Letters to the Lost

I received Letters to the Lost out of the generous heart of Brigid Kemmerer after we had talked back and forth about her book. I talked to her over twitter about how I couldn’t wait to read it due to how cathartic I think it might be for me given it’s synopsis surrounding a teenage girl having lost her mother at a very young age. For the both of them. I was given an ARC to Netgalley but then about a week or so later I was sent an early hard copy that was signed by Brigid herself.I, truly, can’t describe how touched I was to receive something like this. I have been given other book copies from authors before but nothing that meant so much to me as this did. Those feelings only became more overwhelming as I read and finished LTTL.I know most book reviews are supposed to give a general look at the book and praise it. Make you want to read it and so on. But LTTL was different for me. I wasn’t wrong when I said this book would be cathartic for me. I knew going into it that there was a very large chance I would have a hard time getting through it, the words would stir feelings in me that I hadn’t dealt with on my own, I could even potentially cry. Which I did. It’s because of this that I am grateful for Letters to the Lost. I’m not saying to completely healed me of the grief over the loss of my mother some 18 years ago, but the words and thought processes in this book has given me a chance to look at my decisions and grief, itself, a different way.For that I say Thank You, Brigid Kemmerer. You’ve done more for me in one book than most therapists have done in a few hundred sessions. I’ll always volunteer as tribute to read your books and back your stories 100% because of this. Letters to the Lost will forever stay on my list of Favorite and Re-Readable books. There aren’t many of those.Let me start by saying I gave Letters to the Lost 4 stars. Now that’s not to say it isn’t deserving of of five. It is. The four is my own personal issues with the book itself. They’re minor, however, but in the end they sort of add up to take away one full star.Note: There are spoilers in this post, so stop now if you haven’t read this book. It’s too good of a read to spoil!!Letter to the Lost is a plot I haven’t seen done before. It’s about two lost teens wrapped in their own teenage crap on top of personal tragedies that are weighing them down. Almost to the point of destruction. But they communicate through hand written letters left in a cemetery all while not knowing who the other is.That being said, one of the main issues I had was how long it took for ‘The Dark’ and ‘Cemetery Girl’ to figure out who each other were. There were so many opportunities for Juliet to be, forgive me, not BLONDE and just put two and two together and realize DECLAN IS ‘The Dark’. Almost to the point I wanted to throw the book. Half of that was frustration, half of that was I wanted them together because when Declan isn’t being a self-destructive jerk he really is a book-boyfriend I want for myself!A second point is Rev. I LOVE Rev. He was a little creepy at first but once he got more lines and you got to know his home life a bit more he opened up to be a very interesting character. So interesting I WANTED MORE. Now, I know Brigid is making a book JUST for Rev, but had I not known that I would have been upset because I believe it’s Rev and his past history that really grounds Declan a lot of time. Thus it would have been nice to have more on him so you could join in on that bond with Rev and Declan to love their duo even more.Declan’s step-father was a third, and the most irritating, point for me. He and Declan were such a toxic mix of anger and spite and rejection their scenes were hard to read for me because I’ve been in a family situation that was similar. Declan couldn’t do ANYTHING right! I wanted to punch the guy in the face!! But even after knowing everything Declan did in his past and living, practically, in a car shop for his dad, who is gone now, his damn step-father still wouldn’t let him help at first. Like What. The. Hell. Man?! Get off your damn high horse! On top of that, his sudden turn around and suddenly they’re having a calm heart to heart and he’s wanting to be a family man?! At first I thought it was a rouse, and while I was glad Declan was getting to say what was finally needing to say, the turn around in the dad seemed a little rushed. But I was also glad it was happening? So I’m sort of 50-50 on that whole thing?There was a twist towards the end with Juliet and concerning her mother that really.. threw me. Honestly, it didn’t sit well with me or the pit of my stomach after I finished the book. It was one of the reasons I had to give myself a day or so to sit with the book before I wrote this and gave a truly honest review. While I understand it was for drama purposes and for Juliet to truly have an outstanding moment to relieve her grief and figure things out, I feel like another plot somehow might have worked better. I’m not the writer so I couldn’t tell what to replace it with, but I feel like I felt the pain that Juliet did and it hurt me. Which may be had been the point all along. It just felt painful for me like Juliet going through it. Awkward even.My favorite thing I am grateful for, however, is how Brigid handled the romance. Through out the whole book the romance was there but it was more of a back burner situation. Which only made you want to have the MC’s get together that much more. It was handled so well and so beautifully that I wish more authors wrote like that. Have it there, hovering, but not the main focus but then it happens anyway in a way that’s.. more realistic. It was wonderful to read because you rooted for Declan and Juliet so much.Letters to the Lost has a lot of ups and downs, happiness and frustrations. It sticks in my brain and makes me feel like there’s hope at the end of the tragic moments that happen in life. Brigid Kemmerer is an amazing writer and I can’t wait to see what else she brings to the table.

"We are all united by grief, and somehow divided by the same thing."So, I'm probably going to keep this short and simple because I just noticed that I wrote down more quotes than actual thoughts and this is the first time this has happened in a while... if ever.This was my first book by Brigid and she has now become an author I deeply admire. The way she writes is a truly lyrical experience and I couldn't rip my gaze away from the pages long enough to blink."Sometimes you get to a point where it hurts too much, you'll do anything to get rid of the pain. Even if it means doing something that hurts someone else."The emotion every character was feeling easily bled through the pages and made their way deep into my heart. Brigid had me smiling like crazy and crying uncontrollably until pain consumed me from the outside, while also seeping into me with every word. This book was extremely difficult to put down and I couldn't stop myself from wishing this were turned into a movie. I ached for so much more; I wanted to be able to witness every breath, every facial expression, every body twitch... I could almost see it all as vividly as if it really were a movie.-"I read the letter again.Pain flares in every word.The kind of pain that makes you write letters to someone who will never read them.The kind of pain that ISOLATES.The kind of pain you're certain no one else has felt, EVER."I am seriously growing to love letters in books. For some unknown reason, I always seemed to stay away from them but lately I've been loving the extra connection we get to the characters through them. There is something so raw and vulnerable about reading the words a person so delicately chose to write down on paper instead of a text in the heat of a moment."I didn't realize I'd been so far adrift until he grabbed hold of me."This book follows Jules and Declan as they're both grieving in different but similar ways.Jules loved to write letters to her mother and she still does so after her passing. But all that takes a turn when Declan replies to one of the letters she leaves at her grave. They end up corresponding with each other from there and we get to follow along as their stories weave and unravel into an emotional ride.I really liked Jules and I found myself really enjoying her thought process throughout the novel. The things she went through in this novel were nothing short of somber and it all seemed to suffocate me with how intensely it affected me. The only thing that kept me sane was her wonderful sense of humor throughout it all. She had me clutching my stomach from laughter way too many times to count."..the two people who should have my back stand here driving me into the ground."Both of their lives were heartbreaking in many ways and I related to both of them differently but I feel like Declan's situation was the most similar to mine when it came to his relationship with his family. He's way too good of a person to have gone through everything mentioned in this novel.Their character developments had me cheering from the sidelines. I wanted nothing but the best life for them and Brigid did an exceptional job at fulfilling my wishes. These two broke me apart and mended me many, many times. They were so real to me that I felt somewhat uncomfortable reading their letters to each other. I know they wouldn't have been okay with such an invasion of privacy and it made me want to apologize profusely when I finished the last page.I wanted nothing more than to remain deeply rooted in between the pages of this novel. Not even the rough ride it thrust me into could deter my reluctance to see this novel end.Basically, if you picture a girl laughing out of her bed and ugly crying into her pillow with heartache all in the span of one minute in a never-ending loop... That would be a perfect representation of me as I read this novel. This was the most perfect blend of epic humor and grief and it made an addict out of me.I had a feeling I was going to really like this book but I didn't anticipate the tremendous impact it would have on me.(Did I keep it short? I don't know if I did. My fingers turned possessed when I started writing this.)

Not usually a reader of young adult books however this one was great!!! Had me anxious to see how it ends and wanting more when it was done.

This. Is. Fricking. Amazing. Everyone should read this!! I think the age rating for this book is 13+ but anyone younger could read it. READ THIS BOOK!

I am in my thirties and I have read several young adults books lately, maybe to catch up on subjects that didn't use to be written about in books when i was a teen myself.I find this one particularly beautiful, the characters are believable and I love the way their feelings and thoughts are described; simply but with accurate words. This is a book about judging persons too hastily, about fierce friendship, not letting our past define us, and about the power of written communication. Delicate and emphatic - I definitely recommend it.(Last but not least: the cover is beautiful! It reflects the spirit of the book).

I have to thank my lucky stars at times that I do take notice when I have been recommended a book to read. After devouring Letters to the Lost, I am now thanking a galaxy of stars because I found this to be such a beautiful and addictive read. I’m sitting here trying to put my thoughts and feelings into words and I’m struggling because I don’t think I can write the review that this book deserves.I absolutely love the way that the author has penned this story. Her writing style is incredible. The intensity is perfect. I connected with the characters instantly, which allowed me to experience the emotions that they were feeling. My heart hurt so much for Juliet and Declan at times. Their relationship is one that I absolutely adore which of course then made me fear that something, at some point in their story, was going to ruin who they are to each other.Juliet and Declan’s story is a must read. It is a story about loss and grief, love, expectations, guilt, despair and hope - let’s not forget the hope in all of this. I was so absorbed in the story that I didn’t realise that I was crying until my tears reached the book I was holding. I found Brigid Kemmerer’s words to be so very powerful, her messages touching and thought-provoking, and to be honest this story was so much more than I expected.I’m a huge fan of epilogues and I was initially disappointed that Letters to the Lost ended without one. Now, having had time to reflect, I actually am grateful to be able to make my own decisions on what happens next for Juliet and Declan…. I want only good things for them both from now on! This book is one that I recommend to everyone to read. I know that this story will stay with me for a long time and I’m certain you will feel the same way too.

How weird is it for me to say I accidentally started reading this book but just didn't stop when I started? Don't get me wrong, I had every intention of reading it because it sounded amazing (full disclosure: it really is amazing), but when it arrived in the post this morning, I read the first page (I do it with all of my paperbacks because that's how I roll) and suddenly found myself 100 pages in some time later and thinking "well, no point stopping now." It's now three in the morning and I've just finished the book, much to my dismay. It's been a long time since I've been THAT enthralled with a book and it's characters. This book reeled me in from the very first page and still hasn't let me go, even though the last page has been read. I was thoroughly engrossed and couldn't year myself away from the pages for very long. The characters were beautiful. They had depth, they had demons they fought every day, they were flawed and perfect. The growth they both go through is admirable and was a treasure to read. I found myself relating a lot to both Jules and Declan, the emotions and feelings they sometimes conveyed have been a huge element in my life, so connecting to these characters was an easy thing for me. Through that, I grew very attached. I didn't want the book to end, I wanted more from Cemetery Girl and The Dark. The story was compelling and captivating, and I honestly felt like I was on the same journey as them as I read the book. Beautifully written, flowed flawlessly. It would be a crime to give this book any less than five stars!

What a great book!! I don't even know what to say, I enjoyed this so much. Brigid manages to write YA books that touch on deeper subjects so well. There is romance involved but it's not the driving plot. There's so much more to the story here.I love the secret penpal kind of trope or whatever you wanna call it. And to see all these truths unravel the way they did? Amazing.

So when I started reading this I was so annoyed by it I ended up switching to audiobooks, which is the kiss of death for books for me as it means I don't pay them attention and just listen for the noise. However the story managed to hook me back in to the point that at one point I asked my husband who was working from home to help my son with a task so I could finish a good bit.I love the way that Declan's character develops and how not everything is completely explained and explicit, it keeps a bit away like would happen if the characters were real people telling you stories. It was super!