Author: Jill Santopolo

Publication Date: March 9, 2020

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Book Description

The Light We Lost mixes with a touch of Daisy Jones and the Six in this novel of first love, passion, and the power of choice—and how we cannot escape the people we are meant to be.

Two loves. Two choices. One chance to follow her dreams.

Emily has come a long way since she lost her two passions fifteen years ago: music, and Rob. She’s a psychologist at NYU who helps troubled college students like the one she once was. Together with her caring doctor husband, Ezra, she has a beautiful life. They’re happy. They hope to start a family. But when a tragic event in Emily’s present too closely echoes her past, and parts of her story that she’d hoped never to share come to light, her perfect life is suddenly upturned. Then Emily hears a song on the radio about the woman who got away. The melody and voice are hauntingly familiar. Could it be? As Emily’s past passions come roaring back into her life, she’ll find herself asking: Who is she meant to be? Who is she meant to love?

Book Review

Everything After by Jill Santopolo is a complex and emotional love story. I became an instant fan of Santopolo after reading The Light We Lost and Everything After has everything I expect in her novels. The story is emotional and realistic. Emily is suddenly reminded of the past she left behind and wondering if she made the right decision. Emily starts to wonder if leaving music behind was a mistake and reconnects with her ex. Everything After is a story with a love triangle but there is so much more to the book than that. Everything After is about a woman figuring out what she wants to do with her life. Part of the story is told in journal entries from Emily. Infertility is a theme throughout the book, so I would keep that in mind if that is something that you don’t want to read about. It is hard to talk about without giving too much away but I highly recommend Everything After to fans of emotional romance.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jill Santopolo and I loved the narration. I’ve read all of her books but this was my first one I listened to and I am so glad I did. Jill does a great job portraying the character’s emotions and even sings in part of the book.

Thank you Putnam books, Penguin Random House Audio, and Edelweiss for Everything After.

About the Author

Jill Santopolo is the internationally best-selling author of the upcoming Everything AfterMore Than Words and theThe Light We Lost, which was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick and has been optioned for film. Her books have been translated into more than 35 languages, and have been named to the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Apple, and Indie Bound bestseller lists. She is also the author of the Alec Flint Mysteries, the Sparkle Spa series, and the Follow Your Heart books. Jill holds a BA in English Literature from Columbia University, an MFA in Writing for Children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a certificate in Intellectual Property Law from NYU. She is the associate publisher of Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, where she edits many critically-acclaimed, award-winning, and best-selling books including She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, Girling Up by Mayim Bialik, Calling All Minds by Temple Grandin,  Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Rafael Lopez, and Superheroes Are Everywhere by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and Mechal Roe. Jill has worked as a thesis advisor at The New School in their MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults and was on the faculty of the Columbia Publishing Course. She was also an adjunct professor at McDaniel College, where she helped develop the curriculum for their certificate program in Writing for Children. Jill has traveled all over the U.S.—and to Canada and Europe—to speak about writing and storytelling. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and daughter.

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