GUEST REVIEW: Love Letters To The Dead - Ava Dellaira

GENRE: Contemporary/Fantasy
PAGES: 336
PUBLISHER: Hot Key Books
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 5 Stars

SUMMARY

It begins as an assignment for English class: write a letter to a dead person - any dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain - he died young, and so did Laurel's sister May - so maybe he'll understand a bit of what Laurel is going through. Soon Laurel is writing letters to lots of dead people - Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Amelia Earhart ...it's like she can't stop. And she'd certainly never dream of handing them in to her teacher. She writes about what it's like going to a new high school, meeting new friends, falling in love for the first time - and how her family has shattered since May died. But much as Laurel might find writing the letters cathartic, she can't keep real life out forever. The ghosts of her past won't be contained between the lines of a page, and she will have to come to terms with growing up, the agony of losing a beloved sister, and the realisation that only you can shape your destiny.

REVIEW

I received a free copy of this book from Hot Key Books in exchange for a honest review. This does not affect my review/opinions in any way. Thank you Hot Key!

I read Love Letters to the Dead during exam week and I seriously regret it. No, I don't regret reading it, I just regret reading it right before an exam.

Because... it's one of those books that stays on your mind for a long time. In that respect (and that respect only), I'd compare it to The Book Thief.

Because... it makes you think. Laurel's history is one quite similar, yet so different to my own. And I wonder, if I'd ever have written letters, or done anything like this, what difference it would have made to me.

Because... it shows what words can do. What they can do to heal. What they can do to help. What they can do to hinder.

Because... it has gorgeous writing. Dellaira captivated me throughout the book, and it never stopped. Even when I should have been thinking about chemical formulas, I just couldn't stop thinking about it.

Because... I loved it. Many are saying it is too much like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and I guess certain elements are similar, but this book, to me, is completely unique. It's absolutely beautiful, both on the inside and out.

- Charli.