Review: The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

Title: The Light We Lost

Author: Jill Santopolo

Published: February 2018, G.P Putnam’s Sons

Format: Paperback, 338 pages

Source: Personal copy

Summary: 

THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

“It’s the epic love story of 2017.”—Redbook

“One Day meets Me 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.

My thoughts:  As I mentioned in my previous post, I decided that I wanted to read both of Jill Santopolo’s prior books before reading her new one, Everything After, which comes out on Tuesday. And I cannot believe I waited so long to read her. She is definitely going on my must-read list after this!

This book completely consumed me…as soon as I started it, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to put it down until I finished it. And I didn’t. I loved how it all played out and I loved the characters, flaws and all. In fact, I think I loved them all the more because of their flaws. 

This book gutted me in the best way. It tells the story of that first love that never really leaves you and it evokes such an emotional response as you are pulled deeper into the story. I loved how Lucy was reflecting back on the last ten years, now with all the thoughts and questions at the forefront of her mind. Did she make the right choices? She had two big relationships – Gabe and Darren – and we see how these relationships play out and how things slowly unravel to that ending that, while foreshadowed throughout the book, still comes as quite a shock.

I am such a firm believer in timing being everything and this book absolutely reinforced that…I wouldn’t be married to my husband if it weren’t for timing – we met in the eighth grade and he wanted to date. Long story short, we didn’t and became best friends all through high school. Fourteen years after graduating, we reconnected and now have been married going on 12 years this May. Timing is everything!

This book is one that I will not be forgetting anytime soon and one that will remain on my shelf. I definitely see myself rereading this at some point because I know this is one that I can see getting more out of it with each additional read.