Search This Blog







2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2025 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (5)
- Colorado (3)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida (1)
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa (2)
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (3)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming (1)
- Washington, D.C.* (1)
International:
- Australia (3)
- Canada (2)
- England (5)
- France (1)
- Puerto Rico (1)
- Scotland (1)


2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge



2025 Build Your Library Reading Challenge









Monday, September 03, 2007
Love Walked In A Novel With Heart
4:17 PM

This is the essence of Marisa de los Santos' remarkable novel, Love Walked In. Both Cornelia and Clare narrate the story, each in their own way: Cornelia rambles conspiratorially, while Clare speaks cautiously, seeming to weigh each word. The result is a rich, multi-layered story that is at once heartbreaking and heartwarming. I ached for Clare, cheered for Cornelia, loathed Martin, and fell helplessly in love with Teo. The characters are that real. It was impossible to put the book down and abandon them. The plot had enough twists and turns to keep me reading and guessing. Although it's a sad story in so many ways, hope and love triumph in the end.
I did have a few issues with this book - when do I not? For one, I got a little irritated with Cornelia. While her voice is conversational and funny, she also tends to ramble and overanalyze. I think she has a bit of the Sammy Joyce syndrome (see review here) - de los Santos has tried so hard to make Cornelia lovably quirky that, after awhile, she just ends up being annoying. Also, I think several of the plot twists were unrealistic. I won't elaborate, because I don't want to give away any of the surprises, but some of them were just way too convenient. I found this especially interesting, since de los Santos went out of her way to make sure other elements of the story, like Teo's Filipino heritage, were authentic (She describes the tradition of "blessing" one's elders in a way I've experienced in The Philippines, but never seen described in literature). I also wish I could recommend this book as a clean read, but it's liberally sprinkled with the F-word and sexual references (although no graphic sex).
All in all, though, I really enjoyed this book. It's a novel with heart, and it will absolutely steal yours.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)


Reading
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Listening
If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell


Followin' with Bloglovin'

-
The Lady and the Highwayman20 minutes ago
-
-
First Lines Fridays: April 18, 20254 hours ago
-
The Whitechapel Widow by Emily Organ6 hours ago
-
-
-
Sunday Post #56812 hours ago
-
-
Time Travel Thursday12 hours ago
-
#ThrowbackThursday. February 201323 hours ago
-
All About Amazon Book Clubs1 day ago
-
-
Firsts of 2025-Book Tag1 day ago
-
-
-
40. Once For Yes1 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor6 days ago
-
Books read in March2 weeks ago
-
-
-
February 2025 Reading Wrap Up5 weeks ago
-
-
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery1 month ago
-
-
The Music of 2024: Q43 months ago
-
-
I'm Still Reading - This Was My October5 months ago
-
Review: The Duke and I7 months ago
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus8 months ago
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!


Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)


2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction
