First of all, I want to thank HMH teen for providing me an arc of this book via Netgalley. 

I had been eagerly waiting for The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily to be released so when my request to review it was accepted, you can imagine how I grateful I was! I was really intrigued by the synopsis since I have read books with autistic reps in the past but never one with an ADHD rep!

I quite liked the pace of the story and although there is insta-love, the relationship development between Lily and Abelard is so sweet and innocent you can't help but fall in love with them :') I enjoyed the story overall but I did wish that there was more to the ending. I was hoping for a bit more romance as well but I am not too upset about it since the story in itself was a cute and unique read!

This was a fantastic read about two main characters that struggle with a disorder of some type.  Abelard with autism and Lily with ADHD.  I enjoyed the development of a relationship between these two characters and that it was clean.  The emotional struggle these characters faced was realistically described.  This book was a great read for youth who struggle with disorders, school and fitting in.  I highly recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.

This is probably the sweetest, most wonderful, most perfect love story ever. You can't help but cheer for Abelard and Lily as they navigate not only their relationship but the world through Aspergers and ADHD. This is one of those books where I was so sad when it ended not because there was some devastating turn of events but because I just wasn't quite ready to leave Abelard and Lily. The only thing I wish this book had was Abelard's perspective. Don't get me wrong, I loved being inside Lily's head - but it would have been equally interesting to really get the opportunity to understand Abelard a bit more as well. The fact that we don't by no means takes anything away from what is truly a lovely story. And honestly, I can't recommend this enough. It's just t one of those "I wonder..." moments.

Overall - this is a great choice for library and home collections.  One that I think teens (and adults) will be able to enjoy and discuss.

Thank you HMH Teen for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

The Love Letters of Abelard & Lily is such a wonderful debut novel with protagonists that have an ADHD and Asperger Syndrome / Asperger's. Lily Michaels-Ryan and  Abelard Mitchell  have known each other since they were kids but it wasn't until they're in high school where they got closer. It all started one day, she and Abelard broke the classroom wall and got detention. For Lily, attending school is a daily struggle especially having short attention span and being impulsive most of the time. As for Abelard, he's intelligent but has difficulties on interacting with other people. 

Abelard and Lily's story was light-hearted and cute. Both of them are fascinating characters and the romance between them was pure and heartwarming. After the kiss they shared, they started texting each other and exchanging passages from Héloïse d'Argenteuil's The Letters of Abélard and Héloïse . I love it's their way of expressing each other's feelings. It's clever, endearing and romantic. These two have a lot of precious moments and it definitely made me happy for them. 

I love Lily's character development. Despite of ADHD, she keeps motivating herself to be better.  She's a smart and witty girl who loves classic novels. With the support and love from her family and her boyfriend Abelard, it inspired her more to reach her dreams. It's like "If Abelard can go to college, so am I. Screw the monster inside my head. I can do it!".  Kudos to her family (especially her mom) for the patience, understanding and taking care of Lily. Raising a child with a mental illness isn't an easy task. Sometimes Lily have outbursts and yet she remained firm and calm with the situation so as not to aggravate her further. 

This is a great book for raising a mental health awareness. We should not isolate people suffering mental illness. Like normal people, they have feelings and we should be mindful with our words so as not to hurt them. Through Lily's point of view, you'll get to see what runs in her mind. It's raw and straightforward. It makes the whole book authentic to me and I really like the direction of the story. Lily had a chance to make her own decisions. It gives her a sense of independence and confidence. It's her choice if she's undergoing a medical procedure or not. Everything is up to her. 

Overall, I enjoyed the story so much. Praises to Laura Creedle's enticing writing style.  It may have ended vaguely and a part of me wants Abelard's point of view, it's still a notable and lovely debut. Is it too much if I want a sequel for Lily and Abelard? I want to know what happens next.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis:

When Lily Michaels-Ryan ditches her ADHD meds and lands in detention with Abelard, who has Asperger’s, she’s intrigued—Abelard seems thirty seconds behind, while she feels thirty seconds ahead. It doesn't hurt that he’s brilliant and beautiful.

When Abelard posts a quote from The Letters of Abelard and Heloise online, their mutual affinity for ancient love letters connects them. The two fall for each other. Hard. But is it enough to bridge their differences in person?


The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily was so adorable I can barely stand it. I really shipped them, and their “letters” (texts) and interactions were just so cute. I think it was able to address the subject of mental health in a really unique way, and as both characters are neurodivergent, the author did an amazing job at helping her characters to be very considerate of one another. Many people with Aspergers don’t like to be touched because it’s too much stimulation, and Lily was amazingly considerate of that. Abelard also learned throughout the book how to handle some of Lily’s oddities as well.

Basically, if you’re in the mood for a cute romance that discusses a few important subjects along the way, I highly recommend it. Imagine John Green meets Jennifer Niven, but 300% less depressing.

Lily was a great narrator, and I really related to her thought process. She won my heart with her love of classics, but when she talked about some of her other literature choices (I.e., Percy Jackson and Narnia) I was ridiculously thrilled. 

Laura Creedle did a really good job at changing up her writing style depending on how Lily felt at the moment too. In the book, Lily didn’t always take her medicine because she hated the way it made her feel. Depending on whether or not she took her medicine, the writing style covering that time period was ever so slightly different than the converse, which was really interesting and well done.

To be honest, I liked the first part of the book better than the latter half. Given, things started to get a little more complex in that part. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I’ll keep this comment kind of generic, but I felt like things started to happen a little too quickly toward the end. There was a bit of a jump from nice, cute, friendship/relationship to undying love within a few chapters and the transition just didn’t feel smooth or realistic.

I think the first part of the book is worthy of 5 stars, but the last part bugged me a little so I’ll settle for an even 4 stars. It was super cute, and hilarious. Lily was a great narrator and the author did an amazing job at writing both the characters. I’m definitely going to be buying a copy of this book once it comes out, and I definitely think it’s worth a preorder! It comes out on December 26th, you can pre-order a copy on Amazon, book depository, Barnes and Noble, or any of your ebook reading platforms like kindle or nook!

5 stars

Lily Michaels-Ryan thinks she's broken. She's ditched her ADHD meds because she doesn't like how they make her feel and accidentally lands herself in detention with Abelard, a boy in her grade with Asperger's. 
Abelard is brilliant and beautiful, and although her mind seems to be perpetually thirty seconds ahead while his is thirty behind, Lily's intrigued. 

When a drawing Lily captioned accidentally goes up on the internet & Abelard sees it, Lily doesn't know how he'll react. But when he posts a quote from The Letters of Abelard and Heloise, it bridges them together, but they'll learn to bridge their differences as they fall in love. 

I absolutely ADORED reading this! I felt so much and was so moved by Lily's entire narrative. I felt her disappointment, her joy, her love and this book made me laugh and cry and feel. 

This book helped remind me what I love about contemporaries. I've been reading so much science fiction and fantasy lately, and seeing this much character development and building such a strong relationship with our MCs made this such a worthwhile read.

Lily is such a real teenager. Her struggles with her mom imitated emotions that I'm sure every teenager has felt, even if Lily has a more serious issue going on. 

I liked how Creedle wasn't trying to shove Lily's ADHD in our faces at every spare moment and made Lily seem like an alien foreigner--Lily was just a regular female MC with slightly different issues than a regular teen. 

One of my favorite parts about this novel was Lily's voice. Parts of her ADHD were shown in a lighter way as she sometimes struggles with hearing what people say if they speak too quickly. Random words of dialogue will be changed as to how Lily understands it, like (this is a made up example) "schlto lerm" instead of "school to learn."

It's brings humor into the narrative and helps tell readers "Hey! People with ADHD aren't a different species, they're just like you and me." 

Creedle did a great job in writing this in a way that wasn't overly flowery, but in a way that resembles the mind of a sixteen-year-old-girl. 

Honestly, I feel like this could have been an equally fantastic middle grade novel, teaching younger readers about this topic, but it was just as enjoyable as a YA.  

Lily also adds her own snarky quips in sometimes, giving us a real view of her personality. I adore how her character was portrayed and feel like I really knew her. 

Life isn't all dandy for Lily, though. Creedle brings in internal and external issues for her, ranging from her own despair from thinking she's broken to issues at school with grades, her relationship with Abelard, and her family (particularly her dad's who's now a goat farmer brewing homemade ale). 

Creedle has done an exceptional job in illustrating a teenage girl's mind, without factoring in how well she portrayed the different types of mental illnesses.  

All of these factors contributed to a really well rounded narrative--not glossing over the fact that she actually has parents. 

I think all of these aspects helped with the plot--this novel was paced very nicely and I sped through it in a couple of hours. There were multiple subplots involved which helped keep the pace while also making this novel more about Lily's character development rather than one huge plot.

Lily's relationship with Abelard is also a big factor in this as they learn to navigate each other's boundaries and understand each other. I think their romance isn't perfect--they have issues and don't really communicate as much as they should (more in quotes from The Letters of Abelard and Heloise than anything else) but it's not portrayed as something that's supposed to be Lily's one magnificent love of a lifetime. 

I think the mental illness aspect of this novel was executed very well. It shows the realistic side of it--teachers not being mindful enough of students and bullying--while also showing that people with mental illnesses are still people.

This is a big message that I feel like a lot of people misunderstand. People either tiptoe around the words "autism" or "ADHD" or "OCD" etc., or they blatantly disregard all meanings and say offhand remarks like "That's so ADHD." These words aren't taboo, but it's also important to understand what these words actually mean before you use them. 

The combination of such an adorable cast of characters plus important themes made this such a great read. I don't think I've read a book about mental illnesses that has moved me as much as this one has. Not only does The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily teach wonderful messages to readers, it's also just a fantastic story in general. I would recommend this to everyone--doesn't matter what genre you like. 

I cannot wait for Creedle's The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily to come out in stores on December 26th (as well as whatever she's going to write next)! I will definitely be purchasing a copy, and you can preorder it now from major booksellers!

The blog link will go live on October 22nd as well as the Goodreads. I will definitely be promoting this on my social channels--I loved the novel so much!

With the reward of visiting her medieval scholar/goat farmer father on the line, Lily’s realistic inner musings are moving. Hiding the ADHD medication that leaves her emotionally dead, Lily’s impulsive behavior lands her in detention with the smart, yet socially isolated Abelard. A slow romance begins, primarily over text messages, as Abelard’s Aspergers comes with its own unique obstacles. As their connection grows, so does their understanding of each other’s disabilities and a much needed understanding that love itself is not a cure all. While it is understood that Aspergers is part of who Abelard is, the story allows an unrealistic ending with Lily being offered a brain surgery that removes her ADHD and many would argue an integral element of her makeup. With a sensitive and enlightening look at life through the eyes and mind of a girl with ADHD, this book raises many thought provoking questions.

Great emotional read and for fans a good romance story

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.  I enjoyed it very much!

I'm very sorry, but I won't be able to review this book. I can't read on a computer screen, and I can't send the PDF file to my Kindle. Thank you for approving me -- I'll read the book when it comes out.

This book was an intense read, a YA romance centred on Lily (who has ADHD) and Abelard (autism spectrum).  Both characters are smart and believable and the story was an emotional rollercoaster, but one I didn't want to get off.  It's beautifully written and plotted.

(Spoilers follow) A lot of the book focussed on Lily's decision whether or not to have experimental brain surgery for her ADHD and the pros and cons of this.  I was worried about ableism and but on reading up about it the surgery does not yet exist and the author herself has ADHD so this discussion was speculative and coming from the perspective of someone living with ADHD.

Apologies I cannot read and review download only files as I read on kindle app on my tablet or on my kindle. Sorry

Thank you, HMH Teen, for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Love is about being broken beyond repair in the eyes of the world and finding someone who thinks you're just fine."


I'm glad that I've found another meaningful contemporary novel that deals with mental health. I honestly didn't have high expectations when I requested this book from the publisher, so I was delightfully surprised by its enlightening and philosophical content. If you're looking for an Own Voices novel that is worth your time (and money), go ahead and pick this up on December.

The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily is the story of two "broken" teenagers. Abelard has Asperger syndrome, while Lily has ADHD (like the author). They've known each other since childhood, but they only become real friends when they are both detained for "innocently" destroying school property. Since Abelard finds it extremely difficult to talk face-to-face, he and Lily start a connection through texting. They have both love The Letters of Abélard and Héloïse, and they cleverly exchange passages to express their thoughts and emotions.

Unsurprisingly, this book had a character-driven story. Lily was the sole narrator, and her inner musings ranged from dark, to cynical, to downright hilarious. She was a very interesting character because she was caught in a quandary every day in school; even though she had ADHD, her peers and teachers seemed to be oblivious to her special needs and treated her like she was like an ordinary teenager. It was sad and ironic that Lily, one of the brightest students, was mistaken for a truant. I totally understood why Lily hated going to school since it was practically her own version of hell. 

One of the lessons that I gleaned from this book is that sensitivity and consideration should never be out of fashion, especially towards people with mental conditions. We shouldn't look down on them or treat them with condescension in the academe because they can actually have the capacity to be better or smarter than other "normal" students. For example, Abelard was indeed a social hermit because of Asperger's, but his love for mathematics and science enabled him to participate in regional robotics competitions. Of course, this happened in a work of fiction. Nevertheless, I think that it can happen in real life.

Another great thing about this book was that unlike some of its peers in the YA market, it didn't depict love as the cure-all for mental illness. Abelard and Lily were head over heels for each other. They made each other happy and secure, but they still had to struggle with their respective mental conditions. In the end, one of them sought the help of science in order to have a shot at "normalcy."

I nearly forgot to mention how impressed I was by the author's creativity. It was amazing how she managed to integrate specific, evocative quotes from The Letters of Abélard and Héloïse into Lily and Abelard's conversations, which were always smooth and coherent. Logically, the quotes weren't just chosen at random. Otherwise, the book would have been so disorganized and confusing. xD

This book was generally enjoyable and insightful, but there was one thing that I really disliked: Lily and Abelard acted like jerks toward their parents. It was good that family dynamics were included or explored. Lily's mom in particular was a prominent figure in the novel as she tried her best to meet Lily's needs. However, I was annoyed that Lily often treated her mother with disrespect. She even had the audacity to say the f word, for crying out loud! Abelard wasn't as bad as Lily, but his behavior around his parents could be described as...cold. I had already encountered the same problem in Eliza and Her Monsters, another mental health novel I recently finished. With that in mind, I really dislike it when such books seem to use mental illness as a convenient excuse for characters to be so rude or ungrateful.

All things considered, The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily was fun to read. It didn't please me entirely, but I would recommend it because of it's enlightening content. Thus, I am excited to read more books by Laura Creedle. :)

I found this an engrossing read. I really enjoyed the perspective of a story told from the point of view of a character who struggles with social interactions and I believe it gives great insight into the struggles of teenagers who have to deal with ADHD in a school environment. Will definitely be recommending this to add to our library collection.

I absolutely loved this one.  Lily has dyslexia and ADHD and it is written from her viewpoint.  This was very interesting.  The reader actually gets a taste of what it is like with these disorders.  At times it was as frustrating for the reader as it was for Lily.   Abelard was, as Lily put it, the fixer of things and she was the breaker of things.  They just worked together.   Their texts were their main conversations since it was easier for them with their sensory issues.  Their intelligence and personalities really shone through in them.  Lily's attempts at trying to be normal were heartbreaking.   The interactions she had with her sister gave an insight on how it affects the siblings too.  I think the ending was a bit abrupt but I also think that is more of me not wanting to let these two go.  If I had a physical copy it would be right up front on my keeper shelf, and that is saying something.  I received a free ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Grab this one! Side note: Due to type of file sent I had to read at work on my computer or else this would have been a one day read.

If you're looking for a great read, then look no further than the Tales of Abelard and Lily. The portrayal of the characters was great, and their struggles believable. However, I can't say whether their behaviour is typical or atypical. But, personally, I felt that the depiction of the characters was realistic. Overall, a brilliant debut novel. Laura Creedle has created loveable characters while raising awareness about complex issues, and I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone else receives it! 

(For a full review see my blog)

I was provided a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ page 100.

I struggled throughout the first hundred pages to find any connection to Abelard or Lily, and came up short. Not a bad book, just a very wordy one that doesn't form any sense of connection between the characters and its reader.

**Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complementary copy of THE LOVE LETTERS OF ABELARD AND LILY in exchange for my honest review**

GRADE: B 
4 STARS

Lily, impulsively kisses her classmate after going off her ADHD meds. Abelard is high functioning on the Autism Spectrum, doesn't normally like to be touched. The two begin aa atypical romance, despite their challenges, but those challenges may just tear them apart.  

Laura Creedle's debut novel will have broad appeal to those with and without disabilities. Lily is a frustrating character, especially when med noncompliant and she uses her ADHD as an excuse. At times she doesn't want to ask for the special accommodations, which would be fine if she could function without it. She doesn't communicate about the side effects that cause her to stop taking the meds. I had a hard time seeing what she brought to the friendship with her best friend. I really liked Abelard and how hard he worked to overcome the obstacles of his condition.

The most interesting aspect for me was the debate over the brain surgery which would eliminate Lily's need for meds. Was she broken in need of fixing or was she leveling the playing field by correcting an obstacle? I was glad for the choice she ultimately made.

THE LOVE LETTERS OF ABELARD AND LILY will help neurotypical kids see the challenges of those with disabilities and give kids with ADHD and Autism characters to champion.