This was my first book by Melissa Wiesner and it definitely won’t be my last!! I loved this book so much. It was a second chance romance with a past and present timeline from 10 years ago. This novel touches on childhood abuse, intimate partner violence, grief, forgiveness and so much more. It was written in third person which I actually enjoyed. Melissa’s writing is beautiful and allows you to feel what the characters are feeling. I would definitely recommend checking out this book!

Thank you for the copy NetGalley, Bookotoure, and Melissa Wiesner.

Wow, this one is a little tricky for me to review! When a storyline includes a heavy theme, in this case, domestic abuse, I try to treat my opinion with care. Where there is an area of unbelievability for me, someone with this experience may feel completely different. I want to share my thoughts but also treat this with care. As always, the Goodreads synopsis is on my second slide, so I will jump right into my thoughts.

I want to believe that the way Jane struggled to find help and protection in seeking to escape her abuser is unrealistic, but I know this isn’t always true. This is probably the hardest part to read. The desire to be out, the acknowledgment of her danger, and yet the lack of resources or support she found was awful. The heaviness of the storyline made me want to love this one more, but truthfully, the second chance she finds with her first love, Nic, felt too simple and quick. I recognize a lot has to happen in a story for it to move along, but I found myself knowing they would have a HEA but not feeling much apprehension about how it would work out. This didn’t keep me from enjoying the story, but I think it held me back from loving it.

But. But. But even knowing there will be a happily ever after does not mean it's a fully predictable ending, either! I know this may be doesn’t make sense…Alicia, how did you fully predict a happy ending and then not predict the ending…well, just read it! When you know, YOU WILL KNOW.

If you like tragic, emotional stories with a second chance, I would say you’ll probably like this one! I have a feeling my lack of 5 stars here might be just a me thing. I can see this one being a huge hit for rom-traum lovers!

We follow Jane’s life 10 years ago and now. Then she’d escaped home in the still of the night, leaving everything and everyone she had loved behind to escape the clutches of her abusive father. The story is steady and easy to follow, it reels you in easily. In her new life miles away from home, she falls into a trap that is near to the hell she’d left behind.
To save her 9 year old daughter from the childhood she’d had, she returns to the place she’d left. The story makes you ask the question: ‘How far do you have to run before you break the habit, the pattern, the cycle?’ Rebuilding old links, finally making a level of peace with her mother, there’s Nik, the love of her childhood.
I found Jane relatable in her thoughts and actions, I particularly adore the bones of Nik. A beautiful inspiration to find your way back to life after abuse, but is it possible? You’ll have to read to find out.

Second chance romance
Emotional reads
Single mum
Small town
Childhood friends to lovers

Jane left her hometown of Linden Falls years ago just at the age of 18. Now, 10 years later, she’s finally back, prompted by the passing of her father and helping her mother out with the house. Also back home is Nik, the boy Jane fell in love with and hasn’t stopped thinking about him.

I thought this was a well written narrative on generational trauma and cycles, single parenting and domestic abuse. Please check the TW on this book as it does discuss some heavy topics which might be upsetting for some readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this arc in return for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
If you loved that devastatingly, heart breaking heavy feeling that It all Comes Back to You elicited, you will love Melissa Wiesner's Love and Other Lost Things. This beautifully written novel had me engaged immediately. Trigger warning: This book is about domestic violence and lost love. This novel is beautifully written in typical Melissa Wiesner fashion, with excellent character development. This is a novel that sits with you well after you finish it. I highly recommend this book to fans of Colleen Hoover's It Ends with Us. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Melissa Wiesner for this heart-breaking page-turner.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A heartbreaking yet beautiful read. If you enjoyed It Ends With Us, this one’s for you!

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Second chance romance
Who hurt you?
Childhood friends to lovers
Emotional reads
Small town setting
Shocking twists
Generational trauma
Single mom
Found family

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The twist is *chefs kiss*

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
This twists isn’t super realistic but I loved it

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ "Each one of these scars is a place where you healed and grew stronger. And the ones inside you, too."
★ "It shows a lot of strength to decide you deserve better."

4.25 stars. Jane was 18 years old when she left her home without a word to anyone, including her best friend (and maybe more), Nik - fleeing to be as far from her abusive father as possible. Ten years later, she finds herself in the same shoes as her mother; with an abusive partner and a young child to protect. Jane and her daughter, Scarlett, return home to visit her mother after the passing of her father - with plans to flee once again. When Jane returns home, she runs into friends, family, and Nik, who all want to know why she left and if she’s willing to stay.

I love anything Melissa writes and this was no different. I appreciated reading Jane’s story, knowing how hard it is for victims of abuse to take those next steps to safety due to the work I do outside of booksta. I think she did a great job depicting the challenges and realities, while also giving hope for those who do consider those next steps. Nik was perfect 🤌🏼 and I love that there were things I hoped would happen that did occur before the novel’s end, including a fantastic twist 👀 Def recommend!

Moving, gripping, beautifully written and hard to put down! I loved it! ❤️❤️Love and Other Lost Things: A totally heartbreaking page-turner grabbed my attention from the very first page! I was fully invested in this book as I went on a roller coaster ride of emotions while reading. I found this book to be a beautiful love story that examines different forms of love. There is falling in love, loving your child, loving your parent and even learning to love yourself in this book. This book tackles many difficult subjects with grace and care. Love and Other Lost Things: A totally heartbreaking page-turner is a captivating, heart wrenching and moving second chance romance that had me rooting for the characters, crying for them, worrying for them and cheering for them.

Jane McCaffrey left town after high school and thought she would never return. But after her father's death, she returned and was reunited with her mother but also with Nik, her first love. The attraction is still there but Jane has secrets ranging from why she left town to how she got the fresh bruise on her cheek....

Whew! This moving book had me feeling all kinds of emotions. I was glued to the pages and did not want to put this book down. As I mentioned, this book does touch on some difficult subjects, including domestic violence, but they are all handled with care. I adored both Jane and Nik and was rooting for them the entire book. I found this book to be well thought out and engaging. This book also touches on motherhood, friendship, love, resiliency, abuse, trauma, music, trust, and starting over.

Moving, beautifully written, hard to put down and gripping. Highly Recommend!

Jane runs from one abusive situation straight into another.
She also left behind her friends, especially Nick, with no explanations.
Her return is fragmented and the narrative gets pretty intense at times.
It takes courage to want more out of life than what we think we are dealt and surprisingly enough, one of the weakest characters, or so I thought, makes it happen.
I did think Jane could’ve reached out to Nik after she left to explain a few things, but that was part of the story.

Okay, this is definitely for the Paige Toon, CoHo, and Mia Sheridan fans. This one had a twist at the end that sent me reeling. I’ve had the pleasure of reading Wiesner’s romcoms and I love her emotional romances even more. This was a tough and heartbreaking read but the pain was oh so worth it. I can’t recommend this enough. I loved it so much that I binged it in one sitting.

Read if you love: justice. I shall say no more.

Are you kidding me?! I was interested in seeing how this story played out, and grew more and more angry as the pages continued. I was downright livid at Jane’s mother, and I was so angry Jane had managed to get herself into the situation she ran from. BUT THAT ENDING?! I wanted to give a standing ovation for the characters involved and let’s be so for real right now, I absolutely wanted this HEA for EVERYONE. This cover is gorgeous and this story, although based on a tough and heavy topic, I liked the empowerment, the bravery, and the truths about this impossible situation.

When Jane McCaffrey returns to her home town of Linden Falls, everyone thinks that it is for her father’s death but Jane is hoping to escape her life in LA. Yet when she bumps into Nik, who was her first and only love, she questions if she could possibly stay. Nik has grown from the skinny teenager with messy hair to a tall, broad-shouldered beautiful man, who is now a doctor. Jane finds herself thrown right back to the best and worst time of her life when Nik touches her. However, Nik doesn’t know the heavy secret Jane carries about the real reason she left town, let alone why she has a bruise on her cheek.
This is an emotional read, filled with the pain of generational abuse. Without revealing too much, this story is filled with the pain of betrayal, trauma and yet, Jane still has the capacity for love. Nik is such a dynamic part of this story as is Jane’s mother. I was gripped from the first page and found myself hoping for a brighter future for Jane and her family. Well worth readying.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a gripping and compulsive read, I devoured it!

I adored reading about all the memories these two shared. The Brownie memory was one of my favourites. How sweet, innocent, and heartwarming it was the sentiment behind the baking that he wanted to do something for her, something that seems small but was significant to her and how that memory connects to the present tense too.

Although I'm not in the same situation as Jane ( the main storyline) I could sympathise with her the way she lost herself, the person she was after becoming a mother and being in a relationship, the way she was nothing but a 'girlfriend' and mom . How she lost her self-worth, who she was, who she wanted to be, parts of her she forgot.

The tension towards the end had my heart-pounding, and I had a sick feeling of dread with that almost a jump-scare moment. In a matter of pages, I went through so many emotions, and yes, it did make me cry.

I loved the brilliant ending with that ahhhhhh moment that took my breath away. I love a second chance, and Jane got it in so many ways.

This book has it all
Tension
Compassion
Friendship
Love
Reconciliation.
Second chances.

"𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐝𝐨."

Thanks to @bookedwiththeemilys @melissawiesner @bookouture for the #gifted copy of this book!

First off, this story was heavy. It was also achingly beautiful. But if you're triggered by abuse or domestic violence, this might not be for you. Check the TWs.

The idea of second chances is central to the story. I loved the arc that Jane & her mom's relationship went through. The pain they both went through, the loss they felt, their fear and finally their motivation to find a way out...By the end, there was an understanding between the two of them, and that was beautiful. I also couldn't help but root for Jane and Nik. Who doesn't want to root for a second chance at love lost?! I just wanted her to be safe and happy! I loved the little twists at the end too.

Basically, this book broke my heart and put it back together again.

4.5 ⭐

This is my first approach with Melissa Weisner, I had already heard great things about her pen with another of her published books, so when I saw this one I knew that if or if I was going to fall into my clutches, and here we are.

Honestly when I started it I knew nothing of the tropes that made up this story, so the journey was very slow and took me completely by surprise.

It is a very emotional book, the author's pen makes you feel everything that happens in this book, you can not read it and not feel even a hint of all the turbulence of emotions and feelings that the characters are living.

Here we have a story of second chances, where Jane ran away from her hometown many years ago leaving behind not only a home with an abusive father but her best friend, her first love.

Years later, she returns to the town with more luggage than she brought with her on her first day and with the firm intention of not staying in the town any longer than she should and not having contact with anyone. Unfortunately, on his first stop he meets his first love.

This story shows you how when you grow up or have been in an abusive environment for a long time, it is difficult to get out of that circle, no matter how much you want to. It hits hard, especially when you question whether you are worthy of a second chance at love, when you don't know if you have to leave again without looking back.

Like I said, MOVING!
Great read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion!

This is a heart wrenching story that follows Jane, who at eighteen secretly escapes her hometown because of her abusive father, only to end up in a relationship with an abusive partner. How is history repeating itself? This story shines a light on how isolating and terrifying an abused partner can find themselves. Being able to read Jane’s thoughts and emotions really made me understand her decisions and actions. I loved how her mother and Jane’s friends quickly enveloped her back into their circle. And poor Nik was able to finally know what happened to his sweetheart. I also loved the twist at the end! A heavy topic (domestic abuse) that was handled with care and grace.

Synopsis: When Jane returns to her hometown to visit her mother after her father’s death, she doesn’t expect to run into her childhood love, Nik, and she definitely doesn’t expect that he will make her want to stay.

Thoughts: Melissa Wiesner does it again with an emotional romance that will break your heart and put it back together again! This is one of those books you can read in one sitting with dual timelines that leave you needing to read the next chapter. I was drawn into this story right from the start, and my heart broke for Jane as she faced struggle after struggle with bravery and resilience. I appreciated the depth of her character and the exploration of cyclical abuse and the way the system makes it difficult for women to escape abusive situations. It can be difficult to read stories involving domestic violence, and I thought Melissa did a fantastic job of writing a realistic and empathetic portrayal of the difficulties families face in those situations.

Read this if you like:
🌸 ‘Tis the Damn Season
🌸 small town
🌸 second chance
🌸 single parent
🌸 heart wrenching stories

An emotional, impactful book that has a big focus on family drama, sprinkled with that second chance romance trope that really just tugged at the heartstrings. I could not put this book down even if I tried, I needed to know what happens next with our main character after every chapter.

I liked the flashbacks as well, giving us a glimpse into her old life and why she ran away; it gave the book dimension, made us aware of what Jane really is running from and how serious it is.

I also liked that we sometimes got a perspective from Nik, because as a reader, you sometimes want to know what the other characters think, and his chapters just continued to bring the book to life.

The prose also brought the book to life. It was easy to read, the descriptions were not out of this world but carried enough of a punch to really drive this book home, which added to the twist in the end I didn't see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for sending me an ARC for my honest review!

Jane McCaffrey was just a girl when she chose to leave everything she knew behind and forge her own path in the world. At the time she thought she was doing what was best for her, as it wasn't safe to continue to live with her parents, and she knew if she didn't leave then she might never get the chance again. So, she left town without ever giving a second thought to making a return visit... that is until now.

Love and Other Lost Things is a story of lost love, healing, survival, making amends, and second chances. This was a tough one to read as some of the subject matter hit a little close to home, but I will say amongst all the pain there was a message to take away from it. That there is hope, that second chances are possible, and that sometimes walking away is the only answer, the safest answer. Following Jane on her emotional journey really did a number on me, but it was also quite uplifting to see her finally find true happiness too. It was a journey filled with many ups and downs, but also some hope, love and happiness too.

This first time read impressed on all fronts, it was captivating, heartfelt, emotional, and brought a lot of joy too! Highly recommend you take a chance on this one, it's pages will have you mesmerized the whole way through!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

Years ago, Jane fled her hometown vowing never to return. Nik, her first love, never knew what drove her away. After the death of her father, Jane does return home and unexpectedly runs into Nik. Will they be able to reconnect despite the secret between them? A second chance romance that will have you rooting for the power of love