REVIEW: This Love by Lotte Jeffs

Mae and Ari are not your average power couple.

Their love story started when they met at Leeds University. Back when Mae, whilst never short of a date and confident about who she is at her core, needed Ari's bright light to help her grow into herself.

Ari, having run from New York following an undisclosed scandal and battling his own demons, held onto Mae as his grounding anchor.

Though they quickly become inseparable, their inimitable bond must survive guilt, secrets, growing up and, ultimately, love in all its complex and fluid forms.

This Love has been described as our generations One Day, and this decade-spanning tale of queer love, friendship and family is definitely one to remember. It’s a beautiful journey into the ever-changing nature of human connection and relationships, the way they evolve and grow with us through the years and it does it all with such grace.

Everything that a bohemian, youthful glow in the beginning - full of hope, late nights and endless possibilities, with the scenes changing as Mae and Ari grow up and grow older. It transported me back in time with such vivid nostalgia to the days I could stay up dancing all night and still make a 9am class, where I spent every weekend surrounded by friends and my only real concerns were if we should pregame or not. There was something in both of them that just reached out and was undeniably relatable.

The story moves slowly but in a leisurely way as opposed feeling dragged out, moving through the year through the dark times, the happy moments and the confusion - at their closest and their most estranged and each time was so full of change and emotion. A story full of queer joy and beautiful love.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review. This Love will be available from Dialogue Books

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