Review: The Love that Split the World by Emily Henry

THE LOVE THAT SPLIT THE WORLD by Emily Henry

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves. 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 pre-school 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.

That’s when she gets a visit 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.

I chose this book because the concept seemed so bizarre and unique -- a good twist on the usual time travel theme. I wasn't disappointed! I loved the way the author wove legend and mystery together, which kept me guessing for almost the entire book. The romance is really well-developed, and I identified with both Natalie and Beau. A huge plus for me was the setting. Not only is it vividly written (even as it changes), but -- you all -- it's set in Kentucky near a place where I love to camp, which made this Kentucky girl pretty darned happy. If you enjoy a book that twists through the plot, keeps you wondering whether legend is actually reality, and has a great romance thrown in, add this one to your to-be-read stack.