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kbucheit's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
psliz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
loved loved loved. had me fangirling and crying. just perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Car accident
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, and Pregnancy
czoltak's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Declan Murphy has my whole heart 💙💚💙
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity
lyla_wicks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
this book was really cute, and i liked seeing how declan and juliet found a comfort in each other, however i wish that we had more content of them in person. i really liked the element of what happened with juliet’s mum (and i loved the plot twist), but i do think that everything happened a bit too quickly at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse and Alcohol
tammythree's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child abuse, Pregnancy, and War
terezar114's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book had me in the biggest chokehold and I read 300 in a day. Yes, that's a lot. It's inspiring i a way and it'll make you think about things differently once you finish it. Duclan's backstory is the saddest thing ever. The way he experiences emotions through this books is so insane. I felt so bad for him so many times, I mean his parents were shitty and the way he saw himself and hinted of suicide sometimes was just heartbreaking. Juliett's mom made me want to rip the book apart, like what the hell was she thinking. Emotions are portrayed incredibly in this book. The plot itself is so unique and just cool that you are taken by it. I would have prefered if we saw more of the actual relationship between them than the last two pages or so. Overall this book had me hooked and I definitely recommend it!
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
rearic's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
minbyrnes's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Child death
Minor: Child abuse and Suicide attempt
bhavya_is_reading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"I don’t know what the point of this story is, except maybe to say that sometimes you get to a point where it hurts too much, and you’ll do anything to get rid of the pain. Even if it means doing something that hurts someone else."
First Read- January 2021
Second read- August 2021
First Rating- 5 stars
Second rating- 5 stars
Content/ Trigger Warnings- school shooting joke, grief, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, car accident, cheating, the death of a sibling, the death of a parent, alcoholism
-Mention of some of these in the review-
Spotify Playlist
Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer is a Young Adult Contemporary romance, but I would say it’s much more than just a romance. It is a story about grief and guilt and anger. It's a story written with passion. It's a story which will make you feel .
The Plot
There’s a definition for insanity that talks about doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.
Juliet Young, our main character has only one way to cope with her mother's death, writing her letters. Declan Murphy works at a community service at the local cemetery and he's trying to escape the demons of his past. When Declan reads Juliet’s letter, he writes back two simple words- 'Me Too' . This book is about Juliet and Declan's letters.
The writing
Sometimes I think fate conspires against us. Or maybe fate conspires with us.
The letters between Juliet and Declan were absolutely beautiful. They talked about intense topics in a touching way and it made me think over a lot of things.
You want to know what I believe? I believe in fate, but I also believe in free will. Meaning, there’s a path, but we’re free to veer away from it. The only problem is that there’s no way to know whose path we’re following at any given moment. Our own? Or fate’s? Other people are on their own paths, too. What happens when we intersect? What happens when someone else wipes our path clean, and we’re left with no road to follow? Is that fate? Is that when free will kicks in? Is the path there, but invisible?
Who the hell knows?
The whole book was full of such great quotes and honestly I have no words to describe this. Even writing this review makes me want to reread the book.
The characters
“One day isn’t your whole life, Murph.” He waits until I look at him. “A day is just a day.”
This is the first contemporary I've read in a while where all the characters are flawed, yet extremely likable people. All of the characters seemed genuine. What more could you ask for?
The side characters in this book are also complex and fleshed out.
Rev is one of my favourites! He has my heart. I know book 2 is on him and I'm a bit scared to read it.
The main characters Juliet and Declan are also very interesting. I will not talk about them more to avoid spoilers.
“We’re all united by grief, and somehow divided by the same thing.”
Final thoughts
This book doesn't have any sort of petty drama like most contemporary books do. This deals with grief through thought-provoking letters and that's what I loved about it the most.
I wasn't very happy with the ending though, which is why it's not a 5 star. (bumped it to 5 stars as I was thinking about it even after half a year) I think there should have been one more chapter to conclude it.
So overall, Letters to the Lost was an extremely fun read and definitely makes my list of top books of 2021. I would highly recommend it!
“There’s not a joy the world can give like that it takes away, when the glow of early thought declines in feeling’s dull decay.”
DISCLAIMER - All opinions on the books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.
How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Mass/school shootings
cherrygray's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
original rate: 3.25
reread rate: 3.5
the first time i read this book i was left incredibly disappointed?? i wasn’t all that fond of the book and there were a lot of things that just sorta fell flat for me, but for this rr i was a lot more comforted and impressed by it. declan and juliet were so good as CG & TD too. it all felt very intertwined together and satisfactory. how ever i am peeved and upset at where the ending left off at, i feel like there should’ve been one more chapter of settling down and clarification but i also think that, not for the lack of trying, it was a good place to end. i just have a lot more questions.
reread rate: 3.5
the first time i read this book i was left incredibly disappointed?? i wasn’t all that fond of the book and there were a lot of things that just sorta fell flat for me, but for this rr i was a lot more comforted and impressed by it. declan and juliet were so good as CG & TD too. it all felt very intertwined together and satisfactory. how ever i am peeved and upset at where the ending left off at, i feel like there should’ve been one more chapter of settling down and clarification but i also think that, not for the lack of trying, it was a good place to end. i just have a lot more questions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Abandonment