The Problem With Having High Expectations
Hi my bookish friends!
Don’t you just hate feeling let down by books? Whenever I am
told I’m going to love a book, while I
may still like it but I won’t love it. This is because I start building a ‘shrine’
for the book in my mind, especially when my favourite bloggers rave on and on
about it! I hate when it happens and even when I try to consciously not hype
myself up for books IT STILL HAPPENS! And it’s even worse when instead of being
horrible, the book is just ‘meh’ and a
sad average three stars because then you can’t even rant about why you hated it
extensively! *insert sad face emoji here*
Some of the books I have had high expectations for and been
let down are: (click on the title of the book for the review!)
- Six Of Crows
- The Crown’s Game
- This Savage Song
- The Raven Boys
- Simon VS The Homo Sapiens Agenda
- Throne Of Glass
I’ve already rambled about those books above but today I am
here to share with you my thoughts on Letters To The Lost by Brigid Kemmerer,
and more specifically why I was let down by it! I had read Kemmerer’s previous
book, Thicker Than Water before reading this one so I had some background on
her work and I did have some high expectations because I adored Thicker Than
Water and I had heard amazing things about this one too!
But let’s just get started on my review!
Book: Letters To The Lost
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.
When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart. (source)
Recommended for: Anyone 13+.
Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia for providing me a review copy however this is an honest review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
About the book.
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Pages: 400
Published on: 4th April 2017
Synopsis: Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.
Published on: 4th April 2017
Synopsis: Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.
Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.
When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart. (source)
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia for providing me a review copy however this is an honest review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
{ writing }
We’re starting off with the positive! I didn’t mind the
writing! I thought it was well-done, even if unmemorable, and the exploration
of grief was ok. Reading the synopsis, I felt it was going to be deeper than it
actually was and by the end of the book, I just felt cheated by the book for
the lack of depth. However, it didn’t stand out to me and I certainly didn’t feel the same amount of grief the
characters felt. Those feelings were not able to translate from paper to person
for me.
I had such high expectations for the writing of this,
especially because Thicker Than Water was so addictive to read. But I found
myself having to push to get through this. The writing wasn’t attention
grabbing at all.
{ idea }
But anyway, back to the point, I liked the trope and how it
was used!
{ plot }
The plot was sadly quite predictable! There were a few
twists and turns that I did like but other than that, I feel it fell into a lot
of not-so-good tropes and clichés *cough* bad boy meets good girl *cough*. I don’t
mind a cliché here and there if the interpretation of it is unique but this
felt like any other book I had read.
{ characters }
The characters in this did appear to be unique on the outside
but after reading the book, I realised they tried to hard and managed to fall
back into the stereotypes of lost girl and angry boy. I know this may sound
harsh but it is so overused and I had really gone expecting more in this book and
after seeing the number of clichés and tropes, I feel like the author did a
typical contemporary YA job and that was it.
There was nothing unique about it the way I found Thicker
Than Water unique.
{ overall }
Sadly I wasn’t a fan of this book. I feel if I had gone into
this without expectations I would have enjoyed it way more than I did but
seeing I did have expectations, this was a let down. It wasn’t memorable and there
was a severe lack of depth, in the exploration of the characters and their
emotions.
OVERALL RATING:
★★★
Have you read Letters
To The Lost? What did you think?
27 happy thoughts
Aw, how disappointing. I'm pretty sure every reader out there knows what that feels like. I was so disappointed by Shatter Me and Embrace (both Aussie books, for example - I assure you there are many more out there), and the hype for those two were phenomenal. That really stinks that you didn't enjoy this half as much as you were hoping to. I still have hopes for it though! *fingers crossed* Thanks for your honesty!
ReplyDeleteCass @ Words on Paper
Aww sorry to hear Shatter Me was a disappointment, it's one of my favourite book series ever but I do know it is super hyped! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
DeleteUgh I'm sorry this one didn't work out for you! I was originally attracted to it because I thinkkk it takes place in Michigan (I could be very wrong about that haha) and I love the cover! But I don't think I'll be reading this one :/ I may have to check out her other book though!
ReplyDeleteLovely review ♡
YES her other book is great! Thanks for reading Faith!
DeleteYES. I completely agree. This was a powerful and important book, but there was just something...missing from it? Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3
ReplyDeleteYou're too kind Zoe! Thank you!
DeleteThat sucks that this book was a disappointment! I was curious about it given the premise, but I might push this further down my TBR. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Anisha!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading Cilla!
DeleteThis was a 4-star read for me. I was won over by the emotional depth and the auxiliary characters. I tend to be more of a character driven reader, so plot plays a lesser role for me, and I am not too miffed if it is predictable. Sam @ WLABB
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting Sam! <3
DeleteSadly I pretty much felt the same way Anisha. I just felt underwhelmed and didn't like Juliet whatsoever. I found her really entitled and insufferable. I think the author just isn't my cup of tea sadly. This is the third book of hers I've read now and they were all average for me. Sorry you couldn't have enjoyed this a little more Anish but wonderful review nonetheless! <3
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Kelly! So glad to hear i'm not the only one! :)
DeleteAwww, I haven't read Letters to the Lost but I'm sorry it was so disappointing. I do have that problem a lot where the hype for a book is so great but when I finally pick it up, it's boring or just not for me. Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteAsma @ IceyBooks
No problem, thank you so much for reading!
DeleteI'm sorry you didn't like this one too much! I absolutely adored it myself. But I also don't read very much contemporary so overused tropes in it wouldn't be something that bothered me. I haaated Rowan though. I'm super excited for the companion novel about Rev that's coming out next year. I hope that your next books live up to your expectations! :)
ReplyDeleteOooh I didn't know there was a companion! That's quite exciting - even though I didn't enjoy the book!
DeleteThis one sounds like overall, nothing really stood out or connected with you, which happens time to time. Anticipation then being underwhelmed is always disappointing...darn.
ReplyDeleteAha phew I'm not the only one! Thanks for reading and commenting! <3
DeleteI actually enjoy the secret pen-pal trope, I think it's because it's such a sweet idea that people still trust and treasure the power of pen on paper in the age of smart phones and instant messaging. Sorry to hear that the book didn't quite work for you, though.
ReplyDeleteAentee at Read at Midnight
Thanks for reading and commenting An! <3
DeleteOh, yes, expectations! I so often have loads of expectations whenever I start reading a new book, especially when it's hyped - from an author I loved. It makes me so sad whenever the book just ends up being a bit, "meh", to me :/
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear that was the case for Letters To The Lost! I love the secret pen pals trope as well ; but it's a bit of a shame that it fell into the typical cliché and didn't stood out as much as it could have :/
Lovely review, Anisha!
Thanks so much for reading though Marie! :)
DeleteI'm sorry to hear you weren't into it! To be honest, I had to look up what I thought of Letters to the Lost. I remember having read it, but I couldn't remember what it was about haha. I liked it well enough, but I do understand the points you bring up, and agree with some of the other titles you've mentioned! I do admit Six of Crows was kind of hard to get into, and Simon VS I gave three stars, I think. (And let's not even start about Throne of Glass HAHA.) Hope your next read is more satisfying!
ReplyDeleteOMG YAY I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESN'T LOVE TOG! Phew
DeleteOh no I'm so sorry you found this book disappointing :( I have to admit, though, I absolutely loved it. I thought the writing, the characters, the story, EVERYTHING, was just incredible.
ReplyDeleteHope your next read is better!
Amy @ A Magical World Of Words
Thanks for reading Amy and glad you enjoyed!
DeleteI've started to not have expectations for books now because it usually lessens my enjoyment for it as it doesn't live up to my expectations for it. I did enjoy this author's other book so I might pick this one up :)
ReplyDeleteLeave me a comment below! And feel free to leave your website URL so I can come visit!