Eliza is going through life's paces after her mom dies when she was 16. Now that her dad is also gone, Eliza receives a long-held letter from her mother that floors her and turns everything upside down. The news is both curious and causing waves all around her. The only one who seems to stand by her side is Josh, her brother's best friend.
I love a good sibling's best friend romance. They feel a little forbidden but so natural. I don't know anyone who hasn't had a crush (or been crushed on) in this exact sort of scenario. I liked the backstory and little extras that Andrea fills in to bring her characters to life. And Josh? Such a sweetheart.
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

What a delightful surprise! "Dear Eliza" takes us on a heartfelt journey through the many sides of grief, a feeling we all share yet experience in our own unique ways. Eliza discovers just how unpredictable grief can be. Some days feel overwhelmingly heavy, but she gets up, gets dressed, and moves forward as best as she can. Through her journey, she learns to lean on friends and family. “The people who are worth having in your life will stay.”

I absolutely love the romance between Josh and Eliza! It’s wonderfully subtle yet swoony. These two are destined to be together from the start - ”it's always been you” trope. Josh is not just patient and supportive; he’s an incredible listener who stands by Eliza as she navigates her journey through grief. Their connection is beautifully genuine and full of promise!

Other highlights: Jewish rep, evil stepmother, family drama, found family, brother’s best friend trope

Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein follows Eliza in the aftermath of her father’s death. She is grieving the loss of the father she loved but had grown estranged from after her mother’s death when she was a teenager. As if losing both parents by the time she’s a young adult isn’t tragic enough, Eliza receives a letter her mom wrote to her before her death, revealing an existence-shaking secret.

I won’t spoil the contents of the letter, but I will say I found it perplexing that Eliza’s mom would choose to share this particular secret after her death or to have it delivered after Eliza lost her other parent. It felt cowardly and selfish, and the book doesn’t explore why she would make that choice. Maybe the reasoning will be clear to some readers, but to me, it felt cruel.

Eliza then embarks on a journey to unravel the layers of her grief and understand what her life looks like after this reveal.

My main issue with Dear Eliza, however, is its narrative style. Told from a third-person perspective, it gives us a broad view of the events but keeps us distant from Eliza’s emotions. While we’re told what she’s going through, we don’t truly feel it—something that’s crucial for a book focused on emotional growth and healing. I struggled to connect with Eliza or her journey and found it even harder to understand the motivations behind some of the actions the people around her took. While the narrator tells us why, their actions are not explored why any depth.

That said, the plot is compelling and well-paced. While the book felt flat in some areas, I was engaged in Eliza’s journey and the story’s resolution was heartwarming.

This book was provided in exchance for an honest review graphic

I don’t usually cry over letters (or books about letters), but Andrea J. Stein’s Dear Eliza made me feel all the things. Huge thanks to Girl Friday Productions | Flashpoint, NetGalley, and Andrea J. Stein for the ARC. This one was a delight.

Let’s start with Eliza herself—she’s everything I want in a protagonist. She’s messy, relatable, and navigating some serious emotional terrain, yet her wit and resilience kept me rooting for her the whole way. The supporting cast? Just as strong. Josh was swoon-worthy in the best way, and I loved the nuanced relationships Eliza had with her friends and family, especially her aunt Claude.

The plot delivered exactly what I hoped for and more. It’s layered with grief, self-discovery, and just the right amount of romance to keep my heart in a constant state of flutter. Plus, that bombshell in the letter? A twist I didn’t see coming, but it added so much depth to the story.

The writing? Chef’s kiss. It’s heartfelt, sharp, and perfectly paced. Stein doesn’t just tell a story—she pulls you into Eliza’s world and makes you care about every little detail.

If I had one small critique, it’s that some moments felt a little rushed—I wanted to linger longer in certain emotional beats. But that’s a testament to how much I loved being in this world.

Dear Eliza is a beautifully written story about love, loss, and finding the courage to trust again. Whether you’re in it for the romance, the family drama, or just a good ugly cry, this one is worth the read.

When Eliza’s father passes away, her aunt presents Eliza with a letter from her mother who died from cancer ten years earlier. The letter contains a shocking confession that turns Eliza’s world upside down. The man she has thought of as her father for her entire life is not actually her dad, and the man who is her father has no idea she exists.

This was such an emotional read for me! I can’t even imagine getting that kind of news while you’re already struggling to process the death of your last living parent. While I understood where Eliza’s mother was coming from in that she didn’t want to break her husband’s heart, I thought it was a horrible way to break the news to her daughter.

I loved Eliza though and I loved her journey of self discovery. She has so much to work through as she has to process her grief for the man she always thought was her dad and decide if it even matters that they weren’t biologically related since he was there for her in all the ways that counted most.

Eliza also has to reevaluate certain other relationships in her life because once the news gets out, her brother, stepmother, and even her best friend, Mo, don’t really seem to understand what she’s going through emotionally. Thankfully she finds an ally in Mo’s brother, Josh, and this alliance gradually gives rise to a lovely slow burn, friends to lovers romance.

Dear Eliza is a great choice for anyone who enjoys poignant stories about exploring the grieving process, finding the true meaning of family, and discovering a new way forward after loss.

4/5 stars

Big thank you to Andrea J. Stein & Flashpoint for the advanced reading copy!

While this story took me a little bit to get into, I ended up hooked by the end! Such a heartwarming and unique plot, full of beautiful words and characters. This book had it all -- grief, secrecy, intimacy, complicated family dynamics, character development/coming of age, friendship and found family. There were some very heartbreaking moments, and some that made me tear up with contentedness, or even joy. My favorite part of this story was, perhaps, the found family and the ways that Eliza created the support system that she needed after such loss. This is a great book to read when you need to feel something (or everything).

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I really tried to like it and continue, but it was not for me. Although, I got to 50% of the book before I called it quits.

The main turn off for me was the unlikable characters, even Eliza.

This book just wasn't for me.

Eliza has just received a letter from her deceased mother. The letter is a bombshell. Eliza’s father is not who she thought. Her mother had a one night stand with an old boyfriend. Now, Eliza is in a tail spin.

Y’all know I love a good family drama. And this one is full of secrets!

Eliza is a character which broke my heart. She is truly struggling with the news. And she does take the bull by the horns and searches out her “new” dad. But he is not the person she expects.

I love how this story just keeps twisting and turning around this letter. And this cover is a bit misleading…y’all know I very seldom read the blurb. This cover looks like it would be a romance…but oh no! It is not!

Needless to say…I really enjoyed this tale! The secrets, the emotions, the characters all lead you on a wild ride!

Need a good family drama…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author Andrea J. Stein for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love the family dynamic in this novel. It is real and raw and honest. This book is fast paced even though I read it at a snail pace before bed every night. But the story had me turning the pages way after my eyes were screaming in pain from exhaustion. I am really into this adult coming of age narrative that has been going on in novels lately and Andrea Stein does a wonderful job navigating Eliza’s next step in her life journey. Overall, a solid read that I would recommend for anyone especially those who enjoy found family, family drama, and adult coming of age novels!

To start with, let's clear up a genre issue with this book. On some platforms, this book is classified as romance, but I don't think that's the best characterization. To me, calling it contemporary fiction with a subplot of romance feels more accurate. I enjoyed it! It's a nice blend of character and plot that's moves along at a comfortable pace. I listened on audio, and I thought the narrator, Dani Cochrane, nailed it.

Eliza's mom died when she was a teenager and, when her dad dies several years later, she's given a letter that upends everything she knew about her family. At its heart, this book is an exploration of grief and family dynamics. Eliza is very much still stuck in her grief for her mother and feels remorseful about the somewhat distant relationship she had with her dad before he died. What she finds out about her family threatens to completely destroy the already-strained relationship with her step-mom and causes tension with her brother and sister-in-law. Even her closest friends and work colleagues aren't quite able to hit the right marks. Self-reflection, emotional growth, and facing things head on prove to be exactly what she needs.

I did not connect with this story. It felt like a lot of details were given at random but not the ones that would help the story move forward emotionally.

A beautiful heartwarming story, I adored reading this. Filled with genuine characters and deep emotion, I couldn't put this one down. A tale of family, love and loss.

This book was really interesting and I found both the plot and characters' actions to be very realistic. I also enjoyed the slow burn romance in the story. Eliza's character growth was great and her journey kept me hooked from start to finish. I think if you enjoy women's fiction novels you will enjoy this smart well written story.

This book could've been a big miss for me if I hadn't liked the characters. The family situation was messy and realistic and definitely would've been hard for me to read if I hadn't been rooting for Eliza. That said, I definitely liked the characters in this one and thought the romance was a cute subplot. I liked that it was a subplot and the focus stayed on the family drama. I appreciated that things were resolved more or less, but they weren't tied up in a neat bow. It felt more realistic that way.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

*Enter the tears*

Dear Eliza is for the daughters. It is for the grieved. It is for the girl mamas. I am all three.

To say it was hard at times to turn pages in this book is actually a compliment. Dear Eliza is filled with real life and intense emotions surrounding grief and what could have been. That is hard to process even in reading sometimes (at least for me). We've all been there...wishing we had more time with someone or grieving the loss of someone close to us. To find a channel of communication with them is often a distant dream, but this story makes it a reality. Eliza lost her mother when she was just 16 years old. A decade later, she receives a mysterious letter that gives her instructions to follow after her father passes away as well. As a result, secrets and shocks are unveiled, family drama ensues, and yes, tears flow well.

The emotion is one standout in these pages. I felt completely invested in the characters and wanted to see how it all resolved itself. The idea behind the letter was a great premise to provide a second chance at many things that we often dream of being able to do. The entire novel does show how awful grief can be and how to overcome it (even if it is small steps).

Thank you to the author for my gifted copy.

Dear Eliza is out now!

Dear Eliza was very well written and very different than most books that I've read.

At the shiva for her father, her aunt gives 25 (or so) year old Eliza a letter from her mother (who passed away 9 years ago). Poor Eliza's situation keeps going from bad, to worse, to worse(r). I really can't imagine being in Eliza's situation; but the weird thing is, I could imagine it. And I really don't know how she kept holding everything together.

I really was hooked on Dear Eliza once I started reading! (Unfortunately, I've gotten myself a little behind with my TBR pile and wished I had submitted this review a timelier fashion, as the Publication date was Oct 8, 2024.) This is really one of my favored "light" novels of 2024.

Many thanks to NetGalley and FlashPoint publishers who approved my request to review the advance read edition in exchange for an honest review. Approx 336 pages. Many thanks for introducing me to "new to me" author Andrea J. Stein; I would definitely read another book by this author.

Dear Eliza is a heartfelt book about family secrets and grief (with a little bit of a love story plot), and I really enjoyed how it weaved together complex stories and themes in a readable, interesting way. I was sucked into the story from the first few pages, and I recommend it to anyone who likes stories about family secrets.

As someone who lost their dad this year, I had a hard time reading, but easy time connecting to Eliza. This one took me a while to finish, not because the writing was wonky. The writing was well done and truly a beautiful story of a daughter coming to terms with her mothers death years before, her fathers recent death, and all that’s come with it. The characters were likable and overall loved following this journey.

Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein is a beautifully written exploration of love, loss, and personal growth. The blend of family drama, hidden secrets, and heartfelt romance made this an emotional and captivating read.

I especially enjoyed the way the story unravels after Eliza’s father’s passing, with long-buried secrets coming to light and the resulting emotional turbulence. The characters felt vivid and real, their distinctive personalities and believable dialogue drawing me into their world. I found myself rooting for Eliza as she navigated both the pain of loss and the complexity of her relationships, especially her stepmother’s unexpected interference and the shocking revelations that came after her father's death.

This is a perfect read for those who enjoy family sagas, emotional depth, and strong character development. I devoured it in just one day!

This was a heartfelt and compelling book. Eliza is still trying to come to terms with the death of her mother ten years prior when her father unexpectantly passes away. She had a bit of a strained relationship with him and is now struggling with grief and regret about losing quality time with him. Eliza’s life is further upended when her aunt gives her a letter her mother had written to her before her death. She was told to give it to Eliza following her father’s death. What the letter contains stuns Eliza and causes family strife. It sends her on a quest to understand where she is in life and what she wants out of life. Some of her relationships change and she gains new ones. This book was well written with interesting characters and great pacing. Eliza was a genuine and authentic main character and the book overall was captivating.