I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Declan and Juliet were definitely interesting characters who were going through a LOT of shit. The premise of writing letters to each other was really sweet; I love the whole “hidden identity” letter-writing/online-chatting trope. There’s always the torturous waiting game to see when one or both of them realize who the other person is. In this case, it was fairly complicated as they grew to know each other IRL too.

Like I said, both had a lot going on. Juliet was dealing with the unexpected death of her mother from earlier that year. Declan was dealing with community service requirements and big family-related issues. He was always angry and closed off from literally everyone, and Juliet was fairly similar except she was sad instead of mad. It was hard to connect with both of them because they were so closed off… even if you are reading their thoughts. Juliet was very judgmental and constantly assumed the worst of people, which I didn’t get as much? She didn’t have a reason to be hardened to other people. I think it may have been more of a message about how people assume things about those with criminal records, and she was really just like countless other people. I was happy to see her learn from those initial reactions, but I don’t think other characters (like her best friend Rowan) really got developed enough or learned that same lesson. Rowan basically disappeared once a side character swept her away. I didn’t really get it, especially because Declan’s best friend, Rev, was a constant throughout the story and very important to them.

I became more and more invested in the story as it developed and more twists were revealed. I saw a lot of things coming, but there were a few I didn’t expect at all. I like when contemporary books aren’t predictable.This one was definitely heavier than I was expecting for some reason. I haven’t read sad, heartfelt contemporaries in a while! It was definitely a nice change of pace for me.

I think my biggest issue is that I couldn’t connect with them – both as individual characters and as a potential ship/couple – and the story itself didn’t hit me as hard as I wanted. Maybe I was reading with a chip on my shoulder for some reason, but I just didn’t feel as wowed or emotional as I expected once the story picked up speed.

An only slightly improbable plot device that sets this lovely book into motion. It's got everything I love in a contemporary YA novel - flawed, broken characters who have a depth beyond just pursuing their latest crush. What I loved about this book was the letters...and the supporting characters who help each of the main protagonists. I'm so glad that the twist that I thought was coming never came, but that things went in a different direction! Though I did predict the twist about one of the characters' parents. I hope that doesn't count as a spoiler :)

Bonus points for an awesome English teacher :) :) :) and good poetry!

As much as I read, it’s not often that I find books that speak to every essence of my soul. I formed a connection with Letters to the Lost long before I picked up the book. In fact, my love affair started with the Publisher’s Weekly sales announcement. There’s always a part of me that’s worried when I hype up a book in my head, but given that I love Brigid Kemmerer, I knew that this was going to be one of those stories that would stay with me forever. Well, I was right! Letters to the Lost, was poignant, emotional and absolutely Brigid Kemmerer’s best novel to date.

I’m up to date with all of the author’s books and one of the most noticeable aspect about her writing is just how talented she is at writing characters that pop to life. Both Juliet and Declan were beautifully fleshed out protagonists, whose heartbreaking sorrow pulled me into their story. I’m not always fan of books where the characters have very angsty story-lines, but if done well, like in Letters to the Lost, I find them to be memorable. Despite all the grief, and hurdles that these two kids face, they are brave and bold and beautiful. Juliet is reeling from the death of her war photographer mother and she is really struggling in the book. Her grief was so vivid, every time I picked up the book, I had a pang in my heart that just would not go away. What was realistic about this story, was that even though she finds an outlet for her heartbreak, she’s not magically cured of her depression. By the end, she is still struggling with it, but has also found a way to deal with it in a positive way. Declan’s story was just as emotional. He was the misunderstood “bad boy” who everyone fears, but who nobody besides his best friend, Rev truly knows. While he may not be the easiest to warm up to at first, Declan becomes very likeable as he slowly peeled off those tough layers he surrounds himself in. Your heart will ache for him, and you’ll want to hug and protect him from every source of evil in the world.

The bond that Juliet and Declan form is so much more than a romance. It’s an emotional connection that not everyone is lucky to find, and I was happy that they found it in each other because they really needed it. The letters they write to each other, slowly opening up and finding solace in each other, were one of the many things I loved about Letters to the Lost. There was just so much raw emotion in them, that I couldn’t help but shed a tear or two a couple of times – which is a rare thing for me. In their real lives, they don’t particularly like each other at first, but they slowly do grow to trust each other despite not being sure if this is who they are talking to via letters and online. I liked that they both saw the clues about their identities, but still don’t reveal their online personas to each other until they were 100% comfortable towards the end of the book.

Besides the achingly swoony romance, there were also some great themes of friendship and family that I loved. As always, Brigid Kemmerer pens ALL the relationships she writes with richness and complexity. I particularly loved the role that Declan’s friend, Rev, and his family played in the book. I’m secretly hoping for a Rev book one of these days because I would read the heck out of it and because he deserves his own story. Juliet also has an amazing dad and the best friend a girl could ever had, who were absolute pillars to her as she battled with her grief. We also get to know the nature of her relationship with her late mother through her thoughts and emotions, and it was written beautifully.

Letters to the Lost is most assuredly one of the best books of the year for me. If you love your YA books with a good dose of emotions, relateable characters and intricate relationships, it’s one you need on your bookshelves. I most definitely will be purchasing a finished copy of this beauty so I can re-read over and over again.