Laws of Love and Logic

by Debra Curtis

'Sweeping and intimate… a gorgeous meditation on roads not taken' SHELBY VAN PELT, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
'A magnificent, spellbinding love story' CLARE LESLIE HALL, author of Broken Country
__________

1976, Rhode Island.

Lily has two loves.

There's the boy, in whom she finds a kindred spirit. And then there's Jane, her brilliant but troubled younger sister and best friend.

Lily has a plan.

She'll graduate, go to college, marry her high-school sweetheart and start a family of her own, her future unfolding before her as a bright, clear path.

But the laws of love and logic are not as simple as Lily thinks.

When one fateful night throws Lily's life on an entirely new course, she'll discover just how fragile the futures are that we so carefully plan and imagine for ourselves. Because the universe has a plan of its own – and what seems to be the end of one great love story might just be the beginning of another…

Genres: Romance, Adult, Fiction, Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 17, 2026

Reviews

[Karen Axnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing effort for a debut novel. The relationship between sisters carries through the storyline addressing the major themes of love, loss, and grief. I was swept up into their world from the beginning to a satisfying conclusion.

Lily is the eldest of two daughters raised in a family that honored both religion and science. Additionally, their mother imparted strong beliefs in women’s rights and abilities resulting in two beautiful, intelligent young women – each with different personalities and lifepaths. Their mother’s death left wounds that never properly healed, which for Lily was compounded by the tragic loss of her first love a few years later. Subsequently, she settles for a safe, secure marriage to a good, loving man, a professor like her father. Jane, her sister, is a free spirit who is uses drugs, alcohol and sex to deal with a reality she finds tedious and treats her talent for solving mathematical theorems as a hobby rather than a career. Despite the contrast in their lifestyles, the bond between the sisters is strong and resilient.

I found myself occasionally bogged down in details of ornithology and quantum theory, but this did not detract from my enjoyment of the novel. I particularly liked the ongoing reference to “the boy” as a literary device referring to Lily’s first and ongoing love. Overall, this book was entertaining while simultaneously making me feel and think …reflecting the words in the title: love and logic. Kudos to the author on her first novel. I look forward to more.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished it. The writing style is well done. It had some great themes and explored some topics that were relevant for the time period and are still relevant now.
That’s probably all the praise I can give it. It paced slow, the format felt like a biography of someone I didn’t want to know about. I kept reading hoping something interesting would drop because it has such high praises but that moment never came for me.
It needs trigger warnings and the fact that we are never given a name for “the boy” drove me absolutely insane.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotional, nostalgic and unforgettable. Lily’s story pulled me in from the very first pages. The love triangle is compelling, but it is her relationship with Jane that broke me. Their bond is fierce and fragile all at once, and it carried the story far more than the romance.

It is not a light read. It is layered with grief, feminism, faith and philosophy, and it definitely made me emotional more than once. For me, that is what makes it worth reading.

👯‍♀️ Sisters
💔 Haunting first love
⚖️ Feminism and morality
📚 Coming of age
😢 Guilt and healing

Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I’ve read lots of books that follow this narrative, but it’s a long time since I’ve read one that pulled it off so well. And that summarises the book, it’s someone ordinary and spectacular at the same time.

We follow Lily throughout her life which can be read as a privileged one full of love but also one struck by tragedy and guilt and regret. There are several important relationships but the one with her sister Jane was very special and felt real.

There is a lot of science peppered throughout the book such as ornithology and quantum mechanics but she wears her research so lightly that it feels like she’s discussing something you already know rather than being lectured at and they resonate so strongly with the overall themes. There is a lot of religion which is also treated in the same way.

The gender politics and philosophy throughout was also deeply understood and went beyond what most fiction writers can do.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the arc.

[Clara Bella Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance read. I enjoyed the storyline of the two sisters.
The troubled scenario with Lily and David was disturbing in the fact that she didn’t remember what truly happened. I felt this was a bit offsetting in that David behavior the night of the attack was written as he had done something. Her being without her clothing, led the reader to believe something happened.
The parts about “the boy” was off for me, in that he was so dedicated to Lily for so many years, and she had moved on.
I felt something was missing, and I wanted more.

[lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

ouch ouch ouch

[Jane Perron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book as it is set in Rhode Island and I am from here. It isn't my typical pick. I am really glad I chose it. It took me a little to build into it, but I am glad I did. It was well written and well developed. So many emotions while I read. And the gut punch at the end.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laws of Love and Logic is a meditative, character-driven affair—rich in emotional texture and grounded by strong, soulful writing. Perfect for readers who appreciate family-centered stories that ask big questions about love, fate, and emotional endurance.

[Corryn Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goodness. There’s a lot in this book. The prose makes you really think about love and if it’s possible to really love the same way twice. The poetry throughout the book is definitely thought provoking. There’s a lot to take in, sort through, and comprehend. This isn’t a usual pick for me. I thought the information about the birds was extraneous and unnecessary.

[Celeste Glaser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laws of Love and Logic was an advanced reader copy that I was so lucky to get my hands on. This book explores many powerful themes and tells a beautiful story of first love, sisterhood, forgiveness, and redemption. The characters are so well written. The relationship between Lily and her sister, Jane, is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. I found the choice to refer to Lily’s first love simply as “the boy” to be an especially interesting literary technique. After finishing the book, I highly recommend going back and rereading the prologue. This is one of those books that stays with you long after you are done.

[Christina Valastro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one day. Incredible. Science, religion, love, passion, New England. Lily and Jane are so sweet and conflicting and then the men... a beautiful story I did not want to end and also could not put down.

[ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She stood looking at the Atlantic. She just wanted to know how to be good.”

This book was an emotional rollercoaster, but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. It delves into themes of grief, religion, politics, sisterhood, and love, and how these influences shape the characters’ lives.

The writing is incredibly emotional and beautiful, allowing readers to empathise deeply with our characters’ feelings. Lily’s religious beliefs play a significant role in her life, constantly influencing her decisions, pushing her, shaming her, and providing her with a sense of peace. Readers who grew up in religious households will likely find resonance and connection in her and her rationale.

The love story between Lily and her two love interests, the boy and Marshall, is captivating. It feels as if Lily’s heart made space for both men. And while it’s challenging to root for the second male lead, Marshall’s unwavering love and desire to give Lily everything are endearing. He “could not get enough of her […] Wherever she was, he wanted her”. While I wasn’t disappointed with the resolution of the triangle, I would have loved for everyone to find another that only belonged to them.
With The Boy, despite enjoying his character, I felt as if he was being kept at a distance. Firstly, we never learn his name. Instead, we learn about his attributes, such as his quick temper and how he lives his entire life making up for his mistakes. We also know that he loves our Lily, but there was something about him that made me feel like I hardly knew him. However, when he says things like, “Being without you is killing me”, it’s hard not to be Team Boy!

Readers who enjoy the tension, secrecy, and emotional turmoil of love triangles should definitely consider picking up this book.

At the heart of the story lies the relationship between Lily and Jane. Two sisters, seemingly different in every way, navigating grief and life, both separately and together. The love they share is palpable, radiating from the pages. Despite their close relationship, they hold secrets, which ultimately lead to their downfall. Familial relationships are always intriguing to explore, as they offer depth and complexity that make for compelling stories. Laws of Love and Logic truly captures the essence of these relationships.

I highly recommend this book and would definitely read it again.

A special thank you to NetGalley for providing this arc!

[rosana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars. I'm already recommending to a few friends so they can it to their TBR! After a quick search, I discovered that Debra Curtis is an up-and-coming author and I think she deserves all the hype she can get.

Laws of Love and Logic was a sweet surprise. I was intrigued by the description of the book, but it's much more than that, between coming out of age, sexuality, feminism, abortion, black people's matters, the lgbt community, politics, religion and love.

We follow Lily throughout her life, from childhood to adulthood, and we get a glimpse of what other people are doing, like her sister, her father, some of her friends and the boy. When I picked up this book, I wasn't expecting to read it so quickly, but I have to admit that Lily's life gripped me from the first second and I was so involved that I felt emotional several times.

Lily goes through so much in her life, different ups and downs, while trying to understand her love for the boy and her husband. I think the author did an excellent job of balancing these emotions and I didn't feel frustrated by ‘a love triangle’, even though it wasn't quite it. The more of 'open' ending was perfect, I really liked how it ended.

[| Emily’s Goodie Reads | · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laws of Love and Logic is a novel with a great deal to say—and some of it is worth listening to. Curtis explores heavy, compelling themes: grief, guilt, forgiveness, and the long shadow of past mistakes (all subjects that I love). On paper, this is exactly the kind of story I’m drawn to. In execution, however, the novel often struggles to hold its many threads together.

The story spans decades and moves through multiple emotional lineages, but the transitions are abrupt. Rather than flowing naturally through time, the narrative frequently stops and starts, making it difficult to fully settle into the characters’ lives. With such an expansive timeline, I found myself wishing for a different structural approach—one that allowed the story’s emotional weight to build more deliberately.

Overall, this is a tragic story about learning how to live after loss. The protagonist’s life is shaped by profound trauma: the death of her mother at a young age, her sister’s drug addiction, and a devastating event just before college. There is so much to unpack here, and when the novel slows down, these moments are genuinely powerful.

My reading experience was complicated by the romantic entanglements. I generally struggle with stories centered on affairs, and this novel includes them—twice. Jane’s relationship with a married man was something I wasn’t prepared for, and it made it difficult for me to fully connect with her choices, even when I understood the emotional logic behind them. I didn’t fully grasp the real reason why this relationship was added to the storyline.

The love triangle involving Lily, “The Boy,” and Marshall is one of the book’s most compelling elements. Lily’s heart feels large enough to hold both men, and while it’s hard to root for Marshall at first, his devotion is undeniably moving. I guess I would feel this way too if I was never told the secrets of Lily’s life. Still, I found myself wishing that the resolution allowed everyone a love that truly belonged to them.

“The Boy,” despite moments of intensity, remains oddly distant. We never learn his name—only his flaws, his anger, and his lifelong attempt at atonement. I am not I understand why a name was never given. This would have been a powerful twist if given at the end (or something of that affect). This was a powerful move for the book but never given a reason for this. I just didn’t grasp why these random letters came out of thin air and not sure if this was to show his character more but I almost didn’t buy into it and it didn’t provide me any emotional impact into liking him more.

The sisterhood at the heart of the novel is where Laws of Love and Logic shines most clearly. Two sisters, so different yet deeply connected, navigate grief together and apart. Their love for one another is palpable, even as secrets threaten to unravel them. Curtis captures the complexity of familial relationships with real insight, showing how intimacy and concealment can coexist—and how destructive that combination can be. This was my favorite relationship in the entire book — was this the point?

Ultimately, this book left me feeling that something was severely missing. The ending, in particular, felt abrupt. When I turned the page and landed suddenly in the acknowledgements, my reaction was immediate: That’s it? While the open-endedness may be intentional, it felt more unfinished than thought-provoking. I personally love a good open-ending but this was not done well

Readers who enjoy emotionally charged stories filled with secrecy, longing, and complicated love—especially love triangles—may find much to appreciate here. While the execution didn’t fully live up to the strength of its themes, Laws of Love and Logic still offers moments of depth and resonance that will still stick with me. I thoroughly enjoyed many quotes in this book that reflected nicely about life and love.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-book ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Bloomsbury for the gifted proof of this title in return for an honest review.

I enjoy novels that explore the same people over a long period of time because we get to see them grow and really become individuals, and this covers a relatively long period of time and I think it really works well.

It is quite slow at the start. I know you have to set the scene and introduce the characters and whatnot, but nothing really happens. Which isn't an out and out negative point, because I prefer characters over plot myself, so I didn't mind the pace too much.

I feel we're kept at arms length from the characters. Even our main character of Lily felt quite distant, which made the characters who orbit her feel even more distant. Our main male character is never given a name, he is simply "the boy" which irked me slightly. But I'd love to know what her reasoning was behind this.

Having said that, I do think where she has excelled is in the relationships between the characters, particularly between Lily and her sister Jane, and it is this relationship that carries the story. We also get parental relationships, romantic relationships, friendships, "good" and "bad" relationships, and they're all well created. But this backbone of Lily and Jane really holds the story together.

Being set in the 1960s onwards means there are some...unsavoury topics. I won't spoil them here, but I think Debra has found an appropriate balance to be honest but not sensationalise.

It does get a bit bogged down in detail at times; there's a substory involving bird watching, and so some of those passages were bogged down in the specifics of ornithology, which interrupted the flow of the story a bit for me.

Now, I'm not a prude in the slightest, but I didn't like the sex scenes in this. I know in everyday relationships that sex does happen, obviously. But they felt a bit random here, a bit forced, like she needed to have those scenes in to make it realistic rather than making them feel organic.

It was nothing like I imagined it would be, but then again I can't actually explain what it was I was imagining, which I know is maddingly unhelpful.

For all its ups and downs, there's no denying Debra's ability for storytelling, particularly for a debut novel. It's very strong and has great promise and so I'm looking forward to what comes next.

Whilst I enjoyed it from the start, it definitely got better the further into it I got.

[Ophelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story captivated me from the very first chapter, largely because it explores one of the most compelling emotional dilemmas: the pull between first love and the life that comes after it. At its heart is Lily, a young woman whose journey is shaped by two very different loves and the lingering question of *what might have been*.

As a teenager, Lily is deeply and wholeheartedly in love with a boy(and he is known simply as *Boy*, a naming choice that struck me as unusual and a bit distracting). Their bond is tender, passionate, and full of the promise that only young love can hold. Both are preparing for college, dreaming of a shared future built on mutual respect and genuine affection.

But everything changes after one devastating incident at a party. That moment becomes the fracture line that sends their lives in opposite directions. The author handles this turning point with sensitivity, showing how a single event can alter not just circumstances but the emotional trajectory of a person’s life.

As Lily grows older, she finds new love—one that brings stability, joy, and a sense of belonging. Yet the shadow of her past never fully disappears. The story beautifully captures that quiet ache of wondering *what if*, the way memories can linger even when life has moved on, and how love can take different shapes at different stages of our lives.

What I enjoyed most is how the book doesn’t villainize any of the relationships. Instead, it embraces the complexity of human emotion: how it’s possible to be happy and still feel the tug of an unfinished chapter.

A heartfelt, reflective read that will resonate with anyone who has ever looked back on a first love and felt that bittersweet mix of nostalgia and curiosity.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a little tricky for me to rate. Overall I did enjoy it despite the heavy subjects. I would describe it as a book about grief. The main character, Lily, deals with the death of her mother as a pre-teen, and then right after her senior year of high school she deals with a horrible situation that occurred and her boyfriend is no longer in her life. Her sister deals with substance abuse her entire adult life. Nothing in her life has turned out how she planned. She eventually finds love, but her past continues to show itself and causes a lot of turmoil.

There are a few things I did not like. One, why is her high school boyfriend always referred to as "the boy"? He is never given a name and I have no idea why. Two, the ending. I literally turned the page expecting another chapter but instead I got "Acknowledgements". I literally gasped out loud at that. It just......ended. I'm not sure what to make of that. Three, there are a lot of references to Catholicism. It played a significant role in Lily's childhood and continues to pop up throughout the book. That's not something I really like to read about. Four, it was sometimes hard to connect with the main character because the book kind of reads like a timeline. Every chapter is some new point in time and I almost felt like I was reading just snippets of each year. The story flowed pretty well, but it made it hard to connect.

So overall, I enjoyed it. The author is clearly very talented and this is a great debut. I will definitely check out her next book. Many thanks to Netgalley for the early copy.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sisters Lily and Jane are raised by their middle-class parents in Rhode Island amongst a Catholic monastery and school.   Lily, the 'rule follower' of the group falls in love with 'the boy' early in her high school years.  After a tragic event, her life veers from her expected trajectory. Meanwhile Jane, the math whiz of the family, battles addiction throughout here life.  Laws of Love and Logic follow the sisters throughout the years, tracing the results and consequences of decisions made by themselves and others.  A true love story to sisters. 
My only complaint - way too many obvious cultural references (songs, tv shows, current events).
 
"Where is the line between a good man and an almost good man?"
 
"She saw him on the boat, pulling on the oars, smiling in the sun.  She saw him on the field with the ball tucked under his arm, leaning forward, head down.  She saw him driving and glancing over at her when favorite song came on the radio"
 
"She obsessed over whether she could be equally in love with two people.  Doesn't one always win out? Or does the love for two people ultimately diminish both? Was that the price she would have to pay?"
 
"Throughout her life, lily had been confronted with the laws of love and logic, understanding intuitively that the difference between the two was that love allowed for the impossible."
 
I received an Advanced Reader Copy via Net-Galley.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tough book to review. I very much liked the story of this book, especially the first and last parts. Lilly and Jane were raised by their mother to be independent thinkers, embrace their intelligence and demand the rights they deserved. Their father, a teacher at the all boys priory school where they lived in Rhode Island, loved and supported his feminist fiery wife and their 2 daughters. When his wife died young from cancer, he raised his girls but they never properly addressed their grief. Lily found solace with a motherless boy at school and Jane fell into a life of wild choices and addiction to numb her pain. Both girls were smart but Jane had a mathematical aptitude that was off the charts and a beloved monk at the monastery tutored and befriended her. Life changed tragically for Lily and her football star boyfriend, leaving Lily unmoored - the path of her life takes an abrupt turn. This book unspools this life along with glimpses of Jane’s life through the sister’s tight bond.

I kept reading because the story was engaging. However the writing style kept me at arms length. Especially jarring was that the boyfriend is never named- he is referred to as “the boy” at all times and this just felt odd to me. I wanted to fall into this story, but there was a distance that felt almost clinical. I definitely think this is an interesting story with lots of interesting themes so I hope it finds its readers. Hopefully I am an outlier.

[☆Laura☆]

Laws of Love and Logic es una novela de corte literario que sigue la vida de Lily Webb a lo largo de varias décadas, desde su infancia marcada por una profunda educación católica y feminista, hasta su adultez, donde el pasado y el amor perdido siguen teniendo un peso enorme en sus decisiones. Ambientada entre Rhode Island y Nueva York, la historia explora la identidad, la espiritualidad, las heridas de la infancia y, sobre todo, el amor no resuelto.

La lectura fue entretenida, con una narrativa cuidada y momentos realmente conmovedores. Sin embargo, debo admitir que no fue una historia para mí. Aunque me mantuvo interesada, no logré conectar emocionalmente como esperaba, especialmente con las decisiones sentimentales de Lily.

Me sentí mal por Marshall, porque al final es evidente que ella siempre amó al otro, a su primer amor, al chico, y que Marshall fue, en cierta forma, un premio de consolación.

También de llamar al otro el chico fue raro porque fue importante para la historia, pero el lector nunca logra saber su nombre.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

[Stephanie Marks-Leavitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laws of Love and Logic completely drew me in from the start. I was captivated by the sisters and their family—particularly how they grew up in such an interesting mix of influences: a deeply religious household that also valued science, reason, and equality for women and marginalized people. It made for a fascinating foundation for their story.

The relationship between the sisters was the heart of the book for me. It beautifully illustrated how childhood experiences and trauma can shape an entire life. There’s a line about how people say children are resilient—but in truth, they simply have less to lose in the face of grief. That idea really stayed with me.

I also loved that this story allowed space for multiple love interests throughout the characters’ lives. You find yourself rooting for them all at different moments. Even the flawed or “icky” characters show growth, and the main men—especially the father and the two central love interests—were written with warmth, intelligence, and genuine compassion.

The blend of science and emotion was surprisingly engaging, too. I found myself really enjoying the bits of quantum mathematics and ornithology sprinkled throughout—it gave the book an added layer of depth and texture.

At its core, this is a love story in every sense: romantic, familial, and philosophical. It’s about how love is both the most frightening and most meaningful part of being alive.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Publishing for providing me with an ARC.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️

You know when you’re already crying by page 40 that you’re going to be a sobbing wreck at the end.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review (and emotional damage).

Lily has two loves in her life. The first is the boy (who is unnamed throughout). She meets him in high school, and their passionate devotion to each other gives them hope for a long future together.

The second is her gifted younger sister, Jane. While talented in mathematics, she’s unruly and fiercely independent, determined to battle the patriarchy and capitalism in one go.

On one night in 1977, Lily’s love is shattered and she spends the rest of her life recovering from the fallout.

This was such an emotional book, with themes of grief, feminism and addiction. Lily and Jane have an exceptional bond despite their different characters and life choices.

The writing style was third person and also fairly detached, but that didn’t detract from the impact it has. Even though it’s quite short, it spans decades and I felt very connected to a lot of the characters.

[lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story follows lily webb through her life and it has not been smooth. the hits just kept on coming for her, some of which were her own doing (i.e. poor choices within her marriage). she grappled with the laws of love and logic - great title choice! - for the entire duration of the book, but she never seemed fully settled following along with either side. i hope that readers will not go into this novel expecting a pure, sweet love story that wraps up perfectly with a bow.
sisterhood is complex and lily and jane's relationship was my favorite of those that were featured throughout. give and take. support and cut out. joy and sadness...the juxtaposition of it all was very relatable.
i would have loved a bit more of the story at the end. it felt like an abrupt ending and i thought curtis could have gone further into lily's grief and where she might choose to go from there. she had a lot of hardships coalescing at once.
a solid debut by debra curtis. looking forward to what she might share next.

thank you to ballantine books for providing this book for review consideration via netgalley. all opinions are my own.

[Lisa Wiertel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an ARC to read in exchange for a honest review.

I would have given this book 3 1/2 stars if I could instead of 3. It quite wasn't a four star book.
The story was about 2 sisters raised by an unconventional mother in the 1960s/70s and the challenges that they face once they get older. Lily, the older sister is the focus of the book with her relationship with her high school boyfriend being the central story. With that being said, there were times that I wished that the book was really about Jane the younger sister. She seemed to have an interesting story arc that I would have loved to read and explored more. Maybe an idea for an another book from the author?

I did enjoy the book. One thing that I couldn't figure out is why the boyfriend's name was never revealed and why he is always mentioned as "the boy". I was thinking that there was some mystery behind not letting us know what his name was and that there was going to be some sort of big reveal at the end. (this didn't happen)

I thought for a first novel the author did a great job for the book was well written and the story easy to follow.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is ok..The style is part historical perspective as it follows the main character, Lily, from her childhood into adulthood with chapter marking the passage of time. Within those chapters is the relationship with her sister, her first love, tragedy, and moving on with a new love. Lily's relationship with her free spirited and very mathematically brilliant sister, Jane, is captured beautifully as Jane pushed norms and boundaries remaining single and not going forward in the career path in what she excels in. Lily's first love is one for the ages until tragedy strikes and she ultimately walks away from him, although never fully letting go. The pages follow her courtship of an older man, marriage, trials of conceiving, and the thoughts of her first love as letters arrive sporadically.
I was interested more in her love triangle and the boy in general but the slowness of the story had me skipping a paragraph or two when it drowned on about mathematical equations or the breathe of the world at the moment.
Lily goes through a lot of emotions and though captured well by the author for some readers, it may too much of a slow burn as it does read like a biography

[LP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Well. That was.....a lot. A day later, and I'm not sure I even liked it. It's categorized as a romance but I wouldn't call it that, I did like the writing style but had to skim the science/math portions as they were completely over my head. I wouldn't call myself a birder, per se, yet I really enjoyed the bird watching scenes with Lily and Marshall. Considering most of the chapters take place where I grew up, it was a fun trip down memory lane.

It drove me up a wall that one of the main characters is never named - he is only called "the boy" even when he's well into his forties. And the very abrupt ending made me think I was missing pages - nope, it just ends. I guess we're supposed to figure out on our own what happens to them. I wish there was more about Jane - why oh why did she spend almost her entire life drunk or stoned and why didn't anyone confront her about it until it was too late? My favorite parts were the ones with Lily and Jane and the absolute love the sisters shared.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prologue was so bad that I put this down for a few weeks. I picked it back up to see if it was worth reading (I hate a DNF on an ARC) and I got pulled in to the story of Lily, her boyfriend, her sister Jane, her dad, and all the people who made up her world.

This debut novel by Debra Curtis was magnificent. It spans 3+ decades from the 1970s to the 2000s and tells the story of Lily, who we meet as a teenager living with her father and sister on the grounds of a monastery / boys boarding school where her father is a teacher. She’s in love with the star football player, and their future seems certain until a night ends in tragedy. She finds love again, but she never really gets over her first love. Can you love two people? I loved this book and sobbed at the end. Tbh, it was as much about the relationship between the sisters as it was a traditional love story. I loved Jane, and her and Lily’s deep filial bond.

The ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Comes out Feb 17, 2026

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the serene town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Lily Webb is deeply in love with a charismatic boy, a college-bound quarterback whose spectacular athletic talents are matched only by his fierce devotion. But their dreams of a life together are cut short one night in 1977 when his passionate protectiveness leads to an irrevocable choice—one which tears them apart and leads Lily down a path of heartbreak from which she may never recover.

This is a beautiful book and there's so much to it; poetry, art, literature, classical and quantum physics, ornithology, Catholicism. Initially I thought the story was going to be about Jane who is a brilliant student but it turned out to be Lily's love story. The writing is unusual but flows along easily and although I was doubtful at the start about 'the boy' never being named it turned out to be an excellent device for keeping him ever present but in the background. Highly recommended, I loved it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

[Lori Levy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down.

I enjoyed this book overall, but it didn’t fully live up to my expectations. The story was engaging, and the close relationship between the sisters was by far the strongest part for me. Their bond felt genuine and emotionally grounded, and it kept me invested even when the plot slowed down. However, I often felt that there was too much focus on ornithology (did Lily really love it or did she love it because Marshall did?) which sometimes distracted from the characters and their emotional development rather than adding to it. I was also puzzled by the choice to never reveal “the boy’s” name, which made his role feel oddly incomplete. Most disappointing was the abrupt ending. After waiting more than 30 years for the characters to reunite, I expected more resolution or reflection, but the story ended just as it felt like there was more to learn. While the book had many strong moments, these unresolved elements kept it from being a truly satisfying read for me.
Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Samantha Perro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book! Laws of Love and Logic is a wonderful debut novel that truly delivers on every front. While it presents itself as a love story, it’s much more than that—touching on deep and timely themes such as religion, politics, family dynamics, and personal heartache.

One of the strongest aspects of the book is its characters. Each one feels vivid and real, with personalities that stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page. The relationships are complex and beautifully written, but the bond between the sisters stood out the most for me. It added a rich emotional depth that, in some ways, eclipsed the romantic storyline.

This was a book I didn’t want to put down—I finished it in just two days. It’s thoughtful, heartfelt, and refreshingly honest. For a debut, it’s incredibly well-crafted and shows a lot of promise for what’s to come from this author.

I’m genuinely glad I got to read this one.