Letters To Myself

This is a story about Cassie ... her journey from an abusive marital relationship. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse.  Her husband is suffering from something not quite defined in these pages. He's on medication, but they seem to wear off just in time for him to go home in the evening.  His drinking doesn't help.   He controls her with his rages and although he has never hit her, he is physically abusive. He also is sexually addicted to his wife.

With the help of a really good therapist and an extremely good friend, Cassie wants things to change, she wants to quit being the person who submits to her husband's every whim and fantasy.  But when he moves out of the home, she is devastated. So what does she want?

What follows is her journey, written in letters To herself and From herself, as advised from her therapist. 

The author has certainly done her research and this is a well-written work of art that could conceivably be used in classrooms dealing with women's issues.  This story is very graphic in nature and may not be the best choice for some.

I can't say I "enjoyed" this book ... but it was compelling and kept me turning page after page. I needed to see how it all turned out.  There is no cliff hanger --- but there is a follow up book titled CASSIE'S STORY.

Many thanks to the author / BooksGoSocial / Netgalley for the digital copy.  Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I receive this kindle copy from Net Galley and author for honest review. 
What a awesome read!
The minute I saw this in my kindle I started reading it. Just the cover alone had me hooked. I new there was something dark and suspense. Every page, Every chapter had me hooked so into it that I didn't want to stop reading at all. The sitting, theme, and characters are well written. It was well written and storyline was just well put together. Great suspense threw out the hole book. This book had my heart beating so fast that I was going crazy. I was in a Rollercoaster! 
Highly recommend everybody read.
Can't wait for your next book.

First line: "<i>You're waiting for him to come back to you. </i>"

Disgusting. Absolutely, 100%...


But oh, so heartbreaking, tragic, and hopeful all at once. Beautiful in the most terrifying way.

Although this is a fictional book with fictional characters, it rings true to what, I can only imagine, must be a life of terror being in an abusive relationship.

The novel starts out with a seemingly normal blended family. Cassie Parsons is a stay-at-home mom with two kids, ages 13 and 8. Her husband, Nathan, has a neurological condition (which is never revealed, and I am really quite interested to know what he has…, but that’s an entirely new matter altogether... I mean in the synopsis it is, but throughout the novel, it is referred to as a neurological condition, and nothing more...) which causes unpredictable behavior, mood-swings, and a controlling mindset. We quickly see that Cassie is not happy. We begin to unravel slowly, but surely, what is going on…and we see how Cassie copes with what’s happening in her life. Cassie goes through many hard, and particularly awful, situations that she learns to use to become more in tune with herself through writing letters. 

<i>I know it hurts to see reality; we often fight tooth and nail to hold onto what we believe reality to be.</i>

I absolutely loved the characters, although I did hate one in particular ;). Cassie is definitely my favorite character - she is an inspiring woman, who has many ambitions for her future, that she discovers while discovering her true thoughts and feelings. She is a strong woman that recovers her independence and is able to stand up for herself after many years of having her independence and her personality eroded through a “clouded” abusive and controlling relationship.  

<i>Cut out all that is wrong in your life. Live each day as well as you can, have no regrets.</i>

The plot was phenomenal, although at times it was hard to swallow. Sheryl Lee has a great talent which is evident in her writing. I felt many emotions while reading this book, varying from sadness, speechlessness - which at times, bordered on disgust, hope, and happiness. I had a hard time putting this novel down, and am quite happy that I got a chance to read this courtesy of Netgalley. Included in this review are a few select quotes that really moved me while reading, so I thought I would drop them off here…and hopefully inspire you to read this book too. 

<i>And you know what life does when you're content don't you? Life snickers and then pulls the rug from under you. Life has a very sick sense of humour sometimes.</i>

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the character was able to work through her problems & find the much needed self confidence to make choices to better her life & the life of her child. A woman who has no self esteem, no self confidence to deal with her husband, his illness, & abuse... struggles to work her way out of the darkness to a more fulfilling life. I would definitely buy/recommend this to friends/family.

Letters To Myself is a powerful read that offers the reader an inside glimpse into the world of living with a sex-addicted narcissist.  Ms. Lee doesn't romanticize the torture of sharing a household and life with someone that suffers from neurological and personality disorders with no ability to recognize their problems.  

It is a hard pill to swallow, but an accurate telling.  

My hope as I finished reading this book is that those fortunate enough not to identify with Cassie in any way will be more sympathetic and understanding to those in their lives who have dealt with this form of abuse.  As the few people in Cassie's life who were not completely alienated by Nathan told her, abuse isn't simply broken bones and bruises (although our Cassie had her fair share of those).  Marital rape is a real and tragic thing.  And, most importantly, it doesn't always involve the word "no."  

I appreciate Ms. Lee's realistic and heart-wrenching description of mental, emotional, and sexual abuse in committed relationships; however, this book certainly should have a large, visible trigger warning.

All that said, the content was well handled, but the first person narrative style isn't my particular cup of tea.  I prefer more dialogue than Letters To Myself had, especially in the beginning.  There was quite an infodump at the start that perhaps could have been woven into the story itself a little more.  Most of these complaints are just this reader's taste.

Finally, I must simply say that as much as I rooted for Cassie through the entire story, Matt was exemplary in so many ways and exactly the person Cassie needed in her life.  Oh, and, please give BamBam a HUGE dinosaur bone for his heroics.

An uncomfortable read about marital abuse. 

Cassie and Nathan has a troubled marriage, and when Cassie seeks help her therapist gives her a notebook in order to write about her feelings 

Cassies writing are emotional and at times I wept for her, 

The author has written a superb book but I feel Nathan had an 'excuse' for his behaviour and actions such as his should never be excused, even with a medical condition.

A good read but  hard at times

This book was Simply amazing. It would make a sensational read for a Psychology 101 class.  It was a roller coaster of an emotional read though.  I went though moments of wanting to scream, cry, yell and laugh.  I would 100% recommend this book to my friends to read.