The Love We Found by Jill Santopolo
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on March 18, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Goodreads
The long-awaited follow-up to the Reese’s Book Club pick and New York Times bestselling global phenomenon The Light We Lost: a thrilling love story about the roles fate and choice play in shaping a life
It’s been ten years. In case you’re out there somewhere—in case you’re listening, I’m here. And I have so much to tell you.
It’s been nearly ten years since Gabe’s been gone when Lucy finds a tiny piece of paper in a box of his old photos. An address in Rome. Why did Gabe keep it, and what was he doing in Italy? Lucy buys a last-minute ticket. Impulsive, but Gabe always brought that out in her.
Lucy’s journey to uncover Gabe’s secret leads her to Dr. Dax Amstrong, a New Yorker in Italy working with an NGO. His broad shoulders and sad, intense eyes draw Lucy in. His touch reaches her in a forgotten place—one that no one has neared since Gabe.
But her old life awaits, along with an earth-shattering decision—whether she and Darren should tell their son Samuel the truth about his real father. How can Lucy move forward while she’s rooted in regret? Fate broke her heart in the past. Can finding new love set her free?
The Light We Lost was a book that touched me and broke me. I was left drowning in a puddle of my tears by the end. Once again, Santopolo left me in tears, but this time, they were happy tears.
The Love We Found picks up a decade after Gabe's death with his editor reaching out to Lucy regarding the re-release of Gabe's book forcing Lucy to finally open the boxes. Gabe's boxes had been tucked away in Lucy's closet for years and opening them unleashed a lot of emotions. She also discovered something therein that sent her on a journey, a healing journey and one where Lucy learned to forgive herself.
Though this book was set ten years later, there were visits to the past as Lucy recounted her life with Gabe in an attempt to cope with her present and make decisions about her future She had endured a decade of mourning and keeping secrets which was isolating. It took its toll on Lucy, and she was ready to move forward. I have to admit, I was rooting for her. I know she made mistakes in the past, but it was time for Lucy to free herself from the pain, the grief, the guilt, and the weight of the secrets she was keeping.
This was one of those sequels that I didn't think I needed until I read it. I really DID want to know what happened to Lucy, and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to take this journey with her as it was a wonderful and emotional journey that touched my heart.
Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine
Published by Atria Books on April 1, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
A bestselling romance author flees to Alaska to reinvent herself and write her first murder mystery, but the rugged resort proprietor soon has her fearing she’s living in a rom-com plot instead in this earnestly spectacular debut by a stunning new voice.
Beloved romance author Margot Bradley has a dark secret: she doesn’t believe in Happily Ever Afters. Not for herself, not for her readers, and not even for her characters, for whom she secretly writes alternate endings that swap weddings and babies for divorce papers and the occasional slashed tire. When her Happily Never After document is hacked and released to the public, she finds herself canceled by her readers and dropped by her publisher.
Desperate to find a way to continue supporting her chronically ill sister, Savannah, Margot decides to trade meet-cutes for murder. The fictional kind. Probably. But when Savannah books Margot a six-week stay in a remote Alaskan resort to pen her first murder mystery, Margot finds herself running from a moose and leaping into the arms of the handsome proprietor, making her fear she’s just landed in a romance novel instead.
The last thing Dr. Forrest Wakefield ever expected was to leave his dream job as a cancer researcher to become a glorified bellhop. What he’s really doing at his family’s resort is caring for his stubborn, ailing father, and his puzzle-loving mind is slowly freezing over—until Margot shows up. But Forrest doesn’t have any room in his life for another person he could lose, especially one with a checkout date.
As long snowy nights and one unlikely trope after another draw Margot and Forrest together, they’ll each have to learn to overcome their fears and set their aside assumptions before Margot leaves—or risk becoming a Happily Never After story themselves.
After her readers learned she didn't believe in the Happy Ever After, romance author Margot Bradley headed off to Alaska in an effort resuscitate and reinvent her career. She was all set to write her first murder mystery when a romantic subplot emerged as she developed feelings for resort manager Forrest Wakefield. Could Margot have finally found her HEA?
This book was so many things, but first and foremost, it was a ton of fun. Any Trope But You definitely earned its rom-com label with all the hilarious and awkward moments these characters endured. The meet-cute was one for the books, and things only got better from there.
The idea of a romance author who doesn't believe in the endings she writes is not new, but Levine did something special with the concept. Margot had been disappointed by many men in her life, and this had left her a romantic skeptic. Along came Forrest who seemed to embody every romantic trope known to man. But he was also the man would teach her to embrace the HEA.
Their attraction was instantaneous, but it was not love at first sight. Both Margot and Forrest had been burned in the past and were determined to fight their attraction to each other. But how often do you meet someone who understands your situation so well? Margot and Forrest were caretakers for their loved ones, and not everyone understood what it was like to serve in that role and the amount of sacrifice it required. Their experiences allowed them insight into each others lives and the ability to provide support they needed.
The one thing I know for sure is that I was all in on this romance. Margot and Forrest had such great chemistry, and I adored their fun banter as well. My heart knew they needed each other and belonged to each other, and I was rooting for them the entire time.
Overall, I was happy to accompany Margot on her Alaskan journey where she learned that HEAs are real and that she deserved one. This was definitely one for all the romance lovers out there with a spotlight on the community and a trope-a-palloza that should delight readers.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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