Letters to the Lost
Published April 4, 2017
I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Children’s and Young Adult Book Review Board of Missouri in exchange for an honest review. This review will be posted to their website http://brb.missouristate.edu/ . This review may also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads, Tiger Oma, Twitter, Facebook, and YABC.
Summary: Juliet is a teenager that has a special bond with her mother. Her mother is a world-famous photojournalist and travels all over the world to get that special shot. Juliet’s mom is gone on a shoot all the time, and sometimes there is no cell or internet service, so Juliet writes her mother letters. Even after her mother’s sudden death, Juliet feels the need to still tell her mother things. Juliet leaves handwritten notes on her mother’s grave as a form of coping with her loss. One day Declan, a teenage groundskeeper at the cemetery, comes across Juliet’s latest letter. He takes it and reads it. Declan is touched by the letter and decides he needs to write, back, anonymously. Juliet does not know how to feel when she reads his letter. She is horrified that a stranger has read her personal thoughts but at the same time is intrigued about the person that wrote it. Declan’s letter opens up communication between the two. Total strangers writing letters, really, how bad can it be? The problems start when Juliet and Declan find that they are not strangers, and their paths cross daily.
EMOTIONAL!! I cried more with this book than any other book I can remember. Letters to the Lost was very emotional read for me. I knew as soon as I read the book jacket, I was going to be in “trouble”. I decided I would give it a few chapters before I judged. I sure am glad I decided to be brave and give this book a try! Yes, I did start crying during the first page or two and ended the book around 11:30 pm with a pile of tissues, a runny nose, and red eyes. BUT...in between the beginning and the end, I believe I hit every emotion possible and my heart was pulled in multiple directions at once. This is something that very few books have managed to accomplish with me. Thanks, Brigid!!!!!
The writing style of Kemmerer drew me right into the story and made me cast aside all ideas about not reading this book. I immediately was hooked on the idea of the story and thought I knew where this story was going. I was wrong. This book had several twists and turns that kept me glued to the page. I never even saw some of them coming. A master author craft on Kemmerer’s part! The way all the grief, memories, regret, uncertainty and fear was handled was remarkable. I was drawn into the characters’ lives, hearts, and souls. I felt an instant connection with Declan and Juliet. Their tears soon become my tears; their fears, my fears; their heartache, my heartache; their hate, my hate. The emotions were so raw in the characters. I also liked how the characters were willing to step back and look at their past actions and make personal adjustments in their lives. So many times characters never learn from their past. All the secondary characters in this book were just as well written as the main characters. A lot of thought was put into them as well.
I highly recommend this book! I would give it 5 stars if I used a star rating system. It will be a favorite of many because it has plot twists, mysteries, secret romance, and friendship. I believe word about this book will spread fast and will be in constant demand. Watch out hold list!!! I would suggest that you give the new reader a box of tissues when they start the book!
Brigid Kemmerer has written other books as well. You can check them at out at her website http://www.brigidkemmerer.com I know that I will be adding Thicker Than Water to my Books To Read List!
Note to Author:
Brigid,
I can’t even begin to thank you for the wonderful ride you gave me through the minds, hearts, and lives of Declan and Juliet. They will forever be a part of my heart! -Janie
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