A
Cosmopolitan Best Romance Novel of All Time
"An irresistible tale of love and second chances."
—
People “Extraordinary.”
—Emily Giffin
"This moving story is a perfect understanding of the sacrifices we make for love and for our dreams."
—
Real Simple"It’s
the epic love story of 2017 and the ending is one you’ll be feeling for months to come."
—Redbook"Your new tearjerker has arrived: Fans of
Me Before You and
One Day will love/weep over this elegant novel."
—New York Post“This read is
One Day meets
Me Before You meets your weekender bag."
—
The Skimm “This book will sink its hooks into your heart on page one, and leave you scarred long after you're done."
—
Bustle“Jill Santopolo’s extraordinary debut novel is a love story— an emotional roller coaster—that follows the lives of Lucy and Gabe who meet in New York City on September 11, 2001. The event transforms and shadows their lives. How do they reconcile passion and security, dreams and reality? As
The Light We Lost enchanted and compelled me, I found myself reconsidering my own choices, and wondering at the choices of my friends and the people around me – how did their dreams match their realities? And what if that dream can’t include the person you love the most?”
—Delia Ephron,
New York Times bestselling author of
Siracusa“A wonderful and heartbreaking book.... The kind of heartbreak that’s in
The Way We Were, that you really love to cry over.”
—NBC New York's
Weekend Today“Santopolo explores passion, fate, love, and what it means to truly be a good person.... A beautiful and devastating story that will captivate readers.”
—
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Heart-wrenching yet beautiful.”
—
US Weekly"Comparisons will be made to David Nicholls’
One Day, but there is something more romantic here—yet also more grounded—that will draw readers in."
—
Booklist“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“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“This is surely the next great romantic epic. . . . It is a novel that lives with you long after the final page. A book for a generation and a future classic.”
—The Sun (UK)
“The perfect beach read: an engrossing, romantic, and surprisingly sexy story about the power of first love.”
—
Domino “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“I basically inhaled this novel (could. not. stop. reading) and have been thinking about it ever since…this book is impossibly compelling and makes for a perfect summer read.”
—Well + Good “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
"An affecting and beautifully-written story about love and missed chances, and how global events can change the course of a single person's life."
—Julie Cohen, author of
Together
“This is such a heart-felt story about both the bliss and torment of love. It’s clear that Jill has tremendous affection for her characters and so did I. It was fascinating to me that Gabe is a photographer, because Jill herself has an amazingly sharp eye, zooming in on emotions and the small ways in which they change while also pulling back for a wide-angle view of Lucy and Gabe’s relationship during the course of a tumultuous decade. I am not a weeper but dammit if I wasn’t crying at the end.”
—Jane O'Connor,
New York Times bestselling author
"A one-sitting kind of book. Fans of
One Day by David Nicholls will love this."
—
Stylist Magazine (UK)
"An epic love story."
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Prima Magazine (UK)
“A stunning book, perfect and unputdownable.”
—Jill Mansell, author of
Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay“The harrowing day of Sept. 11, love, and the changes life brings are the concurrent threads that run through [
The Light We Lost]."
—Nassau Herald “A beautiful, powerful and sexy novel, The Light We Lost grabbed me from the beginning and just refused to let go. Santopolo has given us a remarkable love story that enthralled me, surprised me, and ultimately, moved me. I couldn't put it down.”
—Thomas Christopher Greene, author of
The Headmaster’s Wife “The scale of this book's ambition is matched only by Santopolo's flawless execution. 9/11, love, sex, war, Shakespeare, American foreign policy—
The Light We Lost has it all, illuminating so much of what our generation and what we in the media have lived through for fifteen years. The arc of this book, from the fall of the Twin Towers to a love letter written from the Middle East, gracefully and tragically charts the course not only of a genuine and deep love, but also that of our country and of our collective identities. It is memorable and haunting, because it is authentic and so close to home.”
—Nick Schifrin, PBS NewsHour Special Correspondent, NPR Correspondent
