Read for: Requested Review/ Netgalley
Synopsis: "Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.
Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.
When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart."
My Review: I loved the cover of this book and being an avid letter writer was intrigued by the synopsis. This was a little outside my normal genres as I don't read a lot of contemporary, especially YA but rather enjoyed this story. At times it was a little cliché and reminded me of a sappy chic flick. With that said, I really liked the characters, they were each unique and I really enjoyed getting to know them and their individual background stories (I think Rev deserves his own book - and I just found out one is expected next May). I also loved the format of this book, the various script and text fonts really added to the story and added to both Declan and Juliet individual voices. It is a quick moving story but does contain some pretty hard, and trigger, subjects including abuse, suicide, alcoholism, neglect, and more. Based on this book I will be seeking out more of Kemmerer's books.
Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.
When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart."
My Review: I loved the cover of this book and being an avid letter writer was intrigued by the synopsis. This was a little outside my normal genres as I don't read a lot of contemporary, especially YA but rather enjoyed this story. At times it was a little cliché and reminded me of a sappy chic flick. With that said, I really liked the characters, they were each unique and I really enjoyed getting to know them and their individual background stories (I think Rev deserves his own book - and I just found out one is expected next May). I also loved the format of this book, the various script and text fonts really added to the story and added to both Declan and Juliet individual voices. It is a quick moving story but does contain some pretty hard, and trigger, subjects including abuse, suicide, alcoholism, neglect, and more. Based on this book I will be seeking out more of Kemmerer's books.
My Rating: I really enjoyed this book, more than I ever expected. While some of it is a little cliché, the characters really saved it from going too far over into that realm. I give this one a rating of Four Paws.
I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
To find out more about Brigid Kemmerer and her work you can check out her Goodreads Page or Website.
Letters to the Lost is scheduled for release on April 4th, 2017 but you can pre-order your copy in print or digital format from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or check with your favorite book supplier.
I'm glad you stepped out of your comfort zone to read this one. Because now I know about it and it's totally in my comfort zone.
ReplyDeleteYay! It is not often I hit completely in your comfort zone. I hope that you enjoy it. I loved how the letters at the beginning of each chapter had their own font, it really added to the character's voices.
DeleteFun! It is always intimidating to read out of your usual genres, but I love finding a gem where I usually don't look.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't always happen when you step out of genres but I have gotten pretty good at finding books that at least have one theme or trope I will enjoy and that makes it easier to find ones that I will like.
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