Good book that took me a bit to get into it. Kind of slow in a few parts but nothing that makes you stop reading full.

Dear Dana by Amy W. Daughters is the story of how the author decided to hand write all her friends on Facebook. After the death of the son of a friend she went to camp with, back in the day, not knowing how to reach out to her friend, she decides to write to all 580 friends that she has on Facebook.

Everyone and their friends are on Facebook. A place to stay connected to people you know and some you don't. It can be a place that is very impersonal though. Do you really know all of your "friends"?

I have been on Facebook myself since 2010. I love it because I can keep in touch with family, mostly my children who are scattered across the country and other countries. I also have a lot of "friends" but mostly since I am a blogger and book reviewer. Do I really know these people, not really but it is still nice connecting.

Amy took the friendships a bit further, starting with the project of putting all of her Facebook friends' names in a box and choosing one each day. Turns out she had 580 handwritten letters to write, not postcards but actual letters. A painstaking and daunting task at the beginning. As time went by, she became to enjoy writing the letters and getting answers back, some people did not write back which was ok for her.

Because of this project, she ended up having lifelong friends, people she had not seen or heard from in years. So what started as a way to connect and offer prayers to a friend whose son had passed away from cancer, ended up being a lifelong friendship.

I found this story very interesting, not sure if it is something that I would entertain but a very unique and valuable experience for the author and her friends and family.

I give the book 5 stars!

This is a MUST read for everyone just “clicking” through life! It will inspire you to make real connections and invest in real friendships because sharing is caring!

Thank you Amy and Dana for showing us how!

Dear Dana
That time I went crazy and wrote all 580 of my Facebook friends a handwritten letter
by Amy Weinland Daughters
Pub Date 17 May 2022
She Writes Press
Biographies & Memoirs



I am reviewing a copy of Dear Dana: That time I went crazy and wrote all 580 of my Facebook friends a handwritten letter: through She Writes Press and Netgalley:



Amy Daughters reconnected with her old pal Dana on Facebook, she had no idea how it would change her life. The two women hadn’t had any contact in thirty years, it didn’t take them long to catch up—and when Amy learned that Dana’s son Parker was doing a second stint at St. Jude battling cancer, she was suddenly inspired to begin writing the pair weekly letters.





After Dana’s Son Parker died Amy—not knowing what else to do—continued to write Dana. Eventually, Dana wrote back, and the two became pen pals, sharing things through the mail that they had never shared before. The richness of the experience left Amy wondering something: If my life could be so changed by someone I considered “just a Facebook friend,” what would happen if I wrote all my Facebook friends a letter?



Amy wrote all 580 of her Facebook friends a handwritten letter, an act that would change Amy’s life and most of all it changed her heart, her life or heart would never be the same. As it turned out, there were actual individuals living very real lives behind each social media profile, and she was beautifully connected to each of those extraordinary, flawed people for a specific reason. They loved her, and she loved them. And nothing—not politics, beliefs, or lifestyle—could separate them.





I give Dear Dana five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This was a great read! I was fascinated by what the author learned about connection and friendship. I am curious if the author experienced any hardships because of the project. For example, did writing the letters take time away from her friends and family and how was she able to overcome these challenges? It would have been interesting to learn more about the impact the letters had on her day to day life.

Such a unique concept of a book. It does make you think that Facebook reality is way different than real life. It did make me reflect on how I perceive people and what they post on social media.

Thank you for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The advancement of the world and technology has taken away the art of letter writing. The world revolves around ‘likes’ and social media. Technology of today has taken the "personal" from relationships.

This book tries to bring back the personal. This book combined letters and social media. . A funny and heartwarming read.

Our author has a forthright nature and is not afraid to put that front and centre, something I see in myself. The religious aspect I could not identify with. However a refreshing read.

A very interesting premise which will make people think about what true friendship means. I enjoyed the insight into the relationships and how friendships change through shared sad experience. I could have done without the religious flavour thrown in but that is something of which others may be more tolerant,

Dear Dana is a lovely moving inspiring book.I really enjoyed from first page to last.It inspired me to write letters to people in my life.Will be recommending.#netgalley #shereqdapress

Dear Dana is a heart-warming, thought-provoking, and sensitive read that focuses on the importance of friendship and its meaning in this modern world. As a lover of writing, I can relate to this well. I fell in love with the characters, especially Amy. Her compassion and sympathy when her friend was grieving were emotional but not heavy. Her gentleness leapt off the pages and into my heart.

I haven’t read anything by the author before, but her writing style is addictive, engaging and compelling. I recommend this book to anyone who has a passion for writing and pen palling and anyone who needs a charming and delightful read. This read would make an ideal book club read, as there is plenty to discuss. I will be reading more written by this author in the future.

Dear Dana is available to purchase now.

I do did not want this book to end!! It was a wonderful and very freeing read. This book has everything a reader wants, a true story, love, friendship, God, family and also a little bit of humor. I even cried a few times. A beautiful story in real life and makes you wish you could come up with this idea yourself. I loved the book and deserves awards and praise and love.

I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review

@booksforwardpr
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Amy Weinland Daughters reconnected on Facebook with one of her camp friends that made an impact on her over 30 years ago. Amy learned that her friend Dana's son was going through cancer treatment and wanted to connect with her on a more personal level than Facebook comments or likes. Amy sat down to write her a letter but realized she didn't have her address. Amy started to wonder what being a Facebook friend meant. When Dana's son Parker died, Amy continued to write Dana letters to support her in a more meaningful way. These letters made Amy wonder what would happen if she wrote all 580 of her Facebook friends a handwritten letter, no matter how awkward or tenuous the relationship.

Dear Dana is a humorous and heartwarming memoir about a task combining contemporary relationships on Facebook with the lost art of letter writing to dig deep into the meaning of friendship. I loved Amy's forthright and honest style of writing about her letter writing adventure as well as her sense of humor. I could relate to Amy wanting to reach out to an old friend in a time of need and have often seen people on Facebook going through a hard time, I applaud her bravery and #CONSTANT help. Religion is a big part of Amy's life and while this aspect didn't resonate with me, I did appreciate her new forged relationship with Dana. I also loved how many of her letters found people in their time of need. Through her letter writing Amy discovered what it means to be a friend and connect with people on a personal level. I enjoyed seeing how many people felt more comfortable sharing personal things in written form and revealing that everything may not be as it seems online. Amy's journey was insightful on many levels and while I don't think I'll be writing letters to all of my Facebook friends anytime soon, I am more encouraged to reach out to those in need in letter form.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

The basis of this book intrigued me - firstly because I have so many Facebook friends that I have never met in person and secondly I was a big letter writer in my school days - no internet, no cellphones and at boarding school so only coin-operated callboxes.
I remember the excitement of receiving a handwritten letter from a close friend or family member - I have many of those in a biscuit tin that I dip into from time to time and remember those writers. So I can just imagine how awesome it must have felt for the receivers of one of the 580 letters. The way the author saw herself as part of God's plan for her friend's life is profound. Sometimes we think "right time, right place" without crediting God for being the ultimate planner for these moments.
This is a book that will live on in my thoughts for quite a while. Whilst I may not undertake a similar mission with my Facebook friends, I might be lured into the idea of dropping a handwritten letter into a parcel for close family when sending packages via courier (SA postal system leaves a lot to be desired).
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

I didn't know what to expect reading this book but i loved it. It's very thought provoking and inspires you to make that call or write that letter or text to a friend that's on your mind.
I loved reading this book and was really inspired by the lessons i gleaned from it.

Yes, 580 two page front and back letters is a lot. And that was the goal. What was also a lot were the often emotional responses Amy received back from folks.

As you might imagine, there are snippets of letters from the 580 with the stories behind them when there is something especially notable about it, such as a person important to Amy, a difficult letter to write, or a response that provoked thought. I'd guess there are maybe 50ish letters included this way, which might not seem much, but it is a lot!

It definitely felt like a lot. At times they started to feel repetitive and a bit tedious to read about because of how similar they were. That actually mirrors Amy's experiences as she gets worn out by so much heartfelt writing. Several themes were really hammered home, and particularly that of how a small way of reaching out was incredibly touching for so many of the people Amy wrote to. It made me think of that adage "No one will wave, but everyone will wave back."

The main way it's broken up is by interspersing the letters with the central story around Dana, a woman who Amy was friend with at a summer camp long ago, and her grief around her son's relapsing illness. This was touching and sad and hopeful and painful in a lot of ways, but if you feel like a dose of human goodness, this is a great way to do it.

There's also a focus on spirituality and Amy's strength drawn from God. I'm not very spiritual, but I enjoyed hearing how she connected in those ways, and it was very accessible and warm.

And yes... I thought many times during it about doing this myself. 🤣 But... maybe just a postcard instead of a letter. ✌️

Thanks to NetGalley and She Writes Press for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review!

Thank you so much to the author, She Writes Press, and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC!
This review contains my honest and unbiased thoughts and opinions. 🌸

We all have that one friend that no matter where we are in life, we wonder whatever happened to them. It happens, we lose touch with those we thought we would always be friends with, life takes over yet we sometimes think of that friend, where are they now? how are they doing? what did they end up doing in life?

And sometimes, especially now thanks to social media, we are able to reconnect with those past friends.

But is social media always best? What about reconnecting through old fashioned letters? Letter writing is definitely a thing of the past yet it was so much more personal than social media. On social media, it's a simple "like" or random post. A letter allows you to express yourself in written words, is more private and just means so much more.

Dear Dana is about a women's journey reconnecting with friends, specifically one friend whose son has cancer and the connection she feels towards this friend even after so many years have passed since they were last in touch.

Thank you to Net Galley and She Writes Press for a free copy of this book to review.
I love letters, always have. So this was a treat to read. Recommended to everyone who is looking for a mix of both light and dark themes.

Thank you to Net Galley and She Writes Press for a free copy of this book to review.

This book explores the connections we forge on social media (specifically Facebook), and the author challenges herself to make those connections more meaningful by reaching out to each person on her friend list. She was inspired to do this after writing and praying for an old friend (Dana, hence the title), during a very challenging time in Dana's family's life.

Many of the individual letters and responses are included, and honestly, the individual letters got a little repetitive, but I really enjoyed the parts about the friendship forged between Dana and Amy.

I read this book at a unique time, since I gave up Facebook for Lent this year. Even before reading this book, I've been reflecting on social media's purpose in my life, and this book challenged me to consider it even further.

From reading the title and synopsis, I thought this book would be much lighter than it was. It was a quick read and there were humorous parts, but there were many heavy subjects discussed (childhood cancer, death, suicide, family abuse).

Letter writing has been relegated to the past alongside answering machines and VCRs. However, there is something immensely satisfying and personal with writing an actual letter and receiving a reply.
Dear Dana is the story of one woman’s agenda to write a personal letter to each one of her Facebook friends, with particular emphasis on her friend Dana, who lost her son to cancer.
It’s touching and heartfelt. Daughters brings back the direct approach Of communication, long before the advent of social media.

Dear Dana by Amy Weinland Daughters was such an interesting book. I have a love/hate relationship with social media and found the author's way of going beyond the screen to really connect with her Facebook "friends" truly admirable. A fun, quick read!