A gorgeous feeling good book. That will have you simply smiling with joy. You will love the storyline and the characters and the journey that it takes you on.

Lots of emotions dealt with in this novel which takes you on a rollercoaster of a read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Stumbling upon a cache of letters from the former resident, an advice columnist, sparks Kate's determination to infuse her new life with purpose. As she forges new connections and unravels the mystery of the previous owner's disappearance, the plot unfolds with unexpected twists and compelling characters. The adept narrative structure, well-balanced romantic elements, and blend of poignant and lighthearted moments elevate it to a must-read status. I love how the author's ability to capture raw emotions in a narrative where Kate, grappling with betrayal and solitude, transforms an abandoned house into a haven for herself and her children. Overall, it is a distinctive, immersive, and emotionally resonant novel.

What a lovely, heart warming read. Really enjoyed the different storylines and the friendships that went on in the story. It’s a great feel good book with a really lovely ending.

In a Nutshell: A book that is too realistic to be likeable as it has plenty of judgemental characters who care only about their own life and have no ethics at all. I am conflicted in my opinion because while I see the accuracy of the portrayal of such characters, I am not sure if such a book fits well in the feel-good genre.

Plot Preview:
After a bitter divorce from her cheating husband Rob, Beth is looking for a fresh start. Unfortunately, with her limited funds, all she can afford is an old, unkempt cottage on the outskirts. Her children Olivia (7) and Jacob (5) aren’t impressed with the house, and are frank about their opinion.
When Beth finds a box of letters while clearing out one of the rooms, she discovers that they are all agony aunt letters written by someone named Evelyn Wright. As Beth reads them and relishes the wisdom of Evelyn’s words over the next few days, she decides to begin her own agony aunt ‘column’ online, so that she too can help others the way Evelyn helped her. And if she can locate Evelyn and thank her, all the better.
The story comes to us from Beth’s first person perspective.

The title is a little bit misleading because the story is not ABOUT the lost letters of Evelyn Wright, but about what happens in Beth’s life once the letters are found. The story is mostly Beth’s, and therein lies the trouble.

I remember what Jane Austen had said about her most infamous protagonist, Emma: “I'm going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” Yeah, well, I wonder if Ms. Swatman thought the same while creating Beth. Because if she did, she certainly succeeded! But if she meant for us to root for Beth, tough chance!

Usually in such stories, where one half of the couple has cheated and the other is bitter, it is easy to sympathise with the spouse who has been caught unawares by the infidelity. In this case though, I could sympathise with neither Beth nor Rob. They both are such annoying and self-centred characters that I felt sorry for their kids at being caught in between the mess. Are there couple like this in real life, fighting through divorces acrimoniously and shaming each other in front of their children? Of course, there are. Does that make reading about them in a fictional novel easier? Nope!

Initially, I attributed Beth’s aggression at her anger over being left with the raw end of the deal. Rob got the house as well as a new woman, while Beth had to start her life all over again with two young children. She had every right to be angry! But soon, Beth took some decisions that didn’t sit well with me. Becoming an agony aunt and advising people over major personal problems without any professional qualification, using the old Evelyn columns and moulding their advice to new issues, talking about some of the problems shared privately to her ‘Evelyn’ email id with her new friend Catherine and Charlie, discussing Catherine’s private matter with Charlie without her knowledge – all are major red flags. But the biggest irritant was when she engaged in an illicit relationship with a married man, after she herself had suffered because of her husband’s infidelity – ridiculous!

Again, do such women exist? Of course, they do! But so much reality doesn’t suit what is essentially escape-from-reality fiction. I’d have expected such behaviour from characters in a literary fiction exploring the depths of human murkiness. A well-written literary novel would have handled the emotional and moral aspects of this plotline far better, while not resorting to commercial melodrama. So I am not questioning the authenticity of the character portrayal; I am just saying that I didn’t expect such frustrating characters in the women’s fiction genre.

The only four characters who work well in this book are Catherine – who is too forgiving for her own good, the two children Olivia and Jacob – who aren’t afraid to speak up, and Natalie – a surprise addition to this list as she is the woman who slept with the married Rob. I don’t think I have ever included a marriage wrecker among the better characters of a novel, which shows how horrible the rest are.

Evelyn’s magazine column seems interesting, and as many chapters begin with one of her letters, we get a glimpse of her outspoken advice as well as some outdated thinking, thanks to the letters being from the 1950s. The quest for Evelyn has its charm, but I wish we could have heard more from Evelyn herself. Some interlude chapters containing her perspective from the past would have worked wonders. Evelyn’s arc contains a mystery, but this “mystery” is a trope slowly becoming so common in this genre that it doesn’t even feel like a mystery anymore! I wish this particular “secret” wouldn’t be so overused; it will lose its impact soon.

The only good thing in this story is its realistic depiction of what a bitter divorce does to children. It is painful to read, and sadly, not entirely fictional.

I had loved this author’s ‘How to Save a Life’, but the two books I read after that – ‘A Love to Last a Lifetime’ and ‘The World Outside My Window’ – were a mixed bag and a dud, respectively. The rating trend is not improving much, which is really disappointing.

All in all, is this a bad book? Not really. But is it an enjoyable book? Not at all. If you treat this as a story showing all that is wrong with humans AND you can enjoy books with characters whose ethics are non-existent most of the way AND don’t mind some OTT drama, this will work better for you. But to typical women’s fiction readers who are looking for a light or feel-good story, I’d not recommend this at all.

2.5 stars.

My thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Oh my goodness, I absolutely devoured this book. I am definitely in the midst of a book hangover because of how much I loved this book. I cannot wait to share it with my patrons at the library because I am sure they will love it like I did!

This was an interesting book to read, as the story was intriguing and a unique concept. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the writing style and I didn't feel myself connecting to the characters very much.
Overall, it was a nice story but unfortunately I did feel it was too long and some of the plot points felt slightly weak.

What a lovely feel good read this turned out to be

The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright, we 1st meet Beth, newly single mum, who has had to move out of her marriage home so her ex husband can move his new partner in. She’s struggled to find somewhere else to live with her 2 young children but has found a lovely 2 bedroomed cottage, which needs a lot of work.
While the children are staying with their dad she moves in and begins to sort their room ready for them to move in. During the renovations she discovers some old magazine agony aunt letters. This inspires her to start her own little page, helping others to give her something to do to fill her long lonely evenings.
She also takes Evelyn’s advice herself.
I loved the way this story developed and Beth grew into her independent self, she had some bad times where things weren’t going as she would like and she thought she would lose everything but by helping others she also helped herself.

The characters were realistic and relatable and I enjoyed every bit of this story.


Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title

Apologies for the delay. Enjoyed this story - loved how the old letters brought new friends together. A thought provoking read in places about how we can help others in their time of need.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright.

Beth's life has crumbled. After finding out that her husband has cheated and fallen in love with another woman, she has lost her home, her friends, and even her children's desire to stay in her crumbly new house. But the rundown cottage has given Beth a unique gift, letters written to Evelyn, an advice columnist from years ago. Beth can't help but wonder what would happen if she were to reopen Dear Evelyn online, and soon finds herself giving advice to all sorts of people, some she even meets in real life. And when Beth meets the daughter of the real Evelyn, her life opens up even more.

This was sweet, I enjoyed it. I did think it was a bit overdone, I didn't like the dynamic between her and her ex-husband and kids. I was even a little icked by the relationship she had with the romantic interest, but not enough to be completely turned off. It had a lot of heart, but maybe a bit too much sour for my taste.

Beth's marriage has just dissolved and she's forced into starting over. She feels betrayed and is bitter about her situation. Her cheating husband seems to have fared much better from their divorce. He lives with his girlfriend in Beth's old house... Now, for financial reasons, Beth has purchased a fixer-upper in a village a half hour's drive away. Her two children, Jacob and Olivia are confused and unhappy that they now have to share a bedroom and travel between the two homes.

Beth is attempting to renovate her little house to make it more comfortable for her and her children. While doing so, she discovers a cache of old 'agony aunt' letters addressed to "Dear Evelyn". After reading some of them, she decides she will carry on the 'Dear Evelyn' letters, only online, and with a modern slant. She hopes this activity will help her curb her loneliness and fill the long evenings alone.

Her decision brings about new friendships, a new pet, and sees her finding her own way to happiness.

This novel is a delightful combination of women's fiction and Uplit. With themes of parenting, step-families, sexuality and fresh starts, it should appeal to many who like 'starting over' novels that have happy endings.

3.5 stars rounded up for Amazon and NetGalley ; rounded down for Goodreads where the stars have different values

I loved this book and will now be buying the back catalogue from the author. This book was so evocative I felt myself angry on behalf of Beth at multiple points as I’m sure any mother would. The characters were beautifully written, especially Catherine and her story. It was wonderful to see Beth building herself a better life than she could have imagined after divorce. It was a wonderful message that sometimes you just need to speak to someone impartial to make your needs and wants clear when you are struggling or low, how wonderful of Beth to put herself out there and support strangers in that way. Thanks netgalley

Round up to 3.5 stars.

“The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright” was a look into the life of a newly divorced mom trying to figure out her place in the world. I enjoyed some aspects of the story, primarily the mystery of who Evelyn Wright is. I also appreciated that it was low spice. But, I found some of main character’s attitudes annoying. I especially didn’t like the idea of her explaining to her daughter that a stepmom isn’t the same/ a real mom. It probably doesn't matter though since the book isn’t geared towards kids. But still. In general I thought the book was fine but not one I would reread.

This novel for me was like three stories in one, there was Beth's story, when Beth became friends with Catherine we got her story and then came along Charlie and his story. All three stories were intertwined with each other, with Beth still the main character. It was really well written and a real page turner, I liked how the start of each chapter was an 'Evelyn Wright' letter.
I did think that there was going to be a lot more heartbreak for Beth but I really liked how her character developed over the course of the story.

This follows the journey of Beth a recently separated teacher and mother of 2. The author shows the sadness and loneliness of moving on from a longterm relationship to the happiness and excitement of new friendships and relationships. All sparked by the discovery and content of letters written to an agony aunt many years previously. A lovely read.

I thought that this book was okay. Nothing special. But I enjoyed the journey of Beth and her character development in this book. From the person who was willing to argue with her husband to the person who was okay letting someone else into her life.

The writing of this book was wonderful and thought that it kept me invested even when I didn’t want to read.

This is one of those books that you will either love or you will hate but it depends on your reading tastes.

This was a gentle story of friendship, new beginnings, and finding answers. A moderately paced read dealing with issues such as divorce and custody; abandonment; infidelity; identity and acceptance. I loved the premise, and it was interesting to see how the author used the letters to structure and build the story. The characters were well written, and I really enjoyed the way the story developed and ended.

Beth moves into a new home after the dissolution of her marriage when her husband begins an affair with their daughter's teacher. In renovating her new home, she finds magazines from years earlier with an advice column written by "Evelyn Wright." Taking some of Evelyn's advice for herself helps Beth out in a difficult time, and she decides to begin her own online advice column to help others. One of those books in which everything is a mess, new life experiences lead to new friendships, there is a bit of mystery about what happened to Evelyn, and then everyone lives happily ever after, yay. It was nice and enjoyable. 3.5 stars rounded to 3.

A lovely comforting, easy read which covers important topics but not in an overbearing way.
The story follows school teacher Beth, a mum of 2 who has to start over and move to a less than impressive cottage that needs massive amounts of work done to it which is made more stressful by how unhappy they all are at the situation they are in but when Beth starts clearing out some of the rooms she comes across of box of letters addressed to an Evelyn Wright, which in turn makes her question her self and turn her life around.

As a mum of 2 I can't imagine how hard it must be for Beth to have to restart her life and keep herself together after everything she has been through so although there were so behaviours that were a bit annoying based on the situation she is in it is understandable and easy to pass judgement from the outside looking in. There was some lovely romance thrown in as well as divorce, sadness, and also taking a minute to try and understand from the children's perspective.

Beth had it all – the marriage, the wonderful house and two children.

Now, she’s a single mother in a ramshackle house that needs a lot of work, her husband is living with the woman he was having an affair with and she has never felt more lonely.

When she finds some old agony aunt letters, she decides to reply. After all, it’s something to do. However, these letters open up her world to more than she ever imagined.

I really enjoyed one of Clare’s previous novels, Before We Grow Old and so I was excited to be invited onto the blog tour for The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright. The premise for this book sounded great. There is a mystery to it that was right up my street. Where did the letters come from? Who originally owned them?

Beth is someone I am sure many readers will relate to. She’s found herself in an all too familiar position, having to pick herself up after a divorce. She’s stronger than she believes.

I love her story and how it develops throughout the novel. The support characters are good too – well, I wanted to give Rob a piece of my mind.

The plot develops well and at a great pace.

The combination of good characters and mystery meant that I enjoyed this book very much.

It tackles themes such as divorce, sexuality, loss, family and new love and does so well.

The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright is a wonderful tale of having faith and allowing yourself to move on.

I have such a book hangover with this novel. I hope it’s not the last we see of Beth, Charlie and Catherine.

This is a great holiday book or if you’re looking for a romantic escape, it’s perfect. I loved it.

(Thank you to Boldwood Books, Netgalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.)