Name: The Love That Split the World
ISBN: 9781595148506

Emily Henry

At the beginning of her last summer in Kentucky before leaving for college, Natalie is once again visited by the apparition she calls "Grandmother" and meets a new boy, Beau, who changes her life.

The Love That Split the World

Ainsley Lamont

Demi

"A truly profound debut."—Buzzfeed "A time-bending suspense that's contemplative and fresh, evocative and gripping."—USA Today "Henry's story captivates, both as a romance and as an imaginative rethinking of time and space."—Publishers Weekly "This time-traveling, magical, and beautifully written love story definitely deserves a spot on your bookshelf."—Bustle Emily Henry's stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler's Wife and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we've left untaken. Natalie's last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start . . . until she starts seeing the "wrong things." They're just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a preschool where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn't right. Then there are the visits from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls "Grandmother," who tells her, "You have three months to save him." The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it's as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Tiff W

I was a little skeptical at first, but I'm glad I stuck with this one. Natalie is an unusual character- an adopted, half-white, half-Native American rising college freshman. She's determined to leave Kentucky for Rhode Island (where she's been accepted to Brown!!), but she has a lot of issues to resolve in the summer after high school. First off, her mysterious Grandmother disappeared. Now's probably a good time to mention that Grandmother doesn't really exist. She's a figment of Natalie's imagination, or a ghost, or maybe God. Then, Natalie keeps getting visions of times past and future...and the only other person who can see them is Beau Wilkins. Like his name suggests, he's gorgeous and immediately Natalie wants to have his babies. Just kidding. Fair warning, though, there IS instalove. I'm not usually a fan of this, but the magic/psych stuff kept me hooked. I really wish there was more to the ending, but I guess it's supposed to be open-ended. <br />My favorite character was Matt...despite everything, he had good intentions. I'd take Beau's reality any day.<br />

Annabella

Sarah Sammis

Isabella 

I'm not a fan of fantasy sci-fi books, and I didn't expect this to be one, but I liked it. I found it extremely slow at the beginning though, and there was so much information that I couldn't even grasp anymore. (view spoiler)[ It all started to make sense when Nat met Beau I was actually surprised with the ending. I had a feeling it's Nat who was about to die, but I didn't expect it to turn out that way. (hide spoiler)] Overall, I think this is an enjoyable read. I just wasn't a fan of all the (unnecessary) information I was getting.

alexandra

4.5/5

TLTSTW is so deeeeeeep. do you ever read a book and feel the need to stop every once in a while to let it sink in? this was that for me. i'm in love with emily henry's writing style, as it gives me an existential crisis but is also light hearted. the writing and thought/themes executed is def my favorite part of this novel.

i don't know how to describe this plot. TLTSTW is a fantasy, contemporary, sci-fi hybrid thing that has TIME TRAVEL. i didn't know that before i began, so that's nice to know. i honestly don't know what to make of the story. i think it's more about "finding yourself" than anything else. the summary in the back really doesn't give this book justice.

i was just the slightest bit annoyed at the beginning and ending. the beginning is incredibly slow, in my opinion. i have no idea what's going on and i don't know where we're going. the ending has a lot of shock and plot twists, which is great, but feels unfinished. like, REALLY unfinished. or implied. i appreciate how we're left to imagine the end ourselves, but really? i just... UGH ONE MORE CHAPTER PLEASE.

the characters are so dynamic and i love it! so much! they're all so unique and beautifully diverse and FLAWED. it's fantastic. the friendships and family love also makes me really happy. the romance seemed just a liiiiittle insta-love-y, but i ended up loving the two of them in the end as well so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

overall, TLTSTW is a fantastic debut. it's different, a little strange, but all-in-all lovely. i especially love the writing and themes, and only wish the pacing were a bit better.

Victoria

3.5/5

(view spoiler)[This has an open ending that's, well, open to the reader's interpretation. I'm not a big fan of books that does not give me any closure. So there's that. (hide spoiler)]

However, this is one that was beautifully written. And I like that.

Jeannette Ordas

This is an oddball YA book, one that's hard to pin down with it's forays into Native American folk tales, mysticism, mumbo jumbo sci-fi, adoption and feminism. I liked it but I also found myself skimming many of the folk tales and the metaphysical explanations. The romance between Natalie and Beau felt a little hackneyed but I kept wanting more.

Libby G

What. A. Book.
Leaving high school is a transformative time for everyone but for Natalie, a girl whose received visits from OTHERS and struggled with her identity as an adopted child, it is doubly so. 

Right before she leaves Highschool she receives a visit from a spirit she refers to as Grandmother and is given a dire warning. She has three months to save him. 

Natalie doesn’t know who he is. But that same night she might Beau and the world stands still.

A stunning book about finding yourself. Finding love. And the incredible lengths people will go to for those they love. Mix in forbidden love between dimensions, bitter exes, and high school parties. 

A great story but don’t expect a happily ever after in the end.

Milo Jean

I dragged my way through this book. I admit I bought it for the pretty cover in a moment of weakness looking at book sales and had no idea what it was about. Still at first I was intrigued, I liked Natalie’s humor and was interested in the multiple world “glitches” she was seeing. The stories Grandmother told seemed interesting too. But then the story dragged with very little answers, no clear plot just seemed to be all over the place for majority of the book. Then the last few chapters where you finally get to figure out what’s going on? Hated them. They were confusing, and to me completely unsatisfying in the end. Really though, what was that ending? So many questions left unanswered...

Maria

Я очень люблю сюжет «путешествие во времени» и каждый раз, когда встречаю книжку, которая его обещает, с энтузиазмом начинаю читать. Но, к сожалению, очень мало авторов с ним хорошо справляются – многие запутываются в своих временных линиях, ну или просто не очень сильны в сторителлинге. Последнее, по-моему, как раз относится к Эмили Генри. 

Я читала другую ее книжку пару лет назад, и там у неё героиня училась на курсе creative writing и постоянно получала замечания типа «а где история?». И я еще тогда предположила, что этот сюжет взят из жизни автора, потому что вся книга была построена по принципу some weird shit happens. The Love That Split the World написана так же – примерно три четверти книги нас включают в какие-то бытовые эпизоды жизни героини, где с ней происходит некоторое дерьмо. И только в последних трех-четырех главах Эмили Генри пытается наскоро объяснить концепцию расщепления времени и установить какие-то правила для истории. Всё это довольно медленно и скучно, и я даже не могу внятно объяснить, зачем я дочитала.

А хотя нет, могу. Единственная годная вещь в книге – вкрапления индейских легенд в повествование, а у меня, советского ребенка, воспитанного, в числе прочих, Фенимором Купером, коренные народы Америки – это такой давний soft spot.

Jocelyn Poh

my rating | 2.5 stars

I finally finished this book.

So, so relieved as the last 100 pages of the book were really hard to get through. 

While it had the strangest and most confusing of endings, TLTSTW contained LOTS of good quotes that set me thinking, especially those from Grandmother, and Alice. About how life isn't always about knowing about who you are supposed to be and where you are from, but rather just living in the moment. The book really allowed me some soul searching but apart from that I'm not sure I'm totally clear about the plot in detail, damn.

**update**
While I previously said that I may consider a re-read, I have now decided not to as I feel that reading the book again is just going to be a torturous process (again) towards the end and won't help me in understanding the plot better. I already tried looking through book group discussions but no one seems to be able to explain the ending in a way that could enlighten me. Sorry TLTSTW, you have the most amazing cover but having had high expectations going into this, you were a letdown.

laura

3.75* I loved the book alot. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. I felt the ending was a very rushed and left so many open endings that to me made me want more. I think the massive info dump at the end could have been more sprinkled throuhgout the novel. But I loved the time travel element and just wish the ending was a more clear and not so open ended!

Really interesting story. I love the use of folktales to drive the story, and it's a very unique storyline. I feel a bit confused at the end, but I feel like I have a decent grasp on it. However, it was definitely a page-turner.

Tiffany Engler

Read my full review here:

http://www.tiffanysbookblog.com/2016/...

Renee Blankenship

I try so hard not to review books right after I finish them so I have a little time to let the story settle (which means I usually forget to say anything about them) BUT! This one was SO different than any YA I've read personally and I couldn't put it down. I let the ending surprise me instead of trying to think too hard about what might happen while reading which made the whole story even more enjoyable. Truly a wonderful magical story, so glad I picked it up!

Pamela Alvarado

Beautiful but it felt all over the place too, and from a writer POV, I can totally get the ending but as a reader I'm dead.

madie anne 

fuck. fuck. fuck. this is the first book of 2019 that had me in tears. the ending—though it wasn’t as i had imagined—was absolutely beautiful. AND as a bonus this book will cause an existential crisis, which is just wonderful (fuck, i am going insane). emily henry is a truly astounding writer, and i would definitely recommend reading ALL of her books.