Readers' rating:
Published May 2017
336 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
He was the first person to inspire her, to move her, to truly understand her. Was he meant to be the last?
Lucy is faced with a life-altering choice. But before she can make her decision, she must start her story - their story - at the very beginning.
Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on a day that changes both of their lives forever. Together, they decide they want their lives to mean something, to matter. When they meet again a year later, it seems fated - perhaps they'll find life's meaning in each other. But then Gabe becomes a photojournalist assigned to the Middle East and Lucy pursues a career in New York. What follows is a thirteen-year journey of dreams, desires, jealousies, betrayals, and, ultimately, of love. Was it fate that brought them together? Is it choice that has kept them away? Their journey takes Lucy and Gabe continents apart, but never out of each other's hearts.
Me Before You meets One Day in this devastatingly romantic debut novel about the enduring power of first love, with a shocking, unforgettable ending. A Love Story for a new generation.
"Starred Review. A beautiful and devastating story that will captivate readers." - Kirkus
"Extraordinary ... An emotional roller coaster." - Delia Ephron
"What can be more devastating than love? In her adult debut, Santopolo explores thirteen tumultuous years in the lives of two unique lovers, the difference between what's forever and what's finite, and how what seems fated might not be fact. Gorgeously written and absolutely unforgettable, Santopolo's novel has a beating heart all its own." - Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You, Is This Tomorrow, and Cruel Beautiful World
"In this intense, deeply moving novel, Jill Santopolo vividly illuminates how our personal lives and loves are changed by the common - and uncommon - events of our troubled world." - Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of The Island House
"Santopolo nailed the thrill and devastation that love can cause. I was gutted from the start and didn't put the book down until I was sobbing at the end. Witty, romantic and intensely moving, this book made me feel everything!" - Renée Carlino, USA Today bestselling author of Before We Were Strangers
"Evocative, raw and at times breathlessly heartbreaking, Jill Santopolo's The Light We Lost is a page-turner that explores the intersection of fate and choice in our relationships. In this honest portrayal of love and loss, Santopolo leaves us wondering about serendipity and the existence of that one, true love. An emotional rollercoaster of a story that won't let you go even after the last page is turned." - Karma Brown, bestselling author of Come Away with Me
"We couldn't stop turning the pages of The Light We Lost. Santopolo took us on a journey of missed chances, regret and uncertainty that left us pondering our own choices. The love story of Lucy and Gabe is one that will stay with you long after you finish." - Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, authors of The Status of All Things
"The Light We Lost is a beautiful, moving meditation on the choices we make in pursuit of love and a meaningful life, and the consequences that shape our futures." - Bethany Chase, author of The One That Got Away
"Jill Santopolo's debut is a breathless, sexy, sweeping love story set against the backdrop of the defining moment of this century. Filled with light and hope, this is the romance we're all looking for." - Brenda Bowen, author of Enchanted August
"Emotional and heartbreaking. I predict a global tissue shortage. The Light We Lost will definitely join the ranks of books that make you weep." - Sarah Morgan, USA Today bestselling author of Miracle on 5th Avenue
This information about The Light We Lost was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jill Santopolo received a BA in English literature from Columbia University and an MFA in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She's the author of three successful children's and young-adult series and works as the editorial director of Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers group. An adjunct professor in The New School's MFA program, Jill travels the world to speak about writing and storytelling. She lives in New York City
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