Why do people leave everything behind and go and live abroad? There could be different reasons, of course. You could have found the love of your life and follow them to the other side of the world if needed. Or you could have received the job offer of a life time and you just cannot refuse it. Or you just have to get away from everything and need a fresh start in a new place.

The story was full of emotions, but it was quite funny at the same time too. It broke my heart and it made me smile.

I liked Joy, but sometimes I did not like her very much too. At times she was too immature, to whiney in my opinion. It felt like she did not want to be happy and tried to sabotage herself or she just let it be. She did not want to make to much effort to change the things she was not happy about.

I was very pleased to see that she gave herself a mental kick and started to take her future in her own hands. You can not be happy if you are not happy with yourself. You have to change that first and than the rest will follow too. I am glad she started to realise that and did something about it.

Even though she sometimes got on my nerves, it certainly was a beautiful story. 4 stars.

Thank you

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Cool concept of telling a story through letters rather than chapters, but the book fell flat for me and I didn't finish it.

I am in charge of the senior library and work with a group of Reading Ambassadors from 16-18 to ensure that our boarding school library is modernised and meets the need of both our senior students and staff. It has been great to have the chance to talk about these books with our seniors and discuss what they want and need on their shelves. I was drawn to his book because I thought it would be something different from the usual school library fare and draw the students in with a tempting storyline and lots to discuss.
This book was a really enjoyable read with strong characters and a real sense of time and place. I enjoyed the ways that it maintained a cracking pace that kept me turning its pages and ensured that I had much to discuss with them after finishing. It was not only a lively and enjoyable novel but had lots of contemporary themes for our book group to pick up and spend hours discussing too.
I think it's important to choose books that interest as well as challenge our students and I can see this book being very popular with students and staff alike; this will be an excellent purchase as it has everything that we look for in a great read - a tempting premise, fantastic characters and a plot that keeps you gripped until you close its final page.

This was an amazing, unique book. Instead of chapters, this book is divided into "letters". I was skeptical about this book at first, unsure if I would enjoy it. This book will take you on emotional highs and lows but its worth the read.

A beautiful soulful read! I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by Drew Davies.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

This book is heartbreaking. The writing is simple and easy to understand. The starting was slow but it turned out really well in the end.

In a series of messy and vulnerable letters from one sister to another, we come to know Joy and her many imperfections. Though she's desperately flawed, I sympathized with Joy and wanted only the best for her. It did take me many stops and starts to really get into this book, but, fortunately, I stuck with it and found myself devouring the last half, enthusiastically rooting for Joy by the end. "Dear Lily" reads like a wonderful romcom and was a lovely antidote to darker days.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced reader copy; and to Drew, thank you for sharing your humour and talent with the world. I look forward to reading another one of your novels soon!

3.5 rounded up. Epistolary novels can be hard to pull off, but this one does a pretty nice job of character development through a series of approximately 30 very long letters. It's heartbreaking at times, but mostly entertaining. It felt remarkably similar to Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Enough so that I wouldn't recommend reading the two books back-to-back.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I found the format of this book to be refreshing and easy reading. I related well to the character Joy. Joy is moving to Denmark and embarking on a new life. She frequently writes to her younger sister Lily, in funny emotional letters. A heartwarming read that doesnt disappoint.

I just couldn't get into this one. I DNF'd around 20%. It was a cute concept, but it just fell flat for me.

Life's ups and downs shared through letters to a sister. Even though they are separated by a great distance, Joy shares the details of her life to her sister, Lily. Midway through, the reader learns a horrible truth, but it doesn't change the connection that Joy and Lily have and that Joy can continue to share her deepest secrets with her sister.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

This book is told entirely through letters from Joy to her sister Lily. Through these letters we follow the changing life of Joy as she moves away from home to start a new life. The story is emotional, funny, I was drawn in immediately to it.

You will need a few hankies when reading this story, I did. A great read.

This book was an emotional roller coaster that had me in tears of joy and sadness. I loved the way this book was written in letters. This is something that makes this novel different than the rest, the letters become an intimate way of getting to know these characters and understanding the raw emotion and thought behind the writer, Joy and her sister Lily. Beautiful read worth picking up for sure

When I finally get my stuff together and plan a trip to Copenhagen, this is the book I will bring with me to read on the bus, airport and on the flight! Touching, witty and very emotional, it’s a perfect book to space out, lose yourself in someone else’s life, and enjoy the hustle and bustle of traveling.

Set in Copenhagen, Denmark, «Dear Lily» is a collection of letters from Joy to her younger sister Lily, where she recollects her experiences of moving to a different country, getting a new job, finding friends and dealing with mundane struggles of everyday life.

Joy has plunged into an adventure by accepting a job offer in the medical research office in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is moving away from her hometown and her comfort zone. She leaves her family, her boyfriend, and her sister behind.

For anyone who’s experienced the dive into another culture, Joy’s struggles will sound very familiar - the fear to go outside and not being understood, the loneliness, the need to adapt and the desire to be accepted. At the beginning of the book, I had that feeling that Joy was running from something, maybe from her own emotions, and the only way to escape was to build herself a brand new life.

Witty and sarcastic, Joy’s letters to her little sister Lily were a pleasure to read, but you could also tell that her attempts to make jokes, to seem light and uplifting came as a protective mechanism to not have to face the hardships of life with a dead-serious face.

As much as I enjoyed Joy as the main protagonist and as much as I loved the writing style, the story itself felt a little bit too much. And I can’t put my finger exactly on what bugged me, but the number of things that kept happening made me feel overwhelmed. The constant drama, self-deprecation, and attempts of a better lifestyle… If it was too much for me as I was just reading ABOUT it, I can’t imagine how Joy managed to juggle it all!

There’s something special about letters (we should write more), and I loved that this story was told by way of Joy’s letters to her sister.

Joy has done something completely out of character for her, and has found herself starting a new role in a new country, away from her family and friends – she is completely out of her comfort zone but through her letters you uncover her character, a bit of an overthinker, sometimes slightly neurotic but also very funny.

It’s a real uplifting story of starting over – it’s one sided being told through only Joy’s letters, but it totally works for the story arc – it’ll have you laughing at loud but also stiffling a few tears if you’re reading in public.

It’s also rare to find a “chick – lit” book written by a man that works so well – I didn’t even realise the author wasn’t a woman – fantastic read!

Joy decides that she needs a complete change of life and goes right out of her comfort zone and moves to Denmark. We then follow the ups and downs of her life through a series of letters to her sister Lily.

A good story that took a bit of getting into, I liked the concept of the story being told in letters and once you got into it there was definitely a roller coaster of emotions so definitely worth persevering with

I was expecting a funny rom com type of book but it has so much more. This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster laughing one minute and almost crying the next.Joy moves to Denmark so she can be free of her her life in London. Through a series of letters to her sister Lily, we found out why. I enjoyed the humour within the book but also the contrasting aspects that really packed an emotional punch.
Tissues at the ready guys.

If you love books that take you on an emotional journey that will have you crying one minute and laughing the next, read Drew Davies' Dear Lily - a love letter between two sisters. This book is one of the best books that I've read in a long time and it's hard to go into too much of a synopsis without giving it away; however, if you enjoy JoJo Moyes, I would recommend you try this author.

OH WOW. This type of writing really hits home for me - it had me laughing one minute and crying the other. Lily and her sister write letters to each other and the novel is set up in this way. You slowly figure out what Lily is going through and I don't know how anyone can't relate to her. I really loved this heartwarming, quick read and it would be such a cute gift!