5 Smooches!

Synopsis

Four lives. Four stories. Four sets of letters. Four brave souls in need of guidance while facing life’s greatest challenges.

The anonymously published Dear Life program is designed to help them step outside of their comfort zones, face their obstacles, and relinquish their demons…and prove their existence.

With their lives teetering between wanting more and losing it all, all four souls dive into the program as a New Year’s resolution, sending them on a crazy, life-altering journey.

Dear Life,

Please be kind.

Yours truly, Hollyn, Jace, Daisy, and Carter.

REVIEW

I’ve had the pleasure of reading a few of Meghan Quinn’s romantic comedies, something she does exceptionally well, over the last year or so. Her sense of humor and her timing are spot on, and her work never fails to get audible snorts of laughter from me when one of her books is queued up on my Kindle and in my hot little hands. Dear Life, though, is not a romcom. Reading the blurb, it was obvious that this was going to be a more serious and emotional book than I was used to from her. I was definitely intrigued by the premise, so in I went, excited about the possibility of discovering a new-to-me side of a favorite author’s talent.

“It’s not easy, you know, to just let something go when there is no closure, when you have it looming over you, eating you alive with every breath you take.”

Four people, stagnant and stymied in their lives by fear and grief, come together—some by choice, some not—to take part in a program designed to help them shake off those shackles and learn to live again. I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into this book, but it definitely wasn’t what I got. The program forced these four people to confront their fears and grief head on through letters written to life, and gave them tools, or assignments, to help guide them in doing that. Those letters were my favorite part of this book—they were raw, angry, harsh and so very real. But it was their evolution, as evidenced by their letters, over the course of the program that really captured my attention and what I found most inspiring.

“It’s time to take what’s been broken and make it right.”

Grief is a tricky thing. Everyone at some point in their lives experiences it, and it affects every single one of us very differently. There are also many reasons why a person may be grieving—and not all of them are related to the aftermath of death. Some people are more adept at taking in emotion, processing it, allowing themselves to heal and then moving on. Some of us are not. Those people get caught up in it, overwhelmed by it and then can’t seem to find their way out of it. In Dear Life, Quinn, through the stories of these four people and their letters, takes the reader not only on a deep examination of a few of those reasons but also along for the ride as each one travels their own personal road to the other side.

“…we were meant to find each other. Help each other.”

Each one of the main characters had a different reason for being there, a different set of circumstances, different responses and reactions, and I found each one of their stories fascinating and riveting. This book was laid out thoughtfully, with each chapter broken into four sections to highlight each of the main characters as their part of the journey is told in their own point of view. I really liked how she did that, it created a certain kind of flow and really helped to wind the stories together. I found it nearly impossible not to devour this book as I read it to get to the next part of each character’s story. I had keep reminding myself to slow down and take it all in.

“It’s never too late to learn how to live…”

I’ve always been a fan of Meghan Quinn’s writing, but this book was fresh and different and inspirational, not to mention that it was so beautifully written. Of course, there are a few moments where Quinn’s legendary levity can be found—I honestly can’t imagine her comedic voice not eventually seeping out onto the pages of whatever it is her talented mind is creating—but it’s definitely not a main component or the primary mode of story delivery in this book. Dear Life showcases Quinn’s serious and emotional side, and if you thought she shone only as a rising written romcom star, then just wait until you read this book. I’m really trying to avoid pigeonholing her here, but it’s those authors who I’ve come to anticipate one thing from and then they totally blow me away with something altogether different that I have most respect for. She absolutely did that for me here. Meghan Quinn and Dear Life get five smooches from me!

~ Danielle Palumbo

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