Book Review: Letters to the Lost

About the Book:
Title: Letters to the Lost
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Pub. Date: April 4, 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 400
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis:

Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.

Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

Review:

“We're all united by grief, and somehow divided by the same thing.” 

I have been a fan of Brigid Kemmerer for a long time, so I knew without a doubt that I would be reading this book. But what I wasn't expecting was to enjoy it as much as I did! This book truly blew me away from start to finish and I couldn't help but finish it in one sitting. There are some very heavy topics in this book, but everything is written incredibly well and this is easily a book that could be a good starting point to talk about the things that come up with teens and adults alike.

“Can I tell you one thing?” Melonhead says.

I swallow. “Sure.”

“One day isn’t your whole life, Murph.” He waits until I look at him. “A day is just a day.” 

This book is written in dual 1st person perspectives (Juliet and Declan), and it works perfectly. Sometimes when there's dual POVs I end up liking one of the POVs but not the other. That was not the case in this book at all. I easily connected with both characters, and their emotions bled through the page. Their stories, while seemingly separate yet ultimately connected, were raw and real, and didn't shy away from being tough. Honestly, this is exactly how this story needed to be written because of the subject matter but also to help the reader connect to the characters more. You feel like you know these characters--you know their feelings, their truths, their hardships, etc. --and it makes for a much more powerful story. 

“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 on any given moment. Our own? Our fate's? Other people are on their on 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?” 

Juliet is an amazing character that I connected a lot too. She is overwhelmed by the grief following her mother's death, and is understandably having difficulty letting go of things that she associates with her mother. She has become a shell of the person she used to be, refusing to even pick up a camera anymore because it's enough to send her into a panic. Juliet was such a strong character, but the one little thing that upset me about her was how judgmental she was toward Declan. In general, she isn't that judgmental toward others, but with Declan she was, and I just didn't get it (more because it didn't fit with her characterization). Declan on the other hand was someone that I actually loved a little more than Juliet. He is constantly misjudged as the thug/criminal sort who isn't going anywhere in life. I hated how he had to deal with this every single day and how people treated him. Yes, he has an attitude and some anger issues, but with everything he has dealt with in his life, it's actually completely understandable. Declan is a great person with a strong sense of self and morals. He goes to great lengths for people that wouldn't do the same for him, and that says a lot. 

“When everything goes to hell around you, the only way to go is forward.” 

Brigid Kemmerer developed these characters extremely well, and I adored the addition of the letter writing to the story. While this isn't anything new in YA fiction, it's not done that much....but it's something I love. It added another element to the story because the letters tended to be more open than even the character was during the story. There is something about a letter that just lets the person be more raw and real, and it truly pushed this story to another level. The minor characters were fantastic as well and I'm excited to be able to read more about them!

“I want to fall into him. I want to let someone else carry this weight, even if just for a little bit. But it's been too long.” 

As I mentioned, there are a lot of heavy subjects in this book, but all of it is very thought-provoking. The resounding theme about misjudging people is evident from page 1, and both of our main characters are guilty of it. I do think in many ways this is Ms. Kemmerer's best book because she doesn't shy away from those hard issues (which are extremely prevalent in today's society) but also because she shows that things don't get fixed overnight. She shows that you have to start with baby steps that can progress into something more. 

I highly recommend checking out this novel! Even if you aren't a fan or have never read Brigid Kemmerer before, I think you should read this book. It is incredibly real and tears your heart open a little bit. You easily get swept up in these characters' stories, and will find yourself thinking about them long after you finish reading! Buy this now!

Happy reading :)

~Cassie