This book captures the intensity of starting high school while trying to figure out who the hell you are with moments of sadness, exuberance, loneliness, desperation, poetry and love. Laurel, the narrator, is lost, and her freshman year is a journey in trying to find her voice, identity, friendship, and family after losing the older sister she idolizes. At the edge between childhood and adulthood sometimes Laurel's voice falls flat and at other times the author is trying too hard, but at the best moments this book feels just like it felt to stumble, burn, and sometimes fly as a teenager.

That's what I call a pretty cover.

2.5/5 -- okay to good

I enjoyed this book. Very much like Perks of Being a Wallflower, but more personal. The relationship between siblings was so real and true, it broke my heart and made me want to call my sister immediately after I finished.

This book brilliantly captured what it is like to be a teenager. Not only the language used, but it's structure, trivialities, day-to-day BS - all of it. Laurel was endearing; her depression and angst thoroughly explored. I like novels where characters grow and I think all of the characters went on a journey in this book - whether that be up, down or sideways, they all got there without it being OTT flowers & butterflies at the end. This would have been really hard to write, to get in the headspace that Laurel was in but I think the author did an incredible job. Although teenage-y, the journey in this book especially for anyone dealing with grief is worth a read.

I absolutely loved this book. It is forever on my top 10 list. Throughout this book you can see just how Laurel changes and transforms into her own magical person. She tries so hard to be like May but she then figures out she needs to be her own person. If you read this book, remember how she feels and if you've ever felt that way, remember Laurel and how long it took her.

Love Letters to the Dead

Sometimes debit novels aren’t always what they are cracked up to be. It’s a little bit like a try-out, to see whether the author is someone you can click with. Whether their writing connects with you. I think Ava Dellaira has potential. She tackles some tough and sometimes unspoken topics. It’s a honest book, that felt delicate at times but also a story of strength and acceptance.
I enjoyed Lauriel’s character a lot. Laurel felt such a strong love for her sister, that she actually forgot about herself and who she was. After her sister dies, she has no one to trust or rely on. No one to be there for her. This story helps show her how to become her own person.
The focus on friendship and family was very big aspect of this book. Although Laurel’s family were a bit broken after her sisters death - her mother leaving and her dad becoming a shell of the man and father he was, you could see how realistic and relatable the situation was. Dellaira incorporated family problems very well.

This book is definitely a young adult read but I still enjoyed it and was glad to have read it.
3/5*

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what an utter disappointment. this is such a boring book, where nothing really happens. the writing is so inconsistent, I wanted to scream out of frustration. I guess that books that touch sensible topics just aren't for me.
full review here (contains mild spoilers): https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/book-review-64-love-letters-to-the-dead-by-ava-dellaira/

2'5 estrellas, más bien.
Me ha parecido muy justito. Demasiado drama que ya he visto antes, un formato poco original y demasiado intensismo.
O no es tan juvenil como me lo ha parecido su escritura, o creo que el tono es demasiado para un chaval.
Eso sí, estoy segura de que a mi yo de 14, 15 años le habría encantado.