⭐️Review!⭐️
I generally do not love epistolary novels- with some exceptions. This is one of the exceptions. Dear Lily is funny, heartwarming, and entertaining. I love when books are able to make me feel a range of emotions, and this one made me both laugh and cry. @drewdavieswriter did a great job at capturing Joy’s inner dialogue in an authentic way that made me really identify with her. I highly recommend this gem, which is available on May 17th! 4/5⭐️’s!
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Thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for this copy in exchange for an honest review!

This entire book is the stream of consciousness letters from Joy to her sister Lilly. She only writes when she is high on emotions and that comes out clearly in the pages. I am not sure if everyone has a friend who goes on tangents like Joy does, but I do, quite a few of them in fact. They honed my tangential conversation skills in the four years of living in a girls hostel at college. This means that the ambience of the book will seep into this review and I am not (actively)trying to mimic the storyline.

Joy has moved to Copenhagen (if all goes as per plan, a place I intend to visit in June) on a sudden impulse. She volunteered for the role of her company in the city and took the jump without too much forethought. The first few weeks are excruciating to watch unfold since she is miserable and it is hard to see how each day turns out only a little better than the last. As she settles in this new place (I understand the feelings of an expat), she grows. Each epiphany brings her closer to normalcy or what passes for it in our world. I liked all of the supporting cast, even before Joy gets used to them and/or sees their true colours. Although I guessed a few events that occurred in the story, before they were even remotely hinted at, it did not lessen the impact of the tale. I snorted with laughter at points, smiled ruefully at others and shed a tear or two. I highly recommend this as a rainy day read.

This is a sweet novel- told in letters- about a woman moving countries to find herself. Joy writes to her sister Lily about everything- everything! Copenhagen is a big switch from London but she's hoping that it will be a positive change, given how crummy her life has been lately. This is a one sided conversation and you might wonder about Lily but no spoilers. This has a big heart and a nicely done sense of person and place (you'll learn a bit about life in Denmark). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fast read because you'll find yourself wanting to know what's happened next.

This novel is charming and funny but also rather complex and insightful. Honestly, I found this smart novel a breath of fresh air! The story revolves around letters that Joy writes to her sister Lily as she settles into life in Copenhagen. There is a bit of mystery here as to why Joy left the UK and why the story is told in letters that only go one direction...and although I figured out the reason fairly early on, it did not detract from the story, as it is much more about Joy finding her place with her family and in the world as a whole. Lovely book! Highly recommended. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital advanced copy for review.

I really enjoyed this book. The format took some getting used to, but after reading two letters in which Joy totally overshares her life, complaining about everything in Denmark to her sister, I was hooked. I wanted to know what Joy would experience next, what she would blab about to her sister, generally, just how her life in Denmark progressed.

I really liked Joy as a character. If I'd been older (a good deal older) we basically could've been the same person. Some authors in women's fiction make the protagonist a perfect woman who deals with her flaws instantly, but Joy really wasn't anything like that. She was relatable, humorous at times, but very real.

It's a great read for a sunny day in the garden, for a rainy day, for basically any day, so what are you waiting for?

Joy is desperate for a new start in life, now in her mid 30’s, she’s found her desire for the on-and-off relationship with her boyfriend has waned, her anxiety and depression are increasing and her habits (including food, drink and cigarettes) are damaging her life and, most probably, her career. Requesting a transfer to the Copenhagen office, Joy is hoping to make a fresh start and redefine her life for her: despite just how scary that prospect is. So we begin the story as Joy is overthinking, obsessing and detailing every minute detail of her life in letters to her younger sister, Lily. Perhaps she’s ultimately hoping to pass on knowledge and experience, or maybe this is just a form of therapy in her stream of consciousness details, but as we read of moments of big and little changes, find Joy’s struggles feel familiar (if not always as extreme), and want to see her find her way and a new outlook in the world.

Starting out, Joy is stubbornly clinging to all of her bad habits: perhaps great changes are beyond her grasp, or, as we soon see, the comfort in the familiar when everything else isn’t is how she holds onto her version of herself – the one who arrived in Copenhagen without ties, friends or even more than a wish for new. And, it does quickly become apparent that Joy is often her own worst enemy – overthinking her missteps, unable to just go with the flow and allow herself to not think of new situations through the lenses of her old life. But, she is very aware of what she wants to change, and slowly but surely she starts to find her ‘joy’ (pardon the pun) in small changes and new people who are becoming true friends. Improvement and comfort levels are slow to come, but Joy’s hopefulness from the first page to the last, as well as her realistic view of what she needs to change for her health, and just how surprising those small changes seem to effect the rest of her life are little miracles that she is finally able to celebrate. Perhaps the most notable element of the story is the solid voice and presence of Joy, as well as her desperation and need to ‘help” Lily through her experiences.

Written by Drew Davies, I’ll admit that I was curious to see just how well he could transform his perspective to a woman’s, and whether or not it would feel ‘forced’ or ‘false’. I didn’t have to worry: Joy is real. Flaws and all, worries that niggle and others that scream as you are making changes in the world, be you male or female. And perhaps that is the real surprise to me in this: perspectives and how the world is seen are, with a few small anatomical differences, usually human in derivation, and with Joy being a living, breathing person who could be reading her letters out loud, the story was engaging and clever, with plenty of laughs, heart and hope to go around.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-apK/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I really went in with no expectations here but this book was a really powerful, well written book. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about a book written entirely in letter format but I feel like the author did a really good job of fleshing out the characters and writing characters that made you get invested in them.

I also love how effectively he wrote female characters, really convincing and organic. I really enjoyed this, it wasn’t perfect, but it’s really well written. Would definitely recommend.

This was a bit of a tricky one for me. It took me quite a while to get into, which I think was largely due to the fact that it is written in one sided letters (always something I’ve struggled with in books - it just makes my attention wander for some reason!)

But around 15% in, I started really enjoying it. I totally agree with whoever said it reminds them of Bridget Jones, but I would say in some ways it’s actually better - less whinging about the weight for starters! There were still times where I felt it was a bit flat, but the mystery element kept me interested, and I thought it was very well paced.

Overall, I enjoyed it. Not the best book I’ve ever read, but not the worst, and definitely above average.

This is the story of Joy who requests a job transfer from her London office to the Copenhagen office. Her life at the moment seems to be a bit of a mess. She’s drinking too much and binge eating. And at the end of a relationship with her long standing boyfriend. When Joy is in Copenhagen we hear about her new life and struggles through her letters to her younger sister, Lily. I found this a charming, heartwarming story and really quite funny at times (I’m not a laugh out loud sort of person). I loved following her on her quest to finding love and happiness and re-building relationships, and making new friends in Denmark. All in all I found this a delightful story that packed an emotional wallop.
Thanks to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

What a sweet story this is! Such a light and feel-good read. I very much enjoyed the way the story is told through letters written by Joy. It reads so much more personal, and at times intimate.

Joy is in her mid 30's and has made a major change in her life. Moving to a new country to make a fresh start, she soon discovers what can happen if you take a chance at change. Joy writes letters to her sister, Lily, telling her all about her experiences in her new life. As the story progresses, and we get to know Joy a little better, we come to realize that her struggles with bad habits could damage, not only her life, but her career. Struggling to find her place, she discovers how far a little effort can go.

Joy moves from England to Denmark to step out of her comfort zone to give herself a fresh start. We learn about Joy and her past, present and hopeful future through a series of letters to her sister Lily. Joy is strong and independent but deals with depression and anxiety. She is hoping to figure out who she is and what she wants from life.
I really enjoyed this quirky and lovable book! It is told entirely through the series of letters, which is a new format for me. It tugged at my heartstrings and made me laugh out loud.
Thanks to Drew Davies, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of his fantastic book!

This was a quirky and fun book with a lot of heart. Joy is a likeable character who is dealing with depression, anxiety, and decides to start a new life in another country. I appreciated her independence. There were a few times she annoyed me but she dealt with these flaws and grew as a person. There was a small twist that I had suspected but the author still pulled it off nicely. I also liked the characters around Joy. They are so willing to help her and it was very uplifting.

In this epistolary novel, big sister, Joy is writing to her little sister Lily about her "new" life in Copenhagen. Joy has just started a new job in a new city. At 35 years old, Joy has split up with her boyfriend, who have been on and off "forever', but with her recent relocation to Copenhagen, Joy is hoping they are "off" for good. Joy is also struggling with her very bad smoking habits, and almost as bad drinking habits, and she relapses on and off with an "eating disorder" issue as well. Finally, Joy is feeling "pressure" from her parents, for her to "get married and have kids". She hopes her move to Copenhagen will help her leave all her issues behind her (in the UK), so she can start afresh. Her letters to Lily swing from hopeful to downright sad. She continues at first, to keep all her bad habits. But slowly, things begin to change for Joy. Will Joy succeed in establishing a new life in Copenhagen? Is it possible to turn over a new leaf? No spoilers here!

I really enjoyed reading #dearlily by Drew Davies. I never read his books before but now I will! What attracted me to the book initially, is its most "adorable" cover. but in the end its the content that counts. The book dealt with so many issues including: the importance of family, trust, love, respect, grief, separation, and perseverance (to list just a few). I highly recommend it! Thank you #netgalley and #bookouture for allowing me to read this #e-ARC.5 stars! In stores May 17th, 2019.

A cute book with a relatable main character. I enjoyed this one - a great, quick read. Definitely recommend!

I located this ARC on Netgalley, and had never read or heard of this author before, however based on the cover of the book, I thought it might be a great read.

The book is about an older sister who moves away, and starts writing letters to her younger sister. You can tell through the writing, that the older sister Joy, thought that their Mother was judgmental and harsh, and she just had to move away from everything that she had known.

It eventually comes to fruition that the younger sister, Lily, didn't read any of the letters, and that Joy was only writing the letters to help herself get through hard aspects of life that she wanted to share with Lily

I thought this was a well written book, especially written from the mind of one sister to another.

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Joy is an ironically named character who, going against her usual nature, has uprooted from London to live & work in Copenhagen. She recounts the transition in a series of letters to her sister Lily.

The blurb of this really drew me in however I must confess I approached this book with a certain preconception and I’m not sure if that affected my perspective when reading it or to put it another way I’m not sure if the author considered what the readers perspective would be. Apologies if that’s confusing but I’m trying to avoid spoilers just in case. As I first mentioned Joy is a contradiction and as such I didn’t wholly like her however her letters were a great insight into her ups, downs and general emotions and updates on her life with flashes of humour thrown in. The tone of the book alters as Joy gradually adapts to her new life but will she finally get to live up to her name?

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Joy is in her mid thirties and can't seem to make sense of her life, so she takes the opportunity to move to Copenhagen with work, and we discover her adventures and personal growth there through the letters she writes to her sister Lily.

Although Joy started out seeming a bit ditzy and irresponsible (although the chatty turn of phrase Davies endows her with is very entertaining), the format of the book was really engaging and I slowly came to really appreciate the character of Joy and how she grows and develops, as well as what we learn about her family and her past. This really was an entertaining read with a heart, and the emotional development of the plot really rang true for me which it sometimes doesn't with this genre of book for me.

There were lots of great characters and subplots (my favourites were probably Greta, and the cat) and it was a real page turner for me that I found really absorbing. My personal minor dislike was the constant querying by Joy of her spellings of some words. I think this was suppose to make the letters more realistic and to make Joy more relatable but I just found it distracting. Would definitely recommend and look for other books by this writer.

This book shock me to my core! It is filled with such heartache, beginnings, and life emotions. When I was reading through Dear Lily, I felt a connection to the character, in a sense of I could relate to how Joy was feeling, why she moved so far away and why she changed her life around.
Dear Lily is set out as 'letters' to Joy's younger sister, Lily, where Joy tells Lily about what was going on in her life. These letters are started when Joy gets transferred to the office to another country, Denmark. There, Joy has to learn to make new friends, learn a different language, as well as deal with her personal demons.
*SPOILER ALERT: Please don't read on if you don't want to know what happens at the end of the book* - It wasn't until Letter 23 that it came to light that Lily was actually dead. I was really shocked! I had assumed up till then, that Joy and Lily had a falling out and that Joy was writing to make bridges, so to speak. The letters had actually been a way to cope with her grief. After a health scare near the end of the book, Joy realises how much her sisters death had affected her, and travelled back home to visit her parents and put the past behind her. The last letter was written eight years after, when Joy was settled with her partner, Jakob and her two children. It was the perfect ending, to a perfect book!!

I found this slow at the start but I really liked it, it's a mixture of funny and teary moments and although I had guessed what had happened to Lil, my heart broke for Joy because if that was my sister, I think I would react the same way. This is my first time reading anything by Drew Davies and I just downloaded The Shape of Us. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own views and are completely unbiased.

I read this book slowly because I wanted to savor every sentiment, every moment, and the realistic moments she portrayed in the letters written to a sister she really loved and missed all the time. This was a beautiful book.