I loved the cover and the title of this book. Together, they held my attention and with the synopsis made me anticipate an emotional roller coaster of a read, where I would find myself glued to the story and unable to put it down . Disappointingly, that did not happen. The subject matter (abuse) was well handled and generally I found the story interesting, but I didn't find myself involved with the main characters (Jane and Nik) and their journey as much as I usually do with novels of this kind. I'm not sure whether it was the way the characters were portrayed, or the writer's voice, or that it simply lacked the kind of plot to keep me on track, but it simply didn't grip the way I had expected it to.. No doubt there are fans of the author who will enjoy this, but sadly it wasn't for me.

I would like to thank Bookouture, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of Love and Other Lost Things in exchange for an honest review.

This is such an emotional book about abusive relationships.
Though I didn’t connect with the characters and the initial lack of self awareness on Jane for the first half of the book I found extremely frustrating.
I adore Melissa’s writing and appreciate as always to be able to read and review! Thank you Melissa and bookouture for the chance to read and review.

Love and Other Lost Things is a story about two generations of women struggling to escape abuse. Jane grew up watching her father abuse her mother and getting away with it because he was the chief of police. When her father turned his abuse on her she fled but somehow found herself in the same toxic relationship with no way out. Jane won’t allow her daughter to witness the abuse and wants to create a safe environment off them both and she’ll use a trip home as the beginning of her escape. The visit with her mother makes her second guess if she could stay and make a normal life for Scarlett but her gut she knows Matteo will never allow it. Jane will have to make some hard choices but she might get the life she should’ve had all along.

This was the first book I've read by this author and I did enjoy it. I have to admit that I expected more from this book as I've read a lot of reviews gushing about how amazing it is.
It is quite a heavy book that deals with the trauma and long lasting repercussions of domestic violence in a sensitive way. It also has a second chance love story to counteract the heaviness of the DV storyline. It is an enjoyable read but some parts, especially the twist at the end just didn't seem plausible.

Melissa Wiesner is truly one of my favorite writers. If she writes a new book, there's no doubt I'm reading it, and though Love And Other Lost Things was a bit of a heavier read and more of a departure from her typical romances, it gripped me just as hard. This story was raw, vulnerable, and touching, and I was rooting for Jane, Scarlett and Nik from the outset.

A story of generational trauma and breaking the cycle of abuse, Love And Other Lost Things both broke my heart and put it back together. I was so proud of both Jane and her mom for their bravery, grit, and determination to create better lives for their children. It is not a story that goes easy on the heart, so heed the trigger warnings and prepare yourself for a gripping, propulsive novel that will keep you flying through the pages until the very end.

This second-chance romance packs a punch and hits shelves in just five days, so get those pre-orders and library holds in now!

Trigger warning ⚠️ domestic violence (dv)
10 years ago Jane ran away from her family, friends, her home town & her 1st true love, nik, after a altercation with her violent father, and no one from her home town has heard anything from her.
Now she's back accompanied by her 9 year old daughter, scarlett, after fleeing her own violent relationship. Of course no one apart from her mum knows why she left & is now back in her home town & people want answers, especially nik who has never stopped loving her, will she finally tell the truth & admit she's been a victim of dv both at the hands of her father & her partner or will she go on living a lie & have to keep running & looking over her shoulder never getting the life & love she deserves.
This book made me feel lots of different emotions I was angry at the beasts who think they can treat women like a punch bags, I was sad that Jane felt she had to lie to protect both herself & the beasts & I was rooting for Nik to help her see she can stop running & make a life for herself & scarlett with him & her friends & mum. This was a great read & I would highly recommend it but be mindful of the trigger warning.

Love and Other Lost Things is a heartbreaking look into the lives of those affected by familial violence and the wide ranging waves of damage that follow.

Jane leaves home at 18 to flee the abuse from the hands of her police office father. The choice wasn’t easy for her. She had to leave her mom behind to endure more pain, and had to leave behind Nik, her closest friend and soul mate.
Life for Jane doesn’t get easier but at least she’s safe from her father. When she returns 10 years later, following the death of her father, old wounds are ripped open and life begins to change shape once again.

This book is a solid look at generational trauma and domestic violence and how sometimes no matter how hard or far we run, we never really escape our pasts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC before its intended publication date of August 6, 2024.

This book drew me in from the very beginning. I was drawn to Jane and her story. I was a bit surprised to find out she spent 10years of her life just like her mother. I love how it brings to light domestic abuse and the lack of it being taken care of when brought forward. I love how it concluded and how you see her mother in a whole other light. It shows how strong you have to be even when you think you can’t. I like how she took the steps to protect the woman in her family. I was so excited where Jane and her daughter ended up. And so happy the discovered the truth. This books is beautifully written but a bit slow moving at some parts. But for the most part I loved this book, I felt like I was holding my breath quite a bit with anticipation of what was going to happen.

What a heartbreaking and emotional second chance romance.
The story is told in the past and present day,
The main characters, Jane and her mother, go through so much. It was heartbreaking reading about the struggles they experienced.
Family
Secrets
Drama/Suspense
Romance
Domestic abuse
To sum it up, this story will definitely pull on your heartstrings and leave you in tears. But, the ending will have you smiling. Especially the beautiful twist at the end.
Melissa Wiesner is one my go to authors.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to @melissawiesner, @bookouture and @bookedwiththeemilys for the gifted e-book.

I was truly captivated by the book. It tells the story of Jane, who left home suddenly at 18 without telling anyone. Ten years later, she returns home to help her mom after her father's passing. There, she rekindles her love with Nik, but she's holding onto a secret and planning to disappear. Will being back home and seeing Nik change her plans? The way the author portrays the emotions made me feel like I wanted to reach through the pages and hug Jane and her mom.

This book truly captivated my heart. Jane's resilience and determination gripped me from the very beginning. The story's dual timeline kept me on the edge of my seat as Jane's secrets and past were unveiled. The unexpected twist at the end added a delightful layer of depth to the story. It beautifully portrayed the struggles of abuse survivors and the choices they make to protect themselves and their loved ones.

If you're a fan of emotional romance with a happy ending, this book is a must-read for you.

Tropes:
🌸 Second chance romance
🍄 Childhood friends to lovers
😢 Emotional reads
🌻 Small town
💔 Who hurt you?”

Jane and Nick’s road to happiness is both long and painful. I really enjoyed the insight into their complicated history and the bond they never quite grew out of. If anyone deserves a second chance at love, it’s these two.

Please be aware this story deals with some very tough subjects but at its heart is still a love story. One of second chances, sacrifice and finding the kind of love we all want in our lives.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

what i liked first about this book was the fact the author gives you a warning about triggers.... for anyone that has suffered domestic abuse or any other forms of abuse.... so i was able to relax as i had been forewarned and boy was i glad to have had that warning

its not an easy read but it also is... there are some very good moments in between the harshness of certain scenes

but man that ending.... never saw that coming in a month of sundays....

but i was captivated with how the author wrote this book as its not an easy subject to write about and how it was all dealt with

will be keeping an eye out for more of this authors books

Advanced Book Review! Thank you @bookouture and @netgalley for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Wow Melissa Wiesner really knows how to pack a punch! This is my third book of hers with one more to read coming out later this year and I think it’s so interesting that she writes in both the magical realism and the contemporary fiction/romance space – but with quite heavy topics. Read the trigger warnings for this one if you need to because the whole book is based on the cycle of abuse.
When Jane returns to her childhood home after being away with minimal contact for the past ten years, since she was eighteen, most people in the town, including the boy she could have loved, have no idea why she left in the first place, or how hard the past ten years have been and the secrets she’s been keeping. As she begins to reintegrate into the town and reconnect with the people she left behind, she has to make some tough choices about what’s best for her family.
My heart broke at several occasions during this one and I wasn’t sure I could keep going. But I love Melissa Wisener’s writing and ultimately I’m glad I did. This had difficult moments for sure but I enjoyed reading about Jane’s journey and the characters in her life back home. I can honestly say I didn’t see certain things coming towards the end so I was really satisfied with the way Melissa Wiesner wrapped it up.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Love and Other Lost Things’ written by Melissa Wiesner in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Jane is aged eighteen when she leaves her home in Linden Falls after being pushed down the stairs by her father Police Chief Jim McCaffrey. Now, ten years later, her father is dead and it’s safe to return home with her nine-year-old daughter Scarlett to see her mother. But she didn’t realise the strength of feeling she still has for her childhood sweetheart Nik, nor the love he’s kept for her over the years.

‘Love and Other Lost Things’ is an emotional story of a young woman who leaves behind all she’s ever known to escape from an abusive father only to find herself in the same situation elsewhere. The story is told through the dual timeline of ten years ago to the present and the the topics of domestic violence and physical abuse are handled with care and sensitivity. It’s a lovely story with perfectly described characters who deserve a second chance at happiness and although the conclusion wasn’t at all what I was expecting it’s a unique and apt way to bring closure to this amazing story not only for Jane and Nik but for her mother too. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable story that’s easy to read and is one I can recommend.

Thank you Melissa Wiesner and Bookouture for my #gifted copy of Love and Other Lost Things! #LoveAndOtherLostThings #melissawiesner #bookouture

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐖𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐫
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

★★★★★

Melissa Wiesner is truly a favorite of mine. If Wiesner writes it, I am going to read it. This book was emotional and beautiful and full of amazing characters and one I will not forget. Wiesner has a way of crafting characters that stick with you, and that’s exactly what she did with Jane and Nik in Love and Other Lost Things.

Jane left her hometown as a teenager, and swore she would never come back. But after the death of her father, she heads back to her hometown. With a bruise on her cheek, she runs into Nik, the once Skinny teenager who she fell in love with years ago who is now a handsome doctor. Nik doesn’t know the real reason Jane left town, and the secrets she carries. This is a story about generational trauma, and is so beautifully written.

💜Second Chances
💜Childhood Friends to Lovers
💜Small Town Setting
💜A Major Twist
💜Complex Characters
💜An Emotional Read

TW: Domestic Violence

Posted on Goodreads on July 29, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around July 29, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on August 6, 2024
**-will post on designated date

This book had me hooked from the very first page.
In an effort to escape her abusive father, Jane flees in the middle of the night leaving behind her friends, her dreams, and the love of her life. Fast forward 10 years and Jane finds herself running again, determined to show her daughter a different way of life.
Ending up in her hometown, Jane must confront her past, those she left behind, and the man she's running from in order to truly move forward.
Definitely check your trigger warnings. The author did a phenomenal job writing about such a difficult and traumatic subject. This is my first book from this author but definitely not my last.

Read this if you like:
•second change romance
•emotional reads
•single mom
•Small town
•childhood friends to lovers

I am a sucker for emotional romances. This deals with some heavy topics but oh is this story so beautiful. Thank you Melissa Wiesner for the copy!

Love and Other Lost Things was my first read by Melissa Weisner. The story centers around Jane, a small town girl, fresh out of High School who flees from an abusive Father. Jane had a great group of friends, big dreams for college, and a budding romance with her best friend, Nik. All these dreams shatter when she runs away from home to start a new life in New York, without so much as a word to her friends.

Love and Other Lost Things tells Jane’s story in dual timelines - her time in NY and present day, Ten years later. Unfortunately, Jane finds herself in another bad situation, which lands her back home to visit her Mom. After running into Nik, everything starts to really pick up in the story. I don’t want to give anything else away, but the pacing was pretty good. Overall, I liked this book, but there was something with the Authors writing style that made it a bit difficult to really immerse myself. Also, I know this is a book centered around abuse, but I felt like 90% of the story focused on that. It would definitely be difficult for anyone that’s triggered by this to read this book. That being said, this story gave a very raw, heartfelt look at what it must feel like to live through such a horrible ordeal.

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a fast moving book that I finished in one day.
Domestic abuse is always hard to read about. I felt for Jane and her Mom. It’s a well written book with a surprising secret at the end. One I didn’t see coming.
Definitely recommend

Similar to It Ends With Us, you can see how it would be hard for Jane to leave an abusive relationship. While it was a heartfelt journey for Jane and her friends & family, I really struggled with the plausibility of the major “twist” of the story which dropped my 4 star rating to 3.5.