A review by fogisbeautiful
Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

3.0

Okay, let me explain. I'm giving this three stars, not because of the plot or the story or the format, but purely because of the writing itself. The plot was intriguing and I would have liked the format I think... if it hadn't be for the jarring sensation in the first several letters of the book, the feeling that the author couldn't decide if she was writing letters or a novel. I don't know if this was supposed to be another symptom of the protagonist's many neuroses (which occasionally felt a little contrived as well, as if the author was trying too hard to create conflict and consequently felt a little unnatural), or if the author honestly just didn't quite know when she started the book whether she was writing a novel or a novel-in-letters. It seemed to get better as the book went on, but that could have just been me getting sucked into the story (which, as I said, was an excellent premise). Some of the characters seemed a bit flat and unnecessary (Cara, Father John, Kyle, a few others), but other characters (and I'm counting the protagonist, Alex, the Muirs, and especially Ashley in this category) seemed surprisingly well thought-out. Basically, it was difficult getting into the book at first because it read a little bit like mediocre fanfiction, but it improved as the book went on. My only other complaint is that the ending seemed a bit anticlimactic, but that could be because I guessed who Mr. Knightley was way too early :)
In short, all I can say is I liked the premise and most of the characters (even some of the flat ones), but the writing made it a little difficult to get into at first. Try it, you might like it :)