JULY 2018 - AudioFile
Narrator Erin Mallon skillfully performs this story of friendship, loss, and possible second chances. The plot alternates between the past—as it follows the teen friendship of bookish Macy and nerdy Elliot—and the present, when, as adults, the pair meet by chance after a decade without communication. Mallon infuses her soft delivery with strong personalities, smoothly changing her tone to match the age and maturity of the characters. Mallon’s top-notch narration, however, cannot compensate for the hard-to-believe reveal at the end of the novel. Additionally, listeners should be prepared for the extra-long pauses separating the chapters, which may pull them out of the story. Nonetheless, Mallon conveys Macy’s and Elliot’s tangled emotions well and guards the mystery surrounding their estrangement. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Hypable
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.
Amy E. Reichert
"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 favorite word is LOVE."
Vilma Iris
"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."
Entertainment Weekly
"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.
Associated Press
Christina Lauren takes a unique look at the evolution of infatuation
Kristin Harmel
"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."
Associated Press Staff
Christina Lauren takes a unique look at the evolution of infatuation
JULY 2018 - AudioFile
Narrator Erin Mallon skillfully performs this story of friendship, loss, and possible second chances. The plot alternates between the past—as it follows the teen friendship of bookish Macy and nerdy Elliot—and the present, when, as adults, the pair meet by chance after a decade without communication. Mallon infuses her soft delivery with strong personalities, smoothly changing her tone to match the age and maturity of the characters. Mallon’s top-notch narration, however, cannot compensate for the hard-to-believe reveal at the end of the novel. Additionally, listeners should be prepared for the extra-long pauses separating the chapters, which may pull them out of the story. Nonetheless, Mallon conveys Macy’s and Elliot’s tangled emotions well and guards the mystery surrounding their estrangement. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2018-01-23
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn't know why she never forgave him.Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad's vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn't spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they're separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father's care for guidance. In the present day, Macy's father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
