This is a love story. It’s the story of a second-hand bookshop called Howling Books where people leave letters to strangers, or those they love, or want to love, between the pages of books in the Letter Library.
Henry Jones and Rachel Sweetie are best friends. Or they were. Before Rachel moved away to the sea. Now, she’s back, grieving for her brother Cal who drowned in the sea that he loved.
Rachel loves Henry. Henry loves Amy. Amy loves Amy but is happy for Henry to love her too.
This is a book about books. About the power of literature to cradle our past, present and future selves. It’s about how we leave ourselves behind when we die. How we leave our histories in the things we love – like books.
A hundred million stars! This book is amazing and a fave if you’re looking for beautiful writing plus an amazing contemporary this is it.
Okay so here’s the deal, I could go and summarise the plot of this beautiful book for you but NO because you should just read it and experience it and love it, GO IN BLIND IS WHAT I SAY.
I think we all love a book that can make us feel something, that connects with our inner most thoughts, that has characters so relatable and lovely you can’t help falling for everyone.
So instead of describing the characters or storyline I’m going to try take note that I say try because it may be impossible to describe the way this book made me feel.
Words in Deep Blue is more than an amazing story and beyond fantastic characters (although it has both in bucket loads) From the first page a sense of sadness, of calm, of emotion just swept over me.
Only a few books have done that for me this year and they are Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. and The Night Circus. The feeling of being transported into another world, a world full of the ocean, musty books and poetry, pop culture references and classics. A world that I could understand, also there are a fair few Aussie authors mentioned and that warmed my heart because we always see US authors mentioned in books and having some Aussies represented just made me feel that more connected to the story.
Words in Deep blue is a story of friendship, loss, family, future altering decisions, laughter, tears. It’s a book that celebrates the love for books and what they mean not only to yourself but everyone else.
It gives you the feeling of picking up a second hand book and seeing that someone has underlined your favourite passage, it’s seeing a spine so cracked that you know that’s a persons favourite book without having to ask, it’s the journey books take us on as well as the one we take ourselves.
5/5 STARS
“The past is with me; the present is here. The future is unmapped and changeable. Ours for the imagining: spreading out before us. Sunlight filled, deep blue, and the darkness.”
A million stares for this amazing book, Have your read this? Did you love it?
What books do you love based on what they made you feel?
adoptabookaus.com 
Love your review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! 😀
LikeLike
Ooooo!!! I cannot wait to add this to my tbr pile 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you really love it when you pick it up, the whole atmosphere is just fantastic 🙂
LikeLike
This is a brilliant review Casey. I definitely think you successfully described how this book made you feel, and it sounds like an amazing read too. This one wasn’t on my radar at all but honestly after reading your review I want to run out right now and pick up a copy to start right away!
Ari and Dante and The Night Circus are two of my favourites books so if this one was anything like those two for you I’m hoping it will be for me as well! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It wasn’t on my radar either until a friend (who doesn’t usually read contemporaries) shoved her copy at me like If I loved this you are going to love love it and she was so right!
The whole setting and character stories are just beautiful so I hope you love it when you pick it up 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well in that case I’m definitely glad it was as good for you as it was your friend. Granted if she doesn’t normally read contemporaries that says a lot about this book as well.
I hope so too, thanks! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review, Casey! I wasn’t really planning on reading this one – mostly because the title didn’t invoke any particular feeling and I didn’t care enough to read the blurb, but I think I will now that you’ve given it a million stars! I also feel all warm and fuzzy when Aussie authors are mentioned, so that’s definitely gonna be a key highlight for me. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s so great to read an aussie book that mentions some aus Authors I don’t know what it is but I feel more connected to it because oh there from the same place as me 🙂
I was the exact same, I had seen it and though hmm maybe it took my friend lending it to me and telling me I’d adore it to really pick up my interest and I’m so happy she did so because I loved it a lot 🙂
Hope you love it when you read it Reg! Can’t wait to see what you think 😀
LikeLike
I’m the same way! I read Life in Outer Space some months ago and was super excited when they mentioned local shops in Melbourne (now I don’t remember what, though). It just feels more real, I think. 😛
Thanks, Casey! Hope so too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful review Casey. I just loved this book. I actually procrastinated reading it because of the ‘love story’ sub title. What it doesn’t say is that it’s about all types of love, not just the romantic sort. I think I would like to live in Howling Books.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! I love that it was about all types of love although I must admit I’m a sucker for just a good contemporary romance as well 🙂 Having such really family and friend love as well as parents divorcing and the love for books and the store it was all amazing to read about 🙂
I’ll be joining you in moving to Howling Books! I want to live on that couch and in the letter library for the rest of my days 🙂 So happy you loved this as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely review, Casey! I actually hadn’t heard of this book before reading your post, so thank you so much for putting it on my radar!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yay Niraja! I’m so happy it made it to your radar its such a fantastic story, I love contemporaries but contemporaries with meaning and depth are the best and I felt like Words In Deep Blue had all of that 🙂 I hope you love it when you read it
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review!! I’ve seen this book floating around a lot and never cared to read the synopsis because the cover didn’t really do anything for me (judgmental, I know) but your review has definitely convinced me to add it to my TBR! I also loved the writing in The Night Circus and Aristotle & Dante, so I have a feeling I’m going to love this book too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your not alone though! I wasn’t really that keen on grabbing this before my friend lent it to me and told me how much she loved it 🙂 Although a hardcover is coming out next year and wow its really pretty so maybe it will convince more people like us that are just like “ohhh pretttyyy” XD I hope you love it as much as I did when you get to it!
LikeLike
This is a great review!! This book looks really good, and looks like something I would read. It’s going to be on my TBR list for 2017 (2016 is out because I have run out of book funds lol).
LikeLiked by 1 person
EEEEEE!!! I have officially run out of book funds too :0 Hopefully my TBR appreciates my effort to dint it this month XD I’m planning on putting all my TBR in one place and only choosing from it, seriously it has so many books on it I shouldn’t want to buy any more 🙂 I hope you love this when you read it
LikeLiked by 1 person
A hundred MILLION stars!? Wow. I must pick up this book immediately for it to have that kind of reaction. I haven’t even heard of this book before, so I’m also extra glad I follow your blog. Otherwise, how would I have known? Good thing I haven’t finished my holiday book wish list yet. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jackie it’s such a great contemporary! I loved the story and it’s so much more then just a romance book because its about all types of love and dealing with the loss of a loved one + the bookstore setting makes my soul happy 😀 I hope you absolutely love it when you read it!
LikeLike
Wow – sounds like you really enjoyed this one. I’ve looked at this a few times but haven’t picked it up myself yet. I think you’ve just given me the push I need 🙂 Lovely review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
yay! I hope you love it when you read it 🙂 It was just so wonderful and filled with so much more depth and thought then I was expecting I feel in love with the characters and there stories 🙂 I hope you love it as much as I do!
LikeLike
“It’s a book that celebrates the love for books and what they mean not only to yourself but everyone else.”
Sounds like a bookworm’s delight! I have only seen one other review on this one, and that other review was a rave review as well. That cover though! So pretty. I will have to add this one to the TBR. Fab review Casey 🙂
LikeLike