The Love We Found

It’s really interesting. I read The Light We Lost ten years ago when it came out and loved it so much. It was one of those love stories that made me cry. In reading the (much-awaited!) sequel, ten years later, I had to wonder: am I a coldhearted monster? Because I found the book so annoying at times. I wonder if 43 year old me would even enjoy the first book (33 year old me loved it). I am trying to explain the plot without giving spoilers from the first book away, but the whole book is written like one big love letter to her ex-boyfriend Gabe. Some might find that romantic; I guess is found it a little bit cheesy/over the top? Lucy as a character is a bit annoying and self-indulgent. Gabe is gone now, and Lucy is now divorced from her husband Darren, co-parenting their three children in Brooklyn. One day, Lucy finds a piece of paper in an old box of Gabe’s things. An address in Rome. Soon, Lucy is on a plane, determined to learn more about Gabe’s life. Her trip leads her to Dr. Dax Armstrong, a New Yorker in Italy. They instantly have a spark, and Lucy finds herself wondering if she can love again. Meanwhile, Lucy and Darren have to decide whether they will tell their son Samuel the truth about his father. It’s all very melodramatic. It did make me tear up a little bit at the end so it still affected me, but this book was not for me.