Really enjoyed this heartfelt novel about loss, family, and love. The author did a fantastic job of writing the complex character, Eliza (LOVED the nickname E). She guarded her heart in a believable way. I appreciated the lack of cliches that often are used to describe the grieving/healing process. Eliza came off as genuine; her arc was a vulnerable example of grief. I was hooked from the beginning.

Losing a parent is tough, and I really felt for Eliza as she navigated her grief while uncovering unexpected truths about her life. The author did a good job at capturing the emotions that come with such a loss, making Eliza’s journey feel genuine and relatable.

The story has some touching moments, and the writing is clear and easy to follow. However, some things were resolved a bit too neatly, which left me wishing for more of a payoff.

Despite that, the book has an engaging premise, and I appreciated the themes of family and self-discovery. While I had hoped for the characters to have been more developed, the story still offered emotional depth and a lot of heart.

An emotional journey . Eliza just lost her father an her aunt gives her a letter fror her dead mother who died 10 years ago that tells her that the man who always called father is not her biological one . No one can understand her exept from Josh her brother's best friend and her first crush .
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

Eliza’s struggle to reconcile her past and present, amidst family conflicts and personal disappointments, is depicted with raw honesty and sensitivity. The writing captures her vulnerability and resilience, making her journey toward healing and trust compelling. Her evolving relationship with Josh, her high school crush, adds a layer of hope and romance to the narrative. This novel beautifully blends the complexities of family and self-discovery, offering a heartfelt and engaging read for anyone navigating their own path through loss and change.

When Eliza is given a letter from her late mother, to be opened after her father’s death, her life is thrown into turmoil. She finds out that in fact, she was fathered by another man. As she works through her emotions and subsequent events, she gradually learns more about her parent’s marriage and about why a teenage friend appeared to dump her. The process of dealing with all of this leads her to a better place in her relationships. This book was beautifully written and I enjoyed my journey with these characters. Initially I thought it was a mean thing for her mother to do, but ultimately it lead to healing for Eliza and a chance for new beginnings. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book to read and review.

Aww, what a sweet book. Readers of women’s fiction will love Dear Eliza. It was so heartwarming. A great book!

A bitter-sweet tale showing how love and loss affects us all differently; and how to cope without the people you used to rely on to guide you through difficult times.

Eliza is doing the best she can after receiving a life changing letter after her Fathers funeral from her 10 years long deceased Mother (no she hasn’t returned from the dead).

In the letter, she learns news about her life she didn’t expect, and she has to navigate through what to do next without hurting herself or others around her.

A beautifully written, easy to follow novel. A necessary book about life, loss and reminded me to make the most of every moment.

I would add this to you TBR when it’s released!

Dear Eliza is a lovely book a book about family grief healing.Wonderful writing an author I will be following.and recommending.#netgalley #girlfriday.

After Eliza's father's death, her aunt handed her a letter from her mother (who passed 10 years prior) letting her know that her dad was not her biological father. She soon learns her mother cheated on her father with her HS sweetheart and everything she thought she knew about her mom and past was not true.

I wanted to love this book, but I don't think I could relate to any of the characters and how it all played out. It seemed to go back and forth a lot and I felt myself wanting to rush through.

First of all, thank you to Andrea for the ebook! I’m happy I took the chance to read this one because I really enjoyed it!

This book follows Eliza, who 10 years after the loss of her mom is now grieving the loss of her dad. When she receives a letter that was written by her mom with the intent to be given to her after her father‘s passing, her world is turned upside down. Personally, I have had the fortune of not losing a parent, but I felt that Eliza‘s journey of grief was very relatable. And although this book is mainly centred around grief, I found it to be hopeful and romantic as well. Make sure to add it to your fall TBR!

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
-family drama
-brother’s best friend as a love interest
-heartwarming stories
-sibling relationships

Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein is a emotionally engaging novel that looks at grief and it's effect on family members of different ages, the damage secrets can do, the importance of family and friendship, and the overcoming of life's challenges through the help and support of those connections. Beneath it all is a romance that is biding its time to flourish.
Stein has crafted a well-written, compelling novel, using flashbacks to gradually explain the events of the past and their effects in the present. It's a tale of family, love, and forgiveness that is sure to resonate with readers.
I'm glad to have received an ARC of #DearEliza from #NetGalley.

Have you ever felt like your world is unraveling? Meet Eliza. She can relate.

As if losing both of her parents wasn’t enough to process, Eliza receives information that completely blindsides her. In the process, she goes searching for answers and discovers a lot about herself and those closest to her. It’s a sweet, yet testing story that navigates family dynamics during times of loss and surprise revelations. I feel that it authentically captures the anguish and edginess experienced under these circumstances. With that said, I really hope that Eliza’s situation is more uncommon than common.

While the introduction to Eliza and her story was off to a slow start, I found myself warming to this character and rooting for her to have a happy ending. I wanted to invite her over, pour her a cup of tea, give her a nourishing meal and the opportunity to talk.

I’d like to thank Girl Friday Productions for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a touching, endearing story. When life seems to be a little pear-shaped, this book might just feel like a little, comforting hug.

(3.5 stars)

thank you for sharing this book. I liked it. I liked Eliza and Josh very much. I thought it was a little slow and repetitive.

hank you to NetGalley and Flashpoint for the arc.

This was a story about grief, what constitutes a family, and how to move forward when faced with life's complexities when one is in their 20s. The main character is Eliza Levinger, a young woman living in New York City, whose father has just died. Immediately after the burial and shiva, Eliza is given a letter from her mother (via her mother's sister), who had died ten years ago from cancer. The contents of the letter create major upheavals in Eliza's life.

Eliza is still processing her mother's death, and while trying to absorb the impact of her father's death, she's faced with antagonism from both her brother and her stepmother. Eliza's job as the program director of a nonprofit creates a diversion from her relationship issues, specifically since the nonprofit's largest fundraising event is taking place in a few weeks. Eliza juggles all of these matters, amongst the ramifications of her mother's letter, with anger and sadness, but she's resolved to try to work things out herself, and not be a burden to her brother, her best friend Mo, and Josh, her brother's best friend, who also happens to be Eliza's high school crush.

Eliza has lost the ability to trust anything while working through her grief over the years, holding back on showing her true self to anyone to avoid getting hurt if that person(s) disappears from her life. But she slowly realizes that she can't handle everything on her own, and that she needs to open herself up to others, namely her brother and her friends.

I thought this was an interesting story of someone handling their grief over the death of loved ones, but I felt it dragged in certain areas, primarily in the descriptions of Eliza's work environment, and the big fundraiser. The author could have minimized those sections because I thought they took away from the story.

I did like how the author, Andrea Stein, dealt with Eliza's relationship with her brother, Mo, and Josh, because the dialogue was honest and heartfelt. I could totally see how each character interacted with Eliza. Overall, it was an interesting book, albeit sad. But the ending was hopeful.

I really enjoyed Dear Eliza. It was very well researched and well written and I loved the way Ms. Stein explored the theme of family relationships and how they shift and get redefined, especially after significant life events. Dear Eliza hooked me from the beginning and kept me interested to the very end. The love story plot line was also well done and enjoyable. This was an excellent second novel. Readers who were awaiting Ms. Stein’s sophomore novel will not be disappointed!

Andrea Stein really puts a voice to her characters and draws the reader into this evocative tale of heartache, grief, family dynamics and complex feelings.

When Eliza’s father dies unexpectedly, she is left without a parent in her life. But when her aunt hands her a letter, written by her deceased mother long ago, Eliza must come to terms with a whole new sense of who she is. Her once peaceful and orderly life takes the new shape of confusion, emotional trauma and so much heartache.

Eliza is a wonderful character, written with such eloquence and understanding of the grief process. This book will take you on the journey of grief with Eliza and have you turning page after page in the hopes of a happy ending.

Thank you, NetGalley and Girl Friday Products for the eARC of this 5-star read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Girl Friday Productions for allowing me to read an ARC of Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein, in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this book! I liked the "ah-ha!" moments Eliza had as she dealt with her grief. The characters were well-written, with realistic thoughts, reactions, and behavior. I felt the ending was a little abrupt; however, it all tied together neatly.

I look forward to reading more by Ms.Stein.

I lost my Mom 2 years ago before I turned 30 and let me tell you, that was one of my biggest fears. Reading this book really touched my heart and I felt as though I was Eliza and that my Mom wrote to me. I know everyone handles grief differently and if I would have tried to read this book even a year ago, I might not have been able to do it, but now it felt like the closure I needed. I would definitely recommend this book to my patrons.

I really enjoyed this book! Once I started it I literally could not put it down. The plot was really interesting, with grief, secrets, and family trauma at the forefront. I think this plot could have really been mishandled by someone else, but Stein did a fantastic job at executing this. The characters within this all felt well written and incredibly real, with motivations that made sense. I really enjoyed the romance within, it was one that I saw coming early on but was really happy with how it turned out. Overall, I was so impressed with this book, it was such an enjoyable read

Eliza’s world is shattered when she’s handed a letter from her long-deceased mother soon after her father’s death. She struggles to come to terms with grief, disappointment, and anger over her mother’s devastating secret, all while juggling deadlines at work, a romantic interest or two, and sticky family relationships. Along the way, Eliza discovers unexpected truths about love, family, and forgiveness. Author Andrea Stein has written a heartbreaking, heart-mending story in DEAR ELIZA, and I could have happily spent another two hundred pages with Eliza, her friend Mo, brother Scott, and romantic interest Josh. I hope Stein is at work on another novel, because I’m looking forward to reading more from her!

Thank you to NetGalley for making this book available in exchange for an honest opinion.