Review: Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Blurb from Goodreads:

Sometimes love is written in the margins ...

Henry and Rachel were best friends once. Rachel had a huge crush on Henry, but that was before she moved away, before her brother Cal drowned.

Now, Henry works in his father's bookstore, Howling Books, with the famous "letter library", a section of the shop where customers are encouraged to circle words and leave love letters inside their favourite books.

When Rachel returns from by the sea, the place that took her brother, she starts working beside Henry. At the book shop, she must gain strength from the bond she shares with Henry ... and from the written word.

Bit by bit, Rachel realises that to build a future, she must look to the words people have left behind.

This is a love story for everyone who loves books. 

My Review:
 

This was one of my most highly anticipated reads for 2017 -- how could it not be when it was described as a love story for everyone who loves books?  I love books and the premise of this sung to me.  While it didn't live up to my high expectations, it was still enjoyable and had moments of brilliance. What I liked - the characters, the bookstore, some of the language. What I didn't like - the amount of time it took to get to the heart of the matter.  Something about the conflict avoidance in this book felt off to me - the missteps, the letters that weren't read, the facts that weren't disclosed.  There was a lot going on and I think this book would have benefited from a bit of restraint. I have very mixed emotions about this book because it had such potential but I wish it wouldn't have veered off in so many directions.

Words in Deep Blue comes out next month on June 6, 2017 and you can purchase HERE.  I definitely recommend this one for contemporary YA fans!

But I do believe we have choices--how we love and how much, what we read, where we travel. How we live after the person we love has died or left us. Whether or not we decide to take the risk and live again. 

But what is the point? I imagine you asking. For me it is this. On a night when I could hear the ocean coming in through the window of my room, a woman I would marry and have a child with told me she loved me. Our son just a hint on our skins. The stars were milk on the darkness. I did not think about losing her. I thought only that she loved me, and we were happy.