Sam's Letters to Jennifer

This was a light, romantic story about love lost and found told partially through letters from Jennifer's grandmother, Samatha. I found the plot okay, although predictable, and the characters stereotyped and somewhat boring. I really prefer Patterson's grittier books.

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 show more 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. show less

I loved the story and found it to be extremely adorable. The parts where we heard more involving the actual letters to Jennifer were extremely touching. However, I found myself enjoying the romance storyline better because I feel that it was more intriguing. The romance that Jennifer is involved in had me continuously turning the pages.

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.

Drenched in sentimentality…

Reading 'Sam's Letters to Jennifer' feels like eating a chocolate bar that tastes like everything else other than cocoa...

Now I know, why we shouldn't be reading other people's letters.

Read this several years ago but when reading the Woman of God made me think of this one since it left me with similar feelings about James Patterson's writing. While I enjoy Patterson for his abilities as a story teller often feel his writings are light, without an emotional impact and, as I call it, simply mind candy. When I read this one it changed my perception of James Patterson's writing as this story was written with emotion and feeling. And yes all of those things you can say about manipulative writing and trite cliches holds true here. However, this is a story that is meant to touch you to bring out and make you experience the feelings of love, of loss, of caring and ultimately of understanding. And in this James Patterson show more succeeded and helped me appreciate another side him beyond his abilities as a story teller. show less

Very sweet emotional story. At times a bit sappy especially for Patterson. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the story that provided options while reading of alternative endings. I hate when I can predict how a story will end.

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