This is such a good story to read, yet somehow I felt something missing inside. I couldn't even figure that out. But over all (the story-line, the characters, the language) made the book worth a read.

This is not a Love Letter is written with an interesting take. Rather than a narration of the story, it is written as a letter covering all the details of a search for a missing youth from the perspective of his girlfriend.
Chris, Jessie’s senior in high school boyfriend and a young man with a promising future , mysteriously disappears and Jessie recalls different memories of their relationship and of the events going on regarding the search for him. As the days progress, fears and suspicions built for Jessie and her friend, Josh, as they wait for any news on finding Chris. The search uncovers the nasty underbelly of the small town teens who reside there.

This Book was provided by netgalley for an ARC.
Wow I’m totally blow away by the ending of this book. This is probably one of the toughest reads I have had in a long while. It seems most books I choose have a happy ending but this one took a totally different turn. The author sets you up for an unbelieable story, that you find out in the end started by true events. Chris is a 17 year old boy with his whole life in front of him. He has a family he loves and a girlfriend he adores but after a fight with his girl friend he disappears. The girlfriend tells you the story of the events that take place that lead up to the ending of the book. Some books just don’t have a happy ending, sometimes that’s meant to be.

This book seems like it can’t decide what it wants to be - is it a mystery? A love story? A reflection of race in America? The story comes out muddled, making this an additional purchase for high school libraries.

Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Book Group for the free ARC, in exchange for this honest review. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars. 

I want to start out saying, this is not a happy story. It's actually a very sad one. When I think of that intense teenage first love, the angst, the heartbreak, the borderline obsession with each other, the fear of what happens after graduation, the author nailed it, And you add that all together it makes for the perfect YA romance. However, this book is so much more than a YA Romance. 

There are topics such as racism, teenage dating violence, mental health issues, dysfunctional parents, rich kids, poor kids, the justice system, It's all within the pages of this book. The memories that Jessie has of Chris are sweet, and you can feel it in your bones how much she loves him, and how much she just wants him back, she is willing to do anything, just for him to come home. 

The writing in this book is breathtaking, emotional, and really just pulls at your heart-strings. It also leaves you feeling kind of heavy, it evokes a lot of emotions. And to me that is the strength of an amazing author. I look forward to reading many more Kim Purcell books!

3 1/2 stars
This book was.. interesting. There were a lot of different things going on (topics include racial injustice, social injustice, love, mental health), but it worked. I think that Jessie was a great character; she was dynamic and even her obsessive tendencies weren't annoying. Everything she did was justified, and I agreed with all of her different ideas about Chris's disappearance.

I think that Purcell lost me a little bit near the end. I still felt like Chris was a flat character, despite Jessie talking about him and their relationship frequently.

However, I LOVED how timely and aware this book was. Exploring the workings of an interracial couple is something that we need to see more of. Purcell didn't skirt around the issue. She had her main characters address it and approach it as many would today: socially acceptable, but considered "backwards" in some areas. I was very impressed!

Jessie and Chris have taken a break from their relationship--for perspective. Really, the two are taking time apart because Jessie doesn't want Chris to give up his future for her... and, if she is honest with herself, she is worried about how she could possibly ever fit into the projection of his life. Sure, she loves him but love hasn't been exemplified in her life a lot before him and she doesn't know how to trust it or handle it.

When we enter the story the break has been going for a few days, or maybe even a day, and Chris has gone missing. As a search for Chis develops Jessie finally begins to process her feelings for Chris through a "love letter" to him--explaining all the things that happened while he was missing. Her hope is that he will be able to read the letter when he is home. Time passes, though, and suspicions arise that Chris, with a past of mental illness, has taken his life.

The letter that she is writing turns into more of a way to process through everything that happens. I'll let you read the book yourself to find out what happened to Chris and how Jessie's life is affected by this short season we watch.

I was surprised by this book. I appreciated the honesty that the author presented with the story, I could really imagine a teen girl, in this situation, reacting the ways that were expressed. To save from spoiling the ending I can't say this exactly how I want to-- but I feel empty with the way things ended. Though I think the author did a good job with how the narrative was handled... I wanted something different. So, maybe that is the sign of how good this book was, I cared for the characters.

ALL THE FEELS (as my students would say)! I sobbed through the last 1/4 of this book and stayed up too late finishing it- it was that engrossing. I will be buying it for my high school library as soon as it comes out because my kids will love it. This is a book about friendships & relationships & all of the things we keep from each other. I can't say more or it will ruin the mystery of the book. This story is an emotional roller coaster ride, lovely & sad & searching & heartfelt.

Oh man...this story is heartbreaking. But a story with a message that needs to be heard.

The story unfolds as a long letter written to the narrator (Jessie's) missing boyfriend. She recounts the search for him and all the things that are happening. It was a beautiful way to tell the story.

This is Not a Love Letter is a story about two teenagers who find they have a lot more in common then they thought. Jessie is white and is not a popular girl. Chris is black and just moved to town.
The town they live in does not accept minority very well and Chris pays the price one night while on a run. Three weeks later Chris disappears and no one knows where he is. Jessie and Chris's best friend spend all their time searching for Chris and do everything in their power to get the local police to look for him. What unravels in this story will not be a surprise however, you will still feel your heart beating while rooting for Chris to show up.
I thought this was a good story however, I would have liked to see more related to the mental illness that was touched upon. Even so I enjoyed Jessie and Chris's story and have to admit I cried like a baby while reading the last chapter.

The part that makes this a great book is the character relationships and the development. You can feel the love and support that the main character has. This is a suspense novel that makes you keep turning to figure out what happens to Chris and you feel for the main character throughout the entire novel.

Started reading but couldn't get into it. Didn't finish.

Chris Kirk is a responsible, smart, athletic, funny and kind high-school senior. He is heading off to college on a full-ride baseball scholarship. Almost everyone in the small town loves him. His little sister adores him. His best friends are loyal. His girlfriend of nine months thinks his laughter is like a gulp of cold water on a hot day. He's the sparkle in his mom's eye. A guy like Chris Kirk doesn't go missing.

Police do not suspect foul play. In fact, authorities believe he ran away. But as the search continues, accusations of racism in the small town arise. After all, Chris Kirk is one of the only black boys in this white community. Could it be more to his disappearance? A hate crime or harassment gone too far? Why is Jessie receiving frightening threats now?

I want to reach through my Kindle and give a group hug. I want to join the search for Chris Kirk and give him a strong shake. I want to hold Jessie and tell her it'll be okay. These characters had my heart on the page and twisted it with every new day. Instead of chapters, the book is set up as dates and times surrounding Chris' disappearance and narrated by the girlfriend, Jessie. Every Friday since they've started dating, Chris wrote Jessie a love letter shaped as an airplane. Now she is writing a letter of her own. She may not know it yet, but as readers we see she is falling in love with him. The emotions of all friends and family leap off the pages.

No exaggeration. No fib. I legit cancelled my plans for the day to finish this book. I got zero steps on the Fitbit. I didn't want to leave the house for food so I cooked a frozen pizza and stayed in just to finish reading. Not many books can hold my attention like this. Not many plots can make me read nonstop. And I am stingy with my five (5) hearts! So consider this a high compliment, author Kim Purcell and a strong recommendation, bookhearts.

Happy Early Pub Day, Kim Purcell! This Is Not A Love Letter will be available January 30, 2018. Yup, you have to wait for the publication of this greatness.

LiteraryMarie

This got spoiled for me when I was halfway through the book so my outlook changed dramatically while I was reading. All the tension I was feeling while trying to figure out what happened to Chris disappeared and I could enjoy reading the emotional roller coaster the main character was dealing with and flinching at the arrival of the crash. And what a crash. Bring tissues.

I received an ARC of the ebook for This Is Not a Love Letter, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Chris Kirk is a star-athlete, straight 'A' student, and all-around nice guy. One night he goes for a run, and doesn't return. This sets his girlfriend Jessie--with whom he was on "a break"--into a frenzy to find out what happened to her boyfriend.

From that point, we are all along for the ride.

The author, Kim Purcell does a great job of pulling you into the story. From the start you're trying to figure out what happened to Chris? Where is he? Is he alive or dead? Who knows what?

Though we only have one perspective to entertain--that of Jessie's--it's from the one character who seemingly was closest to Chris. From her, we're able to glean some understanding of how Chris related to everyone else (both central and peripheral) to the story.

Where I began to have trouble was around the midway point: what type of story was this intended to be, honestly?

On the one hand, it felt like a mystery.

There's the introduction of motive via the jealous teammate (Dave Johnson) who isn't happy about Chris being scouted and offered a scholarship. A scholarship offer he felt would have been his if Chris hadn't shown up and taken it from him.

Johnson is introduced as a jerk, who is potentially both racist and homophobic, with anger management issues. Jessie wonders if said jealousy boiled over into something more, especially given her knowledge of the twos previous interactions.

This is what brings the cops on the scene.

However, as the story continues to unfold, and Jessie learns more about Chris through the words of others, we're forced to consider other alternatives for his disappearance.

What is crystal clear is Jessie and Chris have a very codependent relationship. It's not healthy. Both she and he have emotional issues, stemming from abandonment and lack of trust, and each acts in extreme ways to protect themselves from more emotional harm.

As these things come to light, it's clear this story is meant to be much deeper than a mystery and, as such, greater care could have been taken to allow for other perspectives to be given.

Jessie's wasn't nearly enough and, honestly, after awhile her self-centeredness began to grate on my nerves.

Overall, the story started out with a load of potential but, by the time I reached the end, I was disappointed with the handling of the story and the inattention given to the central character via the lack of other perspectives.

Though books in the form of letter is not a new conceit, This Is Not a Love Letter manages both the form and the storytelling very well. The ever-increasing suspense about the fate of Chris and the equally powerful agony felt by Jessie and her friends over his disappearance were expressed through the smaller details of the relationships in the book. The relationship between Jessie and Chris is both extraordinary and flawed. And the parents in the book are real characters that care about the kids. Highly recommend for teen readers who love romance and suspense.

High school senior Chris Kirk goes out for a run and doesn't come back. What has happened?
We follow the mystery with the narrator, Chris' girlfriend, Jessie.
There are complications. Jessie and Chris were "on a break" so Jessie has been out of touch with Chris' routines. She knows a secret he asked her not to share with anyone, though. A secret that may be a lead to his disappearance. Is it foul play? Has Chris just left town for a few days? Could it be a suicide? Chris has a bright future ahead of him. He's got a baseball scholarship, he's a neat, responsible kid from a religious family. And even though Jessie and he were on a one-week break, he had to know she loves him like crazy, right? Would he have chosen to give all that up?
This story has so many twists and turns that it really keeps a reader guessing until the very end.
There are plenty of high emotions, regret, and longing. This story can keep your stomach in knots.


If I'm rating this as a young adult, I'd rate it 4 stars. If I'm rating it as the 50 year old reader I am, I'd rate it 3 stars.
Sometimes it's difficult for me to read young adult literature, because I imagine some things are geared specifically for the way teenagers think and feel. And I don't just mean the feelings of a character or the perspective shared, I mean the plot points and how realistic they are.

I have two major sticking points:
First, the detective working Chris' missing person case is in primary contact with Jessie, Chris' high school-aged girlfriend. I understand that this is a device used by the writer to give the audience more information through the first person narrator telling the story (Jessie) and for us to experience the story with her. This rings so false to me, though, that it's hard for me to take the story seriously. The police would be in touch with the immediate family. There's also just too much divulged by the detective - he shares more with Jessie than I think police would share, especially with someone who'd be considered a possible suspect. Girlfriends, boyfriends, partners of the missing/deceased are always suspects.
Second, Jessie gives a TV reporter sound bytes accusing a suspect of a hate crime against Chris... killing him because he's African American. She uses the suspect's name in the clip and it's used on the news. Holy cow, this would be such trouble on so many levels. I think about the legal issues for Jessie, the TV station... This would NEVER happen. I appreciate that Purcell acknowledges racism, racial tension, hate crimes into this story. I appreciate that she's trying to help foster conversation around these important issues. I just don't know if this lands right or rings true for me.

This was an okay read, not my favorite but thank you so much for the opportunity!

I gave up on this book at 20% completed. I could not stand how whiny and the inner dialogue of the main character. To me it was boring and very slow paced.

I received this as an ARC in exchange for a review.

I read the synopsis on Netgalley and was intrigued. honestly it took me awhile to get into the book because I was kind of put off by the writing style, but the story ended up pulling me in. it broke my heart a small bit and I ended up really liking this book!