she has tried to fill it with. Nothing can replace the fragments of your soul once they have been ripped from you and scattered to the wind.

One morning over a cup of coffee, while in the midst of a melancholy catch-up session with one of her best friends, Macy looks up from bouncing Sabrina’s baby daughter on her knee and sees him. Elliot. In the actual flesh. His back is to her as he makes his order at the counter, speaking precious words to a barista who doesn’t realize she should be treasuring every utterance the man in front of her is gifting her with. But Macy knows. It’s as if she can feel the very essence that is Elliot; she doesn’t even need to see his face to know it’s him . . . and that fact is somehow comforting; that after 10+ years of a life without someone she once considered her soulmate, she can recognize him just by the very way he holds himself. By the shuffle of his feet as he considers the menu. By the tug on his ear with long fingers and strong hands.

And so when he turns around, the only natural thing for Macy to do is . . . try and hide.

But just as she could sense him, the role also works in reverse. Confronted with her past for the first time in over a decade leaves Macy wrapped in the midst of all things overwhelming and difficult. Elliot re-entering her closely curated life is bringing with it a suitcase full of emotions she has worked so hard to pack away and hide in the darkest corner of her heart’s attic. For with Elliot in her life again, as he has so insisted he will be, Macy must finally face what drove them apart to begin with.

A story told equally in the Then and the Now, Love and Other Words explores first love and the loss of it in a way that is unique and spellbinding. The story is not necessarily coming of age and friendship but rather a building of keystone. To say it is a romance is to cheapen the experience of the this exceptional novel; it is a story of love written in its purest and most innocent form.

When I saw the newest novel by the dynamic duo that is Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings come up for galley, I jumped on it. I read Roomies last year, and fell absolutely head-0ver-heels in love with both their writing style and their character’s personalities. The way these two write is so relatable but it’s more than that – you can actually picture yourself in the same shoes as the person you are reading about. The storylines in both novels I’ve read from them are so true to life that it is uncanny. They have a way of capturing real moments and real feelings in a way that is quite frankly, rare to find in the modern-day world of what is considered a chick-lit or romance novel.

The story is romantic, yes – but . . . it is so complex. Macy is reeling emotionally from the loss of her mother and she finds this boy, this savior . . . but he doesn’t set out to be her knight in shining armor. Instead, Elliot just wants to be her friend. He listens to her, he allows her to be who she is in her rawest form, and in doing that for her, he gives her permission to work through her feelings and come out the other side feeling normal. They are brutally honest with one another and I tell you, it tugged so hard on my own heartstrings that at times, this book was difficult to read. We have all been there – that first love – and those feelings may fade with maturity and time, but that initial rush of love is something that settles within your being for the rest of your life.

The Macy of adulthood is just as complicated and is dealing with a new set of issues. The way the story progressed and laid itself out was perfectly brilliant, a slow and steady melody that came to a booming crescendo at a wedding in a garden that left me breathless and weeping. Yes, I admit it – I cried like a little baby the last quarter of this book. It was like the entirety of the first 3/4 of it had my nerve-endings spiked and electric, and when things finally began to come to light and I was being led down the other side of the mountain, my emotions just broke like a dam.

I have to give this novel 5 out of 5 stars. It deserves nothing less. It was amazing. I loved it.

Loved – loved -loved.

I really liked this story a lot. Macy and Elliott became friends after Macy's mom passed away. He seemed to be the only one who "got" her. Their connection was strong, witty, and deep.

The only problem being they lived parallel lives, as Macy only got to seem him on weekends and summertime. One summer every implodes and they go 11 years without talking, until a fateful meeting in a coffee shop.

The bond is deep and they begin to reconnect, but past hurts resurface. The secrets of the past, is hard to let go of, and they work to see if they can.

This story alternates from different timelines and at times I wish I knew the secret earlier but felt overall it was told as it should have been.

Christina's 5 "You’re My Everything Friend" Blushes
If Christina Lauren’s sole purpose was to create the world’s most perfect book boyfriend- they’ve succeeded. They have created not only a sweet, thoughtful and loving boy who grows into a sexy and self-confident man, but he’s also book-ish. That’s right ladies...he’s a SMOKIN hot Greek god by night and total book NERD by day. Do I have your attention yet? Good. Because if you take anything away from this review it should be that Elliott is a walking talking wet dream for book nerds. And I fell head over heels in love with him.

This book. IT WAS EVERYTHING I DIDN’T EXPECT IT TO BE AND MORE! If I’m being honest, I didn’t love Christina Lauren’s last two books so I was a bit nervous heading into this one. I’m blown away at how much I LOVED everything about this book. I devoured it under 24 hours. I couldn’t put it down. It was so BEAUTIFULLY written in a way the evokes so much emotion; so many deep feels are packed into these pages. The character development for both Elliott and Macy is superb. Together, they are such a joy to read about and experience. The back and forth between past and present was done so well and the way the story unfolded literally stole my breath at times. I loved being thrust back to the awkward teenage years and into a blossoming romance that is innocent and pure but so definitely real that it literally lasts decades. I did not expect this kind of book from these authors and honestly and well, the jokes on me. You need to read this book! You will not be disappointed.

Louisa's 4.5 Blush Review
I have been reading books lately without even looking at the synopsis. I have been enjoying this immensely so when I begin a book blindly, I have no idea what I am going into and when a book like this starts and I am captured by the characters so quickly and easily I fall; fast and hard.

Elliot is the epitome of book boyfriend.  He's a sweet, friendly, honest young man who meets Macy after she's just lost her mother.  She's lost herself and Elliot becomes the one to help her find who she is and in return, Elliot may find a few things about himself too.

"Sometimes it feels like I think about your every minute."

Present and past tense alternating chapters lead you back into the beginning of their friendship and back to their renewed friendship. The "feels' are endless and I want to start all over and fall in love again.

"This closet isn't why we fell in love.  We made this room special, not the other way around."



Tera's 4 Blush "My Favorite Word is 'You'" Review
After the death of Macy's mother, her father buys them a weekend getaway house right next door to the Petropoulos family. It is here where Macy meets Elliot hanging out in her closet reading. She decided she enjoyed that he "came with the house" and a friendship was inevitable.

I have never read Christina Lauren before, and I really enjoyed this story. I really enjoyed Elliot. He was such an ideal book boyfriend. I loved that he was smart. I enjoyed that he was genuine. I mostly enjoyed that he was irrevocably honest. Even when he made poor choices, he was honest to a fault. And that was the best part about Elliot. Plus, he was a boy who loved to read books and had a favorite word. SWOON!

Macy had plenty of heartbreak in her life. Losing her mother at a young age was definitely a huge one. She was lucky enough to have the best dad. He made sure she had an esacpe from life on the weekends. He learned how to do her hair. His mission was Macy's happiness. And there is nothing better than watching a single dad basically "nail it."

The story is told in past and present POV building up the reasons for the eleven years in which Elliot and Macy lost each other. It came down to a very emotional and heartbreaking and hopeful ending that I never would have even imagined. I just felt it it took a little long to come to fruition. The answers come and the story essentially ends. It was still so full of emotions and is a wonderful friends to lovers story.

This was something unique and new from Christina Lauren. Full of emotion and heart I was on edge reading each page. I adore a second chance romance, even more, if they make me cry and these two authors delivered that and so much more. I hope they continue to venture into this women's fiction field because they did an amazing job.

I received an arc from Netgalley. Wow. This book was extremely well written and I loved how the story was told side by side with past events. This book grabs you and reels you in right from the beginning.

Elliot and Macy are two teens who find an unusual friendship that turns into something more but with all coming of age stories heatbreak and relationships don’t always turn out the way we dream. After eleven years a chance meeting between them occurs and from there they learn to trust and love again.

I highly recommend this book to those fans of Kristin Hannah. The story will grip you like no other.

This is my favorite Christina Lauren book I've ever read! I loved the plot of this, how we would alternate in time and overall the romance. The romance was so beautiful & sweet! I adored this book and as soon as I finished it, I wanted to reread it!

While this is not my favorite Christina Lauren book, but definitely engaging and cute and worth a read!

I loved this book - I have no other words at the moment.
It is a story of first loves and second chances. I absolutely loved the back and forth between present and past, and I adored Macy and Elliot.
This was my first Christina Lauren book, but will certainly not be my last!

Christina Lauren did not disappoint with this book! Very well written and kept me engaged the whole time! Great work ladies!

5 Wine Glass #Review of Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

Author duo Christina Lauren, delivers a second chance romance unlike any you've read before with their latest title, Love and Other Words.

Macy Sorenson met Elliot Petropoulos when she was just thirteen years old, reading in the closet of the weekend home her father purchased in California's wine country. For the next five years they spend weekends and holidays swapping stories and favorite words, while forging an unbreakable bound of the heart. Until that one night eleven years ago, when Elliot shattered that bound and nothing in Macy's life was ever the same again...

Love and Other Words is an all-consuming, transcending story that I simply could not put down! I read all day, and late into the night, enraptured by it's vivid characters and turmulent emotions. The book follows Macy Sorenson as she drifts through her safe, if somewhat indifferent life. With longs hours spent as a pediatric resident, and short hours with her older, artistic fiance and his young daughter. It may not be the life she dreamed of a decade ago, but her heart's not at risk of being shattered from loss or betrayal. Until Elliot Petropoulos walks into the same coffee shop as her. There was a time when Elliot was Macy's everything, now he's a stranger and he has no idea of the reasons behind her decade long silence. But no matter the time and distance that has been put between them, there is no denying the chemistry and love that they still share. Can Macy take the risk of opening her heart again? Sean is safe, no feeling involved. Elliot is a tangle of past and emotions.

I believe Love and Other Words is classified as women's fiction, and it is a moving coming of age, finding yourself kind of story. However, it is also very much a romance. The female protagonist's relationships is one of the two key points that drive the story as it alternates between Then and Now, teenage Macy and adult Macy. So you have all of those new, pent up adolescent passions as well as the mature second-chance, is it as good as I remember desires. The plot flowed impeccably, transitioning well between timelines, building the story to it's eventual climax. The relationships between characters was all-encompassing, and incredibly engrossing.

Bottom line is; Christina Lauren weaves a flawless, poignant tale that gave me all of the feels and left me completely satisfied at the end. For a majority of the story readers are left guessing, just what happened on New Year's Eve eleven years before?! I both loved and hated reaching that final tell all in the story because it meant that I was that much closer to the end. I would recommend this story to any and all romance fans out there, Love and Other Words is not a book to be missed and will definitely be gracing my Best Books of 2018 List at the end of the year!