Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of “The Love We Found”. While at times I found the writing fluffy, or less than substantial, I can’t complain because the story kept me hooked and I finished it in less than 24 hours. Imperfect characters, sweet storyline, happy ending. 4/5 stars.

I was ecstatic when I found out this book was coming, because I had no idea! The previous book, The Light We Lost, is one of my all time favorites and was one of the books that really got me back into reading. When I found out that I'd get to read more of this world? It just made my day!

This book takes place a decade after the first book ended and whew, the emotions in the story are all still there! I may not have shed the amount of tears that I did in the first book (that one blindsided me!), but I still felt all of the feelings with this one. I love her style of writing. It has a way of truly bringing you into the story and making you feel a part of it.

I loved getting to see Lucy, her children, and where her life had taken her after so many years. After the loss she had experienced and the things that had happened, I felt like her situation was realistic in the time it sometimes takes to fully heal. I enjoyed the romance aspect as well, but I do wish it had been a larger part of the story. I would have liked more time with Lucy and her love interest, though I was happy with the outcome. You must read The Light We Lost and then read The Love We Found! I will be looking into her other books, too!

The Light We Lost was a 5 star read for me so I was so excited to see that there was a sequel. This is a true sequel, you should read the first book first. Around the 10 year anniversary of Gabe's death, Lucy is contacted by his editor, hoping to revisit some of his old photography projects. As Lucy looks through the memories of Gabe's life she is drawn to an address in Italy where she uncovers more about Gabe's past and meets someone new who may help to shape her future, It's a before and after in more ways than one. This book is about love, fate, and timing. It is about moving forward. I thought this book lived up to the original.

If you didn't read The Light We Lost first, do that. It works so well together and helps flesh out The Love We Found and helps repair our our hearts that were broken in The Light We Lost. Highly recommend both titles to patrons often. We have already added a couple of copies to our purchase list and have been recommending it to readers already.

The anticipation for this book was absolutely worth it! WOW. (If I could give this book a 10 I would).

If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Light We Lost, stop what you are doing and read it!

The story revolves around Lucy, the protagonist who is still coming to terms with the loss of Gabe nearly ten years after his death. As the anniversary approaches, she receives a call from Eric Weiss, Gabe's former editor, who wishes to commemorate this milestone by publishing a new book featuring some of Gabe's old photographs. While sorting through Gabe's belongings, Lucy uncovers a piece of paper with an address in Italy and a drawing of a young boy, both of which spark her curiosity. Unsure of the significance of the address and why Gabe kept it, Lucy impulsively decides to fly to Italy to conduct her own research. As Lucy embarks on this journey, it becomes a turning point for her long-overdue healing. In Italy, she meets Dr. Dax Amstrong, whose presence ignites a spark in her and suggests the possibility of a new love story just beginning to unfold.

The Love We Found explores relatable themes that had me both laughing and crying. I couldn’t put it down, and Santopolo continues to be one of my favorite authors. Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for granting me early access to The Love We Found in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

If you haven’t read The Light We Lost, I highly recommend starting there before diving into The Love We Found, as it lays the emotional foundation for this poignant sequel.

Set a decade later, The Love We Found draws readers back into Lucy’s world as she continues to navigate her grief over Gabe, her college love. As the tenth anniversary of his death approaches, Lucy is contacted by Eric, Gabe’s friend and publisher, who hopes to re-release Gabe’s book and requests some of his original images. While searching for them, Lucy stumbles upon a photo with an address in Rome—an address she feels compelled to investigate.

Her journey takes her to Rome, where she meets a young man whose life was profoundly shaped by Gabe’s kindness. Through him, she learns about Gabe’s time on the island of Lampedusa, where he documented the lives of migrants fleeing hardship. Determined to understand the full impact of Gabe’s work, Lucy travels to Lampedusa and crosses paths with Dax, a compassionate and magnetic New York doctor devoted to aiding displaced migrants. After years of mourning Gabe, Lucy is surprised by an undeniable connection with Dax. Their time together is fleeting but transformative, forcing her to confront her past and consider a future she never imagined.

Beyond Lucy’s journey of grief and discovery, the novel explores a deeply buried secret—one that threatens to unravel everything she has built. Her youngest son, Sam, is actually Gabe’s child, conceived in a moment of longing and love years before. Lucy and her ex-husband have kept this truth hidden from everyone, including Sam, his older siblings, and their closest friends. But as Lucy begins to believe that Sam deserves to know the truth about his father, she risks upending the life she has carefully constructed.

Jill Santopolo masterfully captures the raw and complex emotions of love, loss, and healing. The Love We Found is a deeply moving exploration of how we hold onto those we’ve lost—both in our hearts and in the choices we make. With breathtaking prose and an emotional depth that lingers long after the final page, this novel is an absolute must-read of the year.

Having loved The Light We Lost, I was very much anticipating The Love We Found. After reading, I, sadly, must say that I don't think a sequel was needed. I loved the heartbreaking emotion of The Light We Lost and hoped that the storyline in The Love We Found would have the same poignancy. What we get instead is an unrealistic, insta-love story with some super cringey sex scenes.

In The Love We Found by Jill Santopolo coming out March 18, Lucy recounts the life of her first love, Gabriel, who she met in college in New York City. Gabriel became a war photographer and Lucy produces children’s programming.

She lost Gabe almost ten years ago, and his editor at the Associated Press wants to do an update of Gabe’s book. Lucy has been asked to share Gabe’s photographs for the project. As she digs into the box of his old photos, an address in Italy written on a scrap of paper is intriguing. Impulsively Lucy buys a ticket to Italy to find who lived at the address.

As she uncovers Gabe’s secret, she encounters Dr. Dax Armstrong, a New Yorker in Italy working with a non-governmental organization. Lucy and the doctor become involved over two days in Italy though they promise to renew their acquaintance when he cycles back to New York.
For seven years, Lucy has been divorced from Darren with whom she shares three children. She had been unfaithful to Darren, having shattered their marriage with the information that their youngest child Samuel was not biologically Darren’s.

With her memories of Gabe renewed through the photo project, she believes it is the right time to tell Samuel about his biological father. Darren, adamant that the time is not right to tell Sammy, feels threatened and refuses. But Lucy wants to set herself free of this secret, hoping to chart a new journey for her broken heart with the doctor she met in Italy.

How will Sammy respond to the news that he has a father other than Darren? What will her two older children think about this change in their family dynamic? What are the next steps she can take to put her regret behind her and forge a life with a new love?

Designed as a follow-up to the Reese’s Book Club pick of 2018 The Light We Lost, The Love We Found can be read as a standalone.

Jill Santopolo is the Editorial Director of Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group. She lives in New York City.
My review will be posted on Goodreads starting February 11, 2025.

I would like to thank G.P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

I’ve been waiting for this without knowing I was waiting for this. It takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride throughout, I highly recommend if you loved the light we lost.

The Light We Lost is one of my favorite books. It broke my heart and I didn’t think the perfection that was that book needed a sequel, but The Love We Found was a perfect companion to this series! It was nice to flash forward 10 years and be with Lucy and her family, revisit her past with Gabe, and as she navigates life with her modern family, finding love, and always keeping Gabe in her heart.

This book and author is not for me. This is the second book in the series. I felt that the main character Lucy was obsessive and self-centered. I felt Gabe from the first book was also obsessive and self-centered. I didn't like the writing either. It felt forced.

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam's Sons for an ARC for my honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and PRH Audio for the early copies of this new book by Jill Santopolo. I thought this was a really lovely sequel to a beautifully tragic love story. I loved seeing where these characters were ten years later. I will say the romance moved a little bit fast for a character that typically would take things very slowly. So that felt a little disjointed. But overall it was a beautiful ode to life after grief, the struggles and daily life of family and friendship. If you liked the first book, you’ll enjoy this conclusion.

I think I enjoyed this book more than the original! Lucy and Gabe's story lives on, and it was fun to see Lucy's adventures this time. We followi her through Rome and Lampedusa as she finally tries to move on from Gabe.

In The Light We Lost, Santopolo breaks our hearts, and in The Love We Found, she shows us how to put them back together.

This sequel to The Light We Lost picks up almost ten years later, approaching the anniversary of Gabe’s death. In a beautifully written second person novel addressed to Gabe, our main character Lucy navigates the ever-present cloak of grief and secrets she’s kept.

This was a full novel, weaving everything from romance to grief and family and friendship into one compelling narrative. I specifically loved the variety of ages in this book, with characters as young as 8 and as old as 89.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

So happy to have a copy of thiS ARC! the light we lost was a really good read, even after years have passed i still remember the book very well so i was ecstatic when infound that jill wrote another book! This is exactly what we needed as fans of Gabe and Lucy!

This story takes place ten years after the events in The Light We Lost. It was great to get a lot of the questions answered from the first book and seeing where everyone ended up after ten years. It was quite an emotional read, especially because of how one decision truly did hurt so many individuals. I will say I do love the authors writing style. Overall a great sequel but I could not relate or empathize with the fmc Lucy. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Publisher for the Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's great fun to revisit characters you've loved in a previous book. Seeing Lucy older and with a family, finding out what happened with her and Darren, is all very satisfying.

Follow up story to The Light We Lost. While you don't have to read the first one prior to this, I would highly recommend it as it builds off the two characters in the previous book. The Love We Found picks up 10 years after The Light We Lost and reveals how Lucy is dealing with the grief and loss of Gabe. We also learn of a huge secret she's been keeping. I absolutely loved this book. It was beautiful and emotional. It really resonated with me as I have a similar family story. The emotions were real and so relatable. Without a doubt I've added this to my favorites of 2025 list!

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book that follows Lucy and Gabe’s story. This was a very emotional read. My heart went out to Lucy. Fans of this author will love this latest novel!

This book was such a beautiful and emotional journey. It is a sequel to The Light We Lost. If you have not read that book read that one first. It is one book that has stayed with me since I have read it and I highly recommend it. The Love We Found takes place ten years after that book. This book covers Lucy’s life and how she has been dealing with grief, loss, life, and some secrets she has been keeping. Jill Santopolo is the author and also does the narration in the audiobook. Her voice is so soothing and comforting just listening to this emotional story. This book was almost a love letter to Gabe and it was just so beautiful and touching.