The Light We Lost

Next up: The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo. This was a completely blind read. I had zero clue what it was about (hadn't even read the back of the book) and I'd never heard of the author.

Goodreads Stats

Why I Read This Book/How I Heard About It

We've finally made it to the time when my daughter suggested I check out Goodreads! Once I downloaded the app, I was happy to see that my little sister, Rachel, was also on there! We quickly connected and she started to recommend a small avalanche of beach reads and chick lit, most of them Reese Witherspoon Book Club picks. This was one of her recommendations and the only reason I read it first was because the full catalog of Taylor Jenkins Reid was not yet available on Libby. So, I started with this. Again, I didn't even read the description. I just trusted my sister and read a book that she gushed over.

Basic Summary

This contemporary romance centers around the friendship between two Columbia College students, Lucy and Gabe. The two meet on 9/11 in New York City and the fact that they've experienced a national tragedy together forges a deep bond between them. They both vow, on that day, to make their lives truly count. They have a whirlwind romance their senior year, but graduation and career ambitions tear them apart and they both move on with their lives, Gabe as a globetrotting photojournalist and Lucy staying behind to work in New York.

The book takes us through the next 13 years of each of their lives and we see their relationship cool, heat back up, disappear and reappear. But, even as Lucy moves on to marry another and start a family, she still holds love in her heart for Gabe. And he for her.

First Impressions

The first thing I noticed was that this book was written in first person, which I haven't heard recently, so that was a little jarring, but I got used to it quickly.

I was instantly pulled in by the fact that the story began on September 11th. I think any adult who reads anything about that day instantly flashes back to exactly where they were when all the mayhem began, so in that sense, it gripped me right away. I was also aware that there was potential for a lot of shit could go down because the story was based in New York City.

The author began with some great description of the characters' initial reactions to the events. She really did capture the feelings of confusion and fear that were present that day among all of us that watched as one, then two, then three, then four planes crashed. Horrific. But the whole focus on September 11th was kind of a quick blip in this story.

The real story was clearly the love affair that developed between Lucy and Gabe. The entire rest of the book was Lucy explaining her feelings towards Gabe.

Final Thoughts

I felt this book had great promise and a decent premise. In general, I do like the "one that got away" storyline. But I'm not sure why this book rubbed me the wrong way a bit? The writing was decent and the characters were well-developed. It wasn't hard to fly through this book and I definitely wanted to finish it to see what would happen.

But something about how Lucy pined after Gabe for years, even after he kind of treated her like crap and after she had met a wonderful partner and had a beautiful daughter with him, annoyed me. It's not the adultery part of it that bothers me - it's not some puritanical thing.

I think I just don't like stories where the female lead is strong enough to build a kickass life for herself, but then is willing to throw it all away on a person who doesn't deserve it. Gabe was a fun and colorful character, but he didn't deserve Lucy's love, in my not-so-humble opinion.

Overall, I'm glad I read it, so I could see what my sister loved about the book. But it's not a favorite.

Rating on Goodreads

I rated this book 2 out of 5 stars.

My rating method:

• I rarely rate books 5 stars. I save this for the absolute best books I've read. You know the ones...the ones that you can't get out of your head, even after you've finished them. The ones you think about for weeks afterwards.

• If a book is really, really good, I'll give it 4 stars. If you see a 4-star rating from me, I'd definitely recommend it to you to read.

• If it's just OK, it gets 3 stars. Basically, it means I could take it or leave it. I'd probably read it again because it wasn't terrible. But not like a favorite or anything.

• If I rate it 1 or 2 stars, I would not recommend anyone read it. It either didn't hold my interest or I couldn't relate to the characters/plot.