From the international bestselling author of Dating You, Hating You comes a new, unmissable story of love and hope.
The heart may hide, but it never forgets.
Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.
But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos - the first and only love of her life - the careful bubble she's constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy's entire world - growing from her gangly teen friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother . . . only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.
Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more - spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco reading books, sharing favourite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy's decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.
The first women's fiction novel from New York Times and No. 1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Dating You, Hating You).
Industry Reviews
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *
Lauren writes of the bittersweet pangs of love and loss with piercing clarity, and delivers a resoundingly life-affirming tale of what it takes to claw one's way to necessary healing, both romantically and personally * Entertainment Weekly *
Christina Lauren has found a new sweet spot, with heartbreaking and hopeful language that will evoke the whirlwind immediacy of adolescence and the complicated choices of adulthood. Love and Other Words weaves past and present together in an emotional story that will have you declaring your favourite word is LOVE -- Amy E. Reichert, author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake
Love and Other Words is a triumph, the kind of book that makes you feel so deeply for the finely drawn characters that you almost forget they're fictional. You'll be swept away by the heartbreak, the joy, the chemistry, and the charisma woven through the fabric of Macy's and Elliot's star-crossed relationship. As the story unfolds - expertly interweaving the past with the present - you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll root for Macy and Elliot to find their way back to each other against all odds. A true joy from start to finish -- Kristin Harmel, internationally bestselling author of The Room on Rue Amelie
A gorgeous book . . the perfect mix of angsty and romantic, with a little bit of sexy thrown in, too. It pummeled my emotions and left me an utter disaster, but I was happy and content when it was all said and done. While not a traditional romance, it certainly was a beautiful love story * Kimberly Faye Reads *
This story is the perfect blend of white-hot young love and women's fiction, with an ending that will satisfy readers who love both * Frolic *
Filled with high jinks, pop-culture references, and grin-inducing flirtation, it's truly a romance for the 21st century. A smart, sexy romance for readers who thrive on girl power * Kirkus Reviews on Dating You, Hating You *
Lauren channels the elements of beloved romantic comedies... the dual perspectives of Evie and Carter will have readers ripping through the book to find out if these two can work things out * Booklist on Dating You, Hating You *
The stellar writing team behind Christina Lauren is back in top form in this light, funny and unflinchingly honest stand-alone novel about growing up, standing up and falling in love * RT Magazine, Top Pick on Dating You, Hating You *
Will we ever stop falling in love with Christina Lauren's fictional men? The answer to this is HECK NO * Fangirlish *
I am so completely and utterly in love with this book. It captured my heart and it did not let it go. Simply beautiful * Steamy Reads (5 Star Review) *
A major success. It's now obvious that anything Christina Lauren writes is worth checking out, even if it's out of a reader's comfort zone. I've rarely ventured into the genre and wasn't sure how different it may be from Christina Lauren's contemporary romance novels. However, I worried for nothing because I was quickly hooked by Love and Other Words... and would happily recommend it to any Christina Lauren fan or readers looking for a sophisticated story of love and loss * Hypable *
Love and Other Words is a beautifully crafted story of friendship and first love, of suffering loss and finding your soulmate. I felt every moment in this book -- Vilma Iris
Christina Lauren takes a unique look at the evolution of infatuation * Associated Press *
