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This Is a Love Story
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An intimate and lyrical celebration of great love, great art, and the sacrifices we make for both
For fifty years Abe and Jane have been coming to Central Park, as starry-eyed young lovers, as frustrated and exhausted parents, as artists watching their careers take flight. They came alone when they needed to get away from each other, and together when they had something important to discuss. The Park has been their witness for half a century of love. Until now.
Jane is dying, and Abe is recounting their life together as a way of keeping them going: the parts they knew—their courtship and early marriage, their blossoming creative lives—and the parts they didn’t always want to know—the determined young student of Abe’s looking for a love story of her own, and their son, Max, who believes his mother chose art over parenthood and who has avoided love and intimacy at all costs. Told in various points of view, even in conversation with Central Park itself, these voices weave in and out to paint a portrait as complicated and essential as love itself.
An intimate and lyrical celebration of great love, great art, and the sacrifices we make for both
For fifty years Abe and Jane have been coming to Central Park, as starry-eyed young lovers, as frustrated and exhausted parents, as artists watching their careers take flight. They came alone when they needed to get away from each other, and together when they had something important to discuss. The Park has been their witness for half a century of love. Until now.
Jane is dying, and Abe is recounting their life together as a way of keeping them going: the parts they knew—their courtship and early marriage, their blossoming creative lives—and the parts they didn’t always want to know—the determined young student of Abe’s looking for a love story of her own, and their son, Max, who believes his mother chose art over parenthood and who has avoided love and intimacy at all costs. Told in various points of view, even in conversation with Central Park itself, these voices weave in and out to paint a portrait as complicated and essential as love itself.
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Published February 4, 2025
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About the author
Jessica Soffer
8 books206 followersJessica Soffer is the author of This Is a Love Story and Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots. She grew up in New York City and earned her MFA at Hunter College where she was a Hertog Fellow. Her work has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, Real Simple, Saveur, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, and on NPR’s Selected Shorts. She teaches creative writing to small groups and in the corporate space and lives in Sag Harbor, New York, with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,965 reviews
dnf
January 18, 2025The writing style was a big turn off for me. I simply found it exhausting to read “You remember…” every single sentence for pages and pages.
July 29, 2025
How do I tell you how much I love this book without telling you almost everything? Every piece and part of this story is essential in the love between these brilliantly drawn main characters, Abe and Joan...
It feels like a classic love story with a modern edge. It is quiet in its telling, free flowing without quotation marks, and makes you think and feel deeply and reflect long after reading.
It is character-driven; it is not a romance but a love story. The writing is breathtaking, poetic, and lyrical, and it was highlighting heaven for me.
This story concerns love of, commitment to, and compassion for another person's well-being. It's not a perfect love story. There are peaks and valleys for this couple with two successful careers, and Abe and Jane vastly differ in their personalities, wants, and needs.
"The thing he loves most about her, he always says, is everything. Sometimes, it feels like the thing she loves most is that it feels like he’s saving her life."
Abe and Joan have been together for over 50 years; he, a bestselling author and college professor; she, a well-known artist. He had his books; she had her art.
I love the way the book walks you through their relationship, through shared memories of their decades together. Abe's devotion to Joan is moving; his steadfastness is commendable. Abe's love is selfless and unconditional; Jane's is one of need.
You see, Jane is sick with cancer, and Abe is by her side as they remember their years together. There are multiple perspectives: their son, Max, a love-struck student dreaming of his own love story, and Central Park in New York City. The park grounds this story by giving it community, normalcy, a place to cool down, to meet and celebrate, or to sit on a bench with someone you love.
"For those who know, for those who feel it, the Park is more than just a park. It is evocative, a symbol. It reminds them of something else, someone else."
I read my Kindle while listening to an Audible copy narrated by Marin Ireland. A more perfect narrator could not have been chosen to recount Abe and Jane's journey together. Every word, every pause, every inflection of her voice was thoughtfully executed.
This is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer is an emotional roller coaster, and I loved every minute and every word.
"Take a break. A breath. That feeling when you don't want a novel to end...
Every word must count."
4.75⭐
It feels like a classic love story with a modern edge. It is quiet in its telling, free flowing without quotation marks, and makes you think and feel deeply and reflect long after reading.
It is character-driven; it is not a romance but a love story. The writing is breathtaking, poetic, and lyrical, and it was highlighting heaven for me.
This story concerns love of, commitment to, and compassion for another person's well-being. It's not a perfect love story. There are peaks and valleys for this couple with two successful careers, and Abe and Jane vastly differ in their personalities, wants, and needs.
"The thing he loves most about her, he always says, is everything. Sometimes, it feels like the thing she loves most is that it feels like he’s saving her life."
Abe and Joan have been together for over 50 years; he, a bestselling author and college professor; she, a well-known artist. He had his books; she had her art.
I love the way the book walks you through their relationship, through shared memories of their decades together. Abe's devotion to Joan is moving; his steadfastness is commendable. Abe's love is selfless and unconditional; Jane's is one of need.
You see, Jane is sick with cancer, and Abe is by her side as they remember their years together. There are multiple perspectives: their son, Max, a love-struck student dreaming of his own love story, and Central Park in New York City. The park grounds this story by giving it community, normalcy, a place to cool down, to meet and celebrate, or to sit on a bench with someone you love.
"For those who know, for those who feel it, the Park is more than just a park. It is evocative, a symbol. It reminds them of something else, someone else."
I read my Kindle while listening to an Audible copy narrated by Marin Ireland. A more perfect narrator could not have been chosen to recount Abe and Jane's journey together. Every word, every pause, every inflection of her voice was thoughtfully executed.
This is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer is an emotional roller coaster, and I loved every minute and every word.
"Take a break. A breath. That feeling when you don't want a novel to end...
Every word must count."
4.75⭐
January 26, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up!
I absolutely loved this book!
As someone whose in a long term relationship (we’ve been together for over half my life and married for 2 decades) I deeply related to Abe and Jane. This book details the reality of marriage and love without romanticizing it. It’s poignant, heartbreaking, breathtaking, nostalgic, and very unforgettable. Jane and Abe’s relationship will be something I’ll be thinking about long after reading.
This is a Love Story is proof that writing and language is one of the most beautiful forms of art. Full of lyrical prose, I found myself highlighting so many passages. Readers of literary fiction will absolutely love this gem!
This is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer will be available on February 4. Many thanks to Dutton Books for the gifted copy!
I absolutely loved this book!
As someone whose in a long term relationship (we’ve been together for over half my life and married for 2 decades) I deeply related to Abe and Jane. This book details the reality of marriage and love without romanticizing it. It’s poignant, heartbreaking, breathtaking, nostalgic, and very unforgettable. Jane and Abe’s relationship will be something I’ll be thinking about long after reading.
This is a Love Story is proof that writing and language is one of the most beautiful forms of art. Full of lyrical prose, I found myself highlighting so many passages. Readers of literary fiction will absolutely love this gem!
This is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer will be available on February 4. Many thanks to Dutton Books for the gifted copy!
March 18, 2025
Upon finishing this book, I sent my favorite fellow bookworm (who'd also read it) the following text:
"I hope I don't read the words 'You remember' in another book for the rest of 2025 🫠"
As Forrest Gump likes to say, and that's all I have to say about that.
"I hope I don't read the words 'You remember' in another book for the rest of 2025 🫠"
As Forrest Gump likes to say, and that's all I have to say about that.
October 6, 2024
I received this Title in a Goodreads Giveaway. I don't know what the hype is with this book. I found it boring and confusing. Maybe I would have liked it if the author used a different writing style than the one she used. It's a story about a couple Abe and Jane that share their life experiences together. Jane is terminally Ill. They have always gone to Central Park where they have loved each other, sat and talked about issues with their children, and reminiscent of their lives together, both the good and bad. Central Park has witnessed their relationship from being to end. Yes the author has made Central Park into a character. 🙄 I didn't like this book but it is just my personal opinion. Maybe you will like it where I didn't. The only way yo find out is for you to give it a try and form your own opinion.
February 11, 2025
the setup…
Jane and Abe have been together for over fifty years and Central Park has been a pivotal part of their lives throughout that time. Jane is dying and Abe now spends their remaining time at her bedside, talking about their memories and reliving those moments…the highs, the lows, the joys and the pains...from courtship to present.
the heart of the story…
It’s not your typical narrative as the story is delivered lyrically, almost poetically, in fragments and may not be for everyone. Initially I was uncertain if the writing style would work for me but soon I came to savor the power and delicacy of the words. No common descriptions here as the metaphors evoked vivid imagery that left no room for alternate interpretations. Abe and Jane had a special relationship, she an outrageously gifted artist and he a talented, ultimately successful writer who didn’t recognize it in himself until Jane. Then there’s Max, their son whose relationship with Jane was…complicated. You also feel the connection to and love for Central Park, expressed in ways I’ve never seen.
the bottom line…
I experienced an extraordinary reaction as Abe’s way of reciting those memories with Jane are almost identical to how I’m now relating to a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Those memories, wonderful or not so, are deeply rooted and meaningful, the connections forced to resurface. It’s both heartwarming and heartbreaking, but reinforces the bond. This is a love story with countless layers and intended targets. At times, it took my breath away. 4.5 stars
(Thanks to Dutton for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Jane and Abe have been together for over fifty years and Central Park has been a pivotal part of their lives throughout that time. Jane is dying and Abe now spends their remaining time at her bedside, talking about their memories and reliving those moments…the highs, the lows, the joys and the pains...from courtship to present.
the heart of the story…
It’s not your typical narrative as the story is delivered lyrically, almost poetically, in fragments and may not be for everyone. Initially I was uncertain if the writing style would work for me but soon I came to savor the power and delicacy of the words. No common descriptions here as the metaphors evoked vivid imagery that left no room for alternate interpretations. Abe and Jane had a special relationship, she an outrageously gifted artist and he a talented, ultimately successful writer who didn’t recognize it in himself until Jane. Then there’s Max, their son whose relationship with Jane was…complicated. You also feel the connection to and love for Central Park, expressed in ways I’ve never seen.
the bottom line…
I experienced an extraordinary reaction as Abe’s way of reciting those memories with Jane are almost identical to how I’m now relating to a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Those memories, wonderful or not so, are deeply rooted and meaningful, the connections forced to resurface. It’s both heartwarming and heartbreaking, but reinforces the bond. This is a love story with countless layers and intended targets. At times, it took my breath away. 4.5 stars
(Thanks to Dutton for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
February 8, 2025
BIG SIGH. It pains me to write this review, but it must be done. Read with Jenna’s February book club pick, THIS IS A LOVE STORY by Jessica Soffer is one that I should have absolutely loved, but sadly did not. However, I did NOT hate it. No, no, no. Not at all. Hear me out. What soured my overall opinion of this book was the writing style. It simply did not work with my brain. A lot of the sentences in the beginning and ending chapters start with, “You remember…” and go on and on and on. And you know what? I hardly remember anything from those sentences because I found it extremely distracting. To be honest, from start to finish, the writing overall just felt very dry and choppy to me. I couldn’t look past it.
This is a story about Jane and Abe, a couple living in NYC who have been married for decades. Jane is now dying of cancer and Abe is reminiscing about their time together. We learn about the early days of their courtship, marriage, creative careers, and Jane struggle with motherhood. We receive every beautiful and messy piece of their relationship. Motherhood and marriage are two of my very favorite themes, so the subject matter is what really held my attention throughout, and the reason I kept going.
My favorite chapters from this novel were the ones told from Central Park. Jane and Abe loved spending time at the park, and it basically became a supporting character. I thought that this was a very unique writing technique, and also a nice touch. The author included a lot of facts and snippets about the famous park that I found quite fascinating and informative. I learned so much about the park!
With all that said, I know this novel will appeal to a lot of readers. The reviews I’ve been reading are all very hit or miss. You’re either going to adore this novel or want to throw it out the window. I’m sure my rating would have been much higher if it was told in a different way. THIS IS A LOVE STORY gets 3.5/5 stars from me.
This is a story about Jane and Abe, a couple living in NYC who have been married for decades. Jane is now dying of cancer and Abe is reminiscing about their time together. We learn about the early days of their courtship, marriage, creative careers, and Jane struggle with motherhood. We receive every beautiful and messy piece of their relationship. Motherhood and marriage are two of my very favorite themes, so the subject matter is what really held my attention throughout, and the reason I kept going.
My favorite chapters from this novel were the ones told from Central Park. Jane and Abe loved spending time at the park, and it basically became a supporting character. I thought that this was a very unique writing technique, and also a nice touch. The author included a lot of facts and snippets about the famous park that I found quite fascinating and informative. I learned so much about the park!
With all that said, I know this novel will appeal to a lot of readers. The reviews I’ve been reading are all very hit or miss. You’re either going to adore this novel or want to throw it out the window. I’m sure my rating would have been much higher if it was told in a different way. THIS IS A LOVE STORY gets 3.5/5 stars from me.
February 6, 2025
A lot of people will love this book, but I am not one of them.
A big reason is that I really do hate books written in the second person. They always carry an unintentional critical or resentful tone.
This may be “a love story” but it is literary fiction family tragedy. The descriptions and setting of Central Park are the best part.
I found it to be very depressing and pretentious.
A big reason is that I really do hate books written in the second person. They always carry an unintentional critical or resentful tone.
This may be “a love story” but it is literary fiction family tragedy. The descriptions and setting of Central Park are the best part.
I found it to be very depressing and pretentious.
February 12, 2025
Wow! This is a Love Story is an intimate look at marriage, parent-child relationships, and the moments that make up a life. Told through multiple perspectives, we learn about the life of Abe and Jane during their fifty plus years together and their son Max. They live in NYC, and Soffer brilliantly creates a character out of Central Park. The park is symbolic of their relationship and relationships with others. It witnesses their lives through the passage of time, changing seasons, and the activities of other people. It is symbolic of love itself.
Marriage isn't easy, and the author illustrates this through the adversities that they face. We are shown that through hardship and misunderstanding, there is also beauty and so much love. Challenges in marriage are normal and can make us stronger together. The essential lessons of patience and forgiveness are masterfully woven into the narrative. Soffer's lyrical and poetic prose had me captivated from the first page to the last and made me feel every emotion that Abe and Jane experienced. I loved this book that destroyed me in the best way because it gives so much hope and the reassurance that the best and strongest of marriages aren't perfect because even the best people have flaws. This is one of my favorite books that I have read in the past year. It spoke to me on a deep level, and I think it will speak to many.❤️
Marriage isn't easy, and the author illustrates this through the adversities that they face. We are shown that through hardship and misunderstanding, there is also beauty and so much love. Challenges in marriage are normal and can make us stronger together. The essential lessons of patience and forgiveness are masterfully woven into the narrative. Soffer's lyrical and poetic prose had me captivated from the first page to the last and made me feel every emotion that Abe and Jane experienced. I loved this book that destroyed me in the best way because it gives so much hope and the reassurance that the best and strongest of marriages aren't perfect because even the best people have flaws. This is one of my favorite books that I have read in the past year. It spoke to me on a deep level, and I think it will speak to many.❤️
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August 8, 2025thank you Dutton for the gifted copy!
Unfortunately this book was really not for me. It’s different and it sounded like something I’d enjoy… but I did not. I attempted to read the physical book and when I didn’t enjoy myself I listened to the audiobook and that was not a good idea. I am happy to see so many others loved this book more than I did though!
Unfortunately this book was really not for me. It’s different and it sounded like something I’d enjoy… but I did not. I attempted to read the physical book and when I didn’t enjoy myself I listened to the audiobook and that was not a good idea. I am happy to see so many others loved this book more than I did though!
November 21, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ *sigh* this book had so much promise.
The writing was unique and different in a way that read more like poetry. I immediately attached to one of the main characters.
Sadly, the middle fell flat for me and the one characters POV I did enjoy became repetitive. What was working for this book for me became overused. I honestly think this would have been a stronger story with just Abe’s POV in a short story or Novella.
Still have to round up just for the emotions this envoked in me. I haven’t cried that hard over a book in a long time.
The writing was unique and different in a way that read more like poetry. I immediately attached to one of the main characters.
Sadly, the middle fell flat for me and the one characters POV I did enjoy became repetitive. What was working for this book for me became overused. I honestly think this would have been a stronger story with just Abe’s POV in a short story or Novella.
Still have to round up just for the emotions this envoked in me. I haven’t cried that hard over a book in a long time.
March 3, 2025
DNF. I very rarely don’t finish a book, but I just can’t. I do not understand the endorsements of this book. The writing style drove me absolutely bonkers. The continuous repetition of “I remember” and “You remember” was not innovative to me - just annoying. Then when I got to Alice’s section & the short, simplistic sentences - well, I was just done.
March 27, 2025
I’m in the minority on this one it seems. I loved this, not necessarily because of the story, but the experimental and lyrical writing. I like when authors don’t adhere to some of the rules. I love when they can execute it. This was a beautiful, emotional story, yes, but complex as well. I’m a sucker for looking at subtext of books as well and I felt like I interpreted a lot of the undertones. Glad I gave this one a chance!
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February 7, 2025DNF @ p.50 This was my most anticipated book for February, and I'm so disappointed that I couldn't connect with it. The writing style was NOT for me.
January 9, 2025
I received the advanced readers copy of this book and immediately lost my enthusiasm to finish. First, I truly fought for the will to finish the novel. I fought because the author’s ABOUT summary humanized her. Since she is a fellow educator, it made the author relatable. Soffer’s “This Is A Love Story” is a never ending run on sentence with period marks as decor. I do not recommend.
As for an analysis, I will not provide one. Be aware, the flashbacks are awkwardly placed and Soffer’s lack of quotation marks make the dialogue difficult to follow when reading. I found myself re-reading multiple pages to ensure I followed the interactions correctly on the page. It was a mental exercise that resulted in a feeling of loss. A loss of personal time, freedom, and my will to read younger authors.
As for an analysis, I will not provide one. Be aware, the flashbacks are awkwardly placed and Soffer’s lack of quotation marks make the dialogue difficult to follow when reading. I found myself re-reading multiple pages to ensure I followed the interactions correctly on the page. It was a mental exercise that resulted in a feeling of loss. A loss of personal time, freedom, and my will to read younger authors.
July 1, 2025
This Is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer, I didn’t like the writing style which made it really hard to stay engaged. The story follows Jane, an artist, and her husband Abe, a writer, as he looks back on their fifty-year marriage while she’s dying. It also brings in their son Max’s resentment and an affair Abe had. Even though the book tries to explore big themes like love, betrayal, and forgiveness, the constant shifts between timelines and perspectives felt disjointed. The poetic language dragged everything out, and the frequent digressions about Central Park just slowed the story down even more. I kept hoping I’d feel more connected to the characters, but the writing kept me at a distance.
September 16, 2025
This is a Love Story follows writer Abe and his artist wife Jane. The novel explores their relationship journey from the beginning of courtship to the very end. As Jane is dying Abe is recounting their life together, 50 years of love, loss, grief, and the challenges of balancing family life including their relationship with their son Max, motherhood, and career.
This book is set in New York City and centered around Central Park as a symbolic constant in their lives. The narrative is told from multiple perspectives, including the park itself. Which I thought was very creative.
I can’t even express how parts of this book made me feel. I don’t think this book is going to be for everybody because I can take what the author is writing one way and others interpret what she’s writing in other ways and I believe all of our interpretations are going to be valid because they are going to be based on our life experiences, past and current relationships, how we’ve lived, loved and been shown love, our losses, our betrayals, and much more. Someone young with very little to no “life experiences” or different life experiences may interpret the authors writing differently than me, an older female who’s endured and overcome certain relational aspects in life.
I believe Abe’s portion with remembering when, at the end of the book was a little too tedious for me but others wise I enjoyed this book and certain portions of the writing remained me of Fredrick Backman’s writing which I personally love 🥰
This book is set in New York City and centered around Central Park as a symbolic constant in their lives. The narrative is told from multiple perspectives, including the park itself. Which I thought was very creative.
I can’t even express how parts of this book made me feel. I don’t think this book is going to be for everybody because I can take what the author is writing one way and others interpret what she’s writing in other ways and I believe all of our interpretations are going to be valid because they are going to be based on our life experiences, past and current relationships, how we’ve lived, loved and been shown love, our losses, our betrayals, and much more. Someone young with very little to no “life experiences” or different life experiences may interpret the authors writing differently than me, an older female who’s endured and overcome certain relational aspects in life.
I believe Abe’s portion with remembering when, at the end of the book was a little too tedious for me but others wise I enjoyed this book and certain portions of the writing remained me of Fredrick Backman’s writing which I personally love 🥰
April 25, 2025
I opened this novel with no expectations except that it looked like a good palette cleanser, or beach read. Was I ever wrong! This is a serious book of literary fiction; poetic, insightful, with great characterizations. Much of its meaning comes from what is implied or not written as the author guides the reader without being obtrusively directive. I believe it will be on my top ten list for 2025.
Abe and Jane have had a long marriage. It's had ups and downs but their love has weathered all the years and circumstances. Jane is a renowned artist and Abe is a famous writer. They have a son named Max, and Jane, who suffered postpartum depression, mourns the relationship she's had with her son and wonders what could have been if the situation had been different.
Max is brilliant but there is nothing he really cares about except bedding all the women he can, being a dandy, and making a lot of money. He has nothing against his parents but his bond with them is rather thin. His 'person' growing up was his bubbe, his paternal grandmother.
The novel is told from various points of view which give it a broad brush stroke. Abe worships Jane and believes there is nothing she cannot make or do. Jane's obsession with creating art is foremost for her. Abe says of Jane, "Art built this house, I think. Art and your vim."
This novel is an homage to fine art and words. "And so you wonder, which came first? Character or the invention of character? What would watching the snowfall look like without the words? Without the writing and all the sunlight it casts?"
Not only do we have the POV's of the three protagonists, we also get the POV of Central Park. This novel will resonate best with those familiar with Manhattan and its glorious artistic and cultural gifts.
"This is a Love Story" was chosen as a 'Read with Jenna' book. I tend to avoid books chosen by celebrities but I am grateful that I followed my gut and read this one. What a gift.
Abe and Jane have had a long marriage. It's had ups and downs but their love has weathered all the years and circumstances. Jane is a renowned artist and Abe is a famous writer. They have a son named Max, and Jane, who suffered postpartum depression, mourns the relationship she's had with her son and wonders what could have been if the situation had been different.
Max is brilliant but there is nothing he really cares about except bedding all the women he can, being a dandy, and making a lot of money. He has nothing against his parents but his bond with them is rather thin. His 'person' growing up was his bubbe, his paternal grandmother.
The novel is told from various points of view which give it a broad brush stroke. Abe worships Jane and believes there is nothing she cannot make or do. Jane's obsession with creating art is foremost for her. Abe says of Jane, "Art built this house, I think. Art and your vim."
This novel is an homage to fine art and words. "And so you wonder, which came first? Character or the invention of character? What would watching the snowfall look like without the words? Without the writing and all the sunlight it casts?"
Not only do we have the POV's of the three protagonists, we also get the POV of Central Park. This novel will resonate best with those familiar with Manhattan and its glorious artistic and cultural gifts.
"This is a Love Story" was chosen as a 'Read with Jenna' book. I tend to avoid books chosen by celebrities but I am grateful that I followed my gut and read this one. What a gift.
March 4, 2025
This isn’t a sweeping love story or even a story that will give you butterflies. It’s a story about the love found in the small moments, in the quotidian, and in the struggle of the everyday. It’s a story about a lifetime and what we remember in the end, the big and the small. It’s a difficult story to read. I understand that people may be turned off by the narration style and this socially unpalatable depiction of motherhood and love. But I personally found the whole thing so beautiful. Right time, right place and all that.
January 20, 2025
Jane and Abe share memories as Jane is dying.
Oh my goodness. This Is A Love Story is exquisite. I could not have loved it more.
The story revolves around Jane, Abe, their son Max and Central Park creating an intimacy and depth that is astounding.
Jessica Soffer’s prose vibrates on the page. It’s luminous, poetic, enthralling. It’s as if this book is an onion, and Abe peels away each layer as he shares memories with Jane and the reader. As he addresses Jane it feels as if he’s speaking directly to the reader too, so that they become woven into this profound, beautiful, mesmerising narrative. It’s a story that is read with a physical ache in your heart.
I loved the fragmentary presentation of the text on the page because it reflects to perfection the disjointed way memories swell and fade in our minds. There is a chronology as Jane remembers, but it isn’t entirely linear which makes for greater depth in the narrative. The pendulum-swing from the Central Park to Abe and Jane’s perspective and back suffers a lurch when Alice becomes the focal point, mirroring so cleverly the way she is a jolt in the marriage between Jane and Abe. I found myself loathing her instantly when her name appeared at the top of the chapter, and yet I came to appreciate and understand her. Max too has his time as a focus so that the reader becomes intimately acquainted with them all, leading to a highly affecting read.
As well as a presentation of an enduring marriage, This Is A Love Story is also a love letter to Central Park in New York which is depicted with such fondness and reality it made me feel a genuine sense of loss that I didn’t find time to visit when I worked in the city. Central Park acts partly as light relief that ameliorates the intensity of the other characters’ experiences, partly as a Greek chorus giving insight into events and themes, and partly as a reminder of the quotidian life that continues in the world even when Jane, Abe, Max and Alice feel locked in the maelstrom of their own experiences. Jessica Soffer shows that we are all nothing in the grand scheme of life – and yet we are everything.
The themes of art, marriage, motherhood, nationality, home, creativity and, of course, memory are just a few elements of the rich tapestry that it This Is A Love Story. I suspect that with every rereading – and my word does this book deserve to be read time and again – the reader will discover something new about the characters and, importantly, bout themselves.
Written with a beguiling lyricism that bewitches the reader, This Is A Love Story is exactly that – a love story of truth and hurt, enduring companionship and memory. I absolutely adored it. It is not to be missed. Reading it makes the reader glad to be alive and far more appreciative and observant of the world around them. But be warned. This Is A Love Story will bruise your heart irreparably. I thought it was outstanding.
Oh my goodness. This Is A Love Story is exquisite. I could not have loved it more.
The story revolves around Jane, Abe, their son Max and Central Park creating an intimacy and depth that is astounding.
Jessica Soffer’s prose vibrates on the page. It’s luminous, poetic, enthralling. It’s as if this book is an onion, and Abe peels away each layer as he shares memories with Jane and the reader. As he addresses Jane it feels as if he’s speaking directly to the reader too, so that they become woven into this profound, beautiful, mesmerising narrative. It’s a story that is read with a physical ache in your heart.
I loved the fragmentary presentation of the text on the page because it reflects to perfection the disjointed way memories swell and fade in our minds. There is a chronology as Jane remembers, but it isn’t entirely linear which makes for greater depth in the narrative. The pendulum-swing from the Central Park to Abe and Jane’s perspective and back suffers a lurch when Alice becomes the focal point, mirroring so cleverly the way she is a jolt in the marriage between Jane and Abe. I found myself loathing her instantly when her name appeared at the top of the chapter, and yet I came to appreciate and understand her. Max too has his time as a focus so that the reader becomes intimately acquainted with them all, leading to a highly affecting read.
As well as a presentation of an enduring marriage, This Is A Love Story is also a love letter to Central Park in New York which is depicted with such fondness and reality it made me feel a genuine sense of loss that I didn’t find time to visit when I worked in the city. Central Park acts partly as light relief that ameliorates the intensity of the other characters’ experiences, partly as a Greek chorus giving insight into events and themes, and partly as a reminder of the quotidian life that continues in the world even when Jane, Abe, Max and Alice feel locked in the maelstrom of their own experiences. Jessica Soffer shows that we are all nothing in the grand scheme of life – and yet we are everything.
The themes of art, marriage, motherhood, nationality, home, creativity and, of course, memory are just a few elements of the rich tapestry that it This Is A Love Story. I suspect that with every rereading – and my word does this book deserve to be read time and again – the reader will discover something new about the characters and, importantly, bout themselves.
Written with a beguiling lyricism that bewitches the reader, This Is A Love Story is exactly that – a love story of truth and hurt, enduring companionship and memory. I absolutely adored it. It is not to be missed. Reading it makes the reader glad to be alive and far more appreciative and observant of the world around them. But be warned. This Is A Love Story will bruise your heart irreparably. I thought it was outstanding.
February 1, 2025
This is a hard one to review. Overall I found this to be a very difficult read. While the subject matter (a dying woman) is difficult, it was the writing style that made it so hard for me. I've seen it described as "An intimate and lyrical celebration of great love, great art, and the sacrifices we make for both." I don't know if lyrical celebration is completely the right description for me when it comes to the writing style - I found it as a mix of stream of conscientiousness and stream of memory in an odd run-on way. It was hard to read and a challenge to get through. I will say that this is more than a love story of two people, it is a story of the love for Central Park and NYC - and that there is what saved me and made it at all worth continuing.
Some people will love this (perhaps even find it poetic?). Some people will not like it at all. I fall in the middle and that alone was disappointing as it was a highly anticipated release this year for me. Thank you to Dutton Books for sending me an advance copy. This Is a Love Story will be available on 2/4/25.
Some people will love this (perhaps even find it poetic?). Some people will not like it at all. I fall in the middle and that alone was disappointing as it was a highly anticipated release this year for me. Thank you to Dutton Books for sending me an advance copy. This Is a Love Story will be available on 2/4/25.
February 16, 2025
I hated the writing style.
March 11, 2025
“I remember, with you, the reel stopped running. Like I am. You are. This is enough. Please stay.”
Do not read this is public. You will ugly cry. So beautiful.
Do not read this is public. You will ugly cry. So beautiful.
March 15, 2025
This was not a love story
October 16, 2025
While the writing was beautiful, the execution of the story didn’t work for me. There were multiple timelines and perspectives that switched abruptly and it made it hard to follow. The story didn’t feel linear and that made it hard for me to keep up. It was told in second person, but only certain perspectives which threw me off too. While I see the point and what it was trying to portray, I just didn’t feel connected when this is a very character driven book.
Content: cancer, fertility
Content: cancer, fertility
April 24, 2025
A really beautifully written book examining a picture perfect relationship on the page that is filled with complications and sickness, but also tons of love and devotion. I listened to the audiobook, and I think that’s the best way to handle the writing styles and format.
My biggest gripe is that there was not enough growth or character development. While I love stories written about people in a really realistic manner that feel tangible, I still want lessons to be learned or have characters break patterns and have revelations. This book fell flat in that the characters recognized their flaws and wanted more from themselves, yet couldn’t carry through on those desires. The family dynamic and characters themselves are fully fleshed out and well done, but I wanted more from them.
The sections in Central Park are an ode to the city and love and the trivialities of life. You feel like you’re sitting in the park people watching, and reminded that love really is everywhere.
Overall, an interesting read where no one is necessarily right or wrong and believably feels like you’re stepping into someone else’s life. If anything, it’s potentially too real and honest with the characters living with their regrets and inability to communicate. Still an interesting character study with beautiful, train-of-thought like prose, but missing some of the arcs and lessons I had hoped to find by the end.
My biggest gripe is that there was not enough growth or character development. While I love stories written about people in a really realistic manner that feel tangible, I still want lessons to be learned or have characters break patterns and have revelations. This book fell flat in that the characters recognized their flaws and wanted more from themselves, yet couldn’t carry through on those desires. The family dynamic and characters themselves are fully fleshed out and well done, but I wanted more from them.
The sections in Central Park are an ode to the city and love and the trivialities of life. You feel like you’re sitting in the park people watching, and reminded that love really is everywhere.
Overall, an interesting read where no one is necessarily right or wrong and believably feels like you’re stepping into someone else’s life. If anything, it’s potentially too real and honest with the characters living with their regrets and inability to communicate. Still an interesting character study with beautiful, train-of-thought like prose, but missing some of the arcs and lessons I had hoped to find by the end.
Read
February 6, 2025DNF. I’m sorry, “Do You Remember” was said way too much. The writing is not going to be for everyone.
January 16, 2025
2.5⭐️
I received this pre-publication copy through a Goodreads giveaway. Overall, I think there was a lot of potential for this book and I didn’t hate the concept but I greatly disliked the execution. I have a lot of complaints but my biggest is the inconsistency in writing styles and the shift in POV from 1st person to 3rd person?!
Initially, I found the writing style hard to follow and slightly confusing almost like a stream of consciousness. The dialogue was also lacking quotation marks which required some inferences to determine who was talking. I kept an open mind and was surprised to find myself enjoying it. Eventually, somewhere along the way between Abe and Alice POV’s I came to appreciate the unique voice and writing style.
However, maybe about halfway through I felt completely blindsided by the switch up from 1st person to 3rd person narration in combination with a completely different writing style?
This just felt so disjointed, like two different authors wrote different chapters of the book. It absolutely killed the vibe of the book. I felt like the writing style was so quirky and unique that to be done correctly the author needed to fully commit and just maintain it throughout the entirely of the book.
I received this pre-publication copy through a Goodreads giveaway. Overall, I think there was a lot of potential for this book and I didn’t hate the concept but I greatly disliked the execution. I have a lot of complaints but my biggest is the inconsistency in writing styles and the shift in POV from 1st person to 3rd person?!
Initially, I found the writing style hard to follow and slightly confusing almost like a stream of consciousness. The dialogue was also lacking quotation marks which required some inferences to determine who was talking. I kept an open mind and was surprised to find myself enjoying it. Eventually, somewhere along the way between Abe and Alice POV’s I came to appreciate the unique voice and writing style.
However, maybe about halfway through I felt completely blindsided by the switch up from 1st person to 3rd person narration in combination with a completely different writing style?
This just felt so disjointed, like two different authors wrote different chapters of the book. It absolutely killed the vibe of the book. I felt like the writing style was so quirky and unique that to be done correctly the author needed to fully commit and just maintain it throughout the entirely of the book.
February 6, 2025
So annoying to have to read “you remember” hundreds of times
She presents the tale in an innovative style, but so annoyingly repetitive. Just tell the story already. I couldn’t wait to be done.
She presents the tale in an innovative style, but so annoyingly repetitive. Just tell the story already. I couldn’t wait to be done.
February 26, 2025
3.5 stars - I didn’t expect to like this book based on all the other reviews, but if you can get past the writing style, the story line is pretty good. Never thought I would read a book with no dialogue.
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