Book Review

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

A

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance

Theme: Slow Burn

Archetype: Beta, STEM

Love Lettering is a way to end the decade on a perfect note. Or perhaps it’s a way to start the new decade on a perfect note. Whichever option you choose, my enthusiastic recommendation remains the same. It’s not a book to race through and devour in a short span of time. My advice is to linger on each page and let the words engulf you. Love Lettering is about signs, art, words, and the power they wield over us — it’s only fitting that the reader treats the neat black letters on the page with as much gravity as the book does.

Meg Mackworth is at the pinnacle of her professional career and the rock-bottom of her personal life. Blessed with Instagram renown and a New York Times endorsement, The Planner of Park Slope has no shortage of clamoring clients to commission intricate hand-lettering and calligraphy. The inexplicable erosion of her relationship with roommate-slash-BFF Sibby is Meg’s biggest problem…until Wall Street quantitative analyst Reid Sutherland walks through the door. A former client with an engagement that never reached the altar, Reid is in possession of Meg’s worst M-I-S-T-A-K-E. Literally. A year ago, Meg crafted Reid’s wedding program to the exact specifications of her clients — with one major exception. Privately speculating the couple’s inevitable doom, she hid a secret code of M-I-S-T-A-K-E amidst the artistic swirls. Meg’s careless conjecture has backfired, but Reid isn’t interested in making her M-I-S-T-A-K-E public. He simply wanted some closure before he left NYC for good. Their confrontation should’ve been their last interaction, but Meg ropes Reid into her quest to seek artistic inspiration and help him say farewell to New York City.

I love this book. I love this book so much that I preordered an autographed print copy, an ebook, and an audio version. I love this book so much that I mailed the print ARC to my college BFF as part of her Christmas/romance-starter-pack present (she dabbles in calligraphy and I’ve been plotting to indoctrinate her into romance for some time now). Meg’s quirky train of thought, Reid’s guarded tenderness, calligraphy and hand-lettering pr0n — I love it all. The artistic descriptions will appeal to any reader who wanders the stationery aisle to stroke gleaming pens and inhale the scent of brand-new notebooks (you don’t need another one, but will adding a journal to your infinite collection hurt anyone? No). One book won’t work for everyone, but I still want to shove Love Lettering into the laps of every romance reader in the slightest chance that they might love it as much as I do.

Love Lettering is not a fluffy or comedic romance. Sparks of humor certainly exist, but it’s loneliness that anchors the characters together. Both Meg and Reid are desperately alone in ways that necessitate a box of tissues next to the reader. Meg’s isolation is easily apparent; the book is solely from her first person present POV and her heartbreak is spelled all over the pages. Cut off from her family and her best friend, Meg’s grief manifests in a creative block. Artistic blocks are always inconvenient, but Meg is within touching distance of a life-changing retailer contract. The letters aren’t speaking to her anymore, but maybe rediscovering New York City with fresh eyes beside her will spark inspiration and companionship anew.

“What I mean to say is . . .” He pauses, those blue eyes searching mine. “What I mean to say is, I think anyone would want to be your friend.”

Friend.

The way Reid says this word—I want to draw and redraw it, capturing how it sounds from his lips. I want to ask him to say it again, so I can watch. So I can know if I’m seeing too much in those letters when he says them.

Reid is more opaque as the reader is reliant on Meg’s perspective. The reasons for his loneliness are unknown — or so I initially believed. Love Lettering’s triumph is the hidden clues within the text. Like Meg’s secret premonition weaved into the wedding program, Love Lettering provides ample but easy-to-miss clues for discerning readers. Whether or not the reader guesses accurately is irrelevant. If you do decipher the signs, it’s an exhilarating “Aha!” moment that makes the reveal so much sweeter. If you don’t decipher the signs, it’s a revelatory “this is brilliant and it all makes sense!” moment. Either way, the reread is rewarding. I’ve read Love Lettering twice, and the second read is completely different from the first. The nuances gleaned in the reread make the experience so much more thrilling.

There’s a tragic irony in that both protagonists are lonely in a city of over eight million residents. Perhaps it’s not irony at all but a reflection of reality. The easiest place to feel alone, as we all know, is sometimes in a crowd that would never notice your absence. Watching Meg and Reid build their community of two amidst that bustling crowd feels cathartic. They’re both survivors of a sort, and finding their paths to each other is a last grasp at happiness. The road to love isn’t easy, but it’s well-earned and I was crying my eyes out by the end. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that Meg and Reid’s relationship is beautifully orchestrated with notes of yearning, teasing but gentle banter, and a warm embrace of each other.

I was astounded by the amount of care and nuance given to the non-romantic relationships. Meg has been hurt badly: by her parents in the past and by her best friend in the present. Sibby has been pulling away for no apparent reason, and her inexplicable dislike/ambivalence is slowly killing Meg on the inside. Meg’s grief is heart-wrenchingly familiar to anyone who has gone through a break-up of an adult friendship.

Meg is talented at many things, but conflict resolution isn’t one of them. She struggles with confrontation and unpleasant communication. It’s easier to paste a smile and swallow her feelings; why create problems by lashing out? Her hesitance extends to problems outside of her own; she certainly has opinions on the toxicity of a client’s marriage, but is it her place to say anything? It’s incredibly satisfying to watch Meg gain the confidence to say something, to defend herself, and to fight for her friendships. Love Lettering primarily focuses on Meg and Reid, but the attention paid to Meg’s non-romantic relationships is pitch perfect. Friendships are just as critical as romance to a person’s emotional equilibrium, and I was so happy to see that the romantic arc didn’t overpower everything else.

There are three love stories in Love Lettering: 1) the love story between Reid and Meg, 2) the love story between the protagonists and New York City, and 3) the love story between Meg and her lettering. I’m not sure which story the title is referring to, but I’d like to think that it’s all of them. First, Meg and Reid meet and fall in love via Meg’s career in hand-lettering. Second, the book is a literal love letter to New York City. Third, “love lettering” is a widespread term in the artistic community (for instance, #lovelettering is a popular Instagram hashtag to showcase hand-lettering).

All three love stories are intertwined to an extent that it’s impossible to pluck distinct plot threads out, but the second love story has changed the way I viewed my own city.

“There haven’t been many signs for me here.”

I have a sudden, shocking urge to protest.

But there are signs everywhere here! Street signs, business signs, billboards, subway ads, window decals, graffiti . . .

Of course I know it’s not what he means. But it’s part of what the city means to me.

Meg’s point-of-view is unique. She organizes her thoughts according to signs under the Manhattan skyline. The descriptions of New York City read like a revelation. I’m not a New Yorker, but I’ve never really focused on small lettering details in an urban environment. The day after reading Love Lettering, I stepped outside in my home city of Philadelphia and looked at the world around me. Normally, I confess, my earphones are vibrating with music and I’m completely focused on my destination. The city is home for now, but it’s not a home that I’ve ever paid attention to. I’m more concerned with dodging other pedestrians and making sure that no car is nearby if I jaywalk.

I’m nothing like Meg; we’re both introverted but the similarities stop there. I certainly don’t possess any artistic inclinations. I wasn’t sure what to expect with my spontaneous experiment; it felt incredibly awkward to walk without purpose. To my surprise and faint embarrassment, I realized how little I knew about the environment around me. I’ve strolled past a nearby bakery hundreds of times, but have never once noticed that the outside sign was red with white letters and a black border. I wish I was an expert at lettering; I couldn’t decipher any of the fonts or artistic styles, but I still tried to commit the curvature to memory. I’m not sure if I can ever truly organize my mind the way Meg does, but it was an interesting experience to actually pause and notice the world around me. I live in a vibrant, bustling city full of art and beautiful signs. My mind may not translate experiences via signs, but it’s still a good idea to lift my head up every once in a while and soak in the atmosphere.

Love Lettering is a special book that I’ll hold close to my heart for a long time. It’s a quiet romance with quiet protagonists, but sometimes it’s the quiet moments that echo the loudest. Meg and Reid will make your heart melt as they cross the finish line into their Happily Ever After.

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Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

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  1. Cassandra says:

    Love Lettering was one of my top books for 2019. It’s a shame it came so late in the year for recognition. I hope it gets lots of love in the new year. I adored it.

  2. Escapeologist says:

    @Aarya – Thank you for this review. It is a delight to read your words and vicariously experience the squee. Keep shining your light!

    @Everyone – be safe out there today, especially if driving. Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself to some lovely books, you deserve it.

  3. Rhiannon says:

    I’ve been first on the library list – thank you for reviewing. Looking forward to reading and potentially rereading it.

  4. JenM says:

    I loved this book so much! I absolutely hate that it is likely to be lost in the year-end rush so I’m very glad that you’ve written this lovely review (although I fear that it, too, will be lost in the haze due to its timing). My husband is an artist and fonts are one of his greatest loves. He has a collection of over 1,000 different fonts – I had no idea there were that many until I met him – and I confess I don’t usually look closely at signs and lettering, but like you, this book has inspired me to be more mindful of them.

    I loved the romance between Meg and Reid, but even more than the romance, the pain and bewilderment that Meg felt over the disintegration of her friendship with Sibby was like an arrow straight to my heart, balanced out lovingly by the blossoming of a new potential friendship with a client. This book does such a good job in balancing both the good and bad in every relationship and I hope everyone reads it!

  5. DiscoDollyDeb says:

    Although I haven’t read LOVE LETTERING (yet!) and I made a similar comment yesterday on AAR, I’ve been thinking of two other books every time I read a review for LL, neither of which seems to really be anything like the book, but my brain tends to connect disparate items. The first book is Anne Calhoun’s THE LIST which has a heroine who owns a very upscale stationery shop in Manhattan and understands the value of the hand-written and personalized. The second book is Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward’s HATE NOTES, where the plot is set in motion when the heroine finds a love note in the hem of a wedding dress (for a wedding that never took place) at a consignment shop. (The hero’s name in HATE NOTES is also Reid, which seems to be a name du jour in Romancelandia right now.)

  6. Viktória says:

    I didn’t even read your whole review, I was sold after quantitative analyst hero and a code hidden in an invitation card. Thanks for the review @Aarya this would have eluded me entirely without your rec! 🙂

  7. DiscoDollyDeb says:

    Love in Panels has an interview with Kate Clayborn today:

    http://www.loveinpanels.com/prose/kate-clayborn-interview

  8. Wendy says:

    Great review. I personally could care less about stationery, pens, or hand lettering anything, but I still found the character’s passion for these to be compelling. I love NYC (I grew up on the Island) and now I want to go back there and just look at signs. I love the new interest (here and in Ruby Lang’s books, and I feel like there’ve been others recently?) in romances taking place in big cities, particularly NYC.

  9. Kate says:

    Thank you for your beautiful review. I finished Love Lettering yesterday and I absolutely loved it. It is the kind of book I will be thinking about for a long time.

  10. Kareni says:

    I’m definitely looking forward to reading this! Thanks for your review, Aarya.

  11. Elspeth says:

    I have no artistic talent and have handwriting so bad that sometimes I can’t read it. So not really who might be thought of as the target market for a book about fonts? Wrong!

    Simon Garfield’s “Just My Type: A Book About Fonts” is a really interesting book that I have raved about at dinner parties, at work, with family.

    I still can’t draw and my handwriting is still dreadful, but now when I use that font drop down I spend a lot more time choosing just the right kind of type.

    I haven’t read Love Lettering (yet – based on this review I need a copy), but I think that you might really enjoy the Garfield book, @Aarya.

  12. Monique D says:

    Thank you for your fabulous review! It sounds absolutely wonderful. On the wish list!

  13. Sharon says:

    My favorite book of 2019. Like others though, I hope it didn’t/doesn’t get lost in the timing as this book deserves so much attention. I love all of Clayborn’s books, but I do think this is her best yet.

    I’ll add how much I appreciate the urban setting here, the diversity of people in Meg’s life, the examination of the life of the artist, the sheer love for an art form (a common theme in Clayborn’s books), and the swoony romance of the main couple.

  14. Krista says:

    I felt that Love Lettering failed to live up to the abundant enthusiasm (at least on my social media) surrounding its release. It was fine, I’m not mad that I read it, but I’m very glad I borrowed it from the library. I wish my expectations hadn’t been so high because I probably would have enjoyed it more.

    As the review notes, Love Lettering is wholly from Meg’s perspective. This book was one of those romances where I really noticed the absence of the love interest’s perspective (Reid). I did the math correctly on Reid’s unstated variables, so I found the reveal satisfying in that respect, but it didn’t redeem the absence of his perspective for me.

    The pacing also felt uneven to me, although the book held my interest enough that finishing it wasn’t onerous. It was…OK. Just not the outstanding first book of 2020 I was hoping for. I’m glad so many people are connecting so strongly with it! But in case you don’t, you’re not alone.

  15. Kebby says:

    I loved Love Lettering. I think it’s probably the most emotionally intelligent book I’ve ever read. I love that Meg learns that she needs to fight and _how_ to fight.

  16. Lindsay says:

    Hi! I’m new to this site (and Romancelandia in general— just realized these are the escapes I need to forget the hell that is 2020 for awhile)! I read Love Lettering based on this review and LOVED it. Are the other books by the author this good? If there are any other books with similar vibes, I’d appreciate the recommendations!

  17. chacha1 says:

    I either didn’t catch this first time around, or wasn’t in the right space for it to appeal. At the moment I’m very much about slow-burn, dealing-with-loss kinds of stories, so I shall have it.

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