Welcome back, book besties! In this episode, we're diving into the Christina Lauren novel that completely gutted us—in the best way possible. Love and Other Words might have been published back in 2018, but thanks to BookTok and divine timing, this story found us exactly when we needed it. We unpack the swoony nostalgia of first love, the gut-punch plot twist that left us emotionally unwell, and how this book inspired Megan to rethink her own novel's ending. Plus, we share all the tea from attending Christina Lauren's book tour on opposite coasts (and yes, Megan gushed like an idiot meeting them). If you love second-chance romance, emotional damage, and bookish merch hauls… you're in the right place.

✨ Key Takeaways:

• Love and Other Words delivers that rare combo of devastating plot twist and wholesome nostalgia.
  
  

• We share how seeing Christina Lauren in person left us inspired (and low-key feral for more author events).
  
  

• Megan's own writing process is forever changed after reading this—and she spills what she's reworking in her book.

If you've read Love and Other Words, we NEED to hear your thoughts—DM us, comment, yell into the void, we'll find it. And don't forget to subscribe, leave a rating, and join us next time for our Emily Henry episode.

Until next time, happy reading! 📚

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Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome Back to All Too Well

00:38 Diving into Our Reading Era

01:10 Weekend Reading Marathon

01:50 Contemporary Romance vs. Fantasy

04:06 New Dog in the Family

05:30 Book Character Names for Pets

08:15 Book Merch and T-Shirts

16:57 Love, In Other Words: Initial Thoughts

27:15 Reflecting on High School Relationships

27:40 The Impact of a Memorable Book

28:15 Analyzing Romance in Literature

31:22 A Heart-Wrenching Plot Twist

35:32 The Emotional Climax

41:37 Author Insights and Writing Process

50:26 The Power of Romance Genre

59:52 Concluding Thoughts and Future Reads