I just didn't really enjoy this book. I had heard good feedback and wanted to give it a try, but then it just felt like Joy was droning on and on to her sister - who by the way we have very little insight into. Is her sister even alive or is this a figment of her imagination? A journal entry? It seemed cliched. I almost had the idea to write this same book when I was like 12. So I just didn't enjoy it the way I had hoped.

Every once in awhile I stumble across a book that is like a breathe of fresh air, and that was the case with this gem. It was beautifully unique and extremely touching and way more emotional that I was expecting, I just adored it!

The entire story is told via letters from Joy to her sister Lily and I really enjoyed the intimacy this structure provided. At the start Joy leaves her whole life back in England to take a new job in Denmark, it’s clear she’s looking for a fresh start after some big changes in her life and you slowly find out what she’s been through throughout the book. I connected to Joy immediately, she was raw and vulnerable in her letters to Lily but she was also incredibly funny and I got a real Bridget Jones vibe from some of her humor.

This really had it all, it was funny and charming, warm and wise and also heartbreaking at times. Joy was quirky and relatable and you can’t help but want the best for her, I was cheering her on the whole way. Totally recommend this one as a mostly feel good novel, it is sad at times but it’s ultimately uplifting and sweet.

Dear Lily in three words: Warm, Delightful and Touching.

This story is written in letter form from one sister to another. I did guess the premise of the book early on, but that didn't alter my enjoyment. This story is heartwarming and heart wrenching, witty and believable. A wonderfully descriptive book about both characters and places alike. I am so impressed with Drews ability to write so convincingly from a woman's point of view, especially about health issues. Being a huge fan of writing letters to get things off my mind, this book worked for me on that level. Plus being a hopeless speller and triple checking words, i loved the ("spelling"?) part, that's so me. I heartily recommend reading this book.

I love epistolary novels so much. They’re so much fun to read. This one was sad but I still enjoyed it a lot.

A very cute cover that caught my eye!

Unfortunately, what lies within the cover is not as wonderful. It was a very light, surface-level read. I love light reads but this one was just really bland. It felt as if it never moved forward.

The sister trope is a fine one, but in this story it wasn't working for me.

I ended up having to DNF about 60% through.

This book was not for me. The book is told through letters from Joy to her sister Lily. Joy has just left her life in England to move to Denmark and try something different.

I think whether you love or hate this book will really come down to how you connect to Joy’s voice. I’ve seen many great reviews but I just couldn’t get into it.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first book By Drew Davies (he also wrote The Shape of Us) and I was given an advanced copy thanks to NetGalley. This book is scheduled for release on 05/17/19 by one of my favorite publishers, Bookouture.

This book is read through the eyes of Joy, in her letters written to her sister Lily. Joy has packed her life up, said goodbye to her parents, and moved to Denmark without knowing the language, or anyone else. Lily is Joy's seemingly only support system, even though she is not physically there for her sister. Over the course of the book, Joy writes for support about job issues, parent issues, and love issues. She's a mess and in need of every piece of support and help she can get from writing Lily.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book. Joy is a stressful character. She is seriously flawed. From past eating disorder issues to her alcohol and tobacco consumption, it's clear she doesn't handle stress well. In addition, I started to feel very uneasy a quarter of the way through the book and I messaged one of my friends about what I thought was going to happen. My guess was accurate.

Even with my ability to predict the swing of the story, I really loved this book. It was outside my comfort zone, and I lost all handle of my emotions reading the last letter to Lily. Stress is a funny thing. Everyone handles it differently, and no one seems to have a cure. Joy certainly didn't. If she hadn't had Lily she probably would have been in a much worse situation.

If you're ready to feel all the feels, read this book. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll call your sister who will inevitably act like YOU are the crazy one for crying over a book. Seriously though, pick this up on 05/17/19. 💙


🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Dear Lily sounds like the start of a letter and that is exactly what this book is! A collection of letters. We get to know Lily and her family through her sister Joy and her letters.

That is write, the book is a collection of letters. Now I've read books like "The Boy Next Door" which is done pretty much over emails and never really thought anyone else other than Meg Cabot would be able to pull off stories told in that format. I was wrong. Drew Davies nailed it just as well if not better. Its an emotional novel but is a very charming story with characters I wound up adoring as the book went on. I found a common ground with Joy, and the place she was at in the beginning of the story and then where she wound up. Joy was real she was raw, she was humorous and most of all she was relatable!

I really enjoyed this book!

THANK YOU to NetGalley for the earc

This was a delightful, off-the-radar contemporary fiction. The book is written in a series letters from Joy, the older sister, to Lily her younger sister after Joy leaves London to live in Denmark. I really wouldn't call this a romantic comedy- it's more of a story for everyone. The themes of family, sisterhood, identity and nationality could be identified with by any reader. It's the kind of book that makes you laugh, cry, feel the bottom drop out of your stomach and then sign with satisfaction as you turn the last page. The book had a fairly predictable "twist" midway through that only added depth to the book and made it one I'd enjoy rereading again. This is a perfect summer vacation or lazy rainy weekend read.

I received a free digital advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions from NetGalley.

ARC received from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I quite liked the diary/stream-of-conscious writing style in this book. It helped give it some depth where the story was otherwise lacking, and I always find this type of narration more personal and relatable.

Unfortunately, beyond that this book fell pretty flat. Joy was so ridiculously whiny and self-absorbed most of the time that by the end when she kind of redeems herself I was already over it.

I also thought the author hid the “truth” about Lily for too long - I thought it was pretty obvious anyway. If it would’ve come out sooner that might’ve helped explain some of Joy’s insecurities and issues. Also not sure why there had to be a fixation on Lily being a lesbian and their mom not knowing. Again, kind of a drawn out storyline.

Drew Davies’ Dear Lily is an epistolary novel in the same vein as Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Our protagonist Joy starts off the tale by writing letters to her sister Lily. Throughout the book, we see the evolution of Joy - set against the backdrop of Denmark. An emotional read worth checking out.

This book is composed throughout of letters that are written between sisters Joy & Lily. The format is so fun to read, as you get to learn what has happened plot wise and learn more about their relationship, based on how the letters are written.

All of the characters are written so uniquely and their individual journeys are documented well, dealing with all aspects of life and how they deal with things. Truly emotive and definitely worth the read; some tissues definitely required if you're like me and cry about anything.

Joy is hilarious even though she may not try to be. I followed along her story quite often thinking "What will she do next?" and "Oh wow, she actually did that!".

NOTE: I received a free advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Written in letters, mostly from 35-year old single professional project manager Joy, who has recently moved from England to Copenhagen, to her little sister Lily - this book grew on me. Unless this is literally (and i do mean literally!) the first book you have ever read, you will see "the big twist" coming from page 1, so the efforts to keep that surprise felt a little forced and grew tired. However, once the twist is revealed, Joy's character development and showcasing of the secondary characters are better able to shine and take center stage and the book is better because of it. At first Joy's personality is so grating I considered giving up, but I am glad I stuck with the book and by the end Joy, her friends and the book as a whole really grew on me.

I’m very grateful to have received a free copy of Dear Lilly through NetGalley. Unfortunately I actually dnf’d the book at about 25%, I think the book is written well and has a lot of appeal but it just wasn’t for me. Personally I don’t particularly enjoy the letter format so a book has to especially capture me to get me to keep reading. I found the character Joy to be unrelatable and unlikeable, I think the letter format didn’t help because it was full of her thoughts and feelings. Again I think that is something that personally didn’t appeal to me, I could imagine this book really appealing to an older reader (I’m 22) maybe in their 30+, or someone who enjoys unreliable narrators, information being suspensefully given and the letter format. I thought the premise was really good and I was intrigued about Joy moving to Copenhagen and starting a new life. Overall I’d recommend the book to someone with different preferences to myself and I’m going to keep an eye out for the authors other books.

"Sometimes, when you don't know if you're making the right choices, even embracing a bad one makes you feel powerful."

I'm a sucker for epistolary novels. This book consists only of letters from Joy to her sister Lily, telling her about all the quirks and events happening in her life, and new start in Denmark after transferring for a job from England. Going into this story, I didn't know it was about Copenhagen and even though the Danes are not the focus of this book, the way Davies incorporated the characteristics of Denmark was absolutely charming.

Joy is an absolute hilarious and engaging narrator, trying to strut through life, getting rid of bad habits and coming to terms with the past and herself, while healing and forgiving and finding peace and happiness. The supporting cast was such a delight and so well developed. Her awkward encounters are relatable and often made me laugh out loud. A lot of witty lines which sometimes felt over the top and melodramatic, but they way Joy matures and grows as a person with every letter is lovely to watch.

This book is an easy read, flows nicely and has a genuine and uplifting character, letting the reader in on her ups and downs of life, while being humorous and fun to follow along.

This is an emotionally brutal novel wrapped in a charming package, quite in the tradition of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. It’s about new beginnings and the reality of it not being as happy as it seems to be. It still involves a lot of painful adjustments and mistakes.

The main character Joy, is ironically not very joyful. It can be difficult to read in her voice sometimes because she is clearly a person in pain. It is rewarding to see her journey from this seemingly obnoxious and damaged person to someone who is finally enjoying life, and living it to the fullest.

I loved reading about Denmark—the places, the culture and its people are all so fascinating. I recommend this novel to anyone who loves the epistolary format, and is looking for a novel about dealing with grief and loss. Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Bookouture for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 32%

Looking at the description, this book sonunded like it will be good. But it just wasn't the case.

What I most disliked about it was the format. It's told through letters which Joy writes to her younger sister Lily, but in my opinion, it didn't work here. The letters were so long and filled with somewhat unnecessary details, and as the book progressed it all turned into annoying rambling.

I couldn't invest myself in Joy's story to any extent. Her voice felt flat and dull, and this overall feels like some really bad attempt of merging Me Before You and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (with annoying main character and missed format) which didn't work for me at all.

Thanks to the Netgalley and publisher Bookatoure for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is only my second book that I’ve read entirely written in letter form and I absolutely loved it. It was a little slow going at first but I soon became so lost in the story that I couldn’t put it down.

This is the first book by Drew Davies I’ve read and I look forward to reading more of his books in the future!

Is it possible for a book written entirely in letters to sustain my interest?
If you’d have asked me before I started Dear Lily, I would have said ‘no’. In fact, if you’d asked me about 10% of the way through Drew Davies’ second book, I would have still said ‘no’ but something happened as I carried on reading - I forgot how it was written and became captivated by the story.
So, yes, with great writing, a wonderful cast and a catchy tale, which is funny and heartbreaking and all the things in between, it is possible to write an engaging book entirely in letters.
Joy is a character who gets better the more you get to know her – and as it’s written as a sort of stream of consciousness, you get to know her well.
She looks like she has it together – moving to a new country for a promotion - but she’s like a duck on water, gliding along on the surface but furiously paddling underneath to keep going. And sometimes she sinks.
She has a great supporting cast around her who help to move the story along and I really enjoyed learning more about Denmark.
Without giving anything away, I found myself getting more and more intrigued by Joy's little sister, Lily, and was thrown off course a couple of times but that's all I'll say about that.
In summary, this book turned out to be a nice surprise, it has a slow start but I couldn’t put it down by the end.
Well done to Drew for taking a risk, it paid off.

This was a good read but I have to be honest and say I found it really hard going to start with and was tempted to give up. I’m glad I persevered as I did enjoy it but it didn’t absorbed me as much as I’d hoped especially as I found the main character Joy hard work! Given how much other reviewers have loved it, I conclude it just wasn’t for me.