About the Book ~
Three friends. Two broken promises. One missing manuscript.
As a senior acquisitions editor for Fog Harbor Books in San Francisco, Ingrid Erikson has rejected many a manuscript for lack of defined conflict and dramatic irony--two elements her current life possesses in spades. In the months following the death of her childhood best friend and international bestselling author Cecelia Campbell, Ingrid has not only lost her ability to escape into fiction due to a rare trauma response, but she's also desperate to find the closure she's convinced will come with Cecelia's missing final manuscript.
After Ingrid jeopardizes her career, she fears her future will remain irrevocably broken. But then Joel Campbell--the man who shattered her belief in happily-ever-afters--offers her a sealed envelope from his late cousin, Cecelia, asking Joel and to put their differences aside and retrieve a mysterious package in their coastal Washington hometown.
Honoring Cecelia's last request will challenge their convictions and test their loyalties, but through it all, will Ingrid and Joel be brave enough to uncover a twice-in-a-lifetime love?
For more information about Nicole Deese and her books, check out her website here!
My Thoughts ~
The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese is a beautiful book that will take your breath away in equal parts oh-so-relatable agony and all the hearts of starry-eyed romance!
There's little I could say that would do justice to The Words We Lost and the beauty of this story! The setting came alive in my mind's eye. The bookish angle filled me with delight. The romance embodied everything I love about romance. While navigating grief was a central piece of the plot, The Words We Lost never felt depressing. A beautiful story of hope, life, and second chances emerged and moved me to tears on more than one page! What made me both love and hate the author was how I fell in love Cece in the past tense, especially because The Words We Lost was one of those stories where the characters felt like your best friends. Because of that, I didn't just experience Ingrid, Joel, and everyone else's grief; I grieved the loss of Cece as a character, knowing that the only piece of her I would ever have would forever stay in the brilliantly framed flashbacks.
Holding onto God and finding yourself after devastating loss frames the spiritual journey in The Words We Lost. Every piece was thoughtfully and uniquely layered into each character, compiling into an overarching message that God is a good God who truly sees us and draws near to us, always faithful to be exactly what we need. This message was so eloquently conveyed that I closed the book thinking, "Now that's my God!"
Five Stars ~ The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese is breathtaking! The Words We Lost is the first book in the author's new series, A Fog Harbor Romance. I might implode with excitement waiting for the next book!
Disclaimer ~ In accordance with FTC regulations, I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not compensated, nor was a positive review required. All opinions expressed are my own.
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