Words in Deep Blue is a love letter to the sea and bookshops everywhere in the form of a very nostalgic novel. Cath Crowley's writing style is beautifully illusive and full of quote-worthy dialogue and phrases. The story itself is full of different themes ranging from young love to grief and death. We follow the characters of Rachel, a young girl forced to move back to the city and the best friend she cut all connection with, and Henry, lover of books and worker at his family's secondhand bookshop who is just as geeky as is to be expected. Their story is full of ups and downs, miscommunication, and of course, an ex-girlfriend who just won't seem to get out of the picture. But this novel goes deeper than surface level romance and conflict. It explores the concepts of love after years of disconnection and hurt. It describes the grief of losing a loved one and the uncertainty of the future. And it delves into the power of words pitted against the hard facts of life. All in all, it is a beautiful and enjoyable read, full of gorgeous description, witty characters, and a unique system of letter sending via book pages. (you'll have to read to find out exactly what I mean by that...)

Some of my Favorite Quotes from this novel include:

"... I like to think of love as being slightly more forgiving than time."

"If we all gave up on the things we love when it gets hard, it'd be a terrible world."

"Because I love books in a way that's beyond logic and reason ... It's not enough to read -- I want to talk through the pages to get to the other side ... I want to spend my life hunting them, reading them, selling them ..."

"Perhaps all things that are worthwhile are terrifying?"

"Words matter, in fact. They're not pointless ... If they were pointless, then they couldn't start revolutions and they wouldn't change history ... we wouldn't write songs or listen to them. We wouldn't beg to be read to as kids ... stories wouldn't have been around since before we could write ... If they were just words, people wouldn't fall in love because of them, feel bad because of them, ache because of them, and stop aching because of them ..."

 This book was the first official novel I read in 2019, and I really, really enjoyed it. Much like the medical love story of The Fault In Our Stars, this story offers many similar components and situations that will leave lovers of Hazel and Augustus just as intrigued with Stella and Will. This story centers on two teens battling against cystic fibrosis and their constant struggle to remain five feet apart for their own health and safety. Cystic fibrosis is a disorder having to do with weakened and unstable lungs. One of the greatest components of this story is its ability to educate its readers on the procedures, limitations, and precautions that these patients, or CFers, have to live with to stay alive. The story is more specifically about a blossoming romance between two of these CFers, Stella Grant and Will Newman. Will is new to the hospital Stella has returned to for the majority of her life, and almost immediately, Stella sets out to make sure Will is doing his medications and procedures, which he was given up on. Along the way, the sarcastic and morbid Will learns the value of staying alive from Stella, who in turn learns that she can let go of pain from her past and focus on truly living her life despite her physical limitations. All in all, this book is very touching. It is full of twists and turns, seemingly impossible situations, and realistic circumstances that cause the readers to fall in love with the inevitable and bittersweet attraction between Stella and Will.
To not comment on this novel's cover art would be a crime! The picture is not only beautiful to admire but plays an important role in the story; lungs in general are a recurring motif. I would recommend this book to all lovers of romance stories that require work and commitment from their characters. Will and Stella's story not only makes for enthralling literature but, as mentioned earlier, amazing education and perspective of the lives of patients struggling with cystic fibrosis. I am very much looking forward to the movie coming out in March of this year! From the trailer and clips I have seen, it appears to have followed the book quite exactly, which I appreciate greatly!

Several of my favorite quotes from this very quotable novel:

"For the first time, I feel the weight of every single inch, every single millimeter of the six feet between us. I pull my sweatshirt closer to my body ... trying to ignore the fact that that open space? It will always be there."

"God, I love you."

"I guess it's true what that book of yours says--- the soul knows no time. These past few weeks will last forever for me."

"If I stop breathing tomorrow, know that I wouldn't change a thing."

"I smile at him, and take just that one more stolen step, until we're five feet apart."