I’ve made it a point this year to stop buying just any book that catches my eye, so when I noticed The Last Letter From Your Lover at Target, I decided to add it to my library holds. I then proceeded to devour it while lazing around during a beach vacation and loved it so much I purchased the eBook for my Kindle and have since read it again.
From GoodReads:
It is 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing-not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon an impassioned letter, signed simply “B”, asking her to leave her husband.
Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper’s archives. She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending she will find one to her own complicated love life, too. Ellie’s search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance.
I find myself frequently falling in love with love stories, and going back to read my favorite bits and pieces time and time again. I can already tell this will be one of those books. I found myself wishing (for perhaps the thousandth time) that writing letters was still a popular form of communication. My husband and I write each other letters for anniversaries and I treasure them more than any purchased gift. This story proves that letters serve as a time capsule.
Normally I don’t really enjoy stories about love lost early in life and recaptured in old age. They’re so tragic and sad. Lorelai Gilmore put it so aptly when she begged Luke to reconsider ending their relationship, saying that she doesn’t just want an ending with him, she wants a “middle” too. And stories with near misses and close calls normally inspire me to roll my eyes or toss the book across the room in frustration. But this book got me.
Words like this always get me:
Somewhere in this world is a man who loves you, who understands how precious and clever and kind you are. A man who has always loved you and, to his detriment, suspects he always will.
They always, always get me.
If you too are a sucker for sweet love stories and eloquent love letters, I highly recommend this book.
(which I actually read first.) 
I have a confession to make: I am a HUGE fan of the Young Adult genre. Many scoff at it, assuming the stories will lack depth, but I usually find the exact opposite is true. There’s something about the teen years that is so nostalgic and universal, and there is something about YA that allows you to hearken back to when you felt serious feelings for the first time yourself. For me, reading YA books is like retracing steps, allowing me to determine where I went wrong and where I went right and what left a mark and why. Let’s be honest, teenagers can be moody and intense and overly dramatic, but it is the period that sets up your character for the rest of your life. Childhood is a time when you are innocent and cannot fully comprehend heavy feelings. But as a teen, your experiences are the memories you will carry, and every single relationship, whether it’s with your parents or friends or nemesis or bully or first crush or first love, will set a precedent for every similar relationship that follows. And as always, I’m a sucker for a love story, particularly first love stories. If you too are a fan of any of the above, I cannot recommend Eleanor & Park highly enough.
. I don’t think I’ve ever related to a main character as much as I related to Cath and her introversion and quirks. Rainbow Rowell positively excels at writing completely realistic and drawn-out characters. The story is funny and charming and heartbreaking at times. And, like the other two books she’s written, my only complaint is that it ended too soon.
Kelley Writes Stuff 