"The Love We Found" | Reviewed by Tonya O'Connell

“The Love We Found,” by Jill Santopolo, is an emotional, heartrending love story. Gabe, a well-known photographer, passes away unexpectedly and years later Lucy finds love after suffering this great loss.

Ten years after Gabe dies, Lucy finds a piece of paper in a box full of photographs that Gabe had taken. On the slip of paper is an address in Rome. What was Gabe doing in Rome, Lucy wonders? They had never gone there together. Was he secretly seeing someone else? Lucy purchases a plane ticket to Rome—an impulsive decision, but Gabe always brought that quality out in her.

The timing of the trip is perfect. The children are with Lucy’s ex-husband Darren for the week. Lucy tries to find some of Gabe’s best photos for Eric Weiss from the Associated Press, who wants to do a retrospect of Gabe’s work, an update on how the places he photographed to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of his death. Lucy also will hopefully be able to find answers to her questions about Gabe and what he was doing in Rome.

Lucy’s journey to uncover Gabe’s secret leads her to Dr. Dax Armstrong, a New Yorker in Italy working as a doctor with the NGO, a non-governmental organization. His broad shoulders and sad eyes draw Lucy in as no one has since Gabe, including her ex, Darren.

  Lucy’s old life awaits, along with an earth-shattering decision—if she and Darren should tell their son Samuel the truth about his father. Can Lucy move forward while she’s stuck in the past? How will Sam and the rest of the children take the secret Lucy has kept for 10 years?

“The Love We Found” is a deeply emotional story of secret lives, innermost desires, and the mistakes that can change families. This moving story will keep you reading, crying and feeling the joy in the lives of the novel’s amazing characters.

I highly recommend “The Love We Found,” and maybe some tissues too.

Buy the book.