I loved The Light We Lost, a Reese’s Book Club pick, when I read it in 2018, and I did a reread via audiobook at the end of last week to prepare for this sequel. You definitely need to read that book before starting this one, and you also need ALL the tissues nearby. Even though I’d read it before, I cried my face off at the end. My mom and I have a scale of how much a book makes us cry, and this one hit the top of the scale - a “Bridges of Madison County” if you will. It was a cathartic cry, though! And my mom just confirmed she had enough tears that she couldn't read while finishing it last night. She's so excited to jump into this sequel, and I hope you will be, too.
I also cried a LOT while reading The Love We Found, which is set ten years after the end of The Light We Lost. Jill Santopolo does an amazing job capturing Lucy’s grief in both books - both as things happen and then how it remains ten years later. I thought The Love We Found was an excellent sequel - realistic about the struggle of moving on from heartbreak and the effects that secrets have on relationships. Yet it is ultimately hopeful, promoting the chance to begin to heal and move forward even though grief remains a constant. I definitely recommend both books, and let me know if they make you CRY too!

Ten years later, Gabe is gone, Lucy is divorced, and their son (and his siblings) don't know the truth. Lucy has spent the past decade not really getting over Gabe's passing or truly moving on. She's presented with the project of updating his photography book and having a new gallery showing, and it finally spurs her to reevaluate what she wants for the rest of her life.
I liked Lucy more as a character in this book, I felt she was stronger and stood up for herself more. Dax brought happiness back to her, and I felt more optimistic about her future when I finished this story.

This is the long awaited sequel to The Light We Lost. Do not read this book until you have read the first book.

This book takes place 10 years later. Readers get to see into Lucy’s life now. Just like in the first book, the author’s writing taps into readers’s emotions from the very first page. We feel Lucy’s sadness, grief, and guilt. Lucy is dealing with the guilt from her choices. In the first book I did not always agree with the choices she made. Is it bad that I was glad she was feeling guilty for the ramifications of her actions? Actions do have consequences. This book explores how far reaching the results of her actions can be.

Overall, I do like Lucy. She is a caring and devoted mother. I was rooting for her to find peace and happiness.

“Life isn’t about what happens to you, but about what you do with what happens to you.”

Did I mostly cry through reading this sequel, finishing it 24 hours after I cried my eyes out for The Light We Lost? Yes.

Ten years after losing Gabe, Lucy is still on the journey of healing. The AP reaches out to Lucy to put on a 10-year anniversary photo exhibit in honor of Gabe's death. Going through Gabe’s belongings, she finds a slip of paper with an address in Italy, which sets Lucy off on an adventure where she meets, Dax, someone who is also succumbed by grief and loss. He also has seen too much pain and the consequences of war, as an emergency medicine doctor abroad in a refugee zone. Lucy didn't think she could find love a third time after having two great loves.

The secret she and Darren have kept may tear apart their family, but it's time to tell Sammy the truth of who his father is and that his artistic talent runs in his family. The author weaves such moving emotional storylines of how we can remember those we loved and lost and how the decisions we make impact those around us, even a decade later.

I was hesitant in starting this book because the first one emotionally wrecked me. But The Love We Found has such a beautiful and aspirational message that there is love after loss, especially when we least expect it. I'm so happy for Lucy. She deserves all the happiness in the world, and she'll always love Gabe, her first love, but she is also allowed to move on. The ending scene was perfect.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.75/5)

I loved The Light We Lost, I so remember sobbing thru it. With that being said, I eagerly anticipated this book. The Love We Found picks up 10 years after The Light We Lost left off. I couldn’t wait to see what happened to Lucy.

I’m a big fan of this author, I loved The Light We Lost and Stars in an Italian Sky. Sadly, the story fell a little flat for me. Lucy felt stuck in her grief, not able to move on. I didn’t feel the connection to Lucy this time, I found her slightly annoying and selfish, somewhat impulsive. In these 10 years, I didn’t see any growth in her character. Her issues with her ex were understandable, you could feel the pain in both of them. I did love diving into Gabe’s pictures and seeing his influence. Since some time has passed since The Light We Lost was published, I wish I would have reread it before diving into this book. There was so much I forgot and thus felt somewhat lost. This story is about loss, grief, moving on and finding love.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

It took me a few weeks to gather my thoughts on this one. It has stayed with me since the very first page. TLWF is the perfect sequel to The Light We Lost, exploring Lucy’s haunting grief that has faded over the last decade but will never go away. Lucy’s character will resonate with any woman who’s had to make tough choices and accept the consequences of them. This book is a beautiful and heartbreaking depiction of the life of co-parenting and divorce but also captures the struggle of working women. Lucy’s pain was devastating to read but so relatable and I found healing alongside her. This is not a happy-go-lucky romance but I hope readers get as much out of this book as I did.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed The Light we Lost, and was really excited to read more of Lucy's story, but this one fell a little flat for me. The story felt rushed, and I wasn't able to invest in the characters like I was able to in the first book. I didn't really enjoy the plot of the book, and I don't feel there was the depth I fell in love with in the first book.
Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

"The Love We Found" is the breathtaking sequel to "The Love We Found" but it is easily read as a standalone. It is set 10 years after the first book and it was so easy to jump right into the all-consuming love between these characters. The voice alternates between the present tense and the FMC speaking directly to her long lost love (Gabe). The chapters are incredibly short, which made me want to keep reading 'just one more.' Oftentimes sequels fall short, but this was does not! It was so emotional and absolutely lovely! 4.5/5 stars! *I received a complimentary copy from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

3.5/4 ⭐️

In order to fully understand this book, reading the first one “The Light we Lost,” would be helpful. I read it a while ago and honestly thought I’d forgotten, but it sparked right back to current memory.

The writing in these is a little challenging to accept, you’ll either love it or not. The narrator is the female main character, and she is speaking to her deceased love. It is filled with grief, emotions, processing, healing, and life.

The ending of these two books are my favorite. The way Jill ends her books are really moving and wrap everything together. This one made me really emotional in so many ways.

I don’t love the writing style, which is why I rated it lower. It is truly personal preference. I think it was a great follow up story to the first book, though.

Quick read, that encompasses many feelings.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the early read.

Pub Date: March 18, 2025 :)

I'm such a fan of the prequel to this book, The Light We Lost, a former @reesesbookclub choice. I was over the moon to receive an early copy that continues the story. Don't worry if you haven't read the first book. I think the author left you enough bread crumbs to still fully enjoy this book as a stand alone too.

Anyway, cue the tissues! For my fellow mood readers, please know this is a heavy love story of:

❤️grief
❤️honoring those we've lost
❤️later in life love
❤️divorce
❤️blended families

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! There were SO MANY beautiful phrases and sentiments. It would make an amazing book for those that love to annotate your books.

Bottom line: A sequel that did not disappoint and will tug at your heartstrings!

“The Love We Found” by Jill Santopolo is the sequel to “The Light We Lost,” which continues Lucy’s story. I wasn’t aware of this when I first started reading, but since the story takes place ten years after the first book, I was still able to follow along without much difficulty. That said, I imagine reading the first book would add even more depth and help me appreciate the nuances of this one. Santopolo does a remarkable job portraying Lucy’s grief, taking readers on a deeply emotional journey. I thoroughly enjoyed this book—her writing is excellent, and I’ll definitely be picking up more of her work in the future.
Thanks to NetGallery and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

A quick and easy read. We see Lucy ten years after Gabe’s death. This book explores a lot of themes but I especially loved how it explored grief. The chapters were short making it easy to read quickly. And of course, it made me cry.

This was a beautifully written story with heavy topics. Lucy is approaching the ten year anniversary of a life altering decision. With that comes a lot of grief and reflection. This book beautifully portrays grief, secrets, living with the choices we make and somehow healing through it all.

This one finally comes out tomorrow! It was so exciting to jump back in to Lucy's story and pick up a few years after The Light We Lost ended. Be warned that the beginning of the book and honestly the entirety of it is very emotional. It's told in the same letter-like voice as TLWL, with Lucy narrating everything that has happened in the years following her trip to Jerusalem, and how she meets Dax through an adventure she takes on for Gabe.

I loved seeing Lucy find herself again and begin doing things for her. She had a lot of difficult things to navigate with her family, but she was able to overcome and begin the next chapter of her life. I enjoyed this sequel so much and I think the author did a great job tying up Lucy and Gabe's story as well as creating a great new path for Lucy. TLWL and TLWF are definitely books that will always hold a place in my heart because I love this story!

It’s been 10 years. One day, Lucy finds a tiny piece of paper in one of Gabe’s boxes of old photos. An address in Rome. What does this mean & why did Gabe save it? Lucy impulsively buys a flight to uncover Gabe’s secret. This journey leads Lucy to meet Dr. Dax Armstrong- a New Yorker in Italy working for NGO. He affects in her ways no one has since Gabe. Lucy feels a tug to her past & leave her between a rock & a hard place.

I am obsessed with this series! Jill Santopolo knows how to rip your heart into a billion pieces & then mend it back together. She has a way with words like no other.

"The Light We Lost" is a book that I cannot stop thinking about. When I found out there was a sequel, I did not hesitate to read "The Love We Found". The story is set ten years after the original, and it fills the reader in on Lucy's life over that time frame.

This book deals with death, divorce, grief, and postpartum depression. It is beautifully written, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who liked the first book in the duo.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of this novel.

This is the long awaited follow of to The Light We Lost and while there were some parts of that novel I didn’t love I was really excited to see where this book took Lucy all these years later and honestly I really enjoyed this one so much more then the first.

While I don’t love the structure of these books and how they are all written directly to Gabe I really enjoyed seeing Lily move on and see her life after her divorce and with her kids. I think the first book spent so much time and focus on Gabe this one really helped by putting that on the back burner and focus on the other aspects of Lily’s life.

I also really like seeing Lily move on from Gabe and being able to find love again all while keeping Gabe’s memory alive.

If you enjoyed the first book in the series I highly recommend checking out this one.

3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for this review.

I read and loved The Light We Lost long ago. At least I remember loving it but looking back I'm not sure if I really did. Unfortunately, this long-awaited sequel did not work for me. It was boring and melodramatic, and I hope that others love it, but sadly I am not in that camp.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

In the words of our MC, this was not for me.

Alas, the pretty cover tempted me to request this ARC on NetGalley. I thought I had enjoyed The Light We Lost (the book which precedes The Love We Found) but I checked out my Goodreads from years ago and it seems I had a similar view.

Santopolo’s writing is beautiful and I enjoyed a glimpse into the world of photography, Italy, and a brief foray into refugees entering Europe, but sheesh the characters are just so hard to connect with, like, or even tolerate. 😬

I do believe fans of her previous books will enjoy this one as it could very well be an “it’s not you, it’s me” problem, but I believe I’ve reached my quota of dreamy cover temptations.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC.

I have such conflicted feelings about The Love We Found. It has been years since I read Santopolo's first novel and I think I forgot about my conflict then too. I just don't know how to feel about these characters or these situations.