Review Detail

Eighteen-year-old Marisol deferred her Stanford acceptance for a year to write a novel. Living with her best friend Birdie and his boyfriend, and working at The Mug coffee shop, she takes an adult education writing course. On the first day, she is surprised to see her former friend John (Gio) enter the classroom. The previous summer he professed his love for her, despite the fact he knew she was a lesbian. Her rejection truly hurt him. When their gorgeous professor, Olivia Frost, walks in, it is love at first sight for Marisol. Soon, Olivia seems to return the feelings.

In the meantime, Lee has become a Mug regular. Shy and invisible she sits in a corner booth and orders only tea. Marisol befriends her and learns that Lee has recently moved from Indiana to Massachusetts, in part due to her familys struggle to accept her homosexuality. Over several weeks, Lee forms an unreciprocated crush on Marisol, who is blinded by Olivias outward beauty vs. Lees inner beauty.

However, all is not what it seems with Olivia and everyone but Marisol realizes it. Olivia appears older and is manipulative; not the type of person Marisol is usually attracted to. In other words, shes not Lee. People will be hurt as Marisol comes to understand what everyone already knows.

Love & Lies is a companion to Wittlingers Hard Love, however, it stands on its own. Told by Marisol, it is populated with great characters, amongst them Birdie and his boyfriend, Gio, Olivia, Marisols mother, and Lee, most quite loveable and all of them important. The story moves quickly. The locales of Cambridge and Provincetown play a significant role. Wittlinger winningly describes the pitfalls of love, heterosexual or homosexual; the blindness of new love and the subsequent clarity of vision. Olivias initial manipulation of Marisol foretells ominous things to come and is believable. The closeness of Marisols friends is heartwarming. The ending&well, I wont even hint at the ending. This is a story of love and friendship. It is a story about change. Ellen Wittlinger is one of my favorite authors and, as with all of her books, Love & Lies is worth reading.