So I'm not a huge fan of "women's fiction" so I was a bit hesitant in reading this one. But any book by Christina Lauren is guaranteed to be a hit, so I'm glad I picked this one up. And Love and Other Words is fantastic. The story, the characters and the past and present of the story line was beautifully done.

Christina Lauren blew me away with all the emotions in this book. I experienced many emotions including some I wasn't expecting. I liked that we got to experience the past with Macy and Elliott. It helped with seeing how strong their connection was/is.

With the already known penmanship of both Christina and Lauren, i could've not expected anything less than this beautiful story. Not only is the setting of SFO the best for any modern novel, the way how they describe the background is just enthralling. The story takes you to a place where you know sometime in your life you've been, and each character is so well structured and created it's like you are being a first row witness to it all. Beautiful is not even enough to tag this book.

This is the story of Macy and Elliot. These two meet as teenagers and quickly become best friends. Friendship and a shared loved of books and words over the years becomes more until they are torn apart.

Fast forward 11 Year’s and a chance meeting brings them back together again. Both are in a very different place in their life but can’t fight the feelings they still have for each other.

Can they overcome the pain of their past to have a shot at a real future?

My review:

This book was not at all what I was expecting from these two authors, but I really loved it. This is a bittersweet second chance love story told through the present and flashbacks to the past.

Macy and Elliot were both great characters and their story drew me in right away. The flow of the story is perfect and the shifting back and forth is done in a way that makes sense and isn’t difficult to follow.

My only complaint is I would have loved an epilogue at the end and gotten a glimpse into the future for these two.

My thoughts:

POV:Macy
Quick hook or slow starter? 5 (I was hooked from the first chapter)
Character development: 4
Level of Romance between characters: 4
Passion/Heat level: 3 (Surprisingly very little sex in this one but the story doesn’t really need it)
Angst/Heartbreak: 4 (This one will break your heart at times)
Cliffhanger?: No, although as stated above I would have loved a little more.

Overall, I thought it was good and really enjoyed the story.

I received an ARC of this story from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, my goodness, I'm not sure where to begin - but I have so much love for the latest by Christina Lauren, Love and Other Words. This is the story of Macy and Elliot, who become fast friends growing up after her father purchases a weekend home next doot Elliot's family. Brought together by their love of books and words, their friendship develops from the time that he is 14 and Macy is 13. Later at the age of 29, Macy spots Elliot in a cafe one morning, and all of the history, emotion, and hurt between them comes flooding back. Working as a Pediatric Neurologist and engaged to a "convenient and secure" man, Macy must decide whether to carry on with her life of survival or try to come to terms with her and Elliot's past. 

First and foremost, this is my first time reading Christina Lauren and it wasn't until after I finished that Christina Lauren is actually a collaboration between two authors. I love it when I have no idea that two different minds went into creating a novel and characters that are fantastic. Secondly, I love that this novel seems to cover so many genres from YA to New Adult & College, and Women's Fiction. Meeting the characters as young teenagers, getting to know them as adults, and learning every in between was not only special but added a great deal of depth to both Macy and Elliott, as well as, their family and friends who went through changes with them.

Love and Other Words is such an emotional rollercoaster that shifts between friendship, romance, sadness, and happiness. Macy and Elliot represent true love and friendship, as well as, lost loves and loneliness - but most importantly - they represent the beauty of firsts and lasts, despite time apart. This novel made my heart ache at times, but mostly made it almost beat out of my chest with all of the love and feels! I enjoyed the shifts between time periods but mostly fell in love with the outstanding writing, characterization, and emotion. I highly recommend this one!

We've read several Christina Lauren novels but I.WAS.NOT.PREPARED. for how I'd just completely sink into the story of Macy + Elliot. I deliberately drew out my reading experience because I was a) really enjoying their friends to lovers story and also because b) I was a complete wuss when it came to getting to THE PART where all the bad stuff is revealed. It's not like I didn't know it the shit was going to hit the fan...that's just a part of romance...but daaaaang, I didn't want it to happen. I wanted to skip right to the HEA. But, to be honest, the heartache part was what made all of the other things that much better. Truly. The build up to the OMSHIT moment was so deliciously slow and interesting--the past and the present woven together really worked for the story of Macy and Elliot--so by the time I got to THE PART I was ready for it and yet still so sad. And then so happy.



If this were an issue driven book, I might want to see more explored about what happened with Elliot at THE PART of the book that was gah!gah!Gahhhhh! because I feel like there were some things there that went unexplored. This was more Macy's story than his, though, and I understand why going in that direction would've taken this novel in a completely different place. So, while I wish we could've gotten to the bottom of that a little more (that shizz just did not feel right!), I was ultimately satisfied with how everything was resolved. Scratch that. I was elated to see how their story ended and normally this is were I bemoan the fact that the story has ended, but I like to believe these two have the best HEA ever and I'm happy to leave it at that.



I love this writing team hella much and am eager to read whatever the write next.

I’ve finally read my first Christina Lauren book. Something about this one and the fact it was marketed as women’s fiction worked for me and made me take the plunge. I’m glad I finally did it and I’m also glad it was with this one.

LOVE AND OTHER WORDS is a story about love and second chances at its core. I think it straddles a line between WF and contemporary romance and for me it leans heavily on the romance aspect. If you like a good slow burn story then this is the read for you.

I think fans of Colleen Hoover will find this new Christina Lauren to fall very much in line with that style. In fact, I could barely put this book down. I love when a story that is not overly complicated pulls me in and that’s in great part due to the writing. I was very impressed with the ease in which this is narrated. Once it started, it didn’t let me go until I had finished it.

I love stories about the one that got away and this is like the ultimate example of that. This is a story about two childhood best friends who thought they would be together forever and life took them in different directions. Reconnecting and seeing the opportunity for the future that escaped them while dealing with all the unresolved issues from their past was not an easy road to travel. There’s some angst in this story but I don’t think it was too overdone, which I can appreciate. But it’s definitely not a happy and fun book as I think some of their other books are. It digs a little deeper and stirs up feelings and emotions as you read along. Whether you agree with the characters actions or not.

As with most WF, this story is centered around our heroines journey. Macy is a great heroine but she’s actually not the one that stole the show for me. That is where Elliot comes in. I loved him as a kid, then as a teenager and fell for him as an adult. I just loved everything about him and how deep his love for Macy ran. And as far as supporting cast goes, you don’t want to miss his family. I wish we could find out more and more about them.

LOVE AND OTHER WORDS was addictive from beginning to end. I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for more books by this author duo in the future.

FULL REVIEW POSTED HERE: https://natashaisabookjunkie.com/2018/04/12/review-love-and-other-words-by-christina-lauren/

"It’s a perfect description. I never got to fall out of love. I just had to move on."

After Macy's mom dies, her dad buys a vacation home in Healdsburg, California, and she quickly meets the neighbors - the Petropoulos family.

From the day they arrive for the first time, Macy becomes best friends with Elliott, the youngest Petropoulos son. And over the years they grow closer and closer, becoming each other's "everything." Until suddenly they aren't.

Years go by and Macy happens to meet Elliott again. And the story continues.

Well, first thing - I want an Elliott in my life. I love my husband but still...

The story is told in alternating timelines of then and now. I loved the characters. I loved the settings. I loved the big rowdy Petropoulos family. And I love that Elliott and Macy grew up together surrounded by books.

I received this book from Gallery Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

I. Am. Not. Okay.
I finished reading LOVE & OTHER WORDS a few hours ago and I don’t know what to do with myself. How is one supposed to move on to another book after reading this one?! I am stunned. Overwhelmed. Speechless (but you can probably tell I’m getting over that quickly). Heartbroken because the book had to end and happy because of how it ended.

Macy and Elliot’s story is everything. It is a friends-to-lovers romance, a second chance romance, a coming-of-age tale, a story about forgiveness and grief and moving on and letting go.
While this story contains some cliché-ish elements, there is nothing cliché about the story as a whole. It is unlike any other book I have ever read. To say my expectations were surpassed would be a massive understatement. I didn’t expect the level of emotion and complexity CLo brought with this book.

Christina and Lauren have a way with words that makes you immediately invested in Macy and Elliot’s journey. The entire book is told from Macy’s point of view and it alternates between the past and the present. You can see how Macy and Elliot’s friendship developed into more as they grew up in the “then” chapters and you can see how life reunites them and how they try to figure out their feelings for each other after eleven years apart in the “now” chapters. You don’t know what came between them eleven years ago until the end and it is pretty much impossible to guess what happened (or maybe I’m just clueless) but that makes it impossible to stop reading. You will devour every word inside this book until you get answers and a happy ending.

In a nutshell, the game has officially been changed. CLo just stepped up their game. I’ve been a fan of their stories for a while and I thought they had reached their top-level of amazingness but lo and behold, they just proved how wrong I was. They were able to make me want to cut my heart out of my chest from the love overload (who would have thought one book could make me feel such amount of love) and also want to cut it out because the heartbreak was too much to bear (who would have thought reading a book could hurt so much). They reminded me why I BREATHE romance books and that is why… this book is one of my favorite reads of 2018.

Love and Other Words
by Christina Lauren
Pub date: April 10, 2018

Wow, what a great story. Strong characters that pull you into their lives and you become what I think of as a hidden background character eavesdropping on everything, all emotions, and actions.

Macy is 28, engaged to a nice fellow who has a daughter and they have just moved in together. She works in critical care in pediatrics. Sounds good, doesn’t it. But Macy is not invested in her life. She realizes that her boyfriend, a famous writer is more involved with his child by himself than with the three of them trying to make a family. Macy's feeling like a placeholder. Then Macy sees Elliot, someone she hasn’t seen in a long time...and the story really begins. Excellent read, I highly recommend. What is your favorite word today?

Macy and Elliot met as teenagers, spending summers together and discovering like souls in one another. Becoming the best of friends over the years, sharing a love of reading and words and absolute honesty, friendship turns to something even deeper. Until one unforgettable night that changes everything. Until Macy disappears and cuts off all contact. Until a chance meeting eleven years later.

Now a doctor, and engaged to an older, single father, Macy's life is carefully constructed to avoid any emotional loss or upheaval. Her relationship is easy but lacks any real depth. Seeing Elliot shakes her very foundation and has her questioning her choices. With a supportive best friend urging her to open up to Elliot and tell him the truth about what happened that night over a decade ago, Macy has to decide if she is willing to risk her heart for another chance at a love that meant meant everything to her.

I tumbled hard and fast into Macy and Elliot's story - hurting for them in the present-day chapters and reveling in the past chapters, even though I knew something devastating had to be coming. These were two special people who found one another early in life... until circumstances bisected them. Teenage Macy and Elliot had this delicious push and pull, where they both knew they had feelings that exceeded the bounds of friendship, but were hesitant to jeopardize the special bond they shared. As they spent summers and random weekends together, I could feel their emotions intensify, their curiosity, and their want for that one special person to become even more.

The dual timeline worked so perfectly here. Macy and Elliot's past was doled out in bits and pieces and we get to watch as their friendship grows and deepens and evolves. Everything seemed so right. So knowing that in present day they were not together and had not spoken in over a decade had me itching to know what happened. Their story, and the story of what happened that changed everything, was perfectly paced and I found myself reading every chance I got and thinking about it when I had to set the book aside.

I fell in love with Love and Other Words. This is a coming of age story, a story of second chances, of grieving and coming to terms with the past. But, above all, it's a love story. And it's one you don't want to miss.

Love and Other Words alternates between past and present as we learn the story of Macy and Elliot. This story starts out with all the sweet and romantic glory of young love. You know right away in present day that these two were torn apart but you are not sure why. I adored the past POV. The sadness of Macy as she is dealing with the loss of her mother. Her blooming friendship with her new neighbor Elliot. The detail was amazing and it was a beautiful story of two young people falling.

The present day story was a bit of a snooze for me. Macy is engaged to her boyfriend but there is no chemistry there. You are just left wondering “why?”. They are just two people going through life separately. What damaged Macy so bad that she was willing to settle on being a boring place holder? Elliot soon resurfaces in Macy’s life and this leaves her questioning everything.

The big problem for me on the present day was the time it took to find out why these two split. It was hard to get on board with Macy because she was so up and down. I was just as frustrated as Elliot was. Fair warning, the reveal is super late in the story. It was a good reveal. It was a sad and heartbreaking reveal. It was just so late that the end wrapped up and I felt a bit cheated.

Overall if you love Christina Lauren this was a good read. The young Macy and Elliot were a joy to read as they discovered each other.

Love and Other words is the first women’s fiction novel by Christina Lauren. It’s a love story about a women who runs into her fist love and what that could mean for her future. The great aspect of this novel is that it’s told in alternative past and present chapters.

The first aspect of a book I really pay attention to is the point of view. This novel is written in first person POV, from Macy’s perspective, which allows readers to really get in her head. To me, it draws me more into the characters’ emotions. The writing just pulled me in. The alternating past and present was key for me. The flow was written really well and it kept me wanting more at the end of each chapter. I think it made the wait for the next time change that much more gratifying.

I felt so much while reading this. It’s a beautiful story. I really liked how Macy’s relationship with Elliot progressed in the past chapters. Their connection was immediate and their banter made me want to squeal in excitement. Elliot is such a lovable character. Even though their intimacy was slower than I would have liked, their experiences matched their age. It wasn’t rushed, and as adults the chemistry was off the charts.

I was enthralled from the first page. Would recommend this to any reader who loves an all-consuming read.

An advance complimentary copy of this book was supplied by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Macy Lea Sorensen leaned about loss at the tender age of ten when her mother died. But before her death, she left her husband a “roadmap” of how to raise their little girl knowing she was loved.
As fate would have it, this map leads them to a cabin in the small town of Healdsburg and down a path where nothing will ever be the same.

“Elliot,” I say, pushing past the clog in my throat at the feel of his name there, “I’m sorry. I really have to run. I need to be at work soon.”
He bends so that he’s level with my face. “Are you kidding?” His eyes go wide. “I can’t just run into you at Saul’s and be like, ‘Hey, Macy, what’s up,’ and then you go to work, and I go to work, and we don’t talk for another ten fucking years.”
And there it is. Elliot was never able to play the surface game.
“I’m not prepared for this,” I admit quietly.
“Do you have to prepare for me?”
“If there’s anyone I have to prepare for, it’s you.”

Elliot was the bookish sibling in the large Petropoulos brood. He could always be found hiding in a quite space with a book in his hand. And this is exactly how he meets his new neighbour.

Macy immediately forges a special bond with the lanky boy she discovers reading in her closet. Together they share a love of books, of words and soon, each other.

But life doesn’t always go according to plan. Almost eleven years without her true love has left Macy numb and just barely hanging on. Now that Elliot is back in her life, she’s going to have to decide if she’s willing to place what’s left of her soul back into the hands of the one who shattered it so long ago.

“I love you,” he says. “I’m sorry that I can’t help my body’s reaction to you.”
“It’s okay.” I count out fifteen heartbeats before I’m able to add, “I love you, too.”
He reacts to this with a tiny catch in his breath, a slight tremor in his shoulders—it’s the first time he’s ever heard me say it.
“You do?”
My cheek rubs along his when I nod. “I always have. You know that.”
His lips are close enough to my ear that they brush against the shell when he asks, “Then why did you leave me?”
“I was hurt,” I tell him. “And then I was broken.”

Love and Other Words is a Christina Lauren like we’ve never seen them before. They have somehow become deeper, more tender and far more heartbreakingly honest.

Yes, their signature swoon is still in full force, but it’s tempered with an ever-present undercurrent of sadness that only a great loss can inspire.

The result is a one-of-a-kind reading experience that will have you smiling through tears and believing that love is really worth risking it all…

First love is difficult, and you never forget it. But, not everyone has a chance to go back again and experience those firsts with the person they left behind years ago. Macy and Elliot met over books years ago: sharing favorite moments, lines and scenes, that common thread turned to friendship which soon turned to love. Their first love. But now, years later, Mary is a resident in pediatrics with a settled plan, engaged to an older, successful man and setting herself up for an ‘expected’ life. She’s content and secure – both elements she feels are most important at this time, even if her fiancé doesn’t make her heart skip a beat.

Then after an eleven year absence, Elliot appears. Bringing up all of those long-buried feelings of hope, butterflies and excitement that she thought weren’t for her. And of course, Elliot is even more attractive now than before: now that she knows that life isn’t always full of potential and excitement, and finding that one person you can share your deepest secrets and fears with is rare. Of course Elliot is everything she’s missing with her fiancé, things she didn’t even realize she wanted or needed, having pushed the emotions and feelings of that first love into a box.

The authors have used a present / past device here that puts those emotions for both Mary and Elliot (and readers) into easy reach, smoothly presenting the development of their relationship as it happened, as they are restructuring and reacquainting themselves with who they are now, and then adjusting and allowing for the connection, built so long ago to reappear. There are bits of mystery surrounding the end of their young romance, as well as moments that show how both have grown and matured, and perhaps even matured in ways that could find them reliving the past while building to the future. Charming from the start, completely engaging and easy to see the relationship as it builds on two levels: past and present, keeping readers cheering them on and remembering their own firsts. A favorite read for characters, depth of story and the beautiful inserts of ‘past moments’ that help to both deepen and inform their present.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href= “https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9If/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

4.5 absolutely Beautiful Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5 I loved loved loved every single word of this book.... Christina Lauren absolutely hit a homerun with this book.... A book I couldn’t put down filled with characters I absolutely adored and was rooting for....

This is a second chance love story....Elliot and Macy were one another’s first love.... The story is told in alternating time periods between their teenage years and 11 years later when they are reunited.... Macy and Elliot started out as friends bonding over a love of books and words.... Their friends to lovers story develops so sweetly and slowly and perfectly.... I just could not possibly figure out what could have torn these two apart....

11 years later and Macy and Elliot run into each other at a coffee shop.... The connection is still there, but are Macy’s walls too high and too thick to be broken down? What happened to break these two up in the first place? What tragedy and secret has been haunting Macey for all these years? Well you’re going to need to read this book to find out! And I strongly encourage you to do so..... this book has all the feels and leaves you with a huge smile on your face....

Trust me my non romance loving friends even you will be entranced by this book.... and your eyes will not roll I promise.... it is almost impossible not to fall in love with Elliot and Macy and this remarkable love story....

Favoriteword.... YOU💕

*** thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book ***

Authors Christina Lauren... you broke my heart, in a delightful way.
Swoon factor is off the charts with this book.
Macy & Elliott friendship and how they came to be in love was superb!
This book has many emotional feels to it. You get love, heartbreak, a bit of mystery, tragedy, with a happily ever after.
I enjoyed stepping back and forth with the characters from their past and present lives.
Go Grab this book and fall in love with the words.

This is an emotional story about romance, lost love, and second chances. I loved the way we got a look at the past and the events that brought Macy and Elliot to where they are now and to the people they have become. This story is beautifully told with compelling characters and complicated relationships. This was the first book I have read by this author and I will definitely being reading more.

Often times after reading a book I really enjoy, I get a bit letdown. It’s like coming down after the thrill of a rollercoaster ride and suddenly realizing it’s over. Did I savor the story enough? Did I read it deeply and thoroughly enough? This book evokes those feelings in me.

This story kicked off right away. It grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go until you’ve long finished the last. Macy believes she is happy in her life. She’s engaged to a man with a sweet daughter who is financially stable. She’s a resident at the hospital, and although her job is tough she loves it. While they don’t get together as often as she’d like, she has a supportive and close friend in Sabrina, her college roommate. But it doesn’t seem as if there are any others in her life.

She’s out to coffee with Sabrina when Elliot, her childhood best friend and first love, appears in the same coffee shop. Macy freaks out. We find out fairly quickly that it’s been about 11 years since they saw each other. Macy disappeared from Elliot’s life after one fateful night 11 years ago, but you won’t find out what happens until the book is practically over.

The story is told over two timelines – the past leading up to that fateful New Years Eve, and the present – starting with when Macy and Elliot run into each other. Christina Lauren did a great job weaving the past and present together. I really enjoyed their writing and the storytelling. How they weaved the two timelines together added so much depth to the story and made it near impossible to put it down.

Macy’s character growth was wonderful. It is almost as if we got to see her character grow twice – in the past and the present. As a character, she had a lot of unfortunate hands dealt to her. Her mother died when Macy was 10, and in present day her father has passed away too. I really loved seeing the relationship between Macy and her dad shown in the ‘then’ storyline. It was wonderful to see such a good portrayal of a loving and supportive father-daughter relationship. Let’s just say I was pretty devastated when we learn how Macy’s dad passed away.

We must also talk about Elliot (who just so happens to share two names with my nephew!). What a wonderful character he is. Although I do wonder if his utter love and devotion to Macy actually hurt more than helped in some instances. He is such a supportive friend no matter the topic. And handled most things in a mature way – especially considering he was an adolescent boy for half this book.

I have read some others’ reviews and there has been some unhappiness with the big reveal regarding what tore Macy and Elliot apart, and I can see where they’re coming from. It does seem out of character what this person did. But while it was a little cliché, I think it showed that, no matter how perfect someone may seem no one is perfect. Everyone makes bad choices, mistakes, and has things they wish they had done differently.

As readers, we should try to remember that when this incident happens, the characters are teenagers, teenagers who live far away from each other. And while their connection is quite intense, that could also mean their reactions are intense too. People do stupid things when they’re hurting. I am by no means condoning or writing off what this character did. He/She messed up big time. Do I think Elliot and Macy handled it like they should have, no, probably not. But they’re also teenagers and no matter how mature we view them, they’re still learning and growing. I’m just saying, let’s try to remember that characters aren’t perfect.

This story resonated with me especially because of the bond Macy and Elliot share over books. Each character’s love and connection to books made them extremely easy to relate to, and made me want to be their real-life friends. It has taken me a few days, but I can finally talk about this book without crying. Those first few days were a doozy.

While it is women’s fiction, there are still a couple steamy parts so if you’re deathly averse to those – there’s your warning. Although I will say that these scenes added to the storyline and the characters’ growth. I don’t like sex scenes for the sake of having a sex scene. If there’s going to be one (or two or three) they have to have a greater purpose. A purpose of moving the storyline forward, or the character learning something, or coming to the realization of something. They’ve got to have a purpose and I believe the ones in this book do.

Overall, I really loved the story. I do wish we had gotten a bit more at the ending. I wanted to see a bit further down the line, into the future. An epilogue would have really been a cherry on top. Otherwise, it was wonderful. Highly recommend. I will definitely be doing a reread!

If you’ve read it, let me know what you thought in the comments!