The Light We Lost

While this book is a little cliche and predictable at times, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It is an emotional read that had me crying at the end, and I figure if a book can make me cry, it deserves at least a 4 star rating.

In this story, Lucy falls in love with Gabe on September 11, 2001. Their relationship is a tumultuous one that “ends” when Gabe chooses to follow his dream of becoming a photojournalist. Lucy then moves on and develops a more grounded, sustainable relationship with Darren. However, Gabe remains a part of her heart and her life, coming in and out at intervals. Throughout the story, the reader wonders when this is going to become a problem, knowing full well that it will.

Some readers have given this book a low rating because the plot has been done before and the outcome is somewhat predictable. I see what they mean, but I do not feel it takes away the enjoyment of reading this book. There are so many things to like about the book.

First, New York City is a nice backdrop for this story. I enjoy the references to places and people of that wonderful city. I like that the book pays homage to September 11 and to the fact that it significantly impacted the people of the city, even those that were not directly part of the tragedy. It makes me want to take another trip there.

Second, the relationship between Lucy and Gabe is not portrayed as perfect love. The author shows the flaws and develops the idea that it probably is not healthy or desirable. The author also shows the good and bad sides of Lucy's relationship with Darren. I am glad the author does not make Darren into the bad guy. He has his flaws, just like Gabe does. I also appreciate that Lucy is always considering the needs of her children in her decisions. I couldn't have respected her if she had just run off to be with Gabe.

Finally, the author's writing is well-paced and beautiful. I love the use of short chapters, which keeps the story moving along well and makes it easy to read. The language is almost poetic at times, without being pretentious or hard to understand. I enjoy the Shakespearean references. I even enjoy the unusual use of second person. It allows the reader to know from the start that Gabe will still be a part of Lucy's life in the end because she is telling the story to him.

Is this a perfect book? No. Does it contain some overdone plot tropes? Maybe. Is it worth reading? Absolutely!

I initially was about to give this book 4 stars mainly because I like the writing and I was so interested by the love story of the main characters. But the more I think of it, the more I dislike it.

I was rooting for Lucy and Gabe's relationship but then things just started not working out for both of them so they broke up with each other. Then, Lucy met this other guy named Darren and I also find myself rooting for their relationship as well. But at that point, I'm kind of annoyed with Lucy because she's still obsessed with Gabe even though he doesn't care much about her anymore. Plus, she's already dating Darren, got engaged and eventually got married with him.

I didn't enjoy the second half of the book as much as I did in the first half. I'm constantly annoyed with the characters. I didn't like that Gabe just wanted to talk to Lucy just when he felt like talking to her. He would call her at random and will tell her that he misses her and that she's still his light, whatsoever, and then never calls her again for months or a year even. He's self-centered and doesn't acknowledge Lucy's feelings sometimes. I also didn't like how Lucy still thinks about Gabe all the time even though she's already married with two kids. I also didn't like how Lucy talked about how she didn't want to be a full time mom. I get that she's a career woman but she's talking about full time moms like she's degrading them. My mom is a full time mom and that scene just pissed me off. Being a career woman is no better than moms who prefer to stay at home and tend their kids. And Darren is even worse. I hate the way he treated Lucy and how he pushed his ideas and his plans towards her without asking for her thoughts and ideas on things that involves them both. I also hate that he doesn't trust her and commands her to do things with their kids when he can just do it himself.

The cheating part of the story just left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't like how this book glorified it and made it justified at the same time and it drives me crazy. I know that these things do happen in real life but I just didn't like how the author handled and executed the said topic. I also didn't cry reading this book which is what I was expecting. Instead, I ended up not liking the characters and I felt let down by all of it.

I'm sure I will be of the unpopular opinion on this one. The only reason this is a 3⭐ instead of lower is because I really enjoyed the author's writing style.

Epic love story? Ya I think not. Without spoiling (for those who want to read this one) this one started out great for me and I was completely locked in. Until it was made apparent where it was going. If there is one thing that irritates me the most it is the glorification of “love” as portrayed in this book.

This didn't really feel like love either....more of an obsession on both their parts. Gabriel is completely self-centered and has no concern for Lucy or her feelings. Lucy was unlikable for the most part as well. She didn't deserve Darren or the love he showered on her. Darren could be a bit close-minded when it came to Lucy but that's partly her fault because she never really let him in or voiced her concerns when he did something that put her off. Marriage and relationships are a two-way street.

It was predictable early on where this was going with Gabriel and why Lucy was reciting their story. I was hoping for a love story that melted my heart and brought some tears. Instead I was more irritated than touched and the ending left me unsatisfied.

I do understand people make mistakes and that love is not black & white. However, I don't believe in justifying those mistakes and essentially taking no responsibility for them.

I'll be honest, I had a hard time starting this since it starts on and uses 9/11 and the events following it as a backdrop. It's still a raw day for me. But I kept reading and eventually found I didn't want to put the book down and that the backdrop was fairly respectfully interwoven.

I loved the writing style – someone narrating the story of their life, or at least the highlights, as they remember them with small intimate details that still stick out through the fog of memory. The memories are immersive and flash by you, making the foreshadowing very subtle. You only get bits and pieces of memory– the perceptions of what happened over a lifetime, the questions about what could have happened instead, the things that were left unsaid, the choices made. If you're completely honest with yourself, no one looks back on their life and says, “I made all the right choices. I wouldn't have done anything different and I'm not remotely curious about any other paths my life may have taken.”

The protagonist isn't perfect, but no one is, and in the end, I am left hungry for the other perspectives we didn't get to see and for what recent and future thoughts and choices may be made and/or remorsefully questioned going forward. As an individual, constrained to our own perspective and singular experience, those other perspectives and alternative paths are things we would never be privy to anyway, so that hunger is completely fitting with the tone of the book.

Received free review copy from First to Read, opinions are my own, yadda yadda.