“You can compare without competing.” What a lovely sentiment, and a perfect reflection of the heart of this story. The whole book felt deeply real—messy, sad, complicated, and filled with love in all its many forms.

One part that didn’t quite sit right with me was how the ex-husband was portrayed. There were hints that he was manipulating the situation, but to me, it seemed more like fear driving his actions—fear of comparison, of losing his child, of being rejected when all he wanted was love. I don’t believe everyone is capable of cold, calculated manipulation just to preserve their image, and that interpretation just didn’t land for me.

Aside from that, I adored Dax. His sad backstory made him love so fiercely and honestly, and that vulnerability was beautiful to read. And Lucy—she made mistakes, yes, but she grew from them in a way that felt real and earned.

Overall, this story captured the complicated nature of relationships in a very human way. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book is full of family frictions, Co-parenting, love and romance.
Lucy and Darren’s parenting style is highly commendable, if only all families could behave like that!
The writing style feels like Lucy is talking to Gabe, and gives us an insight to their relationship despite the fact Gabe died. Her grief and healing journey is powerful and authentic. The mistakes she’s made in the past are a central theme, and Lucy seems determined to fix them.
The relationship between Dax and Lucy seems too much, too cheesy and unneeded.
The story of bringing Gabe’s work to life is interweaved through Lucy’s decision to tell the through
and it’s a beautiful journey to Italy and
home again.
Despite this not being my usual genre, I enjoyed Jill’s narration.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love how this book gives us a glimpse into Lucy’s life “after” and answers many potential questions from “The Light We Lost”… but it is not an easy or simple tale. Just like real life, Lucy must face the complex consequences to her actions. Sometimes, the children’s reactions in the story seemed a little too old (Sammy) or too young (Violet) for their age in the story, but obviously that can contain a lot of variability and is very subjective. I was happy for Lucy to have a new chance at love with Dax, and would have liked to see just a little more build-up/tension to their initial time together. Overall, I really enjoy the author’s voice and feel like she did a good job providing a satisfying sequel to this story!

Wow, what an emotional rollercoaster these last couple of days have been... I've not had the pleasure of Jill Santopolo work until now, and oh my, I am so ever grateful. I was given this as an ELC, which led me to the prequel initially then this.

Massive gratitude 🙏🏼 to Netgalley & HarperCollins UK Audio for this ELC in return for an open, honest review. I appreciate the introduction to this wonderful author ❤️ THANK YOU ❤️

Incase anyone hasn't read the book before The Light We Lost I will try to ensure I'm cautious with this review as it can still be read / listened to on its own however I felt the need to listen to both and I'm glad I did for me it was a beautiful romantic but also heart wrenching journey.

10 years later in The Love We Found Lucy finds herself going through life, having to make more decisions on how to really live her life. What does she want and need? How can she raise her children in their best interests...

It has been said to me that we find 3 loves in our lifetime (although some may be lucky to find love in the first person they meet) and this plot really seemed to follow that direction with all 3 intertwined in some way shape or form and all bringing something else to Lucys life as much as she did theirs.

The writing style of this similarly takes on a journal / diary type way of Lucy writing to Gabe continued from the first, which just melts my heart. This is so poignant. I feel I can't say too much without spoilers if I go much further with the actual story. What I will say is that the little bit of intimate scenes that were written were done well and tastefully with the expression of love being the forefront of this whole story.

This was so well narrated that it's delivery allows the listener to gel with the various characters, get to know them and I found myself really feeling the emotions along with them throughout this audiobook which isn't always easy particularly with audio. So definitely seems to bring more authenticaticy when we hear from the author directly on this occasion.

Absolutely beautiful, and I look forward to reading more from Jill Santopolo 📚🙏🏼🎧❤️

A very cute follow to to „The Light We Lost“, but it tust didn’t hit as hard as the first book did. I really liked the tone of the book and to see how the characters have developed. developed I also really enjoyed the audiobook, altogether the sequel just didn’t hit as close to home.

This is a romance—rooted in emotional trauma, but still very much a romance—so I’m rating it with that in mind. I loved the Light We Lost (like all time favorite love story) so I set the bar pretty high for The Love We Found. And while I didn’t fall in love this one quite as much (again not sure anything could touch it,) I still liked it a lot and loved revisiting the characters.

The audiobook was definitely the better experience for this book. It’s narrated by the author, and it feels like she’s reading straight from her diary. It drew me in way more than the Kindle version—I actually ditched reading and stuck with listening.

Overall, it’s cute, emotional, and sweet, with a nice blend of family drama and slow burn romance.

It’s been almost five years since I read the first book in this series, and I honestly couldn’t believe how quickly I was able to slip back into the world and the characters I’d loved so much. The first book touched me deeply, and even after all this time, I can still remember the emotions it stirred up. So, when I picked up this sequel, I was beyond excited to see what would happen next. I wasn’t disappointed—it was just as gripping and heartfelt as the first.

The healing process in this book really stood out to me. It felt deeply personal, and I could relate to it in ways I wasn’t expecting. Life isn’t perfect, and I don’t expect stories to be either. The ups and downs of the characters made me feel like I wasn’t alone in my own struggles. I love how impulsive decisions, even when they don’t lead to the best outcomes, still move people forward.

It was comforting to watch the characters grow and change, even through their mistakes. I saw a part of myself in their choices—acting on impulse, even though I know sometimes it’s not the best solution. Yet, like them, I keep moving forward, learning from those moments. The story stayed with me long after I finished, reminding me of the emotional depth and personal growth I experienced while reading.

I didn't think a sequel could live up to the beauty and romance of The Light We Lost, but I was wrong! The Love We Found is set 10 years later, when Lucy travels to Italy to look up an address she found in Gabe's box of photos. What she finds there is full of surprises which will affect her life at home in the US as well. This is an entirely new story but it evoked the same depth of feelings as the first one in the series and I was just as invested in the new characters as in the original ones. Jill Santopolo is such a powerful storyteller, and she also did a fantastic job of narrating her own audiobook, I could feel the emotions in her voice!

“From the first time I met you, you’ve felt like home.” - Dax

Set 10 years after the first book, The Love We Found is fast-paced, written in first person, and it feels like Lucy is writing directly to Gabe, which makes everything hit even harder.

We get to see a more mature Lucy—she’s more confident in who she is and really conscious of the mistakes she made in the last book (the cheating, the lies etc). She’s spent years trying to mend them, and it shows. The book also dives into co-parenting with Darren and how they navigate new challenges with their three kids. All the family decides to go to therapy which is nice to highlight as many changes start taking place after “the truth” comes to light.

In The Love We Found, love shows up unexpectedly. Lucy was unable to let go of Gabe & guarded, not just for herself but for her family. But in searching for answers about Gabriel, she found Dax. A very charming doctor who also has his wounds, and was willing to meet Lucy half way in her own terms.

The book touches on loss, grief, love, family dynamics, therapy, Gaza, and COVID (which may be triggers to some).

I would’ve loved an epilogue exploring more of Lucy & Dax and how he has fit into the family through the years.

The audiobook is narrated by the author herself, and she does a great job bringing Lucy’s emotions to life. It feels raw, like she’s really telling her own story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Special thanks to Netgalley for the ALC in exchange of an honest review.

An amazing story full of love, loss and healing.
Didn't realise it was part of a pair and can easily be read as a standalone novel.
Great narration on the audiobook.

I absolutely adored The Light We Lost, the author’s debut novel and The Love We Found is a sequel to this. We meet Lucy 10 years after Gabe’s death and the novel follows her on the next stage of her life. I both read and listened to the audiobook of the novel and Jill Santopolo’s wonderful narration really brought the story to life.
What I loved about The Light We Lost was the intense passion between Gabe and Lucy and I think it’s one of the most intense novels I’ve read about love. That passion and intensity is missing here and I guess that’s to be expected. I love the way Jill Santopolo writes, with such empathy for her characters. This is a fairly slow paced novel which is reflected in the audiobook but it was an enjoyable listen. I’d recommend reading or listening to The Light We Lost first.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to and review this digital audiobook.
3.5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed The Love We Found, the sequel to The Light We Lost (see review in my feed). It was written in the same style and I really enjoyed being back in Lucy’s world, but it also was very different, dealing with some new topics relevant to how much time had passed in the lives of the characters.

There were lots of really powerful small quotes within the story that were full of wisdom and really thought provoking. A few of the topics resonated with me in particular as I have experienced similar in my life, like parents divorcing, and I appreciated the perspectives portrayed here.

There were some sex scenes in this book that for me didn’t need to be there but were tasteful (in my opinion), so anyone enjoying a bit of spice in their book will likely enjoy this.

I really enjoyed the audiobook, especially as the author herself is the one narrating it! Thank you for early access to book and audiobook.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Highly recommend getting yourself a copy!

This is book 2 and yes I hadnt finished book 1 before i devoured this I also had th.e book and audio. The audio was well narrated. I t made me fall in love with love again. I loved hearing the developing character of Lucy as she grabbed with life changing decisions i all areas of her life and despite it being 20 years finding new ways to live without the lost love and find ways to make new ones. There was real emotion and depth. I loved the descriptions and dripping of history. It meant that although this is a perfect sequel , i think you could enjoy it just as much as a standalone. This is highly recommended it will leave you feeling complete. Thank you so much netgallery, publisher, author and narrator.

**Listened to audio book**

This book was a super slow burn... there were times in the beginning when I thought about DNF'ing. But I'm so pleased I stuck with it - one of the reasons I did continue was probably the audiobook narrator. She was just perfect in bringing the book to life!
I enjoyed spending more time with Lucy and seeing where she was at within her life in this book.
Just like in the Light We Lost, I found the end to be wrapped up too quickly. I was surprised when I saw there was only 5% left of the book when I felt so much more had to happen.

I enjoyed listening, and would probably read a third book about Lucy if Santopolo was to write one, but I can't really rave about this book series.

Lovestory with sad theme is something I read seldom but when I do it was touches my heart and make me ugly cry. This one did the same too.
The pain of losing a soulmate and thinking about overcoming it is quite painful yet when the journey starts , one has to let the fate guide it. The writing is beautiful and the author did an incredible jod in penning down the sensitive and emotional parts of love in this book. I had a great time reading this gem.

I always enjoy when the author narrates an audiobook themself. Jill definitely has the voice for it! She was fabulous. I liked this story but didn't love it as much as many others who have reviewed it did. I also didn't love the first book so maybe I wasn't as invested with the characters which I think you need to be to fully appreciate this one. I would recommend reading book one before picking this one up.

Having not read the previous book, I was able to pick up this story and listen w/o feeling like I missed out. This was an emotional ride, there's a lot of family dynamics being sorted out, and Lucy finally got her closure with Gabe. I did feel that the story between Dax and her was a bit unfinished, and I did think she was a coward for backing out of that one. Yes, her kids were a priority, but when was she going to put herself first.

The narration by the author was done well. She clearly related to all her characters well.

#netgalley #TheLoveWeFound

I find myself in a very strange position here. I hadn’t realised that this title was a sequel, i haven’t read the first book 😩I know I know, where have I been, it’s been added to the tbr, however I felt that the story and the emotion was palpable from the first book. Infact, I was only a couple of chapters in when I knew I’d missed a book. It was like raw grief, I don’t know how else to describe it, and perhaps in missing the first book my words won’t give the author enough credit in that while I obviously now know the outcome of the story, i felt I’d lost out, yet I also felt its spirit entirely.

I’m very unsure on whether I’m adding spoilers, so I’m going to add them just incase.

I can’t speak on how it ties up obviously, but nonetheless I loved The Love We Found, I loved the way it was presented as an anniversary piece, the journey to get to the anniversary was breathtaking and god help me I have two book boyfriends, one from the beyond. I loved the way the story was written conversationally from Lucy to Gabe. I loved how Dax helped Lucy to mend. The person she is, the mother she is, her honesty in her never diminishing love for Gabe. In all honesty I was brimming tears often and I kept forgetting these were fictional characters.

If I hadn’t missed the first book I’m pretty positive this would’ve been a 5 🌟 which is totally on me.

Jill Santopolo writes and narrates this novel with such heart, tenderness and love, genuinely beautiful in every way.

Huge thanks to Harper Collins U.K. audio via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ELC 🎧

The love we found is a book about a woman who has three children. Two are her (now ex) husbands and the third was from a fling outside of her marriage. The man died before their son was born and her husband agreed to raise him as his own. Now its coming up to the anniversary of his death and she decides its time to tell her son the truth. This is an ok sort of easygoing read but it isn't overly gripping. I enjoyed it enough but wouldn't rush to recommend. I did enjoy the narration of the audiobook though and thought she was a great narrator.