''The thing about divorce is, there isn't always one mistake. One nuclear bomb dropped on a couple that destroys their marriage. Sometimes, it creeps up on you slowly."
BLURB:
Molly Alcott didn’t expect to open her mailbox one summer morning and find an old letter stuffed between bills and a supermarket flyer. Penned in familiar handwriting, dated over fifteen years ago, the letter was written to Molly after her first date with the man she’ll never forget.
Week after week, new letters appear. Each marks an event in the history of their epic love affair. Each heals a wound. Each holds the confession of the man who still owns Molly’s heart.
The letters are full of promise, hope and love, but truth be told, Molly wishes she could unread them all.
Because the man who wrote these letters is not the one sending them.
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BOOK REVIEW
You will enjoy this if you like:
~ Romance
~ Angst
~ Character driven plots
~ HEA
TO NOTE:
This is book 2 and though it can be read mostly as a standalone it does contain spoilers for book 1(The Birthday List).
Trigger warning:
WRITING STYLE: 4/5
CHARACTERS: 4/5
PLOT: 4/5
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT: 4.5/5
OVERALL RATING: 16.5/20
There is a certain trope? Plot device? trigger? That I really do not enjoy in a story. So for the longest time( having inadvertently stumbled on the spoiler) I avoided reading this book. But for some reason my eye kept on falling on it every time I scrolled my Kindle looking for my next read. I finally gave in and read it. I am so glad I did I must have been in the mood for an angsty read. It was certainly that and more!
The story revolves around a couple who have been divorced for 6 years when out of the blue Molly starts receiving letters from Finn, her ex-husband. But these letters are not penned by the ex-husband of now but from the (then) boyfriend/ husband of the past. As they both try to figure out who is sending these letters it opens up old wounds, forcing both Finn and Molly to confront the old feelings of hurt and resentment and also to remember the love and hope they shared. This was such a unique premise to bring two characters together who clearly had unresolved issues even after all this time. How often do we, as readers look at characters and think JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER! It was really interesting and strangely satisfying to see Finn and Molly finally have the conversations they should have had years ago. Some were painful, others much happier either way they were ALL cathartic
and gave them closure and ultimately left them hopeful and a little less broken.
I was very nervous to read about the final straw that ended their marriage ( I won’t post spoilers, if you would like to know, click above under trigger warning) thankfully the author takes us through their thought processes and having more clarity over their motivations, allowed me to at least understand their actions better even though I still wasn’t fully ok with it. Overall this book took me by surprise I enjoyed it a lot more then I thought I would, it was easy prose, and the exploration of the breakdown of a marriage and the subsequent healing was surprisingly emotional and inspiring. Highly recommend
VERDICT:
Though my romance loving heart does not usually like to read about divorce this was done in such a way that I ended up really enjoying it. Would recommend.
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Favourite quotes:
"What had caused our divorce? What had taken us from a place where all I needed to get through one of the hardest moments of my life was one glance at her?"
" I've been in love with you since I was twenty-one years old. I might not wear the ring, but that doesn't mean I don't feel it there."