Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
"I know I wrote letters to people with no address on this earth, I know that you are dead. But I hear you. I hear all of you. We were here. Our lives matter."
This was a so-so read for me. I didn't love it, but I didn't dislike it either. The concept was compelling, and the raw emotionality of the book made it a fast-paced read, but there were a lot of aspects about it that concerned me.
While reading this, I thought of myself as a freshman in high school, the same age as Laurel, and how impressionable I was, and I'm honestly really glad I didn't pick this up when I was that age. Its vulnerability masks a lot of its melodrama, small exaggerations and generalizations I would have thoroughly absorbed as realistic if I had read this when I was fifteen.
For example, while Laurel laments her loneliness in the first few letters, she is somehow able to find instant best friends after less than a month at her new school, which, speaking from experience, is absolutely not how things go. Natalie, Hannah, Kristen, and Tristan all become her friends almost instantly, with no effort on her part whatsoever, and within days of these friendships being formed they're having slumber parties and doing all kinds of crazy stuff together. Real friendships take time to build, but Dellaira chose to escalate that process for the sake of the story.
Another relationship that fell into place for Laurel without absolutely no effort was that with Sky, which bothered me far more. Sky was a perfect boyfriend. Like, absolutely perfect. Sixteen-year-old boys with admitted emotional baggage do not just drop out of - excuse my choice of cliche - the sky like that. Choosing to portray a teenage boy like that is a dangerous game to play when you're writing primarily for young teens.
What bothered me most of all, though, was all the damn crying. Every other page, somebody, usually Laurel, was sobbing. It really got on my nerves. There are other ways to express intense emotional feeling.
And I get it - it's YA. It's supposed to be a little melodramatic and overdrawn. But when you're writing about a character who has been through as much as Laurel went through, you have to consider your audience, and how they will absorb and regurgitate a story like this. There's a responsibility that comes with it.
All that melodrama, though, did really help this book to achieve what it set out to be: a touching, coming-of-age novel that truly captures grief and what it means to figure out whom you're supposed to be.
Told solely through letter to different famous dead people, Laurel explains her life after her older sister dies. After the accident Laurel wants to start fresh so she starts at a new high school, meets new friends and starts to act like her sister to feel like she's still there. Through the letters and begin able to talk about what happen, Laurel finds out who she really is. Although this book seemed interesting it didn't really keep my attention and I only read about half way before stopping. Might come back to it later and try and finish it.
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A full review is to come but seriously, what a beautiful, beautiful debut novel by such a sweet author. I can't wait to see her again in May to tell her what a wonderful book she has written.
My Dear Frodo Love Letters to the Dead,
I honestly don't remember what I had expected when I heard about you for the first time. Yes I'd heard you would be written in the form of letters to deceased celebrities (from Kurt Cobain to Amy Winehouse), but that was about it. I had not expected it to be like this, but maybe I was still in an Illuminae-induced trance when I bought you.
Basically, you were just an average contemporary story that reminded me mostly of Saving June - minus the whole roadtrip. You also reminded me of the John Green books, though you were not that full of metaphors that I did not get at all, so there you have an extra half point. (Yes, I do like John Green's books, but the metaphors, ugh).
You may have felt already that when I picked you up, I was still not 100% if I was going to enjoy you, because I am honestly not a contemporary lover in general. There were some great ones that I read the past couple of years, but also a couple of missers. Still, I was intrigued by your whole 'letters to the dead' idea.
Your writing style was really nice, and though it was a bit hard for me to get into the first couple of letters, I flew through the second half of the book mainly because I really wanted to know what had happened to the sister of your main character. I have to admit that I had been expecting something more shocking, but it's also nice to know it wasn't something super awful that happened.Yes, of course, a loved one dying is the most awful thing that can happen to a person, but I had thought that May either killed herself, had a big car accident that Laurel was in as well, or that she had been murdered or something. So reading about her fall in the river felt a bit 'better' than the usual tragic deaths I read about in books.
To be honest, I can't say I loved you; but I did like reading you, though I found your main character to be a bit annoying. It felt to me like she was trying so hard to be friends with people, that she did things she didn't really want to do. Like stealing, and drinking alcohol, and smoke cigarettes, and go to prom with a guy she caught jerking off in class (who the fuck does that?!).This guy later on in the book tried to rape her after drugging her at a party, yeah top lad! Later on, as I read more and more about Laurel's past, I realised that she was just trying to cope with more things than just her sister's death, and it made me sympathize with her a bit better. I also liked her friendship with Natalie and Hannah better after a while, but your first couple of chapters were a bit - well - 'meh', I should say, dear book.
As for the romance, I felt like you had a bit of an insta-love thing going on, though it was later on explained why Sky was interested in Laurel from the moment they locked eyes, but still, it didn't convince me that much. I liked them when they were together though, so I guess I'm just a little bit conflicted about it.
In the end, though I enjoyed you, I also don't think I'll be reading you again. Maybe it is also because I just had a weird day when I read the majority of this book, that I just couldn't really get through you and I felt like I was falling right into a nother reading slump, two books before the finish of my reading challenge. But I finished you, and I did like you.
I recommend you to lovers of John Green and just contemporary novels in general. I hope those people will love you better. I am sorry, dear book, but you are just not the one for me!
Yours,
Nessa
Ps: Your cover is gorgeous, keep up the good work!
I honestly don't remember what I had expected when I heard about you for the first time. Yes I'd heard you would be written in the form of letters to deceased celebrities (from Kurt Cobain to Amy Winehouse), but that was about it. I had not expected it to be like this, but maybe I was still in an Illuminae-induced trance when I bought you.
Basically, you were just an average contemporary story that reminded me mostly of Saving June - minus the whole roadtrip. You also reminded me of the John Green books, though you were not that full of metaphors that I did not get at all, so there you have an extra half point. (Yes, I do like John Green's books, but the metaphors, ugh).
You may have felt already that when I picked you up, I was still not 100% if I was going to enjoy you, because I am honestly not a contemporary lover in general. There were some great ones that I read the past couple of years, but also a couple of missers. Still, I was intrigued by your whole 'letters to the dead' idea.
Your writing style was really nice, and though it was a bit hard for me to get into the first couple of letters, I flew through the second half of the book mainly because I really wanted to know what had happened to the sister of your main character. I have to admit that I had been expecting something more shocking, but it's also nice to know it wasn't something super awful that happened.
To be honest, I can't say I loved you; but I did like reading you, though I found your main character to be a bit annoying. It felt to me like she was trying so hard to be friends with people, that she did things she didn't really want to do. Like stealing, and drinking alcohol, and smoke cigarettes, and go to prom with a guy she caught jerking off in class (who the fuck does that?!).
As for the romance, I felt like you had a bit of an insta-love thing going on, though it was later on explained why Sky was interested in Laurel from the moment they locked eyes, but still, it didn't convince me that much. I liked them when they were together though, so I guess I'm just a little bit conflicted about it.
In the end, though I enjoyed you, I also don't think I'll be reading you again. Maybe it is also because I just had a weird day when I read the majority of this book, that I just couldn't really get through you and I felt like I was falling right into a nother reading slump, two books before the finish of my reading challenge. But I finished you, and I did like you.
I recommend you to lovers of John Green and just contemporary novels in general. I hope those people will love you better. I am sorry, dear book, but you are just not the one for me!
Yours,
Nessa
Ps: Your cover is gorgeous, keep up the good work!
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When Laurel’s sister May died, Laurel felt like she had no one left. Her mother moved to California to some kind of retreat and she hasn’t had a real conversation with her father in a long time. When her English teacher sets the class an assignment of writing a letter to someone who has died, Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain – her late sister’s favourite singer. What starts as a piece of assessment turns into so much more. Laurel finds that she can tell dead celebrities all the things she keeps bottled up inside. Musicians, poets, actresses and even the voice of Mister Ed – each of them means something different to Laurel. Though her letters to the dead, Laurel finds her voice.
This book is a story about friendship, secrets, coming of age and grief. Laurel is grieving the loss of not only her sister but May was also her best friend and closest ally. It’s hard for Laurel and changing schools so she can start anew with people who don’t know about May only isolates her further. This book is at times a difficult read. Not for how it was written but because of the subject matter. In trying to cope with May’s passing, Laurel makes some decisions which take her down some scary and dangerous roads. She is so young and comes across as so naive but the more we get to see Laurel’s journey we see how hard her life was even before May died.
Love Letters to the Dead is also about first loves. The romance in this book was so hopeful and optimistic with all the awkwardness and problems which come with teenage relationships. The depth of friendship is also explored and witnessing the ups and downs of these relationships was amazing. Laurel’s friends may be unconventional and have their own things going on but they are still there for each other when they need it most.
This book is beautiful written. Laurel’s thoughts are poetic and poignant but her conversations with the living were often clumsy. Laurel’s letters were never really to celebrities but rather a way to sort out her feelings of guilt and unhappiness. She grows so much over the course of the novel and it took a while for Laurel to come to terms with what happened. Her refusal to deal with May’s death was portrayed in a realistic manner and Laurel’s pain was palpable.
There are pop-culture references scattered liberally throughout the novel and while there are recent ones, I wondered while I read it if this book would have been more appropriate if it had been set n the nineties. Kurt Cobain, his music as well as River Phoenix are a driving force behind many of the letters Laurel writes and there are times when I almost forgot this book was set in the present day. Despite this – this book is still relevant to all those reading no matter when the references were popular.
Love Letters to the Dead is a thought-provoking and emotional read. Dealing with some very adult issues like drug use, depression and death, this beautifully written book is both heartbreaking and moving.
Favourite Quotes:
“It was a perfect first kiss, like a gust of wind that swept through me, taking my breath away and letting me breathe again all at once. A kiss to come alive in.”
“”Let me tell you something. Buttercup,”He said. “There are two most important things in the world – being in danger, and being saved.” [...]
“But if those are the most important things, what about being in love?”
“Why do you think that’s the most profound thing for a person? It’s both at once. When we are in love, we are both completely in danger and completely saved.””
Thanks to Hot Key Books for the review copy
This book is a story about friendship, secrets, coming of age and grief. Laurel is grieving the loss of not only her sister but May was also her best friend and closest ally. It’s hard for Laurel and changing schools so she can start anew with people who don’t know about May only isolates her further. This book is at times a difficult read. Not for how it was written but because of the subject matter. In trying to cope with May’s passing, Laurel makes some decisions which take her down some scary and dangerous roads. She is so young and comes across as so naive but the more we get to see Laurel’s journey we see how hard her life was even before May died.
Love Letters to the Dead is also about first loves. The romance in this book was so hopeful and optimistic with all the awkwardness and problems which come with teenage relationships. The depth of friendship is also explored and witnessing the ups and downs of these relationships was amazing. Laurel’s friends may be unconventional and have their own things going on but they are still there for each other when they need it most.
This book is beautiful written. Laurel’s thoughts are poetic and poignant but her conversations with the living were often clumsy. Laurel’s letters were never really to celebrities but rather a way to sort out her feelings of guilt and unhappiness. She grows so much over the course of the novel and it took a while for Laurel to come to terms with what happened. Her refusal to deal with May’s death was portrayed in a realistic manner and Laurel’s pain was palpable.
There are pop-culture references scattered liberally throughout the novel and while there are recent ones, I wondered while I read it if this book would have been more appropriate if it had been set n the nineties. Kurt Cobain, his music as well as River Phoenix are a driving force behind many of the letters Laurel writes and there are times when I almost forgot this book was set in the present day. Despite this – this book is still relevant to all those reading no matter when the references were popular.
Love Letters to the Dead is a thought-provoking and emotional read. Dealing with some very adult issues like drug use, depression and death, this beautifully written book is both heartbreaking and moving.
Favourite Quotes:
“It was a perfect first kiss, like a gust of wind that swept through me, taking my breath away and letting me breathe again all at once. A kiss to come alive in.”
“”Let me tell you something. Buttercup,”He said. “There are two most important things in the world – being in danger, and being saved.” [...]
“But if those are the most important things, what about being in love?”
“Why do you think that’s the most profound thing for a person? It’s both at once. When we are in love, we are both completely in danger and completely saved.””
Thanks to Hot Key Books for the review copy
I'd say 4.5 stars. I have really mixed feelings about this book. There are things I didn't like objectively and wish could have been different but it wasn't the fault of the author, it is the fault of the World At Large. The broken and hopeless things in this book are also the broken and hopeless things of this world. This book was... real. Very real. By the end I wondered if maybe it wasn't actually fiction and someone was just playing a bit of a trick on me.
But at the same time it wasn't Truth. And, being me, I wanted to Do Something to provide Truth and Hope and Love. But that's not how books work and it's not always how life works because I am broken too.
I couldn't recommend this book to everyone but I also feel, very deeply, like this is a book that needed to be written.
Basically, I'm giving it 4.5 stars because I connected with it emotionally in a way I don't connect with most books - even ones I love. It isn't a comforting book or a happy book or anything like that. But it is an intelligent book that is well written and engaging and... basically I can't say "It was amazing, I loved it" but somewhere down in my soul I feel like the earth smells the morning after a big rain. And though the book dealt with harsh topics it didn't leave me feeling like all was hopeless and broken forever.
But at the same time it wasn't Truth. And, being me, I wanted to Do Something to provide Truth and Hope and Love. But that's not how books work and it's not always how life works because I am broken too.
I couldn't recommend this book to everyone but I also feel, very deeply, like this is a book that needed to be written.
Basically, I'm giving it 4.5 stars because I connected with it emotionally in a way I don't connect with most books - even ones I love. It isn't a comforting book or a happy book or anything like that. But it is an intelligent book that is well written and engaging and... basically I can't say "It was amazing, I loved it" but somewhere down in my soul I feel like the earth smells the morning after a big rain. And though the book dealt with harsh topics it didn't leave me feeling like all was hopeless and broken forever.