Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan
Published by Penguin Teen on May 1, 2014
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley, Publisher
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Can anyone be truly herself--or truly in love--in a language that's not her own?

Sixteen-year-old Josie lives her life in translation. She speaks High School, College, Friends, Boyfriends, Break-ups, and even the language of Beautiful Girls. But none of these is her native tongue--the only people who speak that are her best friend Stu and her sister Kate. So when Kate gets engaged to an epically insufferable guy, how can Josie see it as anything but the mistake of a lifetime? Kate is determined to bend Josie to her will for the wedding; Josie is determined to break Kate and her fiancé up. As battles are waged over secrets and semantics, Josie is forced to examine her feelings for the boyfriend who says he loves her, the sister she loves but doesn't always like, and the best friend who hasn't said a word--at least not in a language Josie understands.

Ever since I read Erin McCahan’s debut novel, I Now Pronounce You Someone Else, I’ve been waiting to see what she’d write next.  To say I had high hopes for Love and Other Foreign Words is an understatement.  Luckily, Love and Other Foreign Words was just as great as I hoped it would be.

Josie is one of the best characters I’ve had the pleasure of reading about.  She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s unafraid to be different.  She’s everything that I always wished I was and always looked for in friends.  She may be only be 15 but she’s so much more mature than that.  She’s completely unique and she’s one of those people that either doesn’t realize that or just doesn’t care.  She is happy with herself just the way she is and it was wonderful to read about such a confident young woman.  She also has an amazing sense of humor.  I can’t tell you how many times I cracked up while reading Love and Other Foreign Words.  I attempted to read this in a public place which might not have been the best idea since people looked at me like I was crazy since I was sitting by myself cracking up at my Kindle.  Good times!

Josie’s family is also pretty awesome.  They recognize Josie’s uniqueness and they love her for it and sometimes in spite of it.  She can sometimes set people off without meaning to.  Take Geoff, Kate’s fiance.  He and Josie clashed from the very first moment they met.  He was goofy, rather dull, and nothing like what she thought her sister deserved.  However, Josie got along with most everyone else.  Her parents clearly doted upon her and were so proud of her.  Her friends were accepting of her quirks and they were always there for her, especially Stu and Sophie.  Her sisters were pretty great too although they definitely butt heads a few times.  Kate especially had some problems with Josie.  I didn’t like how Kate and Josie handled their animosity towards each other but I know how it works with siblings and their relationship was pretty darn realistic.  I liked seeing both the good and the bad sides of such a close knit family.

The romance aspect was expected but a little rushed.  Sure there were some hints throughout most of the book but nothing happened until very close to the end.  It was cute and realistic for people in their situation and at their age but I would have liked a bit more development in that area.  That’s truly the only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5.

Overall, Love and Other Foreign Words is a must read for all contemporary fans.  It’s such a fun read that you won’t be able to put down!

What others are saying about Love and Other Foreign Words:

Buried in Books’ review: “Josie is one of the most delightfully quirky, intelligent, and inquiring characters I have ever met.”

HelloGiggles’ review: “Josie Sheridan is great because she’s a true-blue lovable weirdo, the type of character I really enjoy seeing.”

Rampant Readers’ review: “In conclusion, Love and Other Foreign Words was not a bad novel by any means.“