Love Letters to the Dead by: Ava Dellaira

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Published: April 1, 2014 by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 336
Rating: 3/5 stars

What started as an assignment for English class turns into a routine when Laurel starts writing to dead people. Traumatised by the death of her sister May and living with her eccentric aunt, Laurel takes refuge in talking through letters to some of May's favourite passed celebrities. She writes about navigating high school life, new relationships, and her anger towards her sister. But when Laurel finally reveals all that she has kept hidden, she finally finds the courage to move on.

This book was too real. It was descriptive and saddening, and should not be taken lightly. While I appreciated the writing that went into it, the plot was extremely heavy and is not for the faint of heart. I found it to be a very sickening book.

I felt so sad for the character of Laurel. She had been through so much in her short life, and she had no one but her pen and paper to understand her. Her letters were interesting to read and very emotional, which I thought was a very unique touch. She was a very strong character.

The premise of this book was very interesting. It was so special and beautiful to see Laurel pouring her heart out to the likes of Amy Winehouse and Kurt Cobain, and I think that many fans of the various artists could feel the same. The writing was like a song, so swift and continuous and beautifully flowed.

However this book was not for me at all. While I enjoyed the letter idea, the actual content or plot of the book was so real and so disgusting and I can't believe that there are some truly horrible people in this world. This book was very frustrating because I wanted to love it, but some parts just left me feeling sick to my stomach due to the treatment of some characters. The book didn't leave me with a good feeling.

I guess this book is for someone who enjoys very dark and heavy themes. While contemporary is something gravitate towards, it was very hard to incorporate any sort of comic relief into here and I literally had to put on a happy movie after finishing this to lighten my mood. If you're looking for a light and fluffy read, please do not pick this up.

Have you read Love Letters to the Dead? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess