“More Than Words”
Written by Jill Santopolo
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia
“More Than Words” is Jill Santopolo’s second fiction
novel. Both of her novels fall into a very specific realistic, heartwarming,
and heartbreaking modern romance category. Similar authors who I believe to
write this way are Josie Silver and Taylor Jenkins Reid. I have not loved many modern
romance novels, but every novel by these authors have become a favorite. Santopolo’s
first novel was a bestseller and an ideal modern romance novel, hitting on
every emotion in wonderful ways. If you are on the fence about reading this or
her first, “The Light We Lost”, I enthusiastically recommend both.
In “More Than Words”, we meet Nina. Through a third
person omniscient narrative, we begin her story with the death of her father, Joseph.
Nina is a hardworking, caring, and amusing individual, with great characteristics
and dialogue. A speechwriter for a mayoral candidate, we learn more about the
world she lives in through her job, which is an interesting aspect. I personally
find it disappointing when we read modern romance or contemporary novels and the
character’s career is glossed over. We should see and learn how Nina is
hardworking and compassionate, rather than just read that she is. With the loss
of her father, Nina learns family secrets. Unlike the book’s blurb, I do not
think this secret is ultimately groundbreaking. A bit of mis-marketing allows you
to think the book will be about the secret, when the true plot follows Nina’s
grief and her newfound love triangle. Nina loves her best friend and boyfriend,
Tim, and has since was a child. However, Nina now has been spending too much
time with her boss, the mayoral candidate. Her friendship develops with him,
Raphael, as he comforts her over Joseph’s death.
In all, I absolutely adored this book. I think the
portrayal of each character was flawlessly executed. Nina’s emotions felt very
realistic and hard to read at times. The death of Joseph evoked many poignant
emotions and played out beautifully. I often find with love triangle storylines
that I resent the character who falls out of love with a partner and falls in
love with someone knew, but the way that Santopolo implemented this plot was divine.
I felt that Nina wasn’t manipulative or exploiting the situation. She acted
like an adult who knew that she needed to make a decision, even if it might break
her heart to do so. She did not feel disingenuous or heartless.
To conclude, I recommend that you read this book as
soon as possible. It will absolutely be a new favorite, even though it took me
quite a while to pick it up. What a gorgeous story.
Thank you to G.P. Putnam and Sons for sending along a
finished copy for me to review. Thank you again for the opportunity.
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