Love and Other Foreign Words

Love and Other Foreign Words follows fifteen-year-old Josie Sheridan, a gifted high school student who takes college classes and excels at translating between languages. While she can master French and Latin with ease, she struggles to interpret the language of love that surrounds her in the adult world. The story centers on Josie's relationship with her older sister Kate, who becomes engaged to an English professor named Geoff. Josie views their romance through her analytical lens, convinced their love doesn't make sense and determined to prevent what she sees as an incompatible match. Through her observations of different relationships and her own experiences with romance, Josie works to decode the complex ways people express and experience love. Her literal-minded approach to understanding human connection creates both humor and insight as she navigates family dynamics, friendship, and first love. The novel examines how we interpret and translate emotions across different stages of life, suggesting that love itself may be a language that requires its own kind of fluency to understand.

Readers describe this as a light, contemporary YA novel that balances humor with deeper themes about relationships and growing up. The protagonist Josie's voice resonates with many readers who relate to her analytical personality and social observations. Liked: - Smart, witty dialogue and wordplay - Realistic sister relationships - Treatment of love as a complex concept - Balance of funny moments with emotional depth - Clean content suitable for younger teens Disliked: - Some find Josie's character too precocious or irritating - Plot moves slowly in middle sections - Romance elements feel predictable - Adult characters sometimes act unrealistically Ratings: Goodreads: 3.83/5 (4,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (85+ ratings) Barnes & Noble: 4.3/5 (20+ ratings) Common reader comment: "Perfect for fans of intelligent teen protagonists who overthink everything" (Goodreads reviewer) Kirkus Reviews notes: "A smart teen's novel about love, language and family"

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch This story follows a teenage girl navigating cultural differences and romance while discovering family secrets in Italy, mirroring the linguistic and social observations found in Love and Other Foreign Words.

Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon Two academic rivals spend their last day of high school competing in a scavenger hunt while exploring their changing relationship, featuring the same mix of intellectual wit and romantic discovery.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith A chance encounter at an airport leads to a complex exploration of relationships and timing, combining analytical thinking with matters of the heart.

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley Set in a secondhand bookstore, this tale weaves together literature, love letters, and evolving relationships while examining how people interpret and express emotions through language.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum A girl adapts to a new school and social environment while developing an anonymous email relationship, blending intellectual discourse with emotional growth.

🌟 Author Erin McCahan worked as a youth minister and Spanish teacher before becoming a full-time writer 📚 The main character, Josie, is a language prodigy who speaks multiple "languages," including Teen, Parent, and Boy 💫 The book explores the concept of love through the lens of translation, comparing how different people and groups express and interpret emotions 🎓 Josie is a 15-year-old high school student who also takes college classes, reflecting the experiences of many gifted students who participate in dual enrollment programs 🤝 The story was partly inspired by McCahan's own observations of how different social groups use distinct vocabularies and communication styles to express themselves