The New York Times Bestseller and A Reese’s Book Club Pick “This love story between Lucy & Gabe spans decades and continents as two star-crossed lovers try to return to each other…Will they ever meet again? This book kept me up at night, turning the pages to find out, and the ending did not disappoint.”—Reese Witherspoon “One Day meets Me Before You meets your weekender bag.”—The Skimm … Before You meets your weekender bag.”—The Skimm
“Extraordinary.”—Emily Giffin
He was the first person to inspire her, to move her, to truly understand her. Was he meant to be the last?
Lucy is faced with a life-altering choice. But before she can make her decision, she must start her story—their story—at the very beginning.
Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on a day that changes both of their lives forever. Together, they decide they want their lives to mean something, to matter. When they meet again a year later, it seems fated—perhaps they’ll find life’s meaning in each other. But then Gabe becomes a photojournalist assigned to the Middle East and Lucy pursues a career in New York. What follows is a thirteen-year journey of dreams, desires, jealousies, betrayals, and, ultimately, of love. Was it fate that brought them together? Is it choice that has kept them away? Their journey takes Lucy and Gabe continents apart, but never out of each other’s hearts.
This devastatingly romantic debut novel about the enduring power of first love, with a shocking, unforgettable ending, is Love Story for a new generation.
“It’s the epic love story of 2017.”—Redbook
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I love the way this novel dealt with real issues. The author handled the conflict of passionate love with sustaining love really well, and I was hooked as I waited to see what the protagonist would choose. The characters were so real with real issues and a lot of depth. No relationship was perfect. But watch out: there’s a lot of sex and it can be graphic so consider yourself warned.
Good depiction of star crossed lovers
Loved this book which had it all. If you are only looking for happy endings , this book is not for you.
So good, sad, loved it.
If you’ve lived through 9-11 and remember the impact of that day, this book uses that to start a long spanned love affair that is realistic. Likable characters and reminds us of the different phases of marriage. If you liked One Day, this is probably a good fit for you.
Loved it! One of my favourite reads for 2018!
Didn’t like the story or ending.
written in the narrative, the reader learns why at the end of the story
an honest portrayal of love and lost. Characters are real, flawed,
honest and might just be someone you know (if not you).
I miss Gabe and Lucy….
Best book I have read in a long time!
Very enjoyable read
When I hover over 5 stars on Goodreads to write a review 5 stars equates to “it’s amazing”. I looked a that little “it’s amazing” bubble and thought – is this book amazing to me? The answer, I decided, is yes. But not in the usual way I think books are amazing.
Examples of what I mean by that: I did not love the protagonist, I did not agree with hardly any of her or the hero’s actions, and my heart broke a little by the end. This book is sad. Devastating really. Infinitely overwhelming in how it builds you up and breaks you down simultaneously. I found no hope, no “light” if you will in what I read and for me that’s usually a major sign for loving something. So I’m pretty certain, although my thoughts are fairly jumbled about it, that I did not love this book. But I do think it’s amazing.
And yes, I realize my logic is probably not the same as yours and I’m ok with that. I think this book allows for that. I think Jill Santopolo wants you to feel conflicted about this book. She most certainly can’t deny she knows there’s going to be a lot big thoughts and opinions once readers reach the end.
So why did I find The Light We Lost amazing? The writing falls at the top of the list. The way this book is so carefully constructed and reverently told had me hooked from the very first page. This woman is reliving her history and as readers we don’t why. I had a good guess but I truly didn’t know until Santopolo wanted me to know. Her construction of the plot and the memories she builds through her protagonist inspire longing, fortitude, and so much questioning of what it means to be happy and how we achieve that happiness as individuals.
The scope of the book really focuses on that idea of being content with oneself no matter how that comes across to the rest of the world. How can we find joy in everything that we do? Is too happy the same as too content? And how do we know? Where is the place we find the most fulfillment of our soul? The protagonist is always questioning and it made me question as well.
So I’m mad at this book, I think. It broke a piece of my heart. I’ll never read it again. But I appreciate it regardless. The parts of romance are so whimsical and fitting. Betrayal strikes the right chords. Lust, obsession, all-encompassing love, and contentment all fight their way for the top. The gift of this specific, beautifully tragic, and brilliant story telling from Santopolo was just that – a gift. And for the excellent writing, how engaged I was, and the multitude of thoughts and emotions garnered from reading The Light We Lost make it worth all the stars from me.
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Sometimes a book grabs you from page one and holds you tight until the bitter end. This is one of those books. Be sure to have a tissue ready when you read this tear jerker. Lucy and Gabe have a love that can’t die that began with the tragedy of the attack of 9/11 and continued throughout the years. Even after years of being apart and finding other loves Lucy and Gabe will have a connection for the remainder of their lives. A must read!
A little cheesy but I couldn’t put it down!
What’s your favorite love story? I used to think my favorite was Romeo and Juliet. But now they have been replace by the characters in this book, Gabe & Lucy.
Their love story is heart breaking and heart warming. They meet in college on one of the most horrific days in American history, September 11, 2001. That tragedy seems to be the constant in their lives. They start a passionate relationship full of honest and raw love. But their lives head in separate directions and even though they lead different lives, they always end up in each other life. It may be just a visit or an email or even a photograph in a newspaper. But their love never dies. Even as they form new loves with other people. Their love story is constant.
This was one of most beautiful books I have ever read. This authors writing style made me fall in love from the first page. Gabe and Lucy’s story is a beautiful story. It feels so real. There are lovely moments but there are also those moments that grip the heart and make the reader angry, fearful, anxious and even frustrated. That’s what makes this story so real. There are decisions made and having to live with those decisions. And when the reader gets to the last line and they close the book, finished, it’s far from over. They will feel every word they consumed.
I highly recommend this book. Not just for hopeless romantics. But for everyone. This is a book that will touch every adult. There is something relatable for all. Whether it’s the love, the friendship bond, the tough decisions, the real current events or just getting lost in a truly great story. I couldn’t get enough of this story. And I am just waiting until they decide to make it a movie.
I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down. Well written. Great story. Page-turner!
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo has stayed with me long after I finished the last page. I laughed, cried…oh, how I cried! It’s beautiful and so moving—my favourite read of 2017. Do yourself a favour and pick this one up.
An easy read with a great plot line and romance and drama mixed in. I’ll be honest I struggled at the beginning of this book with how it was written but once I got into the book and realized why the book was written that way I was completely hooked and couldn’t put it down.
This was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
The good: Despite the story being written as a letter to someone/a person talking to someone, Santopolo did a good job at pulling the reader in and evoking emotion. I was invested in the story – I wanted to find out what happened next, and what all the foreshadowing meant, so it became a sort of page-turner for me.
The bad: All the characters were pretty unlikable. Lucy acts like a doormat for Gabe, and a snob with Darren. Gabe is selfish throughout the whole book. Darren is conniving underneath a “good guy” facade. They all treat each other pretty terribly, and the never-ending stream of bad decisions (combined with the tone-deaf yuppie lifestyle that Lucy and Darren live and Santopolo describes ad nauseum) gets to be pretty cringe-worthy.
Overall, it was a good read. The story and suspense kept me interested.