This was an emotional rollercoaster of a book. 4.5 stars.✨

Letters from Strangers takes you on a journey of past and present points of views, of a family with hidden secrets. The theme is not only about finding long lost family members, but also about finding yourself and being okay with where you are right now.

This was well written and I finished it in a day because it was soooo good! Highly recommend for a next read.✈️

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

#LettersFromStrangers #booksonaburger #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #netgalley

This one hit the emotional core—reading about Jane uncovering her father’s hidden life and Adam’s search for his birth mother was moving. I appreciated the layered exploration of secrets, grief, and adoption. That said, I did find myself bogged down when the plot grew convoluted, and the ending didn’t land as strongly as I’d hoped. Still, there's something profoundly heartfelt in the family dynamics and emotional honesty.

This is the first book I have read by this author. It did not disappoint. I loved the dual point of view from Jane and Adam. Great story line and great characters. Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read ARC.

Queue music from
“🎵…Escape (The Pina Colada Song…“🎵 ~ by Rupert Holmes
or…
“🎵…Both Sides Now…“🎵 ~ by Joni Mitchell

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟+

Y’all, I opened the book, and I didn’t put it down until I was finished. I just couldn’t. Perhaps it was the multiple timelines I instantly recognized, or maybe the authenticity of the characters, or the underlying theme of secrets revealed, but this book and its essence captured my heart, and didn’t let go.

At its heart, this is a true family drama novel, with a hint of mystery. Name a trigger/content issue, especially of the 1970s-1990’s, including gay/lesbian, abortion, infertility, and body dysmorphia issues, Walter has not only addressed it, but she has compassionately navigated them with grace and feeling.

I have followed Walter’s writing career, having read her previous novels, and I have to say this is my favorite to date. She has taken an era of secrets, taboos, and uncertainty, and gently and fully fleshed out not just the stories, the secrets, but the people, the emotions we couldn’t name or identify, AND given permission to them all.

This book begs us to stop self-criticizing, to acknowledge our past and our hurts, and seek the people in our lives that see us for who we truly are. And may we all have a Coach Fitz in our lives! “…you are on your own journey. I don't want you to compare yourself to anyone else.’

Sometimes, books are not just about us identifying with a character/ POV, but moreover, about igniting compassion and empathy. We may not be able to readily identify with issues the FMC/MMC’s or POVs, but a talented writer will allow us to understand and empathize with each of them. Walter succeeded on all levels. Many thanks to @susanwalterauthor for my gifted physical ARC and to Netgalley for my epub copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jane is reeling from the death of her father when she stumbles upon a long buried secret of his and tries to reconcile the fact her father had a double life. Adam is dealing with teenaged issues that are affecting him both physically and mentally and finds out he had received letters growing up from his birth mother.

This book was beautiful, heartbreaking, thought provoking, stunning and vastly different from Susan's past books as a thriller writer. I think it's really cool when an author can write books of different genres and Susan's talent shined brightly with Letters from Strangers. Bravo!

This was my first Susan Walter book and it wont be my last. What a quick fun read. I devoured this book in 2 days.

I saw so many people loving this book that I couldn’t wait to see what all the hype was about. This book was everything I love about contemporary/literary fiction. It has everything that I need in a book. It had love, disappointment, betrayal, and so many other things. This book was honestly like a warm hug. I smiled when I read that last page.

'What happened? There were so many possible answers to that question, depending on how far I wanted to go back'.

Families are tricky, emotional beasts. Each is nuanced with flaws and triumphs, fate tends to throw its own splash of colour but when Jane finds a stack of letters from her recently deceased dad's lover, it feels as though her whole past is about to be rewritten. Jane would be the first to say her dad wasn't perfect. Despite being a daddy's girl, she's suffered because of him so now that this can of worms has been opened she needs to follow the trail and get some answers. On a different coast teenager Adam seems to have a lot in common with Jane, his family idyll was shaken when he found out he was adopted but despite seeing a counsellor for his eating disorder, he just can't seem admit to himself what really might be wrong.

Ok - so I finished this highly readable book within 24 hours. It covers a lot of topics within one storyline, changing between Jane's and Adam's POV, in an accessible, relatable tone of voice. There’s even a bit of a twist in the slow, layered build-up of chapters. Ultimately though it’s about being honest; honest with others but being honest with yourself. To that end, miscommunication, noncommunication, features heavily and I do find that frustrating personally but in the end it is a very rewarding read.

'...just because you're related by blood doesn't mean you're family'.

The last Susan Walter book I read was in the mystery/thriller lane, but this book is quite different. Inspired by real events, Letters From Strangers explores the relationships that bind us: from romantic partners who are out of sync to people who want to be parents to those who are not ready to be. It's also a book about the toxic diet culture of the 80s and 90s and how damaging it was to many of us!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

YES. THANK YOU.

I was really surprised to see Susan Walter was switching genre, as I had already read her previous mystery thriller books and really enjoyed them. But oh boy this one did not disappoint!

I enjoyed Running Cold by Susan Walter, but I loved this one even more. The two main characters, Jane in California and Adam in Massachusetts, are looking for answers about their families. Jane is a married woman facing fertility issues and Adam is an adopted teenager experiencing an identity crisis .When Jane's father unexpectedly passes away, she finds a stack of letters from his long-term girlfriend. "We were all about to take on new identities: fatherless, widow, mourner, and one I didn't expect - detective." "Detective" Jane is determined to learn about her father's secret life and possibly her half-sibling. Adam is a nationally-ranked tennis player who no longer wants to play. Tennis is his father's dream, not his. Adam's mother sees him struggling to figure out who he is and where he comes from and decides to share long-stashed-away letters from his birth mother with him, This sets Jane and Adam on a converging path to answers. Susan Walter's characters are beautifully developed and easy to care about. The story is compelling and I highly recommend it. I look forward to Susan Walter's next book. Thanks to #netgalley #lakeunionpublishing and #susanwalter for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A delight.

4.5 stars rounded up.

“Losing a parent is largely inevitable, but when it happens, it’s as incongruous as losing a piece of the sky. Something that’s always been there suddenly isn’t.”

An unexpected family death brings to life hidden letters and decades-old secrets in this wonderfully rewarding family saga that marks a notable and successful departure from author Susan Walter's thriller roots.

Jane has just lost her father. Meanwhile, across the country, sixteen-year old Adam is looking for his birth mother. As their parallel narratives gradually intertwine, "Letters from Strangers" becomes a tender, heartfelt exploration of parents and their children, identity, and the question of what makes a family.

"Letters from Strangers" tackles heavy issues such as grief, emotional abuse, eating disorders, infertility, and adoption, but it never feels overly heavy, handling hard topics with empathy and care. The result is a sweeping story full of reliable characters that is both poignant and unexpectedly uplifting. Even expected twists and turns are made into plot revelations by the author's exquisite writing, and true to her thriller background, a few well-placed surprises still manage to catch you off guard.

I very much enjoyed this novel, and will be reading more from Susan Walter in the future - regardless of the genre, given how seamlessly she transitions between different ones.

If you appreciate character-driven, emotionally resonant fiction that handles life’s hardest questions with compassion and nuance, "Letters from Strangers" is not to be missed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Letters from Strangers" was published on May 27, 2025, and is available now.

DNF at 16%

Content warnings should have been given, too triggered by eating disorder content to continue.

Additionally, the writing felt very chopping and the lack of flow in both the audio and digital versions made it hard to really get into the story.

I had no idea what to expect from Letters from Strangers by Susan Walter. I've read some of her thrillers and very much enjoyed them. This book was quite different but offered that same sense of surprise and a-ha! moment you come to expect from a thriller but there were no murders, and the mystery to be solved was more about past secrets and lies and long-smothered feelings. And this was a lovely read, I was swept up in everyone's (connected) stories. The key characters are beautifully developed and complex, feeling very real and Walter addresses some issues that often go undiscussed. It certainly resonated with me for that reason.

The book is narrated by several characters and interspersed with letters. Old and new. We meet Jane, a chef who's put work on hold to try to get pregnant and starting to worry as she's in her mid 30s and none of the treatment she's had has worked. Her brother is in the airforce and we learn he was close to his mother, while Jane idolised her father. The latter has just died as this book opens and Jane is packing up his old office when she comes across old letters and learns he had a long-term affair—which culminated in a pregnancy—decades earlier.

There's Adam, a ranked high school tennis player before discovering football (gridiron to we Aussies given the multiple types of football that exist). The change in focus coincides with him deciding to bulk-up before going too far and being unable to stop eating.

And then there's Ellie, who we hear from the least, and whose sister Jane believes was her father's lover. As the letters reference her being pregnant and Jane is hoping to find their half-sibling while trying to keep her father's secrets from her mother.

As Jane revisits her teenage years she is forced to reflect on her own relationship with her father (and mother). We learn she was anorexic and in the present she ponders on the way she desperately tried to please her father, though was often the butt of his weight-related jokes. And she's forced to accept that her childhood, and her parents relationship with each other and their children, wasn't as she remembered. So this is very much about families, the legacies of our early years and how they impact on our lives if never truly confronted or accepted. Here, Jane and Adam act-out in ways available to them but also with some deliberate intent of self-harm—Jane by starving herself, Adam unable to stop himself overeating despite the way it makes him feel. 

This was almost a rare five-star read for me, though a little disappointed on conclusion as it felt a little anticlimactic though perhaps Walters went with realism. Nevertheless I was held captive by these stories and the way they unfolded.

4.5 stars

I LOVED this book! It was intriguing and compelling. Character development and story lines were thoughtfully written and resonated deeply with me. Thank you NetGalley!

Jane is crushed by the sudden death of her father. While he wasn't perfect, she was his favourite and he hers. She has never really connected with her mother the same and while she tries to deal with her own grief, and support her mother, she is dealt another blow in the form of a women that had a relationship with her father. One that may have also had a child.
We are told in the synopsis (no spoiler), that across the country, sixteen year old Adam is self-destructing. His adoptive parents show him unsigned letters from his birth mother and he is desperate for answers.
As we see Jane and Adam's lives intertwine, secrets are uncovered. Relationships are formed and others are left broken.

This was phenomenal!! I could not stop turning the pages. Oh my goodness. It was a mystery, a family saga as promised, emotional, heart wrenching and uplifting. I loved everything about this novel. The complex and realistic characters, the settings and the format with letters mixed in with the story. The Writing Was Masterful. This will be an absolute favourite for me this year.

I was hooked from the beginning!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Letters From Strangers by Susan Walter ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐

OMG just when I got to the plot....bam curve ball...bam another. This great was everything you want a book to. It covers many topics that happen everyday. And it's not one side it makes you think ...am I doing the right thing.

You don't want to miss this book, so get your copy today. It released on May 27th

The story of two strangers searching for the truth about their families, Letters From Strangers is a beautifully written book that deals with grief, family secrets, eating disorders, infidelity and many other topics.

Vivid real characters, the story is told from multiple characters viewpoints and is very cleverly crafted to bring all the pieces together in what is a satisfying and nearly but not quite(thankfully) twee ending.

I really loved this book. My reading diet is usually full of thrillers and horrors so this was a nice change of pace for me and reminded me that a story well told about the human condition is as thrilling and scary as any thriller or horror.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Susan Walter is one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors and I was so excited to receive a copy of her first women’s fiction/family drama story.

Following Jane’s father’s death, she find a stack of letters that sheds light on his secret life, which involves another woman, who possibly may have had his child. Our other lead Adam, 16, knows he’s adopted and finds unsigned letters from his birth mother and is desperate for answers. They are both looking for someone who does not want to be found.

This story spans two decades and brings you on an emotional ride. Both stories are compelling and had me flipping pages late into the night to figure out the family secrets on both sides. Both stories are weaved together so well and with such care and sensitivity. Our two main characters are complex, relatable, and you are rooting for both of them to find the answers they are looking for. I loved seeing how the stories tied together and seeing both of their journeys towards healing and forgiveness.

Recommend if you enjoy:
▫️Complicated family sagas
▫️Stories with epistolary elements (letters/emails)
▫️Adoption stories
▫️Family secrets