As seen on my blog: 
 Words in Deep Blue was essentially a book about a bookstore owned by people who love books. Seriously. Do you need more reason than that to pick up this novel? I'll just end the review here. Ok, thanks for stopping by. 
 No, but honestly though, this narrative might as well have been birthed in my own brain. I feel like I've had dreams of being these exact characters, standing in those exact aisles of a bookshop, reading the exact same books and feeling the 
 exact 
 same feelings. It was the added theme of grief and the authenticity of the personalities that stopped it from being another typical "young adult love story". It was the obvious and genuine care put into making sure each sentence had an impact, that each moment held meaning. 
 Rachel has come back to her childhood hometown, with a heart that's wracked with pain after the loss of a brother, and filled with resentment for a boy who didn't love her back. Henry is the boy. Whose own heart is severely attached to a girl who would rather be without him, and who hasn't the slightest clue why his best friend Rachel skipped town without a goodbye. 
 It's the anticipation of these two storylines colliding that make 
 Words in Deep Blue 
 a read that you literally cannot stop reading. Cath Crowley created the most unique details, including a section in Henry's family-owned bookshop called the "Letter Library", where strangers can leave notes for each other within the pages of a selected book. The books are not for purchase, and they cannot be moved. It was the most romantic notion and the aspect that played a huge role in my tearful breakdown towards the end of the novel. 
 If you're into narratives that feature characters who you would befriend in real life, issues that almost mirror your own, and scenes that will leave you a sobbing mess, then this book should 100% be on your to-read list. 
 Read if you liked: 
 The Dress Shop of Dreams 
 by Menna van Praag, 
 The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry 
 by Gabrielle Zevin, or 
 The Fault in Our Stars 
 by John Green. 
 Key themes: 
 loss, grief, family, friendship, and love