Love and Other Foreign
Words by Erin McCahan
Published: May 1, 2014
Publisher: Dial Books
Format: via BookSparks PR
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis
Can anyone be
truly herself--or truly in love--in a language that's not her own?
Sixteen-year-old
Josie lives her life in translation. She speaks High School, College, Friends,
Boyfriends, Break-ups, and even the language of Beautiful Girls. But none of
these is her native tongue--the only people who speak that are her best friend
Stu and her sister Kate. So when Kate gets engaged to an epically insufferable
guy, how can Josie see it as anything but the mistake of a lifetime? Kate is
determined to bend Josie to her will for the wedding; Josie is determined to
break Kate and her fiancé up. As battles are waged over secrets and semantics,
Josie is forced to examine her feelings for the boyfriend who says he loves
her, the sister she loves but doesn't always like, and the best friend who
hasn't said a word--at least not in a language Josie understands.
My Thoughts
What can I say? I fell in
love with this book and Josie from the start. I’ve been in a reading funk as of
late and this pulled me out in the nick of time. This is the freshest new book I’ve
read in a LONG time. The story focuses on Josie who is a very independent and opinionated
young girl who is too smart for her own good. She is all but a genius when it
comes to books and school but has no clue when it comes to the real world, especially things like feelings and love. She loves her family friends and
especially her sisters. She is determined to ruin her sister’s upcoming wedding
since she thinks the guy isn’t the right fit for her. She doesn’t understand
how her sister could fall in love with someone whom she sees as a know it all.
Josie doesn’t get how love isn’t a science, that sometimes we just simply fall
for someone just because. Love isn’t something you can learn it just is. Josie soon
understands this whole “love” thing when she falls for some. However little
does she know that the “real” thing is closer to her than she realizes.
I loved the interaction between
Josie and her family. They are a very tight knit family who are always there
for one another. I simply loved and adored Josie from the get go. She is
quirky,funny and sassy…she is my kinda girl. She overthinks every situation yet
she is so enduring you can’t help but to fall in love with her. While her
actions might seem a bit drastic her intentions are only for the best. The way
her relationship with her sister is written and how they play off each other
makes perfect sense in how the story ends. Her sisters reasoning in how she
feels about her sister and fiancé is so heartwarming and touching it made me a
little teary eyed.
Her relationship with her
best friend and neighbor Stu is also a bright spot in the book. Their one
liners and back and worth shots towards one another is classic. They never hold
back and tell each other [almost] everything. I like the whole guy/girl
friendship they are cleaver and make the perfect pair. I will admit from the
very start I was rooting for these two to get together. I just felt their
connection right off, it’s undeniable.
Love and Other Foreign
Words is a book that is simply amazing! It’s one everyone should read and I guarantee
you will fall in love with Josie her quirkiness and all. She is one the
freshest characters written in a while and Erin McCahan is to thank for that. She
wrote a funny, touching and wonderful read that will pull you in and won’t let
you go until the very end.
What are you waiting for? Go
on and get it NOW!
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