Love and Other Words (2018) is a novel by writing duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, who publish under the pen name Christina Lauren. The novel tells the story of Macy and Elliot, who meet in their early teens as neighbors in a small San Francisco Bay Area town. Macy has just lost her mother to cancer, and Elliot comes from a large family in which he is the youngest boy. The two characters fall in love, have a falling out, and reconnect 11 years later. The story is divided into present-day chapters (“now”) and flashback chapters (“then”).

Love and Other Words is an example of contemporary romance. The main characters are concerned primarily with their relationship, and the book emphasizes romantic attraction and includes explicit sex scenes. Beyond romance, the book explores the theme of The Isolating Effect of Grief. The title comes from the fact that Macy and Elliot share a love of literature and language and frequently ask each other what their favorite word is.

This study guide references the 2018 ebook edition published by Piatkus.

Content Warning: The book includes explicit sex scenes, brief discussions of drug addiction, and a reference to sexual assault.

Plot Summary

Love and Other Words is divided into a prologue and 46 chapters alternating between “then” and “now.” The chapters labeled “then” tell the story of a young teen, Macy Sorenson, who lost her mother to cancer when she was 10. She and her father live in Berkeley, California, but her father buys a weekend house up the coast in Healdsburg, where Macy befriends her neighbor Elliot. They bond over a mutual love of reading and tell one another their favorite new words. Macy holds back some of her feelings, especially about the death of her mother, but Elliot helps her open up by giving her a copy of Bridge to Terabithia. They eventually develop romantic feelings for one another. Macy is reluctant to commit to a relationship because she is afraid of ruining their friendship, and she realizes they don’t really know one another. Macy eventually agrees to be Elliot’s girlfriend, and one afternoon, while her father is away, they have sex for the first time.

In the present day, Macy is a young doctor who works in pediatrics, and Elliot works for a literacy nonprofit. They both work in the city but have not seen one another in 11 years. Macy is engaged, and Elliot has a girlfriend. The “now” timeline begins when Macy runs into Elliot at a coffee shop. She reveals that something 11 years ago caused them to have a falling out, but she doesn’t say what it was. Macy tells Elliot that she is engaged and their relationship from the past is over, but then she changes her mind. She invites him to dinner and then to meet up with her friends and fiancé at a park. Eventually, Macy realizes she is still in love with Elliot. She breaks up with her fiancé, Sean, and then goes with Elliot to his brother’s wedding, where things finally come to a head.

The book’s last chapters reveal what happened 11 years ago. On New Year’s Eve, a drunk Elliot calls Macy and asks her to marry him. Macy isn’t ready to have the conversation over the phone, so Elliot hangs up disappointed. Macy drives to the house party where Elliot has been drinking with his friends and finds him passed out naked with his friend Emma on his chest. The next day, Macy is in a car with her father. He is so preoccupied with comforting her that he doesn’t see a car coming their way, and he is killed in the collision. Macy shuts down and refuses to return Elliot’s calls. She goes to college and has several unsatisfying relationships. Elliot cannot touch another woman for years and continues to love Macy.

Back in the “now” timeline, Macy finally reveals all this to Elliot, who understands why she wouldn’t return his calls. He explains that the night of the party 11 years ago, he was so drunk he thought that he was making out with Macy. He had not heard about Macy’s dad dying. They make amends, and Macy finally cries out all the grief she’s been holding. In the final chapter, Elliot proposes they move in together. He asks Macy her favorite word, and she says, “You.”