Review: The Look of Love

The Look of Love

by Sarah Jio

Why did you choose this book? I’ve heard a lot of good things about this author

When did you read this book? December 2014

Who should read this book? readers who enjoy a fun romance

Source: Penguin First To Read

Here is a synopsis of The Look of Love from Penguin First To Read

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.

My Review

I have heard a lot of good things about author Sarah Jio and have been tempted to pick up one of her books often, so when I saw this one was available for review, I jumped at the chance to review it. I have to admit, it got off to a bit of a slow start for me, possibly because there are several related storylines all going on at the same time. But once I read enough to sort through the characters and keep the storylines straight, I was hooked.

This is fun romance with an element of magical realism. Jane is a green-eyed woman who has had vision issues her entire life. During these episodes, her vision clouds and she becomes weak. Upon her twenty-ninth birthday, she receives a possible explanation for these episodes from an unlikely source. A stranger explains to her that she is one of a very few women in history who have been given a special gift; the ability to see love. She has one year to observe and document the six types of love or she will never experience true love herself. She is at first skeptical, and of course her neurologist is also skeptical of this explanation of her episodes.

While in some ways this is a typical romance with a predictable happy ending, there are also some unexpected, bittersweet moments. Some of these couples have some difficult decisions to make; the kind where someone has to be the loser. One thing I appreciate that the author does give us a glimpse thirty years into the future, so that we can see the resolution of these stories.

If there is one thing could change about the book, it would be to have the author explain the six types of love that Jane must find earlier in the book. While these types of love are given names when Jane is told of her gift, there is no description given until very late in the story. I think I would have enjoyed traveling along with Jane to see if I could identify the types of love. But that did not detract from the enjoyment of the story. A quick read for those who enjoy fun romance!

My Rating:  ★★★     3-1/2 Stars

I received an advanced review copy of this book through the Penguin First To Read program in return for an honest review.