THIS IS NOT A LOVE LETTER by Kim Purcell tells the heart-wrenching story of a teen dealing with the disappearance of her boyfriend.

When her boyfriend disappears, Jessie immediately suspects foul play. As the story unfolds, readers explore issues from their interracial relationship to mental illness and addiction. Told as a letter to her missing boyfriend, readers become immersed in the local community and are challenged to look beyond racism for answers.

Librarians will find this interracial love story to be popular with a youth who enjoy contemporary, realistic fiction. The compelling mystery and authentic characters make this an engaging young adult thriller.

Published by Disney-Hyperion on January 30, 2018. ARC courtesy of the publisher. ( )

The cover of this book is honestly so beautiful. And fitting too. And just from reading the premise, I knew this book would be a heart-breaker. The story is written like a letter, from Jessie to Chris. A week before graduation, Jessie told Chris they should go on a break, to "get some perspective" on their future. But then, Chris disappears, and Jessie remembers the three boys from the rival high school that beat Chris up three weeks ago. She's determined to prove that they had something to do with Chris' disappearance. But Chris is one of the black kids where they live, and people refuse to believe that his skin color could be part of the story. And yet, Jessie is also missing pieces - and the truth is not too easy to process.

I love the plot. A lot. I liked the amount of diversity in social issues that were addressed: racism, mental illness, and class imbalance all played a part in this story, and I felt like the intersectionality of these different issues really reflected the real world in a much more realistic manner. I'm not too sure what I feel about the ending, to be honest, as the story went in a direction I expected but didn't like too much.

I felt like some of the side characters could have been developed more, as some of them seemed to just be there to progress the plot forwards by providing information or adding to Jessie's emotional conflict. In fact, though we never saw much of Chris, I felt like I learned about his personality and his struggles simply through context and Jessie's memories; therefore, he was my probably my favorite character just because he was so complex. Because I liked him so much, I felt myself becoming more and more involved in the search for Chris.

I didn't have a problem with the writing style and how a lot of it used "you", as in Chris. I did get a little tired of lengthy narrations and found myself skimming. Still, there were some really beautiful lines that are testimonies to how great of a writer Kim Purecll is.

Overall, I'd still definitely recommend this to people to read, as I feel like it addresses a lot of important issues in today's society in a very extreme and eye-opening way. Either way, I feel like this is a story that'll leave you thinking and maybe even shedding a few tears. ( )

The main character is a Caucasian girl in a relationship with an African American boy, in a town of very few African Americans. The book addresses the negative attention their bi-racial relationship receives as well as the extra racial attention the African American receives. The book is written from the point of view of the girlfriend writing a letter to her missing boyfriend, explaining everything that is going on and how much she loves and misses him.

I found it hard to believe that the narrator was able to write down all the dialogue that she had or that she had the time to write all of these letters. I would have prefer to have letters within the storyline of the book instead of all of it being a letter.

Overall I was not impressed with the book. I appreciated the ending since it was not what I expected out of a young adult contemporary. I would definitely give this author another chance. ( )

It may not be a love letter per se, but it's definitely a story of love in its many forms. Heart wrenching yet humorous and real, Purcell writes a tale of teenage life that will not soon be forgotten. Timely and timeless, the subjects of love, friendship, growth and mental illness are tackled realistically and with heart.
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review ( )