Book Review and Giveaway: More Than Words

By Melissa Amster

Nina has always known who she's supposed to be. But is that who she truly is?

Nina Gregory has always been a good daughter. Raised by her father, owner of New York City's glamorous Gregory Hotels, Nina was taught that family, reputation, and legacy are what matter most. And Tim--her devoted boyfriend and best friend since childhood--feels the same. But when Nina's father dies, he leaves behind a secret that shocks Nina to her core.

As her world falls apart, Nina begins to see the men in her life--her father, her boyfriend, and unexpectedly, her boss, Rafael--in a new light. Soon Nina finds herself caught between the world she loves, and a passion that could upend everything.

More Than Words is a heartbreaking and romantic novel about grief, loss, love, and self-discovery, and how we choose which life we are meant to live. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

Last year, The Light We Lost grabbed me and didn't let go. So when I heard that More Than Words was being published, I was eager to read it as soon as possible. Jill Santopolo did not disappoint and I liked this novel even more than her debut!

At first I wasn't sure that I'd be able to relate to Nina, as our lives are so different. We're also ten years apart in age. However, Nina was extremely relatable and I could even understand and sympathize with what she was experiencing. Her voice kept me going throughout the story, and I did not want to put it down even when I had to get back to real life. I loved the picture Jill painted of New York City in this novel and could easily visualize all the places that were mentioned, even if I had never personally seen them. The descriptions of people also made them come to life in front of me. The conversations were genuine throughout and I could practically hear the characters talking as if I were listening to an audio book instead of reading it on my Kindle. Nina is put into some interesting predicaments and I liked seeing how she tried to handle each one. The sexual tension between Nina and Rafael is so hot that it was hard for me not to ship them.

Based on both her debut and current novel, Jill has been writing on some topics that are clichés in women's fiction. However, she writes beautifully and puts a new spin on them. I would love to see her find something new and original to write about for her third novel (because I don't want her to stop writing, ever). I also would have preferred Nina to not be so wealthy because it made her struggles seem more like first world problems. It would have been nice if there were some closure between Nina and one of the other characters, but maybe we can revisit that in a sequel down the road?

Overall, I really enjoyed More Than Words and I hope readers will check out this gem of a novel.

Dream movie cast:
Nina: Anna Kendrick
Tim: Nick Gehlfuss
Leslie: Cobie Smulders
Rafael: Rodrigo Santoro
Jane: Phoebe Neidhardt
Joseph: John Wesley Shipp
Caro: Sharon Lawrence
TJ: Peter Gallagher

Thanks to Putnam for the book in exchange for an honest review. They have one copy to give away!

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Giveaway ends February 11th at midnight EST.