Praise for The Light We Lost

“Jill Santopolo’s extraordinary debut novel is a love story–an emotional roller coaster–that follows the lives of Lucy and Gabe who meet in New York City on September 11, 2001. The event transforms and shadows their lives. How do they reconcile passion and security, dreams and reality? AsThe Light We Lost enchanted and compelled me, I found myself reconsidering my own choices, and wondering at the choices of my friends and the people around me–how did their dreams match their realities? And what if that dream can’t include the person you love the most?” —Delia Ephron, New York Times bestselling author of Siracusa

“What can be more devastating than love? In her adult debut, Santopolo explores thirteen tumultuous years in the lives of two unique lovers, the difference between what’s forever and what’s finite, and how what seems fated might not be fact. Gorgeously written and absolutely unforgettable, Santopolo’s novel has a beating heart all its own.” —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You, Is This Tomorrow, and Cruel Beautiful World

“In this intense, deeply moving novel, Jill Santopolo vividly illuminates how our personal lives and loves are changed by the common—and uncommon—events of our troubled world.” —Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of The Island House

“Santopolo nailed the thrill and devastation that love can cause. I was gutted from the start and didn’t put the book down until I was sobbing at the end. Witty, romantic and intensely moving, this book made me feel everything!” —Renée Carlino, USA Today bestselling author of Before We Were Strangers

“Evocative, raw and at times breathlessly heartbreaking, Jill Santopolo’sThe Light We Lost is a page-turner that explores the intersection of fate and choice in our relationships. In this honest portrayal of love and loss, Santopolo leaves us wondering about serendipity and the existence of that one, true love. An emotional rollercoaster of a story that won’t let you go even after the last page is turned.” —Karma Brown, bestselling author of Come Away with Me

“We couldn’t stop turning the pages of The Light We Lost. Santopolo took us on a journey of missed chances, regret and uncertainty that left us pondering our own choices. The love story of Lucy and Gabe is one that will stay with you long after you finish.” —Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, authors of The Status of All Things

“The Light We Lost is a beautiful, moving meditation on the choices we make in pursuit of love and a meaningful life, and the consequences that shape our futures.” —Bethany Chase, author of The One That Got Away

“Jill Santopolo’s debut is a breathless, sexy, sweeping love story set against the backdrop of the defining moment of this century. Filled with light and hope, this is the romance we’re all looking for.” —Brenda Bowen, author of Enchanted August

“This is such a heart-felt story about both the bliss and torment of love. It’s clear that Jill has tremendous affection for her characters and so did I. It was fascinating to me that Gabe is a photographer, because Jill herself has an amazingly sharp eye, zooming in on emotions and the small ways in which they change while also pulling back for a wide-angle view of Lucy and Gabe’s relationship during the course of a tumultuous decade. I am not a weeper but dammit if I wasn’t crying at the end.” —Jane O’Connor, New York Times bestselling author

“A beautiful, powerful and sexy novel, The Light We Lost grabbed me from the beginning and just refused to let go. Santopolo has given us a remarkable love story that enthralled me, surprised me, and ultimately, moved me. I couldn’t put it down.” —Thomas Christopher Greene, author of If I Forget You

“The scale of this book’s ambition is matched only by Santopolo’s flawless execution. 9/11, love, sex, war, Shakespeare, American foreign policy—The Light We Lost has it all, illuminating so much of what our generation and what we in the media have lived through for fifteen years. The arc of this book, from the fall of the Twin Towers to a love letter written from the Middle East, gracefully and tragically charts the course not only of a genuine and deep love, but also that of our country and of our collective identities. It is memorable and haunting, because it is authentic and so close to home.” —Nick Schifrin, PBS NewsHour Special Correspondent, NPR Correspondent