Words in Deep Blue

By: Cath Crowley

Narrated by: Hamish R. Johnson, Chelsea Bruland

“One of the loveliest, most exquisitely beautiful books I’ve read in a very long time. . . . I didn’t just read the pages, I lived in them.” —Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places

A beautiful love story for fans of Jandy Nelson and Nicola Yoon: two teens find their way back to each other in a bookstore full of secrets and crushes, grief and hope—and letters hidden between the pages.

Years ago, Rachel had a crush on Henry Jones. The day before she moved away, she tucked a love letter into his favorite book in his family’s bookshop. She waited. But Henry never came.

Now Rachel has returned to the city—and to the bookshop—to work alongside the boy she’d rather not see, if at all possible, for the rest of her life. But Rachel needs the distraction. Her brother drowned months ago, and she can’t feel anything anymore.

As Henry and Rachel work side by side—surrounded by books, watching love stories unfold, exchanging letters between the pages—they find hope in each other. Because life may be uncontrollable, even unbearable sometimes. But it’s possible that words, and love, and second chances are enough.

Critic reviews

★ "Original, wise, and essential. . . . This love story is an ode to words and life." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "This poignant tale exquisitely chronicles the journey from hopelessness to learning to live again." —School Library Journal, starred review

★ "...Crowley has built a warm cast of surprising and memorable characters and placed them in universal circumstances that slowly unfold into something extraordinary." —Booklist, starred review

"Reading Words in Deep Blue feels a little bit like a slow dance, or falling in love, or swimming in the ocean on a rainy day. It's a stunning reminder of the power of words and books and stories that will leave your heart full and heavy and hungry for more. Cath Crowley is magic." — Krystal Sutherland, author of Our Chemical Hearts

"A big-hearted, stunner of a novel. Cath Crowley's gorgeous prose will make you both tear up and swoon. A beautifully honest meditation on grief and love.” —Jasmine Warga, author of My Heart and Other Black Holes

"Words In Deep Blue is beautifully written. Laced with humor and poignancy, tragedy and joy, this story will break your heart and then piece it back together." —Emma Mills, author of First & Then and This Adventure Ends


Praise for Graffiti Moon:

“The character development is strong. . . . It’s the kind of night you dream about, but it’s very much grounded in reality.” —Buzzfeed.com

“Laced with humor and sadness, longing and joy, this slice of life is satisfying and hopeful.” —Booklist

“Richly and affectingly expressed. . . . [An] engrossing story with credible complexity.” —Publishers Weekly

An ALA-YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book

A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book for Teens



Praise for A Little Wanting Song:

★ “Give this incredible, satisfying book to fans of Sarah Dessen, Karen Foxlee, Melina Marchetta—actually, give it to any teen girl who longs a little and feels too much. . . . Unforgettable.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“Crowley captures quiet moments with aching beauty and tenderness; her empathy for teen girls recalls Deb Caletti and Sarah Dessen.” —Booklist

An ALA-YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book

what a sad book - better read than listened to

Giving this 3.75 stars. This is a very sad book. Some parts are beautiful, but I think it will be more appreciated in ebook than audio. The male narrator tends to eat the words while the female narrator can be monotonous. In fine, tears factor aside, the writing is good but there's something missing.

Word lovers unite!

I’m a word lover so I get this story. I enjoyed their accents. Made me sad when they lost the book shop. I liked their solution though.

The readers are CONSTANTLY skipping and changing words.

No one is perfect, but the readers of this book took a LOT of liberties. They were giving and taking out sentences at a time. As for the storyline, it laid flat. Nothing really HAPPENED. It was all a build with no climax.

Beautiful writing & wonderfully developed characte

I adored this book. The imagery was unreal and characters stunningly portrayed. loved loved loved it.

I loved this book, I loved they writing, I loved the narration, I love the way it was written with the letters in the library

I wouldn't say there was anything that good about the story of the book, in the end it felt rushed and it was hard to understand what was going on