{Leah Reviews} Words In Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Years ago, Rachel had a crush on Henry Jones. The day before she moved away, she tucked a love letter into his favorite book in his family’s bookshop. She waited. But Henry never came.
Now Rachel has returned to the city—and to the bookshop—to work alongside the boy she’d rather not see, if at all possible, for the rest of her life. But Rachel needs the distraction. Her brother drowned months ago, and she can’t feel anything anymore.
As Henry and Rachel work side by side—surrounded by books, watching love stories unfold, exchanging letters between the pages—they find hope in each other. Because life may be uncontrollable, even unbearable sometimes. But it’s possible that words, and love, and second chances are enough.

Words In Deep Blue caught my attention months ago when I saw it on Goodreads. Originally published in Australia, it’s the story of a boy, a girl, and a bookshop. I knew I had to read this just from that alone; what I got from it was more than I expected.

Having finished reading Letters to the Lost, another book that focuses on relationships budding through letters, I was floating with love when I started Words In Deep Blue. This book reads like a beautifully written poem that gets straight to its points. Author Cath Crowley uses just enough words to give you a look at all of the characters and places.

My heart went out to Rachel. She’s grieving her brother and is content to sink into quiet existence. But she’s forced to move back to the city, which means the possibility of Henry. A Big Misunderstanding ended their friendship, so she’s not thrilled by this change. Henry, meanwhile, is going through several big changes, including her girlfriend breaking up with him. Henry’s absurd quest to get his ex-girlfriend back made me smile.

My favorite character, however, was Henry’s sister, George. She’s a fierce force of nature, with a shoot-first-ask-questions-later mentality, but there is so much more beneath the surface that pulled at my heart. She’s loyal to Henry. She’s falling in love for the first time but is afraid of her feelings. I wanted to give her a hug, but she’d probably scowl the whole time. I’m silently hoping that Cath Crowley will write a spinoff for George.

The real stars of the novel, however, are the books. In Henry’s parents’ secondhand bookshop is a section called the Letter Library, where fellow bibliophiles can bond over their love of words. Seeing the way the books connected so many people, whether anonymously or with a person in mind, was moving. I loved this so much and hope that someone who owns a bookstore will read Words In Deep Blue and be inspired to do it. I’d be there participating in a heartbeat.

My only criticism is that Henry and Rachel sounded the same and I would get confused as to who was narrating. But this book…this is a moving YA contemporary. It deserves a wide audience for its love of words and how they bring people together.

Be sure to check out the virtual Letter Library to promote the book, which can be found here.

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Leah

Co-Blogger at Quite the Novel Idea

Leah has always been a bibliophile. An avid fantasy fan, she has spent many hours imagining magical worlds and wondering what it would be like to wield a sword. When she's not dreaming up her own standalone fantasy stories, she enjoys watching movies, traveling, and eating chocolate. She lives in California.

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