Dear Luke,
First let me say—I love you…I didn’t want to leave you…
First let me say—I love you…I didn’t want to leave you…
Luke Richardson has returned home after burying Natalie, his beloved wife of sixteen years, ready to face the hard job of raising their three children alone. But there’s something he’s not prepared for—a blue envelope with his name scrawled across the front in Natalie’s handwriting, waiting for him on the floor of their suburban Michigan home.
The letter inside, written on the first day of Natalie’s cancer treatment a year ago, turns out to be the first of many. Luke is convinced they’re genuine, but who is delivering them? As his obsession with the letters grows, Luke uncovers long-buried secrets that make him question everything he knew about his wife and their family. But the revelations also point the way toward a future where love goes on—in written words, in memories, and in the promises it’s never too late to keep. AMAZON 5 STARS
This was an incredible story. 5 Stars without any doubt. It was a thrilling roller coaster of emotions and secrets. I have to admit that I hesitated before deciding to read this book. You can imagine some of the reasons why. Is it going to be maudlin? Too much sorow? Boring ? Sorry about that author, but I'm pretty sure others thought up some of those very questions. But I realized pretty early on that I was getting drawn in and liked it. A lot! And the mystery letters, weren't the only mystery. There were plenty of surpises, questions and twists and turns. About the time I thought all the surprises were out, out popped another one. It was so well done. Each letter just brought out more questions, that led to another one. They all get answered by the end of the book but wow!
Natalie and Luke's kids were a variety of ages and personalities. Will is fourteen, May is nine and Clayton is three years old. That also shows you the range of ability to understand and grieve from their different perspectives. And I loved each one of those kids as did Annie, Natalie's closest friend. It was mentioned at least once that Annie was good at making it look like everything was all right. Luke explained it as looking at the outside of a house. The house was clean and everything in place with a nicely moved yard. But, it was basically pretend; hiding what was inside, a painful mess. He ought to know, he lived it until he was fourteen. "Don't tell anyone what is really going on", was the family motto.
As time goes on others will be added to the story, some as a direct action from Natalie, as explained from her letters. Most of them had pretty interesting stories to tell, and some didn't know that there was a story to be heard. I was so busy talking about everything else that I didn't mention how much I liked the author of all the letters, Natalie. She was quite the character, well loved, a fighter and someone who helped so many people too. Someone who would make a great best friend. She had a fun sense of humor and brought a joy into many lives. She wasn't perfect which made her even more realistic; but she always did the best she could. I don't want to say much more because for the next reader of the story, be enlightened as the pages unfold.
Natalie and Luke's kids were a variety of ages and personalities. Will is fourteen, May is nine and Clayton is three years old. That also shows you the range of ability to understand and grieve from their different perspectives. And I loved each one of those kids as did Annie, Natalie's closest friend. It was mentioned at least once that Annie was good at making it look like everything was all right. Luke explained it as looking at the outside of a house. The house was clean and everything in place with a nicely moved yard. But, it was basically pretend; hiding what was inside, a painful mess. He ought to know, he lived it until he was fourteen. "Don't tell anyone what is really going on", was the family motto.
As time goes on others will be added to the story, some as a direct action from Natalie, as explained from her letters. Most of them had pretty interesting stories to tell, and some didn't know that there was a story to be heard. I was so busy talking about everything else that I didn't mention how much I liked the author of all the letters, Natalie. She was quite the character, well loved, a fighter and someone who helped so many people too. Someone who would make a great best friend. She had a fun sense of humor and brought a joy into many lives. She wasn't perfect which made her even more realistic; but she always did the best she could. I don't want to say much more because for the next reader of the story, be enlightened as the pages unfold.
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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