Book: Love, Lucas by Chantele SedgwickGenre: YA Contemporary/Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆
For: Supporting Local Authors
From: Received for free from Edelweiss. All opinions are my own. (Released on May 5, 2015)
Short Synopsis: Oakley has just recently lost her older brother to cancer. In order to cope, it's decided she'll go live with her aunt in California for awhile. About that time, her mom gives her a notebook that her brother wrote to just her. Oakley doesn't think she can handle reading it but slowly, she finds comfort in her brother's letters to her, especially as she is falling in love with a local surfer boy and is feeling guilty about being even a little bit happy.
My Response: I totally enjoyed this bitter sweet story! A sad story in the sense that this girl really is struggling and it's hard to see her going through the loss of her brother, who sounds like he was totally awesome by the way. It's sad for us readers not to be able to meet him except through his letters! But a sweet story in the sense that she does come around and discover how she can actually live her life without him. There's lots of surfing scenes which are fun, not to mention the cute surfer boys. :)
Bottom Line: A great contemporary romance that starts out sad and ends uplifting.
Let's Talk About: It seems like lots of books have the element of dealing with loss. Do you think most of them get it right? If you've gone through such an experience before, you'll know how it feels. I wonder if some books come closer to others in what it must really be like. I think this one does a pretty good job.
Other Reviews:
There are numerous books out there focusing on grief, but death is something that happens in the real world all too often and the grief that comes with it is very raw. This book features this so realistically. From The Psychotic Nerd
What really made tears come to my eyes was Lucas's notebook that held letters that he had written to Oakley while in hospital. From Jess Time to Read
But all in all, Love, Lucas is one of the most genuine book I’ve ever read. From Her Book Thoughts
This one sounds cute. As for your question. I love these stories because the one that's passed on left something behind to help the MC get over the loss and grieve. I don't think it's very realistic, though. Most people are left with nothing; no tie to that missing loved one but memories. So, yes, I liked these stories but sadly they aren't very real. :(
ReplyDeleteI usually don't gravitate towards books dealing with loss, but I recently read one (Amy & Roger's Epic Detour) and I thought it really got it right. So much so, I even pulled out a notebook and started writing down quotes from it!
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