I can't tell you how much I loved this book. I was completely shocked when I found out that James Patterson wrote it! ( )

An interesting premise that quickly develops into pure schmaltz - waiting for the made-for-tv movie to come out. ( )

From the name of the book I thought this was a love story when I saw my husband reading it … he told me it was a must read. I picked it up in the morning one day and had it finished by that afternoon. And I am a slow reader.
This story is one about a love and life of a woman, a great grandmother, and a lover all in one. They are what are left from a grandmother to her granddaughter, the story of a great love.
The granddaughter Jennifer has lost the love of her life in a tragic accident that she blames her self for, shortly after she gets a call that Sam her grandmother has slipped in to a coma. On her way to the hospital she stops at the beautiful house of Sam and finds a stack of numbered letters that Sam has left for her. ( )

This book was a part of Readers Digest Selected Editions, along with 3 other books that came as a set. I am thankful I read the abridged version, because I don't think I would have really finished the full version. No, don't get me wrong, I didn't completely hate the book but then...

This is the story of Jennifer who recently lost the love of her life because of an accident, for which she blames herself. She is shocked when she gets a call telling her that her great-grandmother had fallen and was in a coma. Jennifer is shattered at the very thought of losing Sam, her great grand mom. She leaves everything aside and rushes to Sam's beautiful house, where a bunch of numbered letters are awaiting her. As she meets up with Sam and lives in her house and waits for her recovery... she reads Sam's letters a few at a time. Through the letters, unfolds a story, she would have never known or thought about, about her grandmom. Through those letters she finds the courage to open herself to love and to life.

Somewhere I found it was similar to PS. I love You [ I have seen the movie]. Of course the story is different, but I couldn't help but compare.

Actually it is a very nice story. There are some questions that you really want answers too, and you just move through, to find the answers. Light, emotional read. But at times, I found it boring. And most of the times, I thought many of it was predictable.

So, you know I am kind of not sure, if i want to give it 3 or 2 star :)!

For being a quick read and nice story... I give it a 3 star :) ( )

I should preface this review by saying that I am not generally a huge fan of James Patterson. I think his mysteries have decent plots, but his writing is just so poor that I can’t really get in to his books. I feel like I am reading something by a fourth-grader, and I want him to throw in a slightly more complex sentence every once in a while! This was even more evident in this book, where he constantly felt the need to write about details that have absolutely no bearing on the plot (i.e., numerous passages that would sound something like this: "and then I ate a chicken sandwich" or "then we listened to Ella Fitzgerald" - who cares?). A better writer would be able to use minor details such as these to add to the tone or atmosphere of the story, but here is just comes off as a listing of unnecessary items to fill up some space quota. The storyline of this particular book was saccharine, mostly predictable (despite trying to hold an aura of mystery), and quite frankly, ridiculously unbelievable. Patterson also apparently has no concept of what a 35-year-old woman thinks or feels, so trying to first-person narrated this one was not the best choice. My take-away: if you are looking for something light and breezy to read, this page-turner is okay, but if you want something that doesn't make you feel dumber for having read it, pick up a different book. ( )

The beginning half of this book was just so-so, but I kept reading it because there were so many questions to be answered. What happened to Jennifer's baby and husband? Who was Doc? Was Sam going to live? What was Brendan's secret and once it was revealed, would he make it through this ordeal? Though I did think it was just okay at the beginning, I had to keep reading to find the answers to these questions.

This book overlaps two love stories, as told by Jennifer and her grandmother, Sam (Samantha). Jennifer tells her own story intermittently between reading a series of letters from Sam, in which she reveals her story to her granddaughter.

I literally cried when I read the last couple of chapters. When Jennifer gave her speech about her grandmother being her best friend, that was all it took. I was also very close with my grandmother and often described her as my best friend when she was living. I felt like I could relate with Jennifer's speech about her love and friendship with Sam. There are also other reasons that I cried at the end of the book, but I can't write them here because they will spoil it for future readers! If love stories make you cry, get out the tissues as you near the end of this one! ( )

I found this book to be a really great, quick read. I like Patterson's writing style and short chapters. I thought this was a touching story. ( )

I like this book, but I don't think its James Patterson style. To me I think he writes better mystery novels. I love his book with Alex Cross. The book was good through. You should read the book if you like James Patterson ( )

I love everything James Patterson writes.
An absolute tear jerker. Could barely put it down for a second and it flew by very quickly. I love the simplicity of the story telling, but also the heart that went into it. I tried my hardest not to cry but you can’t help it in the last chapters not to grieve with Jennifer and all the loss in her life. Loved it. ( )

Grief-stricken by a recent tragedy, Jennifer returns to the resort village where she grew up to help her beloved grandmother. A heart-wrenching tale and great mystery. Moving, so don't miss this wonderful tale of love and losses.

[Sam's Letters to Jennifer] by James Patterson is a wonderful book and will pull at your heart strings.
"Sam" is actually Samantha, Jennifer's Grandmother and best friend. For as long as Jennifer can remember, Sam has been her confidant. Jennifer has always wanted to know her Grandmother's story, but Sam always said it wasn't time yet.
When tragedy strikes, Jennifer finds letters that her Grandmother has written to her finally telling her, her story. As Jennifer goes through the summer she learns about her Grandmother's life, her own life and that things were not and are not always what they seem. Jennifer's summer journey runs the gamut from love, heartache, revelation, friendship, pain and back around to love. Your heart will break and then soar right along with Jennifer.
James Patterson has departed, again, from what readers are most acquainted with, as his style of writing. He hits a home run, showing how talented a writer he is.
My sister may have said it best when she told me that the book was written from a female perspective and that even though a man wrote it, it was very believable and done so well that you would think a woman did write it, if you didn't already know better.
As a woman myself, I would say, THAT takes talent! ( )

http://bookcrossing.com/journal/39573... ( )

Sappy and trite. Short and way to sweet.

Best part of the whole book was the quote, "For a long time it has seemed to me that life was about to begin -- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." -- Father Alfred D'Souza ( )

This is a story about a woman (Jennifer) who goes back to her childhood summer home to see about her grandmother Sam who is in a coma. Sam has left letters to Jennifer explaining a lot about family secrets and the real love of her life (not Jennifer's grandfather). Jennifer is still tortured by the untimely accidental death of her husband Danny. There are a lot of what ifs - if she had left on time for vacation maybe he would still be alive. This summer, Jennifer gets reacquainted with an old friend Brendan. They fall in love and Brendan reveals a terminal illness. However, the story has a bittersweet ending. Brendan survives surgery, goes into remission and he and Jennifer have a baby. Grandmother Sam wakes up, they have some good times but unfortunately Jennifer loses her. It is a good story, but Mr. Patterson makes his characters too perfect and sappy. ( )

I loved the book. It was a quick read and the chapters were short. Jennifer had to return to her grandmother's summer home in Lake Geneva,Wis due to her grandmother being in the hospital. There she must come to terms with own grief and that of her sick grandmother (Sam). Sam has written letters to Jennifer about Sam's life and life in general. Jennifer reads the letters
as well as finds new love with Brendan Kellar . Patterson does a good job of developing the characters and the ending was good although it didn't mention if Brendan and Jennifer got married. ( )

really good story line and grips you with reading of the letters ( )

This wasn't exactly my cup of tea. It's pretty sappy, overall, and less than memorable. I read it because it was a gift, and because I enjoy epistle fiction, but this failed to deliver for me. Perhaps I was in an overly critical frame of mind. Possibly good as a beach book selection. ( )

After reading Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas I figured I'd give this book a try. I didn't like it at all.

I liked it but not as much as "Suzanne's Diary to Nicholas". Quick read. ( )

I do not want to give too much away because this book lends itself to easy spoiling. Smarmy and bad writing, but somewhat entertaining. ( )

The word I like to describe about half of Patterson's work is actually written here on the first page: "saccharin"! And this was sickly sweet. I don't mind a good 'tragedy' novel, just as long as the characters aren't one-dimensional as they are in this case.

This book was the author taking his characters from one tragedy to the next, over and over, again and again ... I got up to the resuscitating-the-cat-with-her-new-love-the-gorgeous-doctor part before throwing the book away in disgust. ( )

A good easy quick read for a winter weekend in. ( )

Very much a romance book. I found it interesting and easy to read. A tale of a young woman who uncovers an untold story about her grandmother through her letters. A nice story. ( )

Laced with mystery, Sam's Letters To Jennifer combines two unforgettable love stories in a novel that's absolutely impossible to put down.
Jennifer returns to the resort village where she grew up to help a beloved relative--and ends up experiencing not one but two of the most amazing love stories she's ever known.

The first is completely unexpected. In a series of letters that Jennifer finds, her relative reveals that she has concealed a huge secret for decades: Her great love is not the man she was married to for all those years. As Jennifer reads about this passionate partnership, she learns more about love's imperatives and secrets than she ever dreamed possible.

And then comes the biggest surprise of all. At a time when she thought she could never love again, Jennifer lets her guard down for a moment--and is suddenly caught up in the greatest flight of exhilaration she's ever known. But, just as suddenly, she learns that this new love comes with an unbearable cost. Jennifer doesn't think she can survive the pain--but the letters she's been reading make her think that love may help her find a way.

Horrible. Definately not Patterson's best. ( )