{Book Review} The Love Letters by Beverly Lewis

I received a complimentary copy of The Love Letters* by Beverly Lewis in exchange for this honest review by participating in the Bethany House Publishers blogger review program.  I was not compensated for this review, all opinions are my own.

*

Marlena Wenger's life takes a turn when she leaves home for the summer to help out her Mammi after the passing of her Dawdi Tim. Knowing that she will miss out on her baptism instruction classes for the Old Order Amish, Marlena is disappointed that marriage to her beau, Nat Zimmerman, will have to wait one more year. Yet at the same time, she is looking forward to spending the quality time with her Mammi. 

When she receives message that her estranged sister Luella, who left the Amish community years prior, was in an accident, Marlena learns she will be taking care of her 'fancy' niece until her sister is released from the hospital. Little does she know how much a summer away taking care of her Mammi and niece will change her life forever.

This book also follows Jake (Small Jay) and his family, neighbors of Mammi. When he stumbles upon a confused man name Boston, Small Jay makes it his goal to figure out where Boston came from. While the summer passes, Small Jay reads through the love letters Boston carries around with him in search for clues. In doing so, his family learns lessons of love that transform their lives. 

To be completely honest, I had a difficult time getting through this book. I felt I was reading two very different story lines that didn't seem to merge until later in the book. And then there were story lines that didn't seem to make sense to me to include them at all. As for the book being called The Love Letters, I felt like the letters didn't show up until the end of the book. I normally love reading books written by Beverly Lewis, but this one was truly a wash for me.

The one thing I did enjoy about this book was Marlena's story line, but I wish the book had focused solely on her instead of on Small Jay too. I also wish that Luke would have had a more prominent role; I would have loved to see that story unfold instead of it being tagged on at the very end.

I would recommend this only to those who want a quick, easy read. 

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