Love and Other Words

March 1, 2018
Young Macy Sorensen's life changes forever, first when her mom dies of cancer, and then again, a few years later, when she meets Elliot Petropoulos. Macy and Elliot find comfort in each other, hiding away reading in a closet of books, sharing their favorite words, growing up, and eventually falling deeply in love. But a chain of events unfolds on New Year's Eve of their senior year that changes everything. Both try to move on and forget. Macy throws herself into an intense medical residency program and gets engaged, while Elliot attempts a serious relationship and buries himself in writing a book. A chance encounter 11 years later brings them back together, and their lives seem to begin again in the instant they see each other. In their latest collaboration as Christina Lauren, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings craft a dynamic love story, alternating swiftly between Macy's present and her past. Love and Other Words brings to life a romance that stands the test of hardship and time and will restore anyone's faith in love.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from February 1, 2018
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.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.