The Love Note by Joanna Davidson Politano {book review}

Hey, friends. I sincerely apologize for not having this up last week. It's been a very long time since I've completely missed a week on the blog. I'm right in the middle of a two-month personal writing camp, and last week found me writing nearly 19,000 new words. Due to the busyness of that, my tutoring job, and household chores, my blog completely escaped my mind except for a couple of times as I was falling asleep at 3:00 a.m. Yep, there have been some late nights involved in this writing journey lately.

So, now it's time for me to share about my #1 favorite book of this calendar year.

Firstly, I am obligated to tell you, thanks to the Federal Trade Commission, that I received a complimentary copy of the following book, and these are my honest thoughts.

Now that the official stuff is out of the way, let's dive in.

Y'all, The Love Note by Joanna Davidson Politano is outstanding. It drew me in, wrapped me in its mystery, and blew my mind... all at the same time. The cover, which I saw when it was revealed, I think, late last year, was my first glimpse of this story, and I knew right away I'd be in for an amazing story. I'm so glad the words beneath that cover art didn't let me down, because it's still my favorite cover of the year.

Before I get to my official review, here's what the book's about.

About the Book

“Dear one, I have no business writing to you, and I’m not certain
I’ll even have the courage to deliver this…”

Focused on a career in medicine and not on romance, Willa Duvall is thrown slightly off course during the summer of 1859 when she discovers a never-opened love letter in a crack of her old writing desk. Compelled to find the passionate soul who penned it and the person who never received it, she takes a job as a nurse at the seaside estate of Crestwicke Manor.

“Every time I smell forget-me-nots, I will think of you . . . and remember.”

Everyone at Crestwicke has feelings–mostly negative ones–about the man who wrote the letter, but he seems to have disappeared. With plenty of enticing clues but few answers, Willa’s search becomes even more complicated when she misplaces the letter and it passes from person to person in the house, each finding a thrilling or disheartening message in its words. 

Here's a little bit about the author from her website.

About the Author

I’m a work-from-home mom of two fun and adventurous littles and we’ll soon be homeschooling. I married my hero Vince, who is my love and my polar opposite. I write, he tears it up with the red pen. I break cars and other mechanical things, he puts them back together. He’s nailed the “speak the truth” thing, and I bring the “in love” part. But the real spark to our marriage is that he does not like chocolate and I…  like it a normal amount. We love and live from our little house in the woods near Lake Michigan.

All right. You've waited long enough, friends. Here is my official review, which may be seen on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon:

My Review

Soaring to the status of my favorite book of the year, The Love Note touched my every emotion and reached into every crevice in my heart. I loved the gothic mystery that took place at Crestwicke Manor, and the anonymous love note was beautifully used throughout the story.

The book immediately reminded me of the movie Letters to Juliet, because of the long-lost letter angle. As it grew to maturity, this book reminded me of Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre; the layers of twisted, forgotten, and budding romance of Wuthering Heights; and the innocent sweetness of any of Jane Austen’s novels. I loved the complexity and how nothing and no one were what they seemed.

The voice in this novel was superb. Each sentence, each word choice seemed purposeful and important, and I highlighted so very many lines in my NetGalley copy of this book. I can hardly wait to read another of this author’s books, and the upcoming title, The Ballet Shoes, intrigues me by the title and author name alone. It’s leapfrogging to the top of my watch list, because I want that baby as soon as is humanly possible.

Next week, there will be an article up. I'm going to set it up right now, while I'm thinking about it, actually. This will be a blast from the past in honor of a certain upcoming celebration. Stay tuned!

Now I think I'll dive back into another Politano book. I've only got two more to be fully caught up! Have you read any of Mrs. Politano's stories? Which is your favorite? If you haven't read one yet, which one are you most looking forward to?