Dirty Letters

This was a case of a book that I judged by its cover/title and skipped over and over, even though it kept showing up in my ads. I’m not proud of that.I don’t know what made me finally read/listen to it. But to tell you that I am glad that I did is a gross understatement. It altered my soul. I loved this story so much, but it was the character development and beautiful way it was written that pulled me in, scrambled my emotions, and spit me out (changed, satisfied, and with a smile on my face), only to suck me right back in again (yes, I re-listened IMMEDIATELY after finishing my first listen…I have only ever done that 3 times in my life).Luca and Griffin were childhood pen pals, having started their letter writing in 2nd grade. Griffin lived in England and Luca was in the U.S., so they knew they would likely never meet in person. This gave them a sort of anonymity which lent itself to confessions and conversations they would never have shared with anyone else. Their correspondence led to a deeper connection that abruptly ended when they were 17, with no explanation from Luca. The story begins 8 years later, when Luca is still working through the aftermath of the event that pulled her away from her childhood friend, and Griffin has moved to the U.S., having achieved his dream and become a famous rockstar. Their relationship resumes when Luca goes to her dad’s old house after his death and discovers a new letter from Griffin, in which he vents his anger and frustration at having been ghosted by her 8 years ago. When she responds with an overdue explanation and apology, Griffin stole my heart when he wrote back. It was PERFECT; he threw his own words back at himself AND showed that he remembered something about Luca from when they were kids.The story was filled with swoony gestures from Griffin, heartbreaking moments from Luca, and laughter as they fall right back into their friendship. I loved Luca’s sense of humor, despite her struggles. Griffin did so much planning so Luca can join him as he works; how could you not love him?! Then there is the relationship between Luca and her therapist, “Doc”, aka, her only friend in the world. The two of them together is heartwarming and perfect. It showed how hard she worked in her healing process, but also illustrated the type of person she is to befriend a quirky older gentleman.Unfortunately, despite Griffin’s careful planning, things go wrong on their trip which makes Luca question whether she can realistically be in a relationship with him, and she pulls away. He respects her decision but still checks in with Doc to make sure she is ok and taken care of. Their lifestyle differences seem insurmountable, and the reader is left on pins and needles wondering how it will all play out.Dirty Letters is so much more than a love story. It shows us that fear is temporary and that only regret will last forever, so we may as well take a leap of blind faith, live in the moment, and enjoy the ride. It teaches us the importance of giving yourself grace and accepting who you are during EACH step of your personal journey. It is a story that will stay a part of my heart for a very long time.I had the absolute pleasure of listening to the audiobook version of this story and it was a work of art. It goes without saying, but Jacob Morgan narrating in a British accent is not something to be missed! Andi Arndt, as always, is pure perfection. Together, their dual narration highlights all of the heartbreaking emotions in each syllable and I cannot recommend it enough!!

I will forsure be talking about this book on tiktok and in my book groups. This book was sad, funny and just overall emotional. I did listen to it on audiobook with KU so that may be why it was so amazing for me. I didn't want to put this book down/ stop listening to it. I personally did have a guy penpal from the U.K and to think of getting a letter from him today and something like what happens in this book going down is like a fairytale. This book deals with some mental health issues. The spice was at a 3/5 for me. Detailed but also not super focus on the spice. I loved all the characters and the plot, character development, emotional rollercoaster, and the part that really made me LOL. This is a book I will remember and give as rec. I will be checking out these authors in the future.

I didn’t know what I was expecting when I picked out this book, but it definitely wasn’t to be up hours later than I should, sobbing over Luca and Griffin, birds, pet pigs, and overcoming trauma and fears. I absolutely loved this book!

I am normally a visual reader. I prefer the voices of the characters in my mind over the ones picked to read for me on audio. But I needed a book on “tape” while I was working on a craft project. So I went looking for a KU with headphones. I’ve loved the other books by this author, so I decided to give this one a try. And man was it worth it. I didn’t want to read the book after listening to Griff and Luca speak. I wanted to hear it in their voices. The book I so good. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry. So good. Oh so good.

Such a sweet heart warming, sometimes heart breaking book.It was delicate, fun, light read even though it deals with a heavy topic.Beautifully done.I listened to parts of the book on my commute and loved the audio narration as much as reading, maybe even more.

Riveting and heart warming!! Loved every minute that I was reading it. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a wonderful love story! Happy reading!!

This was such a sweet story. I loved being on the journey with Luca as she overcame her fears and the reality that life can be messy and not perfect. The way that Griffin always tended to her needs was sweet!

I started this book expecting some regular run of the mill dirty romance. Which there absolutely is- and I loved it. What I wasn’t expecting was finishing the book in tears. I haven’t cried reading a book in… a long time. I love this story. Thank you for this wonderful love story.

Gostei muito desse livro porque o mocinho é ótimo, a relação dos dois é saudável e beira o normal.Todo mundo tem Issues, e é bom ver isso em livros como um ponto da relação.Mulheres quebradas também existem e foi muito legal ver um cara fazendo o que podia pra ficar com a mulher que amava e não o contrário.Eu gostei tanto do casal e do DOC ❤️❤️❤️Foi um livro muito gostoso de ler.

As much as I loved the story, it was your approach to the anxiety topic that made me love this book. As a relative of someone with anxiety disorder it was great to found a place where is treated not as a tabu topic. Is real and hard to face when people judge without knowing.Thank you Vi and Penelope for such strong characters. Love is always enough.

No estaba segura de leer este libro y lo empecé porque no me sentia a gusto con regresarlo sin leerlo pero la verdad es que es muu bonito y me enseñó a ver más allá de ciertas situaciones.Muy fácil de leer, te hace reír y llorar.

Eu não estava dando nada por essa leitura. A sinopse me cativou, mas como estou em um momento em que tudo me cativa, nada me conquista, comecei bem devagar para poder largar se quisesse, mas não consegui. Nem ir devagar, nem largar. É certo que demorou mais que alguns dias para que eu pudesse terminar de ler, mas a razão é bem simples: eu não queria terminar. Luca, Griffin e Doc são uma parte de mim agora. Uma parte de quem sou, uma marca na minha vida, com todos os aprendizados e risadas. Este livro foi mais que lindo, mas temo não haver uma palavra que o descreva. Apenas espero que seja publicado no Brasil logo, porque, apesar de ter comprado a minha cópia em inglês mesmo, quero que todos aqui possam sentir o que senti lendo esse livro. Obrigada Penelope e Vi por mais essa leitura apaixonante!

Dos 4 que já li, das autoras, é o mais maduro. Os personagens falam o que sentem, enfrentam as dificuldades, se machucam e aprendem, uma linha mais linear, sem muito twist, mas bem próximo a realidade, deve ter necessitado de bastante pesquisa. Pra mim o foco principal são transtornos de humor e fobias.