Name: Zoey Novak's review of More Than Words by Jill Santopolo
Item: More Than Words
Rating: 4.5
Author: Zoey Novak

Jill Santopolo

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost comes a tender and moving new novel about a woman at a crossroads after the death of her father, and caught between the love of two men. "A smart, sexy, delicious novel."--People 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. Soon, Nina begins to see the men in her life--her father, her boyfriend, and unexpectedly, her boss, Rafael--in a new light, finding 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.

More Than Words

Danica Holdaway

Really enjoyed this one! The love triangle kept me going back and forth about which man I supported!! 

Zoey Novak

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 her devoted boyfriend 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. A heartbreaking and romantic novel about grief, loss, love, and self-discovery, and how we choose which life we are meant to live.

Krystyna 

I enjoyed this book and loved the cover. I read  the Light We Lost and loved it so I had high hopes for this one. Even though, I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it like I loved her other book. I really enjoyed the story but I felt some aspects were a little too convenient, cliche, or unbelievable.

I liked Nina's character and how she eventually discovered herself and took time for herself to be able accomplish her discovery. The two love interests, yes there is a love triangle, were both just okay to me. Tim got on my nerves at times, I didn't agree with him the majority of the time. I sided more with the other love interest because he liked Nina for being her true self. I also adored Caro and the relationship she had with Nina. The relationship between Nina and her father was heartbreaking but I enjoyed that too. Even though this book deals with a love triangle, romance, and political drama, it also deals with some heavy topics like cancer, loss, grief, etc.

The plot deals with Nina being an heir to her family's hotel legacy. She lost her mother when she was a child and it has just been her and her father ever since. Her grandfather started a hotel business that flourished, then was inherited by her father. So, as expected, her father wants her to run the hotel after him. Nina is sort of on a different path and is unsure if she wants to follow in her father's footsteps. She is working on a mayoral campaign and is very much enjoying her work there. There is also a love triangle between her childhood sweetheart, Tim, and the mayoral candidate that she is working for. But, when tragedy strikes close to Nina her world gets shifted upside down and she has to discover herself and what she truly wants out of life.

This book is full of great quotes. I love Jill Santopolo's writing, I just think I may have over-hyped this one for myself. The story is good and I would still recommend this book to people for sure. It is a good story I just found some things to be a little problematic for me as a reader. This was also a beautiful dedication to Jill Santopolo's father, whom she lost in a car accident, and to the loved ones that battled cancer.

Note: Nina Nut Crunch: peanut butter and sliced bananas on Ritz crackers and drizzled with honey.

*Thank you, Edelweiss and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.*

CLAUDIA VALDES

It wasn’t a bad book, per say. But it was boring and the storyline was stagnant the entire time. I didn’t feel any connection to the character and it just felt typical. Which disappoints me because I love the Light We Lost sooooooooooo much. Sooooooooo much. 

No hate tho, I’m going to read Everything After now.

Kendra Negron

I love books that peak into elusive circles. The rich and powerful are always intriguing and Nina was that but still warm and personable. She was the kind of protagonist that you genuinely like and want to see good things happen for. Was the book a little predictable? Yes. Did I thoroughly enjoy it? Also yes.

Makayla Reed

I am actually in love with this novel. Not only is it about a woman finding her way in the world after being controlled by the men in her life for her entire life, but it is just beautifully written.

I think this was the exact book I needed right about now. It was powerful, it was sexy and it was filled with raw characters. I related to Nina a lot because of all the critiques she kept getting for changing herself into the person she wanted to be. She became the person she wanted to be and if that meant leaving those who disapproved, that was okay. Your happiness matters more than keeping someone around that only talks down to and about you.

This is definitely a novel that I will think about for a long time.

I think this is perfect if you are looking for a powerful feminist novel and love a good romance as well. It is a happy medium between the two and I cannot believe it took me so long to read something by Jill Santopolo. I will be reading all of her adult work now.

Renee Blankenship

Thank you to the publisher for my free copy! 

I enjoyed More Than Words. It is a very heartfelt story, more so if you take the time to read the author's note at the end. I caught myself a few times while I was reading this thinking how this would make the sweetest movie. The story itself felt a little slow at the start, but I wasn't sure what to expect going in (based on the pace of Santopolo's first book). Once I got into the story, the pacing felt perfect. I also feel like I could have gotten to know Nina a little better as a character- a lot happened to her in a short span of time during the story, but the emotion was there and that really carried the story for me. All in all, Nina's tale of finally finding out who she is and what she wants following the death of her father read as an honest portrayal and is something I would recommend to readers who enjoy heartfelt and emotional stories.

3.5 Stars

Danica Holdaway &
More Than Words by Jill Santopolo

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