Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Letters to the Lost (#1) by Brigid Kemmerer-- You've Got Mail with more substance

Letters to the Lost

After Juliet's mother dies, she continues writing physical letters to her just as she always did.  Only now instead of mailing them, she's leaving them at the cemetery.  When one day her letter gets a reply from someone, she's initially furious.  How dare someone invade her private moments with her mother's memory.  But eventually, she realizes that this person is as lost and heartbroken as she is.  Her communication with this mysterious boy has been the only thing to make her feel connected in a long time.

Declan works at the cemetery doing community service for his latest mistake.  His home life sucks and he's angry all the time, but when he starts talking to whoever left the letter on her mother's grave, it makes him feel like someone understands.









I'm not going to lie, I didn't really want to like this book.  I know that sounds weird, but romance is such a hard genre for me to get down with.  And also, the misunderstood bad boy trope really doesn't gel with me.  But try as I might, I couldn't NOT like this book.  It's so well-written and the characters are so real-- it was impossible for me to keep it at arm's length like I expected to.

This was sort of a sadder version of You've Got Mail.  Juliet and Declan communicate anonymously and fall in love along the way.  But this book is more about grief and family than it is about love.  Both Declan and Juliet are struggling emotionally and when they find each other, it's like a life-line.  It gave each of them someone to talk to anonymously, which gave them a level of safety in opening-up.

One thing I really can't stand in books is the idea that falling for a guy or a girl is going to fix you.  I was concerned that this is where the book was headed, but thankfully it wasn't like that at all.  It was more having someone to confide in helped them move through their grief process, and neither one was completely healed by any means.

The only thing that felt off to me was the final conclusion with the families.  Both Juliet and Declan had major issues with their parents, and I felt like it all wrapped up a little too happily to feel realistic.

A major highlight in this book was Declan's bestie, Rev, and his adoptive family.  I loved their friendship dynamic and how much of a role Rev played in Juliet's development as well.  I'm now super excited to read MORE THAN WE CAN TELL because it's Rev's story!!

OVERALL: I went into it thinking it was a romance, and I came out of it seeing that it was so much more.  I loved a good You've Got Mail story, and this may be the best one I've read so far!!  I so highly recommend this book whether you read Contemporary or not.  The writing, the characters, and the flow of the story all add up to something that will appeal to most readers.

Date Published: 4/4/2017
How I got this book: Library
Publisher: Bloomsbury


Add it to your To-Read List!!



My Rating: 5/5









Character: Juliet Young
Book: I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

  • I think Juliet would like reading about how Jude & Noah come to terms with their art and loss-- and both of those things being connected.







16 comments:

  1. I was suprrised by this one too. I was expecting it to be one of those angsty dramatic romances, but it was more than that. Totally agree about Rev, I need to read his book.

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    1. I was SO happy this wasn't an angsty romance!! As soon as I found out Declan was doing community service, I was worried-- because BAD BOY WITH A HEART OF GOLD alert!!! But thankfully it wasn't like that. I'm really exctied to start Rev's book!! He was a really awesome part of this book, so I imagine that book is pretty rad.

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  2. I really liked this book. The OTT part near the end knocked it down a little for me, but the characters were fabulous and I loved seeing the friendship between Juliet and Dec unfold. And yes, the bromance between Declan and Rev was a highlight for me (in both books) as well as Rev's parents. PS Love the What the Characters are Reading thing. Great pick for Juliet.

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    1. LOL I just had to google OTT. I don't even know acronyms anymore 😖. The ending was a tad OTT though. The parents thing was all-- hey, we acted like dicks for this whole book, but suddenly now we care!!! I wasn't buying it. And I didn't want to buy it. But everything else was perfection.

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    2. Oh and thanks about the What the Characters are Reading comment. I love rec-ing books so hard, I now rec them to fictional people 😖

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  3. Ohhh, nice! I'm adding this one now! Thanks so much for sharing this.

    I love when you are able to start a book thinking/feeling one way, and it's able to completely change how you perceived the book. This one sounds like it does just that, and I love that you enjoyed it despite not thinking you would.

    Do You Dog-ear?

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    1. I totally love that too!!! Pleasant surprises are always welcome!!

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  4. I haven't read this one yet but I REALLY want to after reading the companion novel More Than We Can Tell. I am developing a deep love for Brigid's contemporary books.

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    1. I am just now discovering this author, but I am now adding her to my ONES TO WATCH list!!!

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  5. A friend just sent me this book and I can't wait to read it!

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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  6. I've seen so much about this book! One day I'll actually read it! XD I'm glad to hear it's more than your average contemporary romance. Thanks for sharing :D

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  7. I so need to get to this. I have it too. I read the latest one from her and loved it so I assume I will love this. Glad you loved this!! Great review!!

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  8. Lovely review! I'm really glad to hear this book surprised you in a good way and that you ended up enjoying it. I love contemporary and I really like contemporary romances as well, but I'm thrilled when there is a little something more, like fantastic characters, that really makes me care for the story and the book as a whole and not just a swoon-worthy (or not) romance. So happy you enjoyed it, I look forward to reading it :) x

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  9. I really, really need to read this one! It's on my TBR, but the length is really intimidating for a contemporary. I'll definitely get to it eventually, though. I love how you said that the characters aren't there to "fix" each other, and I appreciate that a lot. I also love your "What the Characters are Reading" section. That's adorable! ♥

    - Aimee @ Aimee, Always

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  10. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one! It's always great when a book can surprise you, in a good way! I'm such a huge fan of this author and series. More Than We Can Tell was amazing as well!

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  11. I love this review so much, it's the best thing I needed right now because I've got an e-ARC for the sequel of this one and I was really wondering if I should read the first book since they can be read as standalones. But your review made me want to read this one as well. It sounds so cute, but also with many important themes.
    And I love how you're recommending books that the character would read at the end of your review, such a cool idea! <3
    - Marta @thecursedbooks

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