Letters to the Lost
I need to stop staring at this letter.
Synopsis: Grief-stricken after her mother’s death, Juliet leaves letters at her grave every week; unable to let go of the thing that connects her to her lost mother.
Declan is the kind of guy that people except the worst of, and along the way he’s started believing it too. Thus, he uses his time completing his community service at the local cemetery to avoid thinking about his own demons.
Until he finds a haunting letter left by a grave. Despite knowing it’s private, something in the letter speaks to him, and he can’t resist writing back. Soon, Juliet and Declan begin writing to one another, unaware of the other’s true identity. 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.
Thoughts:
When I picked up this book, I was excepting a sappy love story- and I would have been happy with that.
However, this book is less about two people falling in love than it is about two people learning to love themselves before they come together. It’s about learning that it’s OK not to be perfect, and that the people we love aren’t perfect either. It’s about knowing when the adults around you failed you, and that you deserved better. It’s demonstrates the importance of having people who believe in you- whenever it be a friend or a teacher. In Letters to the Lost, there is no bad guy. All the characters prove to be sympathetic in one way or another. Even when it comes to the revelations about a certain character, there is no outright condemnation - instead it serves as a reminder that people are flawed. There were times when I felt almost close to tears while reading this book. I felt so bad for Juliet and Declan- Declan especially. His desperation and lack of self-worth almost broke my heart at times. Powerfully moving in its vivid portrait of first love and grief, LTTL is a must-read.