Common Sense Media Review
By Sage Moreaux
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Smart then-and-now romance a slow burn celebration of love.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In LOVE AND OTHER WORDS, Macy is a workaholic who's engaged to a man she doesn't love. When she runs into the one and only love of her life, Elliot, she's forced to take a long, hard look at what's happened to her life in the years since they lost touch. As she allows Elliot back into her life—and her heart—in small ways, she risks heartbreak all over again. Told in alternating timelines between then and now, Elliot and Macy's first love story unfolds as they spend the weekends of their teen years in a town outside of San Francisco, sharing their love of words and a budding attraction that blossoms into something bigger than love until it all comes crumbling down. Eleven years later they have the chance for a fresh start. Will they find a way to rekindle their love or are they destined to break each other's hearts all over again?
Is It Any Good?
Sweet, charming and well written, this is a timeless story of both young romance and second-chance love. Love and Other Words, by the author Christina Lauren (the combined pen name of writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings), is a beautifully crafted, well-paced slow-burn romance. The characters are well developed, the storyline flows well and the scenes set in the past are sweet and capture some of the strife of the teenage years. There are a few plot holes, mostly about the unlikelihood of the eleven years that pass with no contact between two characters who professed such a deep love. A great beach read, or book for a rainy day, this story has just enough steamy scenes to put it firmly in the romance category without getting insanely graphic (ok for most older teens comfortable reading sex scenes).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the themes of love and loss in Love and Other Words. What do the characters learn about these themes? what are you taking away from the book?
Do you think Macy and Elliot's commitment to honesty helped or hindered their relationship?
How would the story differ if it was told in timeline order, rather than jumping back and forth between the past and present? Do you think you would have a different opinion of the characters if you didn't know what happened in their future?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : School ( High School )
- Character Strengths : Communication
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Gallery Books
- Publication date : April 10, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 18 - 18
- Number of pages : 432
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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