You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
sarahsez 's review for:
Love Letters to the Dead
by Ava Dellaira
One of the first things that occurred to me while reading Love Letters to the Dead was, "Wow, this is a LOT like [b:The Perks of Being a Wallflower|22628|The Perks of Being a Wallflower|Stephen Chbosky|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1363910637s/22628.jpg|2236198]..." At first, I thought it was just the epistolary format or the precocious-yet-innocent narrative voice, or the general premise (grieving misfit enters high school), but as the book went on, I kept coming across other similarities...
Unfortunately, this made it hard for me to really get into Laurel's story, especially once I realized Stephen Chbosky blurbed the front cover. I kind of lost myself wondering if the similarities were on purpose or unconscious or just coincidental, and wondering what it feels like when an author reads a book that feels obviously influenced by their own work. Do they feel flattered? I guess some must, being as Chbosky wrote a glowing review of this book. Anyway, it detracted from my enjoyment of the story.
That being said, readers who've never read Perks, or those who loved it and want something in a similar style will probably like this book a lot. The book has quite a few weaknesses, but the characters are sympathetic, the author does a nice job of keeping up the suspense surrounding May's death, and there are some nice touches.
Good for older teen girls, especially those who want a book about grief or living in someone else's shadow. Fans of Kurt Cobain or Janis Joplin might get into it too.
Spoiler
Character makes friends with the 'weird kids' at school. Best friends have homosexual feelings for each other and one won't admit it's love. Preoccupation with the music of bygone eras. English teacher as plot device giving the MC convenient poetry lessons. Loving a dead relative so much the MC overlooks their faults. Sexual abuse. Etc.Unfortunately, this made it hard for me to really get into Laurel's story, especially once I realized Stephen Chbosky blurbed the front cover. I kind of lost myself wondering if the similarities were on purpose or unconscious or just coincidental, and wondering what it feels like when an author reads a book that feels obviously influenced by their own work. Do they feel flattered? I guess some must, being as Chbosky wrote a glowing review of this book. Anyway, it detracted from my enjoyment of the story.
That being said, readers who've never read Perks, or those who loved it and want something in a similar style will probably like this book a lot. The book has quite a few weaknesses, but the characters are sympathetic, the author does a nice job of keeping up the suspense surrounding May's death, and there are some nice touches.
Good for older teen girls, especially those who want a book about grief or living in someone else's shadow. Fans of Kurt Cobain or Janis Joplin might get into it too.