Review: Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Words in Deep Blue

by Cath Crowley

June 6, 2017

273 pages

Goodreads   Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

Love lives between the lines.

Years ago, Rachel had a crush on Henry Jones. The day before she moved away, she tucked a love letter into his favorite book in his family’s bookshop. She waited. But Henry never came.

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, and the escape. Her brother drowned months ago, and she can’t feel anything anymore. She can’t see her future.

Henry’s future isn’t looking too promising, either. His girlfriend dumped him. The bookstore is slipping away. And his family is breaking apart.

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.

Review

I haven't read anything by Cath Crowley before but I've definitely heard people praise her previous works. Words in Deep Blue has now made me a fan too. What a beautiful book.

The story has a little bit of everything. Some angst, grief, spunk, warmth, swoons and devotion. Most fun of all it had lots of cute literary references. I was excited to recognize some of the books mentioned. There's also something profound about Words in Deep Blue. I can't really explain it but I found the story to be significant. Ms. Crowley was able to put a lot of feelings into accurate expressions:

"No one has anything to get up for. Life's pointless and everyone just gets up anyway. That's how the human race works." (p. 19).

"...I can't answer with a maybe. It's a yes-or-no question. It reminds me of how he told me once that the thing he loved about fiction was that there were rarely yes-or-no answers when it came to characters. The world is complex, he told me. Humans are too." (p. 87).

"I think that we look back and read the past with the present in our eyes." (p. 200).

"The past is with me; the future is unmapped and changeable." (p. 269).

One thing I didn't quite enjoy about this book was how much Henry pined for his ex-girlfriend. She was clearly a VERY bad match for him yet he couldn't see it for the longest time. I loved seeing Henry with Rachel. They're the ones with natural chemistry. They understood each other. They knew how to be there for each other in their times of need. The two of them made total sense. Thankfully Henry wakes up in time to feel it.

The Letter Library was wonderful. I wish people in this day and age were more open to concepts like it. It seems like a really simple yet sincere way to connect or reconnect to people. It was a beautiful approach to getting people to open up like it did with George, Martin and Cal. 

Quick and easy Words in Deep Blue is a divine read about love and loss. I'd love to see what everyone takes away from the story. Definitely a book I'd recommend to others :)

*I received a finished copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way. All quotes were taken from the finished copy I received.