Love and Other Words

Love and Other Words is such a sweet, aching story about loss, forgiveness, first love, and finding that one person who is simply your person— After losing her mother, Macy was no stranger to sadness. Being only ten and motherless often made her feel like a pariah among her friends. No one quite knew what to say to her or how to understand the grief she carried. And then there was Elliot. The boy who loved to read. The boy who was unapologetically nerdy and completely secure in being exactly who he was. From the moment Macy caught him trespassing in her closet, he understood her. I absolutely loved Elliot’s honesty. There was something so refreshing about a character who actually said what he felt. He loved Macy openly, wholeheartedly, and seemingly from the very beginning. Their friendship grows into that beautiful kind of first love where the other person becomes home. Books, words, quiet moments, growing up together—it all felt so tender and genuine. Until one night changes everything. My heart broke realizing that it wasn’t simply what happened between Macy and Elliot that tore them apart. There were circumstances surrounding that night that Macy changed life as Macy knew forever. Leaving her carrying grief, anger, guilt, and heartbreak for the next eleven years. Then Elliot sees her in a coffee shop. ELEVEN YEARS LATER. And somehow, it feels like nothing has changed. The easy conversation is still there. The connection is still there. And the chemistry? Completely undeniable. Except Macy is now engaged and still hasn’t figured out how to move beyond the night that changed the course of her life. Macy has spent years carrying a sadness that, in so many ways, only Elliot has ever been able to reach. And Elliot? There is no frustrating miscommunication about how this man feels. He loved her then. He loves her now. There has only ever been Macy. Eleven years didn’t change that. I loved the way the story moved between then and now, slowly showing us how two lonely, book-loving kids became everything to each other while making you desperately need to know what happened to separate them and break them so completely so young. And when all the pieces finally come together, the heartbreak of their lost years hits so much harder. Can some people simply become part of you so completely that time, distance, anger, and heartbreak ever truly erase them. Can you find a live that completes you at 13? Macy and Elliot were complicated. They were heartbreaking. They needed forgiveness—from each other and from themselves. But most of all, they were always each other’s person - body and soul!

I am really enjoying books written by Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the talented duo behind the pen name Christina Lauren, and Love and Other Words is another beautiful example of their work. This novel highlights exactly why they are such a strong and successful writing team. One of the things I appreciate most about Christina and Lauren’s books is that the romance is built from the very beginning, not rushed or suddenly resolved in the final chapter as so many modern romance novels tend to do. The reader is given time to truly experience the characters’ journey, allowing the chemistry to develop naturally, meaningfully, and beautifully over the course of the story. I also deeply appreciate their refreshing approach to intimacy. They don’t spend half the plot focused on explicit sexual encounters or exhaustively describing every detail. Instead, when the characters do become intimate, it is written with restraint and taste, keeping the emotional connection at the center of the story. This makes the romance feel more authentic and emotionally satisfying. The writing itself is beautiful, emotional, and heartfelt. The characters are well developed, the story is engaging, and the emotions feel genuine rather than forced. Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings have a wonderful ability to capture love, nostalgia, and longing in a way that truly resonates. I listened to this book on audio and found the story itself very engaging and entertaining. The reason I did not rate it 4.5 stars is due to the narration — at times it felt more like whispering than speaking, which became somewhat distracting. Because of this, I would recommend reading the physical or ebook version for the best experience. I may revisit this book in the future, as I believe it could be an even stronger read outside of the audio format. Overall, Love and Other Words is a touching, thoughtfully written romance that further proves how well Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings work together. A beautiful story that stays with you long after it ends.

Love and other words is truly a special book. Christina Lauren did an excellent job portraying both characters especially Elliot. Also loved how Macy is in the medical field. Felt I could relate being in a similar profession. Macy, a pediatric resident is engaged to a well known artist who has a child. Things are going smoothly until she runs into an old childhood best friend/lover (Elliot) at a coffee shop. The story unfolds with two timelines. One is in the past from Macys POV when her mother dies and her father finds a weekend home to help heal their family. The other is in the present again from Macys POV when her and Elliot run into each other after 11 years. The story unfolds from there and their love story gets SO good. I could seriously not stop reading. This is a perfect best friends to lovers and second chance romance trope! This really showed how a strong friendship can overcome the biggest obstacles. I gave this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars because for one it took me surprise with all the emotional aspects that seriously had me tearing up!! I adore and admire the special friendship and connection between the two main characters Macy and Elliot which created a love for each other that is absolutely unmatched. This book left me with a big smile at the end. Highly recommend!

I rarely leave reviews but, wow, this story had such a grip on me from start to finish. Macy and Elliot's story has it all - friendship, passion, lust, tragedy, grief, forgiveness, that deep SOUL connection. And all of it was written so so beautifully. I'm now in search for my next read and am genuinely worried it won't capture me like this one did! 😄

I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did but I couldn’t help but root for Macy and Elliot. The story has dual timelines. Macy and Elliot as kids growing up and in present day after ten years of not speaking to each other. As the pair grows closer in the past and reconnects in the present, the story has you rooting for their love and friendship the entire way and has you questioning what it was that drove them apart. I love their honesty with each other and how unafraid, at least for Elliot, they are to state what they feel and mean and have it be “this is it” right from the beginning. So often characters (and lets face it, us as humans) keep our real thoughts and feelings to ourselves in fear of embarrassment and such and from the beginning of Macy and Elliot meeting as young kids there was an honesty that was so refreshing and, I think, made for deep friendship between the characters. I loved the back and forth timeline. I always seem to like the ‘then and now’ in books as it really captivates your attention and makes you hooked on what happened and this book does it well. I loved seeing their relationship grow as kids growing up and I also loved the present day interactions and wondering just what happened and still rooting for them anyway. I liked how the characters had redeemable qualities and not so redeemable qualities that made them on a whole more believable as characters. The only negative, and why this book is 4.5/5 and not 5/5 is the climax of the novel. I won’t spoil it but when we finally find out what drove them apart I was expecting it to be more Macy focused and while it was, there was a side to Elliot’s story that surprised me and I feel like it could have and should have been explored more, especially between two characters that don’t hold back with each other. Overall I adored this book and would recommend to others.

I read this whole book in less than 24 hours. I love how vulnerable the charters are, the story flowed so well, small twists, and it was also kinda cute!

I read Roomies by Christina Lauren this year and loved it so I bought Love and Other Words on release day. I couldn’t wait to dive in. The first 80% of the book I absolutely loved! While reading I felt so many emotions coursing through me. I felt like I was the heroine and I felt her heartache, struggle and love. I fell head over heels in love with Elliot. But then the last 10-20% of the book happened. SPOILERS (DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVENT READ THE BOOK) The book has a HEA which I’m very happy about. But the whole premise of this book is that these two soul mates are torn apart by some mistake or misunderstanding and haven’t spoken in 11 years. When it’s finally revealed what actually happened (which they drag out until almost the end of the book) I felt like I was reading a different book. I tend to spoil books for myself by reading ahead. With this book I didn’t want anything spoiled. I was so hooked to the story and I kept thinking “I have no idea where this is going” and it excited me so much. But when the truth is revealed it is ridiculous. The mistake Elliot made was completely out of character. He never drinks and parties (or it’s not mentioned). So for him to wake up naked and confused about what happened the night before is odd behavior. On top of that to find out he slept with someone he knew, who “he thought was Macy” was so completely ridiculous I almost wanted to stop reading. My heart broke because I was so in love with this book. I loved the depth of this book and for that to be a huge part of the reveal just felt like a slap to the face. It felt so out of place. Because they drug it out the reveal so long I thought it was going to be huge! But a guy getting drunk and hooking up with someone was not the reveal I was waiting for. It just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I understood Macy’s heart break with her father and how it tied into that night with Elliot but Elliot’s mistake just didn’t make sense for his character. Also how Elliot had no idea about her father’s accident seemed odd. Like he never googled her or anything?? You would’ve seen that tragic accident on the news or online or heard about it in town. Just seemed odd to me and not very well thought through. So in summary the first 80% of the book was 10 stars for me. The last 10-20% was 2 stars. Otherwise I enjoyed most of this book and would still recommend it.

Summary: Macy & Elliot. They fell in love and became eachothers “everything“ Elliot was exactly who Macy didn’t know she needed in her life. That tall, skinny, bony, big rimmed glasses boy because her everything. So what happened that had her leaving him and what happened to make her stay away for 11years Shes older now, about to get married to a man she thought she needed, but just one look at HIM again has her feeling like she doesn’t know what she feels or what she wants. Eleven years later and She is still in love with Elliot “At thirteen you were my first real friend. At fifteen you were my first love. At eighteen you were my everything. We were about to take on the world together, until one mistake shattered our future” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶/5 My dang heart❤️ Okay first things first: DAD DAUGHTER relationship! He did everything he could to help even if he was following a list his wife had made he followed through to a T! Mr. Sorensen was quiet but Macy loved it. “I like your kind of quiet. Your heart isn't quiet.” Now: My boy Elliot. **SIGH** He was perfect. Awkward but perfect. He wasn’t afraid to show his emotions. He didn’t have to pretend to listen but he always just did “Shouldn’t you only have to tell me once?” I wish we would have known more of that night, or that it didn’t happen and Emma happen to stage it, not a big fan of the whole “I thought it was you” but we’ll let it slide because otherwise the book was beautiful. Ms. Macy guarded her heart, she wanted to let Elliot on a deeper level than just friends but she was afraid and I get that, but they lost so much time besting around the bush. She was very passionate about reading and I love that She and Elliot were able to bond over something like that. I love her personality with Elliot while they were growing up. This book was precious, It brought smiles, laughs and tears. I like how realistic they made their first time, how they didn’t exaggerate his size or unrealistic expectations about Sex it went with the whole theme of the book it was Awkward but beautiful at the same time. I’d 100% read this book again.

This book was such an easy read. I loved it and I am searching for another book with the same feelings. There was a massive twist at the end, which left me wanting to cry.

A great read filled with deep emotions and love. Love how it tells the story of then and now simultaneously.

Loved this book, smut is not for me though. It is a cute little romance story and exactly what I needed at that moment.

Ho pianto come una bambina leggendo questo libro. Ci sono molto affezionata

How the hell did it take me this long to read this?? 🥹 This book was just 𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹! Elliot and Macy’s love was crystal clear through it all and you could feel the passion in every single word! This felt like a hug in the best way possible! I loved the dual timeline and that it was just the simplest kind of love, with no grand gestures or anything. It felt so real and the characters were so normal and relatable, which made it easy to connect to it! From the moments they met as teenagers, I was instantly in love with them, and watching them grow up and get to know one another was heartwarming. Their time among the books and the way they interacted with each other was just precious. This is a slow read, but in my opinion is definitely worth it. I cried more than I expected but I just really connected to the story and I honestly couldn’t have asked for anything more!