Letters From My Sister by Valerie Fraser Luesse Review

 Happy Monday Friends :)

If you're visiting my blog today from either Canada or the United States, then I also want to go ahead and say Happy Labor Day.

I'm feeling blessed this year to have this day off of work for a change, and since my husband's working and we're currently under an extreme air quality warning from wildfire smoke, I'm enjoying a day to spend some time with Jesus, clean my home, and curl up with some wonderful reads.

I recently finished a book from a new to me author that I knew I couldn't wait to tell you all about.

I'd never read anything quite like this particular title before, and without further adieu, I'm excited to share my review of this one with you all.

Letters from my Sister by Valerie Fraser Luesse:

Source: Complimentary Copy Provided by the Publisher as Part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: August 15th, 2023

Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction

Synopsis:

Two Sisters. One Single Event. A Family Changed Forever.

At the turn of the twentieth century, sisters Emmy and Callie Bullock are living a privileged life as the only daughters of a wealthy Alabama cotton farmer when their well-ordered household gets turned upside down by the arrival of Lily McGee. Arrestingly beautiful, Lily quickly--and innocently--draws the wrong kind of attention. Meanwhile, Callie meets a man who offers her the freedom to abandon social constraints and discover her truest self.

After Lily has a baby, Callie witnesses something she was never meant to see--or did she? Her memory is a haze, just an image in her mind of Emmy standing on a darkened riverbank and cradling Lily's missing baby girl. Only when the sisters are separated does the truth slowly come to light through their letters--including a revelation that will shape the rest of Callie's life.

Bestselling author Valerie Fraser Luesse weaves a complex and suspenseful tale dripping with intrigue, romance, and Southern charm.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

Letters From My Sister wasn't anything like I'd initially expected, and yet this beautifully written historical fiction dragged me right in, and I can honestly say that I've never read anything quite like it before.

While I expected this to be a mystery novel that focused around letters written between two young adult sisters, both of those elements didn't come into play until much further into the story. Instead the reader follows our main protagonist Callie, and the close relationship she shares with her entire family, but especially with her elder sister Emmy. The Bullock family aren't your typical wealthy southern family. Parents Amelia and Ira have raised their children to respect hard work, and to treat their colored servants as family. Callie and Emmy couldn't be more different, but they've both been blessed to have had the upbringing they have, and both have hearts of gold towards those around them. However, everything changes when a relative of their house manager comes to visit, and attracts the attention of Emmy's fiance's brother, who's more of a scoundrel than anyone could possibly say.

As Callie struggles to adapt to the changes in the family dynamic, along with finally experiencing love for the first time, she finds her life going in a direction she never could have expected. Soon tragedy strikes, and she's left trying to put together the pieces that she can't bring herself to remember. 

Overall, it was remarkably easy to fall in love with the Bullock family, and the heartwarming way they care about each other and everyone around them. Perhaps my favorite part of the entire story was the incredible relationship they've built between each other, and they truly come together to face every obstacle and tragedy as one family unit.

I also can't say enough good things about the adorable romance, and the fact that the author chose to keep it completely clean. It was slow burn, swoon worthy, and idyllic, and I loved getting to follow along on the entire journey.

This was my first time picking up a novel by this author, and I found myself adoring her beautiful writing stye. The pages seemed to truly fly by whenever I picked this one up, and I loved how immersive and atmospheric the story was to the reader.

All in all, this one would have ended up being another one of my favorite reads of the year. However, I have to say that I personally wasn't a huge fan of the gift of sight/seer passages that made me slightly uncomfortable as a Christian reader. Without giving away too many spoilers, I did appreciate that each time it's mentioned, it was consistently stated that the gift was to be used for the Lord's work, but it still bothered me, and I would have enjoyed it more if that hadn't been included.

Final Rating: 4/5.

Still a wonderful title, and one that I'd recommend to anyone who is a fan of Christian historical fiction set in the south. 

I loved my first experience with a novel by Valerie Fraser Luesse, and I look forward to reading more of her titles in the future.

Thanks so much to Revell Publishing for allowing me to read and review this title!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your holiday weekend, and I pray the best for you all in the coming autumn season.

It's finally the "ber" months and I couldn't be more excited for my favorite time of the year.