What are you looking for?

Love Letters #2

ALC provided by Must Love Audio

Author: S. J. Tilly

Narrators: Andi Arndt and Christian Fox

I want to preface this by saying I never cry. An occasional teary-eyed moment here or there, but ladies and gentlemen, it happened: I ugly cried. The real snotty, sobbing kind of cry. 

Rosie and Nathan meet as kids. They’re neighbors. Nathan is the 12-year-old safe haven to 8-year-old Rosie, whose mother died and whose father is abusive.

One, day, Nathan gives her the awful news – he’s moving. The next day, he leaves her a letter at their meeting spot with his new address. She writes him a letter that is returned. That won’t make Rosie stop writing them. She just never mails them. 

Fast forward 25 years and Rosalyn is catering Maddox and Hannah’s wedding reception and the best man is retired football star “Nate”, who doesn’t remember her… until she calls her Nathan…

I was completely enthralled and moved by this second chance romance of sorts. It tugged at every single of my heartstrings. You feel deeply for Rosie and the horrors she endured (S.J. Tilly does an amazing job at hinting at everything without going for the shock value) and you root for the childhood friends to become everything they would have become if not for a returned letter. 
The audiobook is perfection. Andi Arndt and Christian Fox in dual style (switching to duet to read letters and text messages). Andi gives us a strong but vulnerable Rosie (from age 8 to 33) and Christian melts you into a pile of goo as the protective, reliable, steadfast, dirty-talking,  funny book boyfriend extraordinaire Nathan. I swear to you, he’s out of this world in this one. Both drove me to tears. Twice. 

I would have rated this book all the stars if I could. A lovely childhood friends to lovers in a second chance of sorts, beautiful letters, the cutest of cats, marshmallow treats that mean everything, secrets that will have you shooketh, but most os all a love than can endure anything, even time. 

Thanks @mustloveaudio for the cry-fest. I will send pics. 😉 

Content notes: trauma abuse (no SA, graphic death of a parent, parental abuse, negative self-talk and suicidal ideation