Letters to a Stranger

BOOK TOUR!!! I just finished Letters to a stranger by Sarah Mitchell and here are my musings.

Imagine 17 in 1939 and being in love. In England during a war and the love of your life is italian. It is an imperfect world. Ruby has her whole world change then and the secret she keeps haunts her 80 years on.

Ruby is now an old lady and finds herself in a letter exchange program with a local school where she begins corresponding with a stranger, a mother of a small boy. Ruby feels the urge to share her secret after all these years but this truth has the power to destroy their friendship and change their worlds forever.

Did you get chills? You should have! This book is a one in a million read. I don't usually connect so well to books written in the format of text messages, letters, emails etc but this actually worked quite well in laying out this story.

I felt like I was connecting with old friends in Cassie and Ruby and reading about them unfolding on the pages was a pure literary delight. I loved the two timelines and it was so artfully done too. It was quite the story being weaved and it was executed with precision and class.

I especially loved all the story building. So beautiful and devastatingly heartbreaking that you won't be able to help but ugly cry. You won't be able to help being captivated by this majestic novel that the pages practically turn themselves.


5 stars. If you love a book that will break your heart in all the right ways, this has to be your next book.


Thank you @bookouture for having me on this tour and to @netgalley for my review copy

Letters to a Stranger by Sarah Mitchell is a touching and unique novel that tells the story of two women, Ruby and Cassie, who become pen pals under unexpected circumstances. The novel alternates between two timelines: the summer of 1939 in rural Norfolk, England, and spring 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ruby is a young, beautiful girl in love with her childhood sweetheart, Edmondo, who happens to be Italian. As tensions rise with the looming threat of war, Ruby's family and village begin to show mistrust towards Edmondo's family. Ruby makes a life-altering decision that she must keep a secret from everyone she knows, maybe forever.

Eighty years later, Ruby is an elderly woman participating in a letter-writing scheme to stave off boredom. She starts corresponding with Cassie, a young single mother who mistakenly became involved in the program, and a beautiful friendship develops. Ruby sees an opportunity to share her long-kept secret before it dies with her. However, as they exchange letters, they realize their lives are more connected than they ever could have imagined, and truths will be revealed that have the power to either destroy their new friendship or change their lives forever.

The use of letters, text messages, and emails to tell the story is refreshing and gives readers a unique perspective on the characters' lives. Mitchell expertly weaves together the two timelines, creating a story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. The power of the written word is evident throughout the novel, and readers will be reminded of the importance of connection, vulnerability, and support in times of isolation and uncertainty.

Overall, Letters to a Stranger is a wonderful read that will leave readers feeling touched and inspired. The characters are relatable and endearing, and the storyline is captivating from start to finish. Mitchell's writing is engaging and evocative, making this novel a must-read for fans of historical fiction and contemporary romance alike.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.