Love Letters to the Dead

3.5 stars. Easy read, written well.. I just think it was missing something for me.

I don't even know where to start because, I have so much to say about this book. First of all, I want to thank for the person who recommended me the book (which I don't even know who it is), and please, if you see this, come talk to me, please?
This is a dramatic book that involves mainly grief and romance.
“Love Letters to the Dead”, like the tittle suggests, are letters that this girl called Laurel writes to Kurt Cobain and some other famous people, that she, and her dead sister, saw on movies that they watched together or songs that they both would listen to or even artists that they friends liked and she eventually started liking as well.

My opinion on the book:

Well, I guess I can say I have mixed feelings about this book. When I started reading it, I fell in love with everything in it pretty instantly! And of course, I loved Sky! I loved so much, on page 187 where Laurel says to Kurt Cobain:

“(...) Kurt, (...) Becoming a star didn't make you happy. It didn't make you invincible. You were still vulnerable, furious at everything and in love with it at once. The world was too much for you. People were too close to you. You said it in one sentence I can't get out of my head: I simply love people... so much that it makes me feel too fucking sad. Yes, I understand. (...)”

I loved this part of the book, because I identify myself a lot with it, and it made me realize that Ava Dellaira, loves Kurt Cobain as well. But as I continued my reading, on the next page (188), I read something that disgusted me:

“(...) So yes, in a way, it's easy to understand. But on the other hand, it makes no fucking sense, as you would say. To kill yourself. No fucking sense at all. You didn't think about the rest of us. You didn't care about what would happen to us after you were gone. (...)”

And this made me sad because if Ava Dellaira loves Kurt Cobain, as I've said before, she should understand him and try to put herself in his position, but I guess all she wanted was a good book to sell, because this goes on to page 190, where she says:

“(...) Nirvana means freedom. Freedom from suffering. (...) death is just that. So, congratulations on being free, I guess. The rest of us are still here, grappling with all that's been torn up. (...)”

With this last sentence, she's blaming Kurt. Again - anf forgive me, if you don't agree, but I couldn't just let this go without putting my opinion to words, because furthermore, Kurt is one of my idols, and maybe the one I love the most - I think Ava Dellaira just wanted to write the perfect book to sell, to get some fame and maybe money, I don't know and I don't care, but I don't like the fact that this sounds like she's blaming him for killing himself.

Again, on page 207, he continues blaming him for not thinking about his baby girl - Frances Bean Cobain - although, Ava Dellaira, has a point here! But, as I continue my reading through the book, I find some hypocrisy on page 210, on the following sentence:

“(...) When they found you in your apartment, dead from too many pills, I really did think it was an accident. I don't think you meant to go. (...)”

Supposedly, this last sentence, is written to Heath Ledger, and I just can't stop finding so much hypocrisy in this, and I'll explain why. For those who don't know, there are a lot of speculations on Kurt Cobain's dead, as there are on other famous people that Laurel writes letters to, and it's not even proven, that Kurt Cobain did really kill himself - although my opinion on this, is that he did - but what I mean is, Ava Dellaira, or Laurel, cannot accept the fact that Kurt Cobain, eventually, killed himself, but it is ok with her, to accept that Heath Ledger did it. I know she does say that she believes it was an accident but I think that's crap.

Now, let's leave Kurt Cobain's dead behind, and let's talk about how unrealistic Ava Dellaira portrays high school. Things, most of the times, do not happen like she tells us on the book at high school. And let me also underline the fact that, this romance between Sky and Laurel was also a bit unrealistic and I've said before how much I like Sky, but it's kinda stupid how he's always there when Laurel's in danger.

Well, that's all I have to say

Reading this book is heavy, like there's always something in my chest, but this beautiful and full of emotions.

I have put this book off for a long time and I am not sure why. I think it is a brilliantly woven book made to make you think. I didn't think I would like the format yet in this case it really works. I am not sure what else to write in all honesty I just want to recommend this to everyone and just let it sink in as a book that touched me and made me think.

3.5**

Laurel's English teacher assigns it—write a letter to a dead person—but Laurel takes the assignment and runs with it. For Laurel is a girl with troubles: her sister is dead, her mother has taken off, and her father won't talk much. It's the letter writing assignment that helps Laurel come to terms with her sister's death and helps bring her family back to life.

This is the kind of pretentious twee YA that I really enjoy. Like: would a grieving teen really write beautiful poetic letters to Judy Garland? Maybe? I don't careee, I liked the book, and it came recommended to me by a couple of my teen advisory board kids. Teens who liked [b:The Perks of Being a Wallflower 22628 The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438668337s/22628.jpg 2236198] are gonna like this (and surprise, Stephen Chbosky is thanked in the acknowledgments here). If you can suspend your disbelief to get over the letters thing, it's really a beautiful exploration of a teen girl's grief and a pretty realistic look at the dynamic of a group of artsy misfit teens, including 2 girls coming to terms with their queer sexuality.content warning for sexual abuse.ps I saw some reviews that were v skeptical of a modern-day teen's affection for Nirvana and Jim Morrison, etc but when I was a pretentious artsy teen we loved that shit because it was way more ~real~ than ~today's pop music~ and I know some teens now who are still into Nirvana at least, for what I assume are similar reasons...so I bought it.

I was reading it in french and english so I got bored because I was reading it slowly and then I just left it aside some time. At first I wanted to say it was good but nothing so special, then that it wasn't so good, then that it was beautiful and now I can say it is amazing. But you notice it's magnificence at the moreless end so be pacient as I couldn't be.

It's good, but it's a bit boring. It took me a really long time to read because I got bored with it and put it on my bookshelf. But read it, it might be for you. Personally, my favorite was the playlist in the end and the cover. I might have some bias because I was told the ending, but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

Absolutely beautiful, simultaneously heartbreaking yet hopeful. I think part of the reason I loved this book so much was because it reminded me of myself a few years ago and Ava Dellaira manages to convey all the emotions I felt but could never put into words.

Some complain about how irritating Laurel, the main character is. Yes, she's naive and lost and looks up to people too much, but it wouldn't make sense for her to be otherwise, nor would this book be so poignant. Love Letters to the Dead is a story about finding yourself and facing reality and I cannot wait to see what Ava Dellaira writes next.

I honestly expected a bit more. That sounds awful, but I really did. I found some parts of the book unrealistic, and often found myself wondering how the heck Laurel and her friends were freshmen.

I was also annoyed about how many of the letters started out with Laurel giving that person a biography. You don't write a letter and start out by describing their life story. For example...

Dear Dad,You were born in Frankfort, Kentucky and that's pretty cool. You had a rough childhood and your parents were divorced... Sorry ‘bout that. Um, you're pretty cool and married mom on December 7th, 1992... So yeah. OH, but I'm also really mad at you for a couple reasons. And my life sucks. But I still love you... ILYYours,Hailey

No, it was not that extreme, but that was the basic format for many of the letters, in all honesty. And you get the point about the oddness of the biographies... It's just something you don't do in a letter.

At times I had to re-read some sentences because they literally made no sense. Sometimes it felt the book was written in the POV (and writing style) of an elementary-age girl instead of a highschool one.

With all that said, the characters were quite touching and their relationships were endearing. The novel was gripping and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. And, of course, the whole mystery surrounding May's death was pretty cool as well.

Love Letters to the Dead was a decent book, but was not exceptional.

2,5⭐

Sinceramente bueno; tenía muchas expectativas sobre este libro y me ha decepcionado.

Ni historoa misterioso: Sky. Tampoco me h a gustado demasiado las relaciones románticas del libro, pese a que, me parecen muy básicas.

Lo único que le he visto de bueno, es que es rápido de leer, porque sé trata de ia queuna historia totalmente epistolar. A la hora de las cartas, tampoco me parece que sean excesivamente buenas; me parece muy pretencioso que lo que quiere la autora, es más darte una biografía de los artistas tnmuertose a los que le escribe, que ciosocentrarse en contar la historia de la protagonista, que en cuanto a esta, creo que, no deja de compararse con su hermana mayor, May, que ha fallecido. Entiendo que sea adolescente, pero no es necesario compararse tanto con los demás.

En conclusión, creo que, es una historia a la cual le faltan bastantes cosas. Incluso el epilógo me parece pretencioso y poco profundo.