Author: Anna Mansell
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: November 2018
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: “Sometimes I think that if I’d found a way to talk, we’d be together now…”
When Helen finds a bundle of unsent love letters, tied with a red ribbon, and signed only ‘the love you wished I could be’ , she wonders who they could belong to.
The same day, however, her husband Alex announces he’s leaving. She’d believed their love would last a lifetime, but now he’s gone and she hadn’t even realized there was anything wrong.
Desperate to understand, Helen doesn’t know where to look for answers. But the letters keep drawing her back. As she reads the words of loneliness, loss and regret, something in them helps her start to make sense of it all… Even as she realizes someone has been keeping heart-breaking secrets.
But who do the letters belong to? Can the sender ever be reunited with the one they love, or is it too late? And when Helen finds out the truth about Alex, can she find it in her heart to forgive him, or will he never be the love she wished he could be?
My Thoughts: This book made me feel both hopeful and heartbroken. Upon meeting Helen, I found it very easy to empathize with her as we have all been where she is. Her marriage is going through a rough patch and her husband takes off. She has no idea where he is or if he is ever coming back. While on her daily route as a bus driver, she finds a bundle of letters written anonymously. She wants to find the owner and return them but she feels drawn to read them and they begin to give her a lot of insight to her situation. I found the letters heartbreaking, written by someone who has lost the love of their life and living with massive regret at not being the person they should have been.
This story also touches on a couple of the bus riders Helen knows. One is an elderly man whose wife is advancing in dementia and the struggle he is facing with wanting to be her caretaker and putting her in a home that their daughter insists would be best. The other passenger is a homeless man that Helen allows to ride for free but doesn’t know a whole lot about.
The story moved at a wonderful pace with a unique and engaging story. The characters were complex and I was captivated by them all. This is the second book I have read by this author and I absolutely love her writing and will be looking for everything she has written.
My Final Verdict: Overall, if you are already a fan of this author and haven’t read this book yet, you are in for a treat. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy women’s fiction as well as stories that feature wonderful characters and realistic stories that make you feel all the feels.
Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.
No comments:
Post a Comment