I remember reading The Light We Lost back in 2017 and being absolutely enthralled by the story. It was a "tug-at-your-heartstrings" kind of book, and I remember crying at the end and wanting more, hoping this wasn't the end of the story. Luckily, Jill Santopolo has written a sequel of sorts, including most of the same characters as the first book.

In this one, we are nearing an important ten-year anniversary (trying not to spoil it in case you want to read the first one), and Lucy, the female MC, has been stuck in a rut. She is trying to figure out how to move forward in her life. When she follows an address she finds among some old boxes, it answers many of those questions as to what is next in her life.

I really enjoyed reading this book, maybe because the female MC is in her forties and is trying to figure out some life questions that I myself have asked. The book isn't as emotional as the first one, and the ending is a bit abrupt, but I definitely think it is an enjoyable read.

When I found out Jill Santopolo was writing a sequel to The Light We Lost, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. I loved the story of Lucy and Gabe and cried buckets reading that novel and couldn’t believe it had been 10 years since its publication.

Cracking open The Love We Found (or opening it on my Kindle lol), felt like I was coming home, as did refamiliarizing myself with Lucy. This novel finds Lucy divorced, and co-parenting with Darren, still dreaming of Gabe, the love of her life. Upon rummaging around in a box of his old stuff, Lucy finds an address in Rome written on a piece of paper, which leads her on a wild goose chase to rediscover her lost love. In addition to finding remnants of Gabe, Lucy finds oh so much more if only she’s able to open her heart enough to grab hold of it.

There’s something special about these books, these characters, and the depths of their feelings, that just reeled me in and hooked me completely. Kudos to Jill Santopolo for bringing us back to Lucy’s world and recapturing that magic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam.

I loved The Light We Los, and The Love We Found was as equally beautiful and touching. Jill has a way of connecting with her readers and making them feel deeply. It's a combination of an authentic voice and her lyrical writing. Fans of TLWL won't be disappointed. Truly a beautiful read.

I feel like *maybe* I would’ve rated this higher if I reread “The Light We Lost” right before, because this sequel certainly dives in like you will remember every single thing about a book published in 2017. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop with Dax the whole time because it was complete instalove, some of the wording during the sex scenes made me cringe big time, and, finally, in what world would someone think introducing a new man right after you drop a huge bomb of a secret on your family would go well?! This just wasn’t for me. I did not relate to the FMC at all. With all that being said, I did finish it in two days so it captured my attention enough.

I didn't make it through this one. It was too depressing. I'm sure there is some positive that comes at the end but I can't make it through. I know the writing style is her talking to Gabe, but I think that made it even more hard to read. Also it's been 10 years since his death? I'm sure a love like there's took time to mourn but I just didn't like how Lucy's life felt so stuck.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC of The Love We Found. I really wanted to love this one, but ultimately it just fell flat.

The magic and charm of The Light We Lost weren’t there this time around. Lucy and Dax’s relationship felt rushed, almost like instalove, and the inclusion of sex scenes felt out of place and inconsistent with the tone of the rest of the story, which leaned so heavily into themes of motherhood. Lucy’s belief that she “doesn’t deserve love” felt like an overdone and unnecessary plotline, and the conflict with her kids not supporting her didn’t add much depth.

I also didn’t feel like this book brought anything new to the table. The first book was so poignant and left a lasting impact, but this one fell short and didn’t feel like a necessary continuation of Lucy’s story.

This book is a sequel to The Light We Lost, which was a beautifully written, devastatingly sad love story. This review contains spoilers from that book, so read with caution if you plan to read that first!

The Love We Found takes place 10 years after the end of The Light We Lost. Life looks very different for Lucy than it did at the end of the first book. The son she was pregnant with is now nine years old and he doesn't know who his father really is. Between losing Gabe, who was the love of her life, getting divorced, and keeping such a huge secret from everyone around her, Lucy hasn't let anyone get close to her in years. But when she finds an address from Rome on a piece of paper in Gabe's things, she makes a decision to fly to Italy and learn why he saved it. The trip is a catalyst to the long over-due healing that Lucy deserves. And when she meets Dax, it might just be the start of a new epic love story.

Jill Santopolo has the most beautiful writing style. Her words are lyrical and invoke so much feeling in me. She always manages to pull on my heartstrings, and I find myself getting so emotional when I read her words.

I was so glad to get a chance to reconnect with Lucy and see what she had been up to during the ten years since the end of the first book. But seeing how much she was still struggling all these years later made me sad. She didn't feel like she deserved happines, and the debate over whether to tell her son about his biological father was tearing her apart. After suffering so much, I just wanted her to find peace and love!

Often I feel like sequels aren't as good as the first book, but in this case it really was. I especially loved the introduction of Dax, a man suffering his own demons, but who connected with Lucy in a deeply moving way. It truly brought me happiness to see Lucy find joy all these years later, even if the path to get there wasn't straight or painless. I'm so thankful that Jill wrote this book.

what an amazing sequel to a beloved book! I was nervous going into this because the light we lost was a book I believed didn't need a continuation, that certain things were left open-ended on purpose. That being said I am so glad that Jill Santopolo decided to tell more of Lucy's story. I loved that we go insight into how her decisions from the first book affected everyone in her life even her parents and close friends. And I'm happy that she was able to find love again that was new and didn't take away from the loves she had in the first book. The work with her kids was great and this book left me with a satisfied feeling in the end. Over all a great time and I hope Jill Santopolo continues to write more moving stories such as this one, with honest and messy characters.

The Light We Lost completely stole my heart so when I saw The Love We Found and learned it was the sequel, I couldn’t wait to read it!

For people who also read and fell in love with the first book, this one is ten years later and we get a glimpse into the current life of Lucy-and it’s a roller coaster.

Although this second book doesn’t top the emotions I went through while reading the first, I did still cry while reading this one-like a lot. The way Jill wrote each chapter was so beautiful. And any author that can make me ugly cry with only their words is a winner in my book. So bravo Jill!

I don’t want to give away too much especially for the ones that haven’t read the first and if you haven’t stop what you’re doing now and read it! So I’ll leave you with this, read The Love We Found. That’s it. That’s the review.

The Love We Found is releasing March 18th and I can’t wait to grab my copy to place next to The Light We Found on my bookshelf.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited when I heard that we were getting more of Lucy and Gabe's story all these years later. But really, this is Lucy's story and how that ends. This book felt like a love letter to the choices we make, love lost and love found, and the enduring power of the choices we make and the people that surround us. A beautiful final chapter for these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC!

A beautiful continuation of Lucy's story, with a new romance. I found myself getting completely immersed into the story and fascinated with how all the characters' lives had developed since the end of The Light We Lost. I would definitely recommend reading this to any fans of the first book!!

4.5! Loved seeing these characters again and what the author did to progress the story. You could feel the emotion of this book. A sequel definitely worth reading when it comes out in March.

** spoiler alert ** I loved getting to continue Lucy’s story from The Light We Lost. Ten years after losing Gabe, Lucy is still struggling with the love of her life being gone.

The story tells us of how her marriage fared, the consequences of her actions and the ways she hasn’t coped with losing Gabe. For the 10 year anniversary, Gabe’s book is being re-released and his boss at the AP wants to include his old photos. While looking through them, Lucy finds a slip of paper with an address in Rome. She can’t let it go and decides to visit.

The visit is a turning point in her life. She learns even more about Gabe, and discovers a new love interest when she meets Dr. Dax Armstrong who also happens to be from New York.

We get to see how Lucy navigates old feelings, new feelings and hard decisions that have haunted her for years. Some novels just need a follow up, and The Light We Lost definitely did. This was a really moving story and I’m so glad I got to read an advanced copy. Thank you net galley and publisher for selecting me to read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC of The Love We Found. The Light We Lost continues to be one of my most loved and most recommended books and I loved getting the continuation of Lucy’s story. This one continued with the same heart and emotional depth and really dug in to managing grief and letting people you once loved go so you can truly move on. It was a beautifully written story and anyone who loved The Light We Lost will also love this one.

4.5/5

This book was great. I re-read The Light We Lost before reading this one so I was fully remembered everything. This was the perfect follow up for Lucy. It’s well written and I couldn’t put it down. I loved seeing how Lucy’s life progressed and how she was able to get through her grief and find love again. I liked how she stood up for herself to Darren when dealing with a tough subject.

If you liked the first book. You’ll like this book!!!!!

Santopolo revists the world of THE LIGHT WE LOST in this beautifully emotional novel. It will leave you hopeful about second chances. Make sure tissues are nearby!

ARC REVIEW

The Love we Found
by Jill Santopolo

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ( 5 out of 5)

Publishing date: 3/18/25

I want to start out by saying I had to slice the book cover image and piece back together due to cropping and sizing issues.

Next....this. was. incredible.


Now this is a follow up book to "The Light we Lost" which was one of my favorite books of 2024. I read it this time last year if you want to scroll and find my review. You should definitely read that one first before reading this new one. The author does a great job of recapping the previous book, but to feel the raw emotion of the characters, you should read the first book.

I loved this. I read it in a couple sittings and read 55% this morning. I don't want to spoil it or the first book so I will keep this vague. But it was beautiful. The feelings the conversations, and characters are so well written and realistic. It tackles real issues regarding marriage, romance, parenthood and grief-which is hard to do but was done perfectly. I cried numerous times and felt so many emotions.

I also want to add... The sexual encounter that happens in Italy was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever read. It was not vulgar or obscene but alluring. Perfection, I swear.

Read this. Actually read the first book first, then this one.

@netgalley and @putnambooks - a million thanks for this opportunity!
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great start to 2025. the light we lost is one of my favorite books of all time. i was absolutely thrilled when i learned that there would be a sequel.

when the light we lost ended, i had so many unanswered questions. would lucy ever tell her darren he was not the father to their son? would lucy ever tell her son about gabe? would lucy ever truly get over gabe and move forward?

the light we found answered all those questions and gave me the closure i needed.

thank you so much to net galley and penguin group putnam for the arc. it was truly a pleasure to read.

The Love We Found by Jill Santopolo is the long-awaited follow-up to her bestselling novel, The Light We Lost. The story picks up ten years after the events of the first book, following Lucy as she discovers a mysterious address in Rome while going through old photos of her late partner, Gabe.
Driven by curiosity and a need for closure, Lucy impulsively travels to Rome, where she meets Dr. Dax Armstrong, a New Yorker working with an NGO. As Lucy delves into Gabe's past and navigates her growing connection with Dax, she faces difficult decisions about her current life and family.
It's a poignant tale about love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC. I was so happy to see this pop up as the sequel to The Light We Lost. The continuation of Lucy's story, and wrapping up of Gabriel's, were the perfect conclusions to their decades long love story. A new adventure and love interest for Lucy while memorializing the 10 year anniversary of Gabe's death and navigating daily life as a divorced mom of 3. Heartbreakingly beautiful.