Words In Deep Blue by Cath Crowley - Reshelved Books

Why hello there, For the Love of Dewey readers!

Today I offer you a review for a well promoted  (by publishers on the IG) and highly esteemed ya novel, Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley.  

This book takes place in an Australian used bookstore.  Could the setting be any more perfect?  In this bookstore there is a shelf where patrons underline words in books, leave notes and thoughts within the margins, and write letters in the hopes of someone specific finding them...while others do so in the hopes that these notes are never found at all.  In this novel there are two main characters, Henry, who's parents own the bookstore and who is suffering from his first "I don't love you anymore," and Rachel, Henry's at one time best friend, who is forever changed since she tragically lost her brother Cal to a drowning accident, and who is and always has been, secretly in love with Henry.  

In addition to love and loss, this novel also touches upon the idea of jobs that pay to live and jobs that become a meaningful part of life.  Can money buy happiness?  Sometimes, I think that it could, and I sort of wish I chose a career where a master's degree would bring in the big bucks $$$.  After all, if you're not comfortable can you ever be truly happy, or would you forever be strapped with worry?   Then again, if your passion lies within a job that doesn't pay much, would doing something else for the rest of your life lead to resentment?  Maybe resentment exists with both options. This is what I was thinking about when Henry's family proposes selling the bookstore in the hopes of giving Henry and his sister George a better life.  The bookstore itself almost seems like a fairytale place.  It is an oasis amongst the stacks.  It is something that I know I would LOVE to call home... but is it feasible for the long run? 

Overall I adored this novel.  It's cute yet thought provoking, despite Rachel's grief, isn't overly sad or depressing.  So Dear Dewey Readers, I leave you with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 Coffee Beans. 

P.S. This is book is my second library book club book, and is also the 1st book to be discussed in my new group for Adults Who Love to Read YA in September!!!  For those of you in the New Jersey area who love to read ya, message or comment below to find out how you can join!

~Jessica