Everything After

By: Jill Santopolo

Narrated by: Jill Santopolo

The Light We Lost mixes with a touch of Daisy Jones and the Six in this novel of first love, passion, and the power of choice - and how we cannot escape the people we are meant to be.

Two loves. Two choices. One chance to follow her dreams.

Emily has come a long way since she lost her two passions 15 years ago: music, and Rob. She's a psychologist at NYU who helps troubled college students like the one she once was. Together with her caring doctor husband, Ezra, she has a beautiful life. They're happy. They hope to start a family. But when a tragic event in Emily's present too closely echoes her past, and parts of her story that she'd hoped never to share come to light, her perfect life is suddenly upturned. Then Emily hears a song on the radio about the woman who got away. The melody and voice are hauntingly familiar. Could it be? As Emily's past passions come roaring back into her life, she'll find herself asking: who is she meant to be? Who is she meant to love?

©2021 Jill Santopolo (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“An emotional and uplifting tale of great love and great loss, and the seductive power of second chances. Nobody does page-turning, heart-wrenching love stories quite like Jill Santopolo.” (Rosie Walsh, author of Ghosted)

“[A] profound contemporary romance.... Santopolo crafts an unconventional but realistic love triangle by celebrating her characters’ flaws and grounding the story in earnest emotion. This moving tale is sure to entice.” (Publishers Weekly)

"Jill Santopolo writes so beautifully and powerfully about love and life, with all its twists and turns, imperfections and unpredictability. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if you reconnected with your first love (and haven’t we all?) then this story is for you. Two intertwined love stories written with such depth and emotion that you want them both to work out. But that’s just not possible...." (Clare Pooley, author of The Authenticity Project)

Meh...

I was excited to read this book and the story had great potential, but it never could keep my attention. Most books that I listen to on Audible take 1-2 days to finish and this one was not interesting enough to hold my attention long enough so it took a couple of weeks to finish. I almost didn’t finish it, and I would have been okay with that. Not sure what it was about it that made me feel this way—the melancholy attitude that the main character had the entire time, her strange choices, the lack of real excitement in the plot? Maybe all of it.

Eh… just ok.

Kinda boring. Not like the other books. I zoned out and had to rewind a lot.

Loved it but still prefer the light we lost

I really adored the story and finished it quickly I was hooked. The one thing I didn’t like is Jill singing while reading the book. Since she’s not a singer it takes from the feel that we are talking about great musicians.

For the the light we lost was so much more !!! The way it broke my heart and still had a beautiful ending was better than this one. In a way I think Rob didn’t even have a chances

Beach reading in March

I think this is the first book I’ve listened to that the author has read and that’s interesting to me.
I listened to it in just over a day. I really enjoyed her earlier book. This one kept me interested, but ... beach reading in March!

2 thoughts.

I loved her journal entries, super cathartic. But I legitimately hated her idiot husband and am baffled by some of the choices the main character made in this book. Under stress, I too, make stupid decisions, so all is forgiven. But yeah, team anyone but Ezra.

Beautifully written

This author has a beautiful way with words. I really enjoyed this book. The music detracted from the poetry of the words but it was still a great read.

Boring

I wanted to like this book because I’ve enjoyed other books by this author. I made it to chapter six. Yawn. The writing was BORING and just so unrealistic. I do not recommend.

Boring

This story was Boring, Slow, Trite, and Predictable. Best thing about it was the title, Everything After

I loved her last book but…

The story was pretty weak and difficult to believe. The narrating and singing were painful. I so wanted to like this but it just missed the mark.

So Corny. So Bad.

I was certainly not expecting a masterpiece, but the two days I spent listening to this book were torture. I could not wait for it to end. It is everything cringey, predictable and poorly written you hope to not find while reading - even if it’s a light read.

Girl has *perfect* life - doctor husband, successful career as a therapist, etc. Her ex (who didn’t seem like the greatest guy to begin with??? Handled her accident like an a-hole) writes a song about her that becomes a hit single. She fights with her husband. Hot singer is in town that very night! Wow! She plays with him! Turns out she was not just in a band in college, but she is a superstar who should be on tour!

Cue trip to a tropical place with her ex, not without a cringeworthy sunscreen application scene. Does she love him, or is it music she misses? You’d think a therapist might have a better grasp on this sort of thing. There are more sensitive topics woven in, but not well. It is all very trite and goofy. And just when you think the worst is over, there are two songs at the end.