Words in Deep Blue
By Cath Crowley
Release Date: June 6, 2017
Source: Publisher
Now Rachel has returned to the city—and to the bookshop—to work alongside the boy she’d rather not see, if at all possible, for the rest of her life. But Rachel needs the distraction. Her brother drowned months ago, and she can’t feel anything anymore.
As Henry and Rachel work side by side—surrounded by books, watching love stories unfold, exchanging letters between the pages—they find hope in each other. Because life may be uncontrollable, even unbearable sometimes. But it’s possible that words, and love, and second chances are enough.
Like any bookworm, I love books about, well, books. I loved the idea of a romance taking place in a bookshop and I was excited to see if I could connect to the characters and their love for the written word.
Rachel and Henry used to be best friends, but Rachel had always wanted more. So when she has to move away, she leaves a love letter in Henry's favorite book telling him she loved him and to call her when he receives it. But Henry never calls. Now, tragedy has struck Rachel and she's lost her younger brother. Rachel isn't the same person and finds herself returning to her old town, working side by side with Henry. While Rachel is resistant at first, Rachel and Henry find comfort in each other and find themselves becoming friends again, hoping for a future that is better than the track they're both on now.
Starting out, it definitely took awhile to get into this book. First off, it takes place in Australia but nothing says that this is in Australia. I was thrown off by some things, especially how their school system worked, so I had to get used to that. Then, I had gone in thinking this would be a sweet romance that takes place in a bookshop. Boy was I wrong. There is a lot more language than your typical YA and this deals with much heavier topics than I had thought. I mean, our main character is recovering from the death of her little brother, which should have tipped me off. But once I got used to the tone of the book, I actually really started to enjoy it.
I would definitely consider this more of a quirky YA. The cover screams cute and fluffy, but this was anything but cute and fluffy. I loved the talk of the bookstore and books, but there was a definite level of maturity to the characters and the literature they liked. The whole concept of the letter library was really cool and I liked how real life relationships developed through the pages of those books. I did enjoy the romance and appreciated how it was not cliche or immature. The characters made mistakes and there was miscommunication, but not annoying miscommunication, if that makes sense.
In the end, this book definitely surprised me. While it took awhile to get used to the culture and the tone of this book, I really enjoyed the relationships and how integral books were to the plot. For a unique and more mature YA read, you should try out Words in Deep Blue.
Rachel and Henry used to be best friends, but Rachel had always wanted more. So when she has to move away, she leaves a love letter in Henry's favorite book telling him she loved him and to call her when he receives it. But Henry never calls. Now, tragedy has struck Rachel and she's lost her younger brother. Rachel isn't the same person and finds herself returning to her old town, working side by side with Henry. While Rachel is resistant at first, Rachel and Henry find comfort in each other and find themselves becoming friends again, hoping for a future that is better than the track they're both on now.
Starting out, it definitely took awhile to get into this book. First off, it takes place in Australia but nothing says that this is in Australia. I was thrown off by some things, especially how their school system worked, so I had to get used to that. Then, I had gone in thinking this would be a sweet romance that takes place in a bookshop. Boy was I wrong. There is a lot more language than your typical YA and this deals with much heavier topics than I had thought. I mean, our main character is recovering from the death of her little brother, which should have tipped me off. But once I got used to the tone of the book, I actually really started to enjoy it.
I would definitely consider this more of a quirky YA. The cover screams cute and fluffy, but this was anything but cute and fluffy. I loved the talk of the bookstore and books, but there was a definite level of maturity to the characters and the literature they liked. The whole concept of the letter library was really cool and I liked how real life relationships developed through the pages of those books. I did enjoy the romance and appreciated how it was not cliche or immature. The characters made mistakes and there was miscommunication, but not annoying miscommunication, if that makes sense.
In the end, this book definitely surprised me. While it took awhile to get used to the culture and the tone of this book, I really enjoyed the relationships and how integral books were to the plot. For a unique and more mature YA read, you should try out Words in Deep Blue.
Hmm, I totally thought it would be fluffy based on the cover, but I'm still interested. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Great review!
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