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The Look of Love
Born during a Christmas blizzard, Jane Williams receives a rare gift: the ability to see true love. Jane has emerged from an ailing childhood a lonely, hopeless romantic when, on her twenty-ninth birthday, a mysterious greeting card arrives, specifying that Jane must identify the six types of love before the full moon following her thirtieth birthday, or face grave consequences. When Jane falls for a science writer who doesn’t believe in love, she fears that her fate is sealed. Inspired by the classic song, The Look of Love is utterly enchanting.
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
About the author
Sarah Jio
31 books4,567 followersSarah Jio is the New York Times bestselling author of WITH LOVE FROM LONDON, coming from Random House (Ballantine) 2/22, as well as seven other novels from Random House and Penguin Books, including, ALWAYS, ALL THE FLOWERS IN PARIS, THE VIOLETS OF MARCH, THE BUNGALOW, BLACKBERRY WINTER, THE LAST CAMELLIA, MORNING GLORY, GOODNIGHT JUNE, and THE LOOK OF LOVE. Sarah is a journalist who has contributed to The New York Times, Glamour, O, The Oprah Magazine, Glamour, SELF, Real Simple, Fitness, Marie Claire, and many others. She has appeared as a commentator on NPR’s Morning Edition. Her novels are translated into more than 25 languages. Sarah lives in Seattle with her husband, three boys, three step-children and two puppies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,028 reviews
February 23, 2015
I thought this book was terrible, and it baffles me how so many people love it.
It reads like it was written by Hipster Seattle Florist Barbie. Everyone has a perfect life. If someone they love died or left them, another person walks in almost immediately to fill the void. In the few cases where that doesn't happen oh-so-conveniently, don't worry because it was only a Lesson to teach them how to Grow as People and they're better off now anyway. Also don't worry because all the widowers and divorcees in this book have perfect houses and perfect jobs and perfect children and perfect families and friends. In other words, no one is really imperiled like ever. In other other words, it's dead boring.
Some of the careers the people in this book have: florist, salon owner, bakery owner, gallery owner, successful journalist, carpenter. All that's missing is the wedding planner who can't find love herself and the architect who never does any actual work. It's like every single person walked out of a Nora Ephron movie. But, her movies are almost all 100x better than this book. One of these people lives in her grandparents' inherited mini-mansion with heirloom cherry trees in the backyard. One of them lives in a perfect house that her fiancee bought for her as a surprise. Because that's totally how you buy a house. One of them lives in a houseboat. I'm serious. No one worries about money ever. No one worries about illness or death or even life's everyday annoyances. Surgeries, for instance, are optional ideas that a doctor might suggest and the patient can just kind of think about indefinitely. Death and sadness exist merely so that the characters have an excuse to stare off into the distance once in a while with a far-away look on their sexy faces.
Almost without exception, the characters in the book are insufferable. The only stories I even slightly enjoyed were Mel's, Mary's, and a teensy bit Lo's. Everyone else can go to hell. Our main character, Jane, is blessed with this gift to "see" love. She's more than happy to interfere in the lives of conveniently placed, advice-needing strangers, but, and I can not stress this enough, absolutely horrible when it comes to her friends. Which makes her a horrible friend. She just kind of floats through life in a very boring way, watching her friends struggle with things she's perfectly positioned to help them with and not helping, and you have to suffer through reading about it.
Her friend Elaine pissed me off the most. Her husband is an adorable, loving, and successful man and she has two beautiful children. But of course she hates her life because, even though she married her husband and therefore obviously at some point loved him, she wants Adventure and Freedom, not boring-old Loyalty and Kindness!
See, her husband is horrible because they got married in a picturesque ceremony on Christmas Eve, and then when she completely forgets their anniversary as the book starts he doesn't even mind, and gets her a totally thoughtful and adorable present, and she cries because it's not the charm bracelet she loved and lost when she was 12. I'm not kidding. Even though she forgot to get him ANYTHING, she expects an impossible present and literally feels disappointed when he doesn't deliver. And we're supposed to feel sorry for HER.
Then this convenient widower moves in next door and, wow! Both of our grandmothers were from Sicily! You like hot air balloons? So do I! You're slightly less boring and a touch more romantic than my own husband? OK, this is love, this is total love and not bored housewife infatuation AT ALL. Sigh.
Almost all of the characters in the book are likewise annoying as hell. Even when they aren't, the writing is so bad it hardly makes a difference. You just imagine the better book that could have been when you're reading cringey "of the moment" phrases like "they looked like they stepped out of a Pinterest page. She's tall and stunningly beautiful, wearing a striped knit dress and a stylish denim jacket. I admire her wedge heels." Like what is this, Nancy Drew? The TV shows Scandal and True Blood also get referenced. It's all just so achingly superficial.
Most of the book is dialogue. For some reason this made me tired. Everyone speaks in cliches and platitudes and all anyone talks about ever is love, love, love. The conversations are all stilted, unnatural sounding messes. Example: "Tulips are the only flowers that continue to grow, up to an inch, or more, after they're cut. Have you ever watched them? They reach toward the sun, seeking it, reveling in it. They are strong, even as they fade. Their petals take on a wrinkled grace and fall like brave teardrops." Jane says this to one of her friends, Lo, to compare her to a tulip. Lo does not respond with "'wrinkled grace'? Are you saying I look old? And what the fuck is a 'brave teardrop'?" No, instead she says "Thanks Jane, I needed to hear that today." Because of course she does.
For a book that talks so much about love, it really does not understand what love is or how it happens. If two people like the same food in this book, that's an indication of love. If a guy doesn't understand what flowers are great and what flowers are cheap, obviously not love. The book is so full of meet cutes and so grossly predictable it made my teeth hurt. Literally it's like these people say "what could possibly go wrong?" and then something goes wrong. In fact they pretty much foreshadow every single plot point to you with their incessant dialogue.
The book is so badly written that in one late chapter, we see a conversation between Jane and Mel from Jane's point of view and then later, the same conversation from Mel's. Except it's not the same conversation. The dialogue is completely different. From a better author, I would chalk this up to some witty exploration of unreliable narrators. But this isn't a better author. I was shocked that something like this could get through the editing process. Since it happens so late in the book, I believe this must be because the editor had long ago given up on salvaging anything out of this drivel.
Also, and this is a SPOILER, when someone gets in a horrible accident, goes into a coma, and becomes paralyzed. They cannot keep that a secret from their spouse. Especially when their spouse has called the police and filed a missing person report, and has been frantically dialing this person's number for days. And especially when hospitals search out emergency contacts and next of kin in situations like this. So there's that.
I wish I had just watched Grey's Anatomy.
It reads like it was written by Hipster Seattle Florist Barbie. Everyone has a perfect life. If someone they love died or left them, another person walks in almost immediately to fill the void. In the few cases where that doesn't happen oh-so-conveniently, don't worry because it was only a Lesson to teach them how to Grow as People and they're better off now anyway. Also don't worry because all the widowers and divorcees in this book have perfect houses and perfect jobs and perfect children and perfect families and friends. In other words, no one is really imperiled like ever. In other other words, it's dead boring.
Some of the careers the people in this book have: florist, salon owner, bakery owner, gallery owner, successful journalist, carpenter. All that's missing is the wedding planner who can't find love herself and the architect who never does any actual work. It's like every single person walked out of a Nora Ephron movie. But, her movies are almost all 100x better than this book. One of these people lives in her grandparents' inherited mini-mansion with heirloom cherry trees in the backyard. One of them lives in a perfect house that her fiancee bought for her as a surprise. Because that's totally how you buy a house. One of them lives in a houseboat. I'm serious. No one worries about money ever. No one worries about illness or death or even life's everyday annoyances. Surgeries, for instance, are optional ideas that a doctor might suggest and the patient can just kind of think about indefinitely. Death and sadness exist merely so that the characters have an excuse to stare off into the distance once in a while with a far-away look on their sexy faces.
Almost without exception, the characters in the book are insufferable. The only stories I even slightly enjoyed were Mel's, Mary's, and a teensy bit Lo's. Everyone else can go to hell. Our main character, Jane, is blessed with this gift to "see" love. She's more than happy to interfere in the lives of conveniently placed, advice-needing strangers, but, and I can not stress this enough, absolutely horrible when it comes to her friends. Which makes her a horrible friend. She just kind of floats through life in a very boring way, watching her friends struggle with things she's perfectly positioned to help them with and not helping, and you have to suffer through reading about it.
Her friend Elaine pissed me off the most. Her husband is an adorable, loving, and successful man and she has two beautiful children. But of course she hates her life because, even though she married her husband and therefore obviously at some point loved him, she wants Adventure and Freedom, not boring-old Loyalty and Kindness!
See, her husband is horrible because they got married in a picturesque ceremony on Christmas Eve, and then when she completely forgets their anniversary as the book starts he doesn't even mind, and gets her a totally thoughtful and adorable present, and she cries because it's not the charm bracelet she loved and lost when she was 12. I'm not kidding. Even though she forgot to get him ANYTHING, she expects an impossible present and literally feels disappointed when he doesn't deliver. And we're supposed to feel sorry for HER.
Then this convenient widower moves in next door and, wow! Both of our grandmothers were from Sicily! You like hot air balloons? So do I! You're slightly less boring and a touch more romantic than my own husband? OK, this is love, this is total love and not bored housewife infatuation AT ALL. Sigh.
Almost all of the characters in the book are likewise annoying as hell. Even when they aren't, the writing is so bad it hardly makes a difference. You just imagine the better book that could have been when you're reading cringey "of the moment" phrases like "they looked like they stepped out of a Pinterest page. She's tall and stunningly beautiful, wearing a striped knit dress and a stylish denim jacket. I admire her wedge heels." Like what is this, Nancy Drew? The TV shows Scandal and True Blood also get referenced. It's all just so achingly superficial.
Most of the book is dialogue. For some reason this made me tired. Everyone speaks in cliches and platitudes and all anyone talks about ever is love, love, love. The conversations are all stilted, unnatural sounding messes. Example: "Tulips are the only flowers that continue to grow, up to an inch, or more, after they're cut. Have you ever watched them? They reach toward the sun, seeking it, reveling in it. They are strong, even as they fade. Their petals take on a wrinkled grace and fall like brave teardrops." Jane says this to one of her friends, Lo, to compare her to a tulip. Lo does not respond with "'wrinkled grace'? Are you saying I look old? And what the fuck is a 'brave teardrop'?" No, instead she says "Thanks Jane, I needed to hear that today." Because of course she does.
For a book that talks so much about love, it really does not understand what love is or how it happens. If two people like the same food in this book, that's an indication of love. If a guy doesn't understand what flowers are great and what flowers are cheap, obviously not love. The book is so full of meet cutes and so grossly predictable it made my teeth hurt. Literally it's like these people say "what could possibly go wrong?" and then something goes wrong. In fact they pretty much foreshadow every single plot point to you with their incessant dialogue.
The book is so badly written that in one late chapter, we see a conversation between Jane and Mel from Jane's point of view and then later, the same conversation from Mel's. Except it's not the same conversation. The dialogue is completely different. From a better author, I would chalk this up to some witty exploration of unreliable narrators. But this isn't a better author. I was shocked that something like this could get through the editing process. Since it happens so late in the book, I believe this must be because the editor had long ago given up on salvaging anything out of this drivel.
Also, and this is a SPOILER, when someone gets in a horrible accident, goes into a coma, and becomes paralyzed. They cannot keep that a secret from their spouse. Especially when their spouse has called the police and filed a missing person report, and has been frantically dialing this person's number for days. And especially when hospitals search out emergency contacts and next of kin in situations like this. So there's that.
I wish I had just watched Grey's Anatomy.
March 6, 2024
This book should have been titled “Love sucks, except for a few people, why bother?”
I don’t know how to feel about this book. It is fiction, yet it struck a chord of unfairness for me. It has people cheating on partners, excusing it away without consideration for the impacts of their actions, and calling it “Love”.
If you have ever cheated on a spouse/partner and looking for a reprieve from your guilt, this book is not short on rationale/excuses, sugar-coated and named Love. But, if you are on the receiving end of a cheater’s whip, it is a s#!+ load of Baloney. But, it is fiction, and we can always let our imaginations run wild, right?
It was still an entertaining read despite my conflicting feelings. Three stars.
I don’t know how to feel about this book. It is fiction, yet it struck a chord of unfairness for me. It has people cheating on partners, excusing it away without consideration for the impacts of their actions, and calling it “Love”.
If you have ever cheated on a spouse/partner and looking for a reprieve from your guilt, this book is not short on rationale/excuses, sugar-coated and named Love. But, if you are on the receiving end of a cheater’s whip, it is a s#!+ load of Baloney. But, it is fiction, and we can always let our imaginations run wild, right?
It was still an entertaining read despite my conflicting feelings. Three stars.
March 17, 2017
The Look of Love is a standalone, women's fiction novel written by author Sarah Jio. Let me first say that I was in a great book-reading mood when I started this one! The cover art reminded me of the amazing Audrey Hepburn who instantly puts me in a good mood without fail, and the first ten percent or so is set during Christmas-time and I was already feeling incredibly festive. But regardless of these factors, who can't find happiness while reading a book about love??? And it's not your run-of-the-mill contemporary romance. The “love” in reference is in fact an exploration of the six types of love: Ludus (a game-playing or uncommitted love), Eros (a romantic, passionate love), Storge (a slow developing, friendship-based love), Mania (an obsessive or possessive love), Agape (a gentle, caring, giving type of love), and Pragma (a pragmatic, practical, mutually beneficial love). I appreciated that various types of relationships were incorporated in this story. For someone who reads A LOT of contemporary romance, this book truly was a breath of fresh air. I ended up giving it 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5 on goodreads.
The Look of Love offers a magical realism element that made this book intriguing and allowed multiple secondary storylines to take center stage throughout the reading experience. But keep in mind, magical realism is a style that blends magical elements into a realistic atmosphere...so when this story begins to sound too strange to believe, it's written that way on purpose, so keep an open mind and just enjoy it! My only complaint (and the reason for 4.5 stars versus a full 5) was the main character: Jane's parts became painfully predictable once her love interest was introduced, and I wished her personal romance had been built up and developed a bit more. Regardless, I was completely absorbed while reading this book, and The Look of Love is now on my favorite's list. If you enjoy women's fiction combined with romance, and can appreciate a healthy dose of the fantastical, then check out this book...and get ready to fall head over heels!
My favorite quote:
“Don't be ashamed. Yes, this is not easy for you. Yes, it is unexpected. But I don't think any one of us should be ashamed of who we love. I think about Lo and Grant, and the power love has to be beautiful or destructive, leaving a path of rubble in it's wake. But even then, peel back the layers, disregard the circumstances, and love is love. Some of us just have the good fortune of finding it under less taxing circumstances.”
The Look of Love offers a magical realism element that made this book intriguing and allowed multiple secondary storylines to take center stage throughout the reading experience. But keep in mind, magical realism is a style that blends magical elements into a realistic atmosphere...so when this story begins to sound too strange to believe, it's written that way on purpose, so keep an open mind and just enjoy it! My only complaint (and the reason for 4.5 stars versus a full 5) was the main character: Jane's parts became painfully predictable once her love interest was introduced, and I wished her personal romance had been built up and developed a bit more. Regardless, I was completely absorbed while reading this book, and The Look of Love is now on my favorite's list. If you enjoy women's fiction combined with romance, and can appreciate a healthy dose of the fantastical, then check out this book...and get ready to fall head over heels!
My favorite quote:
“Don't be ashamed. Yes, this is not easy for you. Yes, it is unexpected. But I don't think any one of us should be ashamed of who we love. I think about Lo and Grant, and the power love has to be beautiful or destructive, leaving a path of rubble in it's wake. But even then, peel back the layers, disregard the circumstances, and love is love. Some of us just have the good fortune of finding it under less taxing circumstances.”
January 3, 2022
Şimdiye kadar Okuduğum en vasat Sarah Jio kitabı.
Benim favorim " yağmur sonrası"
Benim favorim " yağmur sonrası"
August 17, 2019
"The Look of Love" is a romance with magical elements set in Seattle. I enjoyed the scenes in the flower shop owned by the main character, but this light book was not written as well as most of Sarah Jio's earlier work. The story line ran through two Christmas seasons and often reminded me of a Hallmark movie.
December 3, 2014
What worked for me (being positive first):
The location. Loved the Seattle setting
Some of the character's story. Loved Mel's for example & wish he got more time.
The premise of a "gift" to see love
What didn't work for me:
Some of the examples of love were not love at all. For example, the ones who were married and finding "love" outside of their spouses. I wanted to scream at them don't you know he/she will eventually cheat on you too once the infatuation stage is gone? I was frustrated at Jane for not advising her friends better. She gave horrible advice at times.
I never really connected with Jane or Cam and didn't care for either. Even the "crisis" point did nothing for me. Some I liked but these were the main characters and they just did not work for me.
I get what the author was trying to do here but it was overall a cute premise that flopped and was neither cute, romantic, inspiring or even fun and it could have been all that!
The ending just left me feeling depressed and I hate when books leave me that way. I'm left thinking the world's way of love just doesn't work for me and I'm so glad to know true love.
This is love:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7The Message (MSG)
3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end
The location. Loved the Seattle setting
Some of the character's story. Loved Mel's for example & wish he got more time.
The premise of a "gift" to see love
What didn't work for me:
Some of the examples of love were not love at all. For example, the ones who were married and finding "love" outside of their spouses. I wanted to scream at them don't you know he/she will eventually cheat on you too once the infatuation stage is gone? I was frustrated at Jane for not advising her friends better. She gave horrible advice at times.
I never really connected with Jane or Cam and didn't care for either. Even the "crisis" point did nothing for me. Some I liked but these were the main characters and they just did not work for me.
I get what the author was trying to do here but it was overall a cute premise that flopped and was neither cute, romantic, inspiring or even fun and it could have been all that!
The ending just left me feeling depressed and I hate when books leave me that way. I'm left thinking the world's way of love just doesn't work for me and I'm so glad to know true love.
This is love:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7The Message (MSG)
3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end
November 7, 2014
I got my copy free from Penguin’s First To Read in exchange for an honest review so I feel compelled to write something other than “I’m disappointed by such a wasted opportunity for a great story.”
There’s so much potential in Look Of Love’s plot and characters that I’m pretty disappointed that it was all wasted on an overly dramatic and overwrought development. It’s like every single word was put in place to play with a reader’s heartstrings but we don’t get to see the entire story. Jumping from character to character with large amounts of time transpiring between page turns made me feel like I was getting glimpses of some really great stories but never the full story.
It’s really a shame, because I loved the characters and where Jio went with each individual story (what little there was of some of them) but I really didn’t like the way it develops.
I’m all for love and suffering towards a happy ending in my romance novels, but there is a limit to how sweet it can get. The author went for sweet and ended up in saccharine territory.
There’s so much potential in Look Of Love’s plot and characters that I’m pretty disappointed that it was all wasted on an overly dramatic and overwrought development. It’s like every single word was put in place to play with a reader’s heartstrings but we don’t get to see the entire story. Jumping from character to character with large amounts of time transpiring between page turns made me feel like I was getting glimpses of some really great stories but never the full story.
It’s really a shame, because I loved the characters and where Jio went with each individual story (what little there was of some of them) but I really didn’t like the way it develops.
I’m all for love and suffering towards a happy ending in my romance novels, but there is a limit to how sweet it can get. The author went for sweet and ended up in saccharine territory.
November 25, 2014
The Look of Love, by Sarah Jio, captivated me from the first page to the very end.
The story centers around Jane who was given a gift on the day she was born, "The gift of being able to see love...in all of its truth and beauty".
However, there was one stipulation that comes with this gift. She must identify the six types of love and describe them in detail in her journal, before her 30th birthday, or she will never experience love herself.
Set in romantic Seattle, this enchanting story observes a variety of love through the lives of Jane's family and friends. I became so involved in their stories that in the end I wanted more.
A heart-breaking, heart-warming, wonderful read!
Thank you Penguin "First To Read" for this advanced copy.
The story centers around Jane who was given a gift on the day she was born, "The gift of being able to see love...in all of its truth and beauty".
However, there was one stipulation that comes with this gift. She must identify the six types of love and describe them in detail in her journal, before her 30th birthday, or she will never experience love herself.
Set in romantic Seattle, this enchanting story observes a variety of love through the lives of Jane's family and friends. I became so involved in their stories that in the end I wanted more.
A heart-breaking, heart-warming, wonderful read!
Thank you Penguin "First To Read" for this advanced copy.
July 24, 2017
Worth reading.. simple and easy to digest..
February 8, 2017
A special thank you to Penguin Group Plume and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sarah Jio, the queen of historical fiction, brings a mix of warm Christmas cheer, a mysterious and special rare gift of love, handed down from the past, and a bit of magical contemporary romance for lovers of whimsical and chick lit with, THE LOOK OF LOVE Ah . .what is not to love with this stunning Parisian glamorous front cover charmer? Hats off to the designer. A story for all ages; old and young.
Jane is single, born on Christmas day, and inherited a flower shop in Seattle in Pike Place (love this area). She is pretty happy being single, has friends, her business, and her golden retriever, Sam (oh, do I love goldens. My much loved, Duke was the joy of my life for 15 yrs., in doggy heaven now). Appears Sarah, the author has a golden, as well.
As Jane is preparing for the upcoming holidays, and her twenty-ninth birthday, she receives a mysterious note with an address, to meet this person, a woman. She was given a gift at birth, and in order to find love, she must identify the six types of love before her thirtieth birthday and complete the task.
Totally enchanting, the story takes readers on a journey, into the homes and lives of Jane's friends and acquaintances; young and old, married, single, her parents, a stranger, and a woman who started this rare gift in Paris many years ago.
An inside view of couples in marriages where one may be wanting more, when everything is not as it appears, a woman seeking a man, when she needs to find fulfillment from herself, and older couple looking for love in their golden age after losing a loved one, a single bachelor, brother looking for love in all the wrong places, and a look into Jane’s own love life. Can she find love and learn to trust?
LOOKING FOR LOVE offers much depth into relationships, real love, infatuation, and old-fashioned romance, as well as self-discovery mixed with whimsical mystic. As always, Sarah Jio's writing is magical, with intriguing prose, drawing you into this beautiful and captivating story of love to warm hearts, offering some early Christmas holiday spirit!
JDCMustReadBooks
Sarah Jio, the queen of historical fiction, brings a mix of warm Christmas cheer, a mysterious and special rare gift of love, handed down from the past, and a bit of magical contemporary romance for lovers of whimsical and chick lit with, THE LOOK OF LOVE Ah . .what is not to love with this stunning Parisian glamorous front cover charmer? Hats off to the designer. A story for all ages; old and young.
Jane is single, born on Christmas day, and inherited a flower shop in Seattle in Pike Place (love this area). She is pretty happy being single, has friends, her business, and her golden retriever, Sam (oh, do I love goldens. My much loved, Duke was the joy of my life for 15 yrs., in doggy heaven now). Appears Sarah, the author has a golden, as well.
As Jane is preparing for the upcoming holidays, and her twenty-ninth birthday, she receives a mysterious note with an address, to meet this person, a woman. She was given a gift at birth, and in order to find love, she must identify the six types of love before her thirtieth birthday and complete the task.
Totally enchanting, the story takes readers on a journey, into the homes and lives of Jane's friends and acquaintances; young and old, married, single, her parents, a stranger, and a woman who started this rare gift in Paris many years ago.
An inside view of couples in marriages where one may be wanting more, when everything is not as it appears, a woman seeking a man, when she needs to find fulfillment from herself, and older couple looking for love in their golden age after losing a loved one, a single bachelor, brother looking for love in all the wrong places, and a look into Jane’s own love life. Can she find love and learn to trust?
LOOKING FOR LOVE offers much depth into relationships, real love, infatuation, and old-fashioned romance, as well as self-discovery mixed with whimsical mystic. As always, Sarah Jio's writing is magical, with intriguing prose, drawing you into this beautiful and captivating story of love to warm hearts, offering some early Christmas holiday spirit!
JDCMustReadBooks
December 16, 2016
I enjoyed this story looking at a variety of relationships and celebrating love in various guises. My favourite part was the epilogue. Rounded out so nicely.
February 12, 2015
What's happened to you Sarah Jio? Your first 3-4 books were so good! But since then, it's been a downward slide, and with this book, I think you've hit bottom.
I was happy to see that even though this book still had a magic/fantasy element to it, Ms. Jio finally deviated from her standard plot formula into something different. Unfortunately, she didn't do it well, and this book really is a hot mess.
From a plot with terrible pacing, to inconsistencies in characters and dialog, unrealistic coincidences, just plain stupid plot devices, and a love interest that was uninspiring, this book was just not good. It would take too long to describe all the things that bothered me about this book, so I'll just use one as an example.
Late in the book, the main character, Jane, has an interaction with Mel, one of the tertiary characters, that includes dialog. First, we see the interaction from Jane's first person point of view. 4-5 pages later, we see the exact same interaction from Mel's third-person point of view. Nothing wrong with that....except the dialog was completely different between the two scenes! Poor writing, poor editing...in any event, it was sloppy and amateurish. Really, I expect better from a New York Times bestselling author.
However, the thing that bothered me the most about this book was the idea that infidelity and adultery was okay because you can't control who you love. More than one character was cheating on his/her spouse, but it was OK because they were so much in love with the other person. Sorry, but I totally do not agree.
Unfortunately, I think this is the last Sarah Jio book I'll read. I've just been too disappointed in her last few books, and have come to realize that, sadly, she'll likely never get back to the author she was when she first started writing.
I was happy to see that even though this book still had a magic/fantasy element to it, Ms. Jio finally deviated from her standard plot formula into something different. Unfortunately, she didn't do it well, and this book really is a hot mess.
From a plot with terrible pacing, to inconsistencies in characters and dialog, unrealistic coincidences, just plain stupid plot devices, and a love interest that was uninspiring, this book was just not good. It would take too long to describe all the things that bothered me about this book, so I'll just use one as an example.
Late in the book, the main character, Jane, has an interaction with Mel, one of the tertiary characters, that includes dialog. First, we see the interaction from Jane's first person point of view. 4-5 pages later, we see the exact same interaction from Mel's third-person point of view. Nothing wrong with that....except the dialog was completely different between the two scenes! Poor writing, poor editing...in any event, it was sloppy and amateurish. Really, I expect better from a New York Times bestselling author.
However, the thing that bothered me the most about this book was the idea that infidelity and adultery was okay because you can't control who you love. More than one character was cheating on his/her spouse, but it was OK because they were so much in love with the other person. Sorry, but I totally do not agree.
Unfortunately, I think this is the last Sarah Jio book I'll read. I've just been too disappointed in her last few books, and have come to realize that, sadly, she'll likely never get back to the author she was when she first started writing.
January 2, 2015
I was fortunate to win a copy of "The Look of Love" by Sarah Jio, through the Goodreads Giveaway Contest, in exchange for an honest review. For someone who normally reads mystery thrillers, this was a welcome change. Sarah Jio's writing is magical, with intriguing prose, drawing you into this beautiful and captivating story of love, a special treat for the holidays.Sarah Jio brings us a magical novel, filled with love and tears.
The story opens in Paris in 1893 with a flower seller named Elodie, a woman with a gift for love. And, it's that gift that will change the lives of a long line of other green-eyed women. For her Christmas birthday, florist Jane Williams, single, living in an apartment in Seattle with her golden retriever, "Sam", receives a letter, that will change her life! This letter tells her she has a gift, but one that could turn into a curse! "The gift of being able to see love...in all of its truth and beauty." The recipient must identify the six types of love, and write the accounts of them, before her thirtieth birthday, or she will never experience love herself.
Totally enchanting, the story takes readers on a journey, into the homes and lives of Jane's friends and acquaintances; young and old, married, single, her parents, a stranger, and a woman who started this rare gift in Paris many years ago.
Can she find love and learn to trust?
"The Look of Love" is a contemporary story of love, and loss, and the sacrifices in between. In this story, a small community of friends goes through a challenging year of romance while Jane Williams tries to observe with a critical eye, one blurred by the vision of love. The characters are appealing, and readers will want to know what happens to Jane and her friends. It's easy to fall into this book with its likable characters and variety of romantic scenarios. A very satisfying story to read...and a good start to the New Year!
The story opens in Paris in 1893 with a flower seller named Elodie, a woman with a gift for love. And, it's that gift that will change the lives of a long line of other green-eyed women. For her Christmas birthday, florist Jane Williams, single, living in an apartment in Seattle with her golden retriever, "Sam", receives a letter, that will change her life! This letter tells her she has a gift, but one that could turn into a curse! "The gift of being able to see love...in all of its truth and beauty." The recipient must identify the six types of love, and write the accounts of them, before her thirtieth birthday, or she will never experience love herself.
Totally enchanting, the story takes readers on a journey, into the homes and lives of Jane's friends and acquaintances; young and old, married, single, her parents, a stranger, and a woman who started this rare gift in Paris many years ago.
Can she find love and learn to trust?
"The Look of Love" is a contemporary story of love, and loss, and the sacrifices in between. In this story, a small community of friends goes through a challenging year of romance while Jane Williams tries to observe with a critical eye, one blurred by the vision of love. The characters are appealing, and readers will want to know what happens to Jane and her friends. It's easy to fall into this book with its likable characters and variety of romantic scenarios. A very satisfying story to read...and a good start to the New Year!
December 5, 2014
It's no secret how much I loved Goodnight June, Sarah Jio's last novel, and I couldn't wait for the release of The Look of Love. I was especially intrigued by how different the book sounded from anything I have ever read. I was in the mood for different, but what I didn't realize until I was completely enchanted by this book was how much I craved reading a love story, something truly heart-warming and emotion inducing. And not only do you get that with this new book by Jio, you get several love stories told by several perspectives, all connecting to Jane and her 'gift'.
Jane has been told that she has a special gift of seeing when people are in love. Her entire life, she's been skeptical of love because she watched her father break her mother's heart. It was during that moment she first experienced her gift, but has spent her life seeing a doctor for what she's always thought was a tumor in her brain causing the vision issues. Now nearing her 30th birthday, and never having found true love, she's approached by a woman claiming she has the same gift and that Jane needs to fulfill her obligations of finding all of the types of love before her birthday, or risk never finding love herself.
Of course, who wouldn't be skeptical of something so ridiculous. But as Jane thinks back to all of the times her vision has clouded over while looking at couples, she starts to believe in it's truth. Thus starting her year long quest to find all of the types of love.
As most would expect with a book such as this, it was quite predictable. But it's that comfortable predictability that I needed right now, and I fell head over heals in love with this story, and Jane. Jane, who's been jaded about love her whole life, who mourns the loss of her beloved mother almost daily while she continues the legacy of her family flower shop. And once she learns of her gift, finally starts to witness love in all of it's forms. Unconditional love, heart-breaking love, all-consuming love - just a few examples that Jane witnesses among her friends and loved ones. She even stumbles on the possibility of love for herself along the way.
So many passages in this book stuck with me, and I found myself highlighting on my Kindle quite often. Here are just a few of my favorites.
"It's hard to put into words. It's as much a feeling as it is the way your stomach flutters when you think of him. It's the feeling of being reached and reaching someone. It's the feeling of being seen by someone for who you really are and being adored for it."
"She could read him like a book, and even when she came across an unsavory passage, she never once set the book back on the shelf. She adored the story of their love, even the rocky chapters."
"You can be happy anyplace when there is love."
Love is a powerful, incredible force, and this book proves that in many ways. It's also messy and not always perfect. Where my heart broke for one couple, it would be bursting for another. I did find myself surprised by the turn of events a few times along the way, and I was even shocked by a few of them. But I finished this book with a huge smile on my face and my heart happy. It was just the heart-warming story I needed, perfect for this time of year.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Jane has been told that she has a special gift of seeing when people are in love. Her entire life, she's been skeptical of love because she watched her father break her mother's heart. It was during that moment she first experienced her gift, but has spent her life seeing a doctor for what she's always thought was a tumor in her brain causing the vision issues. Now nearing her 30th birthday, and never having found true love, she's approached by a woman claiming she has the same gift and that Jane needs to fulfill her obligations of finding all of the types of love before her birthday, or risk never finding love herself.
Of course, who wouldn't be skeptical of something so ridiculous. But as Jane thinks back to all of the times her vision has clouded over while looking at couples, she starts to believe in it's truth. Thus starting her year long quest to find all of the types of love.
As most would expect with a book such as this, it was quite predictable. But it's that comfortable predictability that I needed right now, and I fell head over heals in love with this story, and Jane. Jane, who's been jaded about love her whole life, who mourns the loss of her beloved mother almost daily while she continues the legacy of her family flower shop. And once she learns of her gift, finally starts to witness love in all of it's forms. Unconditional love, heart-breaking love, all-consuming love - just a few examples that Jane witnesses among her friends and loved ones. She even stumbles on the possibility of love for herself along the way.
So many passages in this book stuck with me, and I found myself highlighting on my Kindle quite often. Here are just a few of my favorites.
"It's hard to put into words. It's as much a feeling as it is the way your stomach flutters when you think of him. It's the feeling of being reached and reaching someone. It's the feeling of being seen by someone for who you really are and being adored for it."
"She could read him like a book, and even when she came across an unsavory passage, she never once set the book back on the shelf. She adored the story of their love, even the rocky chapters."
"You can be happy anyplace when there is love."
Love is a powerful, incredible force, and this book proves that in many ways. It's also messy and not always perfect. Where my heart broke for one couple, it would be bursting for another. I did find myself surprised by the turn of events a few times along the way, and I was even shocked by a few of them. But I finished this book with a huge smile on my face and my heart happy. It was just the heart-warming story I needed, perfect for this time of year.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 28, 2015
Bloga uzun uzadıya bir yorum yazmaya üşendiğim için yorumum burasıyla kısıtlı kalacak. Yorumuma geçmeden önce bu kadının çiçeklerle derdi ne? Yazarın okuduğum ikinci kitabı ve Mart Menekşeleri'nde de çiçeklerle ilgili şeyler vardı diye hatırlıyorum. Her neyse.. Esas karakterimiz Jane'in aşkı bulma yolculuğu anlatılıyor. Doğuştan sahip olduğu bir yetenek var. Bu yeteneği sayesinde aşkı görebiliyor. 30. doğum gününe kadar da 6 farklı aşk tipini kişilerle eşleştirmesi gerekiyor, yoksa hayatı boyunca aşkı tatmamış biri olarak yaşamını sürdürecek. Satırları okurken Jane'in ailesinden, çevresinden ve arkadaşlarından aşk'ı görüyoruz. Jane bir nevi "aşk avcısı" gibi bir konumda oluyor diyebiliriz. :D Kurgusunun farklı olduğunu söyleyebilirim, sonu sürpriz olmasa da güzeldi. Ama bu kitabın elimde sürünüp normalde 1 günde bitmesi gerekirken, 3 günde bitmesi gerçeğini değiştirmiyor. :/ Bu kitaptan sonra Sarah Jio'nun bana pek hitap etmediği kanısına vardım. Gelemem ben öyle çiçekli, böcekli şeylere :D Siz bana bakmayın. :) Eğer Sarah Jio'nın kalemini ve tarzını seviyorsanız bu kitaba da bir şans verebilirsiniz. :)
December 30, 2014
I got a free, advanced reading copy of this book from Penguin in exchange for an honest review.
The Look of Love by Sarah Jio is a cute story about love in all its forms - from brief sparks of passion to long-lasting companionship and everything in between. The protagonist, Jane, has the magical ability to "see" true love and the plot weaves together the stories of several different couples living in Seattle.
I have to be honest, I was disappointed with this read. The plot was original, the characters were likeable and I appreciate what the author was trying to do it … I just think it fell flat. Sarah Jio is a New York Times bestselling author, so I was expecting the writing to be much more polished. Instead, it was very choppy and rushed, with a whole lot of melodrama thrown in. I also didn't like that so many of the characters were cheating on their spouses, or contemplating cheating. That, my friends, is NOT love.
The Look of Love by Sarah Jio is a cute story about love in all its forms - from brief sparks of passion to long-lasting companionship and everything in between. The protagonist, Jane, has the magical ability to "see" true love and the plot weaves together the stories of several different couples living in Seattle.
I have to be honest, I was disappointed with this read. The plot was original, the characters were likeable and I appreciate what the author was trying to do it … I just think it fell flat. Sarah Jio is a New York Times bestselling author, so I was expecting the writing to be much more polished. Instead, it was very choppy and rushed, with a whole lot of melodrama thrown in. I also didn't like that so many of the characters were cheating on their spouses, or contemplating cheating. That, my friends, is NOT love.
December 7, 2014
I am a big fan of Sarah Jio and was ecstatic to win this book! Thank you Goodreads! The Look of Love has a creative and magical storyline that explores the various kinds of love. There were lots of characters that kept things interesting and the different story lines tie together well. A perfect read for this time of the year.
November 13, 2015
I wished I could say I loved this book, but I just didn’t. The cover was the best thing about it.
The prologue was really catching, and after reading it in a book store I decided I had to read the whole book.
But the book in the end was just okay. I liked that it was about love, that it had many stories intertwining beautifully, and that it had a wisp of magic in it, I always love a story with a bit of magic. But the cons overcame the pros.
First major con, there were too many deaths and accidents in this book. I mean, characters drop like flies, at one point I started wondering am I reading chick-lit or watching an episode of Games of Thrones? Why give us so much grief?
Also, I liked the love theme, but not how the author places it. I’m not sure if I got it exactly right, but from the way the author puts it, it seems as if all the women that have the gift of seeing love have to wait until they are 30 to find it, and cannot do it before then. This is sad. They get notified at 29 (why not before?) that they have a task to fulfill, identify love in its six forms (this was another part I didn’t like that was dull for me), or they will never find love in their lives. Bah, I did not dig this whole plot line.
Cam fallout with Jane was James Marsden in 27 Dresses copy and paste.
Then, there were some glitches in the plot that didn’t seem logical or correct. Please comment, I'd like to know if you felt the same!
***spoiler alert***
Like: Flynn decides to talk to Celeste, but she moves out before he gets to her. From the way it’s written in the book this happens overnight on Christmas Eve. I mean, Flynn spends his time, day and night, watching over at Celeste’s place, but she manage to move her entire household from under his nose without him noticing???
Colette knows she could have a second chance at love but waits until she’s very old to go after it. Why???
Jane discovers who her father is, she says oh this is my long-estranged-dad, and never mentions him again.
Then there are minor other things that just don’t make sense, Charles it says one time that he’s moving from Chicago to Seattle and then it is Huston to Seattle.
In the final scene it says that Cam looks at the house he’s just rented and that Jane would like it. Has he moved? If he has, how does Jane knows where he lives?
Katie and Josh have grandchildren, was he able to have kids after the accident?
The book is full of things like this, and I don’t remember all of them, but they threw me off...
The prologue was really catching, and after reading it in a book store I decided I had to read the whole book.
But the book in the end was just okay. I liked that it was about love, that it had many stories intertwining beautifully, and that it had a wisp of magic in it, I always love a story with a bit of magic. But the cons overcame the pros.
First major con, there were too many deaths and accidents in this book. I mean, characters drop like flies, at one point I started wondering am I reading chick-lit or watching an episode of Games of Thrones? Why give us so much grief?
Also, I liked the love theme, but not how the author places it. I’m not sure if I got it exactly right, but from the way the author puts it, it seems as if all the women that have the gift of seeing love have to wait until they are 30 to find it, and cannot do it before then. This is sad. They get notified at 29 (why not before?) that they have a task to fulfill, identify love in its six forms (this was another part I didn’t like that was dull for me), or they will never find love in their lives. Bah, I did not dig this whole plot line.
Cam fallout with Jane was James Marsden in 27 Dresses copy and paste.
Then, there were some glitches in the plot that didn’t seem logical or correct. Please comment, I'd like to know if you felt the same!
***spoiler alert***
Like: Flynn decides to talk to Celeste, but she moves out before he gets to her. From the way it’s written in the book this happens overnight on Christmas Eve. I mean, Flynn spends his time, day and night, watching over at Celeste’s place, but she manage to move her entire household from under his nose without him noticing???
Colette knows she could have a second chance at love but waits until she’s very old to go after it. Why???
Jane discovers who her father is, she says oh this is my long-estranged-dad, and never mentions him again.
Then there are minor other things that just don’t make sense, Charles it says one time that he’s moving from Chicago to Seattle and then it is Huston to Seattle.
In the final scene it says that Cam looks at the house he’s just rented and that Jane would like it. Has he moved? If he has, how does Jane knows where he lives?
Katie and Josh have grandchildren, was he able to have kids after the accident?
The book is full of things like this, and I don’t remember all of them, but they threw me off...
December 5, 2017
2.5 rounded up.
I choose this because there's a little Christmas timeline. Besides love, the focus is on flowers and that is the case with most of Jio's books. (I did feel bad that The Language of Flowers has been on my TBR shelf forever and if I wanted a "flower" book I could have read that.
Anyway, upbeat quick story with predictable plotlines and characters. It'd make a nice gift for anyone who's a Burt Bacharachamanic!
I choose this because there's a little Christmas timeline. Besides love, the focus is on flowers and that is the case with most of Jio's books. (I did feel bad that The Language of Flowers has been on my TBR shelf forever and if I wanted a "flower" book I could have read that.
Anyway, upbeat quick story with predictable plotlines and characters. It'd make a nice gift for anyone who's a Burt Bacharachamanic!
February 1, 2015
Worst book I have ever read. Most despicable characters ever. Cannot even continue...I'm speechless.I just simply do not view the world as these characters do at all, so I think they're horrible, delusional,and selfish people.
My point basically is that the "love" that is explored in this book isn't the love that I believe exists in this world. So, not a book about love to me, it read like a book about people who used "true love" as an excuse for their very bad behavior.
My point basically is that the "love" that is explored in this book isn't the love that I believe exists in this world. So, not a book about love to me, it read like a book about people who used "true love" as an excuse for their very bad behavior.
September 9, 2017
Συμπαθητικούλι αλλά κάτι με χάλαγε.. και δεν ξέρω αν ήταν η μετάφραση ή ο τρόπος γραφής ....
1,5 αστεράκι για την ιστορία και 1 για το εξώφυλλο (το οποίο αγαπώ) σύνολο 2.5 αστεράκια !!!
1,5 αστεράκι για την ιστορία και 1 για το εξώφυλλο (το οποίο αγαπώ) σύνολο 2.5 αστεράκια !!!
February 22, 2019
Μεγάλη απογοήτευση αυτο το βιβλίο! έχω διαβάσει και άλλα βιβλία της συγγραφέως και πάντα ήταν ευκολοδιάβαστο και συνήθως τα έπιανα όταν ο χρόνος δεν μου επέτρεπε να διαβάσω με προσήλωση. Το συγκεκριμένο είναι βλακώδες, ανεδαφικό και ίσως και επικίνδυνο, όταν γράφει η συγγραφέας ότι η ηρωίδα επιλέγει να βρει την αγάπη αντί να εγχειριστεί για πρόβλημα του εγκεφάλου. Εμένα πάντως μου τον έκαψε!
November 26, 2014
The Look of Love is another wonderful book by Jio. The main character, Jane, was very likable, there were great secondary characters, and the storyline was both interesting and fascinating. Since childhood Jane has experienced episodes of blurry vision, accompanied by dizziness. Her doctor believes she has a neurological condition and that she is in dire need of surgery to correct the issue. As Jane turns twenty-nine, she receives a letter from a woman who wants to meet with Jane. This woman, Colette, says she gave Jane a gift right after birth - the ability to see love. Colette explains that this is the cause of the episodes of blurred vision. Jane is also told that she must identify six types of love and describe them in a journal that Colette gives to her. If she doesn't complete the task before she turns thirty, she will not find love herself. As we read about the next year, we meet people who are connected in various ways to Jane. We learn about their relationships, some satisfying, some heartbreaking. The love and relationships these people experience are what Jane uses to complete the journal. I loved this story, and enjoyed reading about the characters. My only wish would have been that aspects of the story, as well as the relationships between characters, would have been fleshed out more. I realize that this wasn't possible due to the number of characters and relationships that were described, but I felt like the surface was barely skimmed on some relevant parts. Although this book didn't follow the formula of most of Jio's previous works, I thought it was just as good.
December 20, 2014
The magical realism books I have read are so magical, so in that way I do not want to call this that. Even though it is.
Jane is a normal woman, she loves her flowershop, she has good friends, and life is good. Just, she has never been in love. And then she is told she has a year to find 6 different kinds of love, or else she will never find love for herself.
Jane can see love, she has always been able, she has just not known it. And here the magical thing comes in. Her vision gets blurry when she sees love. But doctors says she has a tumor and that it might kill her. So, can she actually she love, or is her brain slowly dying?
The book was good, easy, fun, a bit tragic and just good. The pages flew by. I liked Jane, I hoped the best for her. And I liked her friends that all had their stories in there too, all while she searched for the truth.
It also made me want to read more books by this author, and luckily she has a few out already ;) Win win for me.
Recommended.
Jane is a normal woman, she loves her flowershop, she has good friends, and life is good. Just, she has never been in love. And then she is told she has a year to find 6 different kinds of love, or else she will never find love for herself.
Jane can see love, she has always been able, she has just not known it. And here the magical thing comes in. Her vision gets blurry when she sees love. But doctors says she has a tumor and that it might kill her. So, can she actually she love, or is her brain slowly dying?
The book was good, easy, fun, a bit tragic and just good. The pages flew by. I liked Jane, I hoped the best for her. And I liked her friends that all had their stories in there too, all while she searched for the truth.
It also made me want to read more books by this author, and luckily she has a few out already ;) Win win for me.
Recommended.
April 7, 2015
Sooo this best part of this book was the end…the summaries of the different types of love. I didn’t enjoy this book. Jane walking around Seattle, spewing her wisdom on love just irritated me. Plus, HELLO---this is Seattle—famous for the freeze. Strangers are not just going to spill their guts (hearts) to her. And everybody was busting out in tears every 10 damn seconds. And , I’m sorry, but in no universe would the wife be THAT kind to Lo---I will not say more on this to avoid spilling the beans –but THAT scenario would never happen. Not sure I will read another one of her books.
January 23, 2015
http://www.chicklitcentral.com/2015/0...
Also has a review for The Life Intended.
Also has a review for The Life Intended.
September 13, 2015
Goodreads Description- Born during a Christmas blizzard, Jane Williams receives a rare gift: the ability to see true love. Jane has emerged from an ailing childhood a lonely, hopeless romantic when, on her twenty-ninth birthday, a mysterious greeting card arrives, specifying that Jane must identify the six types of love before the full moon following her thirtieth birthday, or face grave consequences. When Jane falls for a science writer who doesn’t believe in love, she fears that her fate is sealed. Inspired by the classic song, The Look of Love is utterly enchanting.
I read this book straight through in one sitting. When I first picked it up, I have to admit that I was hesitant and didn't think I would be very interested in the book. I wondered how the author would tease the subject out into a novel that was good and fully developed. However, I shouldn't have doubted Jio! She is an excellent author and although there are were so many characters in the book for Jane to be able to be able to even have the 6 types of love in the book, Jio did a wonderful job fully developing each character/couple that the reader wasn't confused or didn't have to keep track of who was who in the book. It was easy to see how each love came to be and how each differed. The magical realism element wasn't too heavily emphasized in the book and remained firmly cemented mostly in contemporary fiction, which was important to me because I'm not usually a fan of fantasy/ magical realism.
I loved Jane! She was so real. I felt like she could easily be one of my friends. Damaged early in life, she is leery of love and relationships even though all of her close friends are slowly pairing off. However, when it seems that she thinks that she finds a man she can love, she doesn't fully trust the relationship, the man (Cam), or herself. She slowly starts to fall for Cam when he does the unthinkable and loses her trust.
Will Jane fulfill her destiny by her 30th birthday and find the six types of love that only she can truly see? Will Jane find true love for herself or forever be destined to have her love unfulfilled? What will happen with all of her friends changing and dynamic relationships? This book is definitely more than meets the eye! I highly recommend this book! It's full reality and that's what I like about it. So far Sarah Jio has proven herself more than a worthy author! 5 stars!
I read this book straight through in one sitting. When I first picked it up, I have to admit that I was hesitant and didn't think I would be very interested in the book. I wondered how the author would tease the subject out into a novel that was good and fully developed. However, I shouldn't have doubted Jio! She is an excellent author and although there are were so many characters in the book for Jane to be able to be able to even have the 6 types of love in the book, Jio did a wonderful job fully developing each character/couple that the reader wasn't confused or didn't have to keep track of who was who in the book. It was easy to see how each love came to be and how each differed. The magical realism element wasn't too heavily emphasized in the book and remained firmly cemented mostly in contemporary fiction, which was important to me because I'm not usually a fan of fantasy/ magical realism.
I loved Jane! She was so real. I felt like she could easily be one of my friends. Damaged early in life, she is leery of love and relationships even though all of her close friends are slowly pairing off. However, when it seems that she thinks that she finds a man she can love, she doesn't fully trust the relationship, the man (Cam), or herself. She slowly starts to fall for Cam when he does the unthinkable and loses her trust.
Will Jane fulfill her destiny by her 30th birthday and find the six types of love that only she can truly see? Will Jane find true love for herself or forever be destined to have her love unfulfilled? What will happen with all of her friends changing and dynamic relationships? This book is definitely more than meets the eye! I highly recommend this book! It's full reality and that's what I like about it. So far Sarah Jio has proven herself more than a worthy author! 5 stars!
November 6, 2014
Sarah Jio has been on my "to read" list for a while, so I was a little disappointed in this. It didn't read like a New York Times bestselling author wrote it. It felt more like a debut. A promising debut, but a debut nonetheless. Some of the choices made by the characters seemed random and uncharacteristic, or totally unrealistic, and the way some of the characters' backgrounds were revealed felt awkward and out of place. The prose itself was pretty good, at times very good, but for me it wasn't enough to push this book up to four stars. The premise was interesting, and some of the characters were fun, but this is not a must-read in my opinion. However, if you are a chick-lit lover through and through, you'll probably enjoy this. I realize my review is largely negative, and I don't want people to think I hated the book, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
January 17, 2015
I love Sarah Jio! Her latest book, "The Look of Love" has captured my heart! There are different types of love, and Jane and her friends Lo, Mary, Katie, Mel and Eileen, along with her brother Flynn are each experiencing a different kind -- some types which end in heartbreak, while others lead to happily ever after. I loved the way Sarah weaved their stories together, placing Seattle's Pike Place Market as the setting - such a beautiful place! This is a must read!
January 2, 2015
As the title suggests, this book is all about love. Several things just didn't make sense to me and the overall book felt a little too rushed. Jane's condition was just too silly. The author has the ability to keep the reader engrossed, I will be looking out for new books by this author but this book missed the mark.
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