‘The Love That Split the World’ – Emily Henry

the love that split the world

The cover for this book is beautiful, and made me really keen to read it. The reference to time travel made me think this would be a Young Adult romance/finding yourself book with a bit of a difference.

When we first meet Natalie Cleary we learn she is preparing to leave for college. Everything is changing and she is trying to work out who she is. So far, so normal. We also learn that since she was little she has been receiving regular visits from a mysterious Native American woman known to her as Grandmother, who tells her stories to try and help her make sense of the world. When Grandmother tells her she has three months to save him, and she must find Alice, I really wasn’t sure what was coming.

For almost the first half of the book I was struggling to really engage with it. Though well-written there was a sense of something missing that I just couldn’t put my finger on. Some reviews I’ve read criticise the way Natalie and Beau’s relationship is set up, but it wasn’t that. It all just felt very slow.

However, as the story continues it picks up intensity. As Natalie meets with Alice and starts to learn more about what is happening to her, I cared more. Considering all the various possibilities, and seeing Natalie’s uncertainty as she tries to work out what matters to her, felt very real.

There was definitely a sense for me that this book is better than I first thought. I just wonder whether I’m alone in finding the slow-burn approach a little off-putting.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital copy received in exchange for an honest review.