Love and Other Words – Christina Lauren

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, the author of many other great romances and coming of age novels, develops a great flow between a teenage romance and an adult happy ending. I was skeptical at first because it is generally my belief that adults and their problems are more boring than teenagers. However, as most of it takes place in the characters’ teenage years, this novel is far from a boring adult romance. 

The narrative follows Macy Sorenson and alternates between past and present. Between these two timelines, something happened to drive Macy and her first and only love, Elliot Petropolous, apart so fiercely that Macy ran from Elliot and has not spoken to him in eleven years. In present day, Elliot moves to the city Macy is living in, and they slowly reconnect as Elliot attempts to learn what happened all those years ago. In the past, we watch Macy and Elliot become best friends as young teenagers, bonding over loss and love of words, then fall in love as they grow up together, and eventually reveal the event that split them apart for years. 

I was engrossed by every page of this book. Both timelines are interesting and had me excited to know what happens next. There was not one chapter where I was bored. The characters are funny and brilliantly relatable, especially for someone who shares their endless passion for books and words. It takes a lot for a book to make me want to cry, but this book achieved that (in a good way). 

I would rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars.