The Love That Split The World by Emily Henry

Title: The Love That Split The World
Author: Emily Henry
Page Count:
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary with sci-fi elements?
Rating: 4 glorious stars <3
Source: The Library <3
Links: Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble The Book Depository
Synopsis: Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves.

Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start... until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right.

That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Emily Henry’s stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we’ve left untaken

Review:

"You never owe another person something, no matter how nice they are to you. Relationships aren't transactions"

So, before I begin writing the actual review... I'm just going to say that this book was something I didn't really think I would ever read. I mean... it wasn't on my radar months ahead of time. I had heard some mixed early reviews of the novel and so I wasn't that excited about it. But I have consistently heard things about this book, whether they be good or bad, but still constantly.

And I, being of curious mind, decided to request it from the library and see what all of this fuss is (or isn't) about...

well, turns out I am part of the IS in this fuss.

ALSO: COVER LUST. HOLY MOLYYYYY. BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Okay, so this book follows Natalie, an adopted girl whose mother gave her up for reasons that are theorized upon but not really explained thoroughly (at least, I don't remember it being said directly) And well, Natalie has been seeing this apparition that she calls Grandmother since she was young. She would appear to her and tell her beautiful stories that seemed completely meaningless at the time.

The first thing I noticed about this book is that it was going to be a slow, slow burn. But that honestly didn't detract (that much) from my enjoyment of the book. There is just something completely enamoring about Henry's writing style and voice. It's very powerful, even when it's in a subtle way. Each sentence was cleverly crafted and tied nicely into everything else.

Almost everything felt essential to the story. There were a few moments were I found the pacing even slower than I would have liked. It happened towards the middle of the story when Grandmother's stories weren't being incorporated.

When I read the acknowledgments and learned that all of these stories were inspired by real First Nation stories, I was overjoyed. I felt like the stories were intriguing and gave me a good grasp on the cultures that the First Nation tribes have. I haven't heard anybody comment on the accuracy but I believe them to be accurate based on her resources! Props to Henry for everything she put into this novel.

Natalie's life is one incredibly difficult to explain because her reality begins to bleed into anothers. And holy crap is it one of the most fascinating premises I have read to date. Like, seriously. The premise alone deserves a billion stars.

I loved the romance in this book and didn't find it to be overbearing.

I also loved every intricate entrance of sci-fi elements and the EDMR (I feel like that's not what it was called but it's been a week since I read this, on purpose so I don't spoil everything.)

Something that bothered me was the addition of a character mentioning she's gay... what was the point of that? It didn't add anything to the story. I felt it was unnecessary and felt out of place for the novel itself. Although it is something that can be easily overlooked it didn't feel necessary.

I will say that I detracted a star for slow pacing, a few cliché moments, and a couple boring scenes, but overall I thought this book was well written, unique, and interesting as all hell. I will definitely be picking up A Million Junes when it releases!

I think the highlight of this book was Grandmother's stories. They really tied everything in the main storyline together. OH also, I loved her friendship in Megan. She was such a real character and I truly appreciate her.

I definitely recommend this to those who love a slow burn, sweet romances, interesting premises, with a lot of scary "What ifs?" involved. This story is for you. Although I really think anybody could enjoy this if they are in the mood for it! :)