You were probably raised being told that it’s wrong to snoop, right? Author Sarah Mitchell’s writing style offers readers a harmless peek into her characters’ world through exchanges of texts and letters. This brilliant epistolary narrative allows readers to glean a more intensive understanding and engages them in a more powerful story.

There’s always a tug at my heartstrings when I see or read about intergenerational bonds. In this case, Ruby, a 96-year-old and Cassie, a 28-year-old, meet through a pen pal program and forge a bond. I was compelled to keep reading as I needed to know how these two, who seemed to have nothing in common, could be a lifeline to each other. I was in awe of their fortitude through struggles regardless of what decade they occurred.

I loved the exploration of friendship and the art of letter writing in this dual timeline encompassing events in 1939 and in 2000. I also saw the parallels the author made between COVID and WW2 and thought the story was richer for it. The character development was well presented and the story was grounded in realism due to the format. I found myself experiencing a range of emotions, from excitement to heartbreak, because I was more engaged in the characters' lives.

A unique presentation and a fantastic examination of family, secrets, love, and betrayal, this book is wonderfully different. I loved the reminder to reach out to those who’ve walked the path before me and the reminder to grab every opportunity to grow and change.

I was gifted this story by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Two time periods
Two women
Letters
Texts
Diaries
Email

The way this book is written is like none other. 2 women meet through a Penpal program and share their lives, stories, and secrets.

Ruby is 96 and she shares her experience growing up during WWII while Cassie, 28, shares what it's like during the 2020 pandemic.

The incredible writing and format are very unique as it's separated into parts and the experiences of these women are told through letters, diaries, texts, and emails!

I'm use to character perspectives but this was well done.

This is a fantastic book that should be on the top of your 2023 TBR!



Thank you NG and Sarah Mitchell for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a really hard time getting into this. I used to love books written in letter/diary form, but this one annoyed me more than anything.
Set in England both in 2020 during the height of Covid and 1940 during the beginning of WW2 we learn the stories of both Cassie and Ruby, 2 very different girls with seemingly nothing in common. Cassie hunkers down in an RV she rented through an Airbnb website with her 6 year old son who is recovering from an illness. We learn why she is there and the life she left behind in a series of text messages, emails, and letters. Ruby is 17 in 1940 and in love with an Italian man, also 17. Through letters that were sent to her and her diary entries we learn about how her life, her love, her fears, and her dreams.
I think this format is extremely tricky because the only way to clue the reader in to what was said in the letters to Ruby is for the writer to paraphrase the letter Ruby sent them. That is so unnatural, and it felt extremely unnatural in reading it.
Additionally, I found the entire thing to be a a bit predictable. There was one part that had me gasping in surprise, but I saw the ending coming at 75% of the way through.
While I appreciate the imagination that went into this, I think there needed to be actual dialogue and narration in between all of the written correspondence. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoture for an advanced copy of this.

It was a pleasant surprise to read this book and find it was not only a dual timeline but the novel was written in epistolary form. The book alternates between sections during the WWII era and during the covid pandemic in 2020. The author did a great job of conveying the fears, struggles, and desires of the main characters, Cassie and Ruby, through emails, texts, letters, and diary entries. This is a delightful read. Thanks to author Sarah Mitchell, Bookouture, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Such an amazing story. I loved the uniqueness of this story and how the writing is qtitten by the form of letters. I love historical fictions and I love this book.

A definite recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read such a wonderful story.

All thoughts and opinions are common my own and are very much not influenced by anyone else

What a wonderful story. This unique and gripping novel from Sarah Mitchell made me want to get in my car and drive to North Norfolk to take in the stunning scenery. Set in dual time we follow two characters: Cassie at the start of the pandemic who wants to protect her young son, and Ruby, at the start of WWII who, madly in love with a handsome Italian boy, also has academic ambitions. Both face challenges that will change their lives forever.
The difference here is that the novel is played out only through letters, emails and texts.
The author has a very poetic way of writing and the countryside and beaches are described beautifully. Add to that, the intrigue and mystery behind the stories of the two women and you have a novel that makes you want to keep reading right to the end.
Whilst it’s primarily a love story, it’s also about betrayal, secrets, honesty, family and judging others without the full facts. As with Sarah Mitchell’s other books, the reader also learns something about what happened in the war that is rarely talked about or little known.
I thoroughly enjoyed Letters to a Stranger and will definitely recommend it as a fabulous read.

This is a bit of a dual time. In the present day, Cassie takes her young son to the beach to shelter when the pandemic starts. Her story is written entirely with letters and emails. She corresponds with the man she lives with, her landlord, her former best friend, and an elderly lady, Ruby. Ruby shares her letters and diary entries from WWII with Cassie.
I like the letters only style, but it did take a little while to get into the rhythm of who the different correspondents were. And then I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What an absolutely amazing love story, 5 stars just isn’t enough. Letters to a Stranger follows young love during WW2 and love of a mother for her son through the covid pandemic. It is a collection of emails, texts and letters that are so beautifully written it had me devouring it in a couple of days. Sarah Mitchell did extraordinary well to bring the characters to life as they told their emotional and touching story of friendship, love and family. Highly recommended. This is my first book by Sarah Mitchell and I will be looking out for more. #LetterstoaStranger #NetGalley

This was a good story, but I wasn't a fan of the letter style it was done in. The characters didn't seem to draw me in, like some stories do.. I recieved this as an arc from netgalley.

What a story, this is unlike any historical fiction I’ve ever read before. The way it is written is so interesting and unique. I loved it!! I highly recommend this.

Letters to a Stranger, by Sarah Mitchell, is a great book! Told through letters and texts, this is a style of book I really enjoy. The characters are extremely well written, and I loved getting to know them. Highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC.

When I first realized that this book was told entirely through letters, text messages and diary entries I was not sure I would enjoy it. Wow! Was I ever wrong. This book is amazing.

Cassie and her son Noah have taken off to a caravan to get away from the health threats of Covid. While at the caravan her son is paired with an elderly woman, Ruby, at a care home to be penpals. Since her son is too young Cassie writes to the women instead. What unfolds is a dual timeline beautiful story!

I did not want this book to end, however when it did the ending was absolutely perfect! This was my first book I have read by Sarah Mitchell and I look forward to reading more.

I will be highly recommending this book to everyone, if I could rate it higher then 5 stars I would be.

I read this as an ARC from Bookouture and Netgalley. This was a great read and had multiple perspectives. It was a good read, fast paced and the characters were very likeable. This was filled with historical references and also poses the question as to whether you would or would not tell secrets to complete strangers.

I loved everything about this story. The characters were fascinating, the story itself heartbreaking, and the way the story was told in dual timelines and the clever use of letter writing in the earlier timeline mixed with texts and emails (and some good old-fashioned letter writing) in the current timeline made for a truly amazing experience. This was one of those books were you simply forget you are reading and just let it pull you in wrap its arms around you. I admire both these women and their strength, and I love how their stories intersected in unexpected ways.

Would you share your secrets with a stranger? This dual timeline, historical fiction caught my attention immediately because I love learning so much about people, and their stories, through their letters, texts, emails, and diaries. It paints a picture of their lives, loves, and their personal history. 1939 WWII, Ruby, and 2020 pandemic, Cassie are brought together through a school pen pal program, and develop a relationship that reveals family secrets which connect their lives, Sarah Mitchell does a beautiful job of bringing the story of these characters to life and making the reader feel like you’re there with them. The texts at the beginning of the story made me unsure if I would like it, but it had me hooked after reading a few pages! I would definitely recommend this book to historical fiction fans. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Letters to a Stranger was an incredibly unique read! Instead of following the typical chapter by chapter flow, it was separated into parts. It is also a dual timeline read, and some of the parts are in 2020 while the others focus on 1940 and 1941. However, the most unique part about this book is instead of it being told from the perspective of characters as a normal read, the entire book is a compilation of letters (past and present), texts and emails (present time) and diary entries (past). It may sound strange, but the entire book was told chronologically still and it came together beautifully!

The two main characters, Ruby (96) and Cassie (28), meet via a pen pal program and share their life stories, secrets and form a unique bond. Ruby shares her experience growing up during World War II, and Cassie shares the ups and downs of her life as she navigates through lockdown (2020) and dealing with a sick child. There’s a few twists and turns that bring the characters even closer together.

All in all, it is a fantastic read and the way it is written is incredibly unique! It was very hard to put this book down!

I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get into this book. It’s written email and letter form…from the recent pandemic to WW2. But after awhile I got used to it and it turned out to be a great read! I did prefer the past story better..But loved how they came together. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read an advanced copy of this book!

I liked the style of letters, emails, and texts to tell the tale of Cassie during the recent pandemic and Ruby during World War II. Their lives intertwined in unexpected ways. The letters during Cassie's young adulthood and Ruby's final years reach across not only generations but also shine a light on women who have endured tough choices.

I was provided a copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant! I didn't want the book to end and could have done with dozens more chapters to find out more about the characters!

I suffer from ME/CFS and sometimes find reading hard but written in the form of letters I could ready a small amount and not feel I had to get to the end of a lengthy chapter. I could also appreciate the concern the main character had about her son as I too have been very cautious during the Covid pandemic to ensure I do not put myself at risk.

The book was well written and the characters all so likeable. Austin in particular was loveable from the start and living in a farming community I could picture him straight away! Parts of the story I had sussed out early on (the affair) and parts I didn't see coming (the connection between Ruby and Cassie). It meant I wanted to keep reading to learn more all the time! I did have some unanswered questions at the end such as how did Cassie end up at Cambridge, what did the rest of her family do after the war including her injured brother?

I've ready several books by this author and will be watching out for the next - thank you Sarah for such an excellent book!

I don’t typically enjoy dual timelines, it always seems like I’m rushing through one so I can read the other. That wasn’t the case with this one. I was equally entranced with both story lines and the ending was perfect.