Thirty-two year Maggie’s alcoholic mother has died, she is asked to take a break from her job and then she comes home to find her long term partner naked with his colleague. She leaves London and goes to stay in her mother’s house, trying to figure out her life. She finds a whole lot of love letters written in French that have been sewn into her mother’s wedding dress. Maggie and her childhood crush Nick try to find the father that went missing when her mother was pregnant with her. Maggie ends up finding out who really cares for her, why her mother was as disconnected as she was and the family she never knew existed.
This story moves quickly and is an easy enjoyable. An emotional read about families, friendships and secrets from the past. A mystery intertwined with a love story, interesting, intriguing and satisfyingly good. There were a few situations which weren’t addressed which I would have liked to have understood.

Thanks #netgalley for the copy to review!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Dash for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

<I>So when I read the synopsis I was hoping for a great book, for me this was just mediocre. When Maggie Burnett discovers her mother's beautiful wedding dress just days after she passes away, she wonders why she'd been told it was missing...

Pinned to the waistband is a note that reads: 'E, je t'aime. LS x' . 'E' must be Elizabeth, her mother, but who is 'LS'? Could he be the father she's never known? </I>

This has me wondering and diving to dive into the book. I hate writing bad reviews but there are so many things I didn't like about this book. To say this is an adult book the writing and character behaviour seemed very juvenile. I felt like I was reading a YA book and this totally distracted me from the story, I have to keep reminding myself these people were adults.

And I just couldn't warm to the characters, Maggie's Mum who is an alcoholic seemed horrible from the little info we got about her from Maggie. Her Sister is also prickly and stand offish her boyfriend Ed, is a creep. The only characters I liked where her friends with them beside her childhood crush Nick who happens to conveniently speak French, she goes on the hunt for this LS.

The book was really slow to take off for me and seemed to be going nowhere, as I didn't like the characters either I was just glad to finish the book in all honesty. And some of the choices she makes with Ed, just made me shake my head constantly.

This is the first book I have read by this author, although I didn't enjoy this book I would read something else written by her in the future.

Thank you Orion Dash and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I am unable to offer content warnings for this novel, as I DNFed it. However, be aware that there is mature content.

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// Quick Statistics //
Overall: 2/5 Stars
Plot: 3/5 Stars
Setting: 2/5 Stars
Characters: 1/5 Stars
Writing: 1/5 Stars
Memorability: 2/5 Stars

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// Quick Review //
I was really disappointed with this novel. I had a huge issue with the writing and characters that made me not finish reading, which I do not typically do.

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// Other Information //
Publisher: Orion Dash
Page Count: 208 pages
Release Date: July 12, 2021
Series: None
Genre: Fiction, Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Mystery

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// Book Description (via Goodreads) //
A wedding dress. A love letter. A secret that will change everything…

When Maggie Burnett discovers her mother’s beautiful wedding dress just days after she passes away, she wonders why she’d been told it was missing…

Pinned to the waistband is a note that reads: ‘E, je t’aime. LS x’. ‘E’ must be Elizabeth, her mother, but who is ‘LS’? Could he be the father she’s never known?

As Maggie’s seemingly happy life in London unravels, she decides it’s time to go home to Norfolk and figure out the truth once and for all. Even if it means running into Nick Forster, her secret childhood crush. What if this journey to the past is the key to a new beginning?

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// Characters //
One of my biggest issues was with the characters in the novel. I didn’t care about any of the characters, especially Maggie, the main one.

It was interesting to me that despite this being an adult romance novel, which is very clear even within the first 10% of the book, that all of the characters are written like teenagers in fanfiction on Wattpad.

That sounds really harsh, but it’s how I feel about the book’s characters. And don’t get me wrong, the characters being written like a fanfiction isn’t necessarily bad. It’s that, them being teen-esque, and how none of them were likable or relatable that made the characters poorly written and not realistic.

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// Writing and Setting //
I found it ill-fitting that the novel was written in a middle grade type style while the content within was pretty mature. It’s a weird mixture of middle grade and adult that put me off immediately.

There was nothing remarkable about the setting, but nothing off-putting either. (I’m pretty sure) the novel takes place in the UK, London, maybe?

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// Plot //
The plot itself is what motivated me to read as far as I did. Maggie is facing the death of her mother, the infidelity of her long-term boyfriend, and a quest to discover who her father was.

One of the highlights of the novel that convinced me not to continue reading this novel was when Ed, Maggie’s boyfriend of many years who she thinks will propose soon, cheats on her. Maggie doesn’t really seem to care, which is crazy to me.

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// Overall Review //
While I’m not a fan of romances anyways, I was by no means a fan of this novel. The Love Note might be a good read for fans of cheesy fanfic type romances, but not this bookworm.

I want to fist say thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me the eARC. Ok this book was good! Fue una historia que me encanto, Maggie tiene una relación maravillosa con sus amigos ellos son literalmente su familia y me encanto demasiado lo de las notas le dio un toque misterioso el libro lo volvería a leer sin problema y me encararía comprarlo cuando salga!

If you're after an escape with a bit of mystery thrown in, then 'The Love Note' by Kate G Smith might just be one to add to your TBR pile.

After Maggie's estranged alcoholic mother dies, her world starts to fall apart. Her boss forces her to take a break, and upon returning home from work early, discovers her long-term partner Ed cheating on her.

She returns to her hometown for the funeral, and clear her mother's house to sell while dealing with her spiky, but successful sister.

While clearing, she discovers a series of love letters written in French ande made out to 'ES' sewn into her mother’s wedding dress. This sets her on a mission to find her father, whom her mother refused to talk about with her.

She's aided by her French speaking childhood crush Nick Forster.

At times this book could be slow, and Maggie's choices could be infuriating, such as letting Ed weasel his way back into her life. Her best friends were great, but thre were times too when I felt they could've helped her more to stand up for herself, especially with her sister.

Overall though it hit my need for something 'light, fun and cute'. I personally have no headspace to deal with dark stories, there's enough going out in the world with the Delta variant! I enjoyed this book so much I bought my own copy, along with her first book (with the grammatically horrible title shared with the film) 'You've Got Mail'. I'm looking forward to her next book.

Thank you to Orion Dash and Netgalley.

When Maggie discovers her mother's wedding dress, days after she passes, she wonders why she was told it was missing. When trying on the dress, Maggie discovers a handwritten note sewn into the lining. 'E, je t'aime. LS x' ... could this be from her unknown father? Maggie moves back to her childhood home to find out the truth once and for all.

This one was a mixed bag for me... I thought the first half of the book was a little confused. It became more about Maggie's love life, rather than finding out the identity of her father and the story behind the notes. I definitely enjoyed the second half more. I loved seeing Maggie's relationship grow with Pops, and I learned to love Gwen in the end. And that twist... Shocker!!

I enjoyed the dual timeline, where we had glimpses into Maggie's past... however I thought there was a missed opportunity to learn more about Maggie's relationship with her mother. Why was it really so strained? By the end, I felt there were still a few loose ends that needed tying up. For instance, why were the letters in French?

I thought this was such a sweet idea for a book (it sounded very romantic!) but I'm not sure it lived up to my expectations. The writing style was great, so I felt like it almost needed to be a bit longer so we could delve deeper into the lives of the characters.

From the Author of You’ve Got Mail comes a new heart-warming and uplifting novel. Kate will have you feeling sad, nostalgic and happy in equal measures as she takes you on a journey with her main characters. Who by the way, are so friendly and warm you can’t help but become emotionally invested in their lives! For a romantic comedy it was oddly gripping too – underlying mystery that just held enough of the readers attention to be a good focus throughout. You can’t go wrong by picking up this book, grabbing a cuppa and diving right in.

This is the perfect sunny day read.

Heartwarming and uplifting, a story what I'd describe as perfect escapism.

Maggie (our main character) is down on her luck. She loses her mum, her long-term boyfriend and her job all in quick concession.

Can't a girl catch a break?

Moving back into her family home, she happens upon a series of love notes - hence the title - sewn into what she believes to be her mum's wedding dress.

What happens after is not what Maggie ever expected to happen.

ALL THE FEELS

I just adored this story. Romance at it's best. The blossoming love was adorable and the support offered from friends (Perdita cracked me up) really made the story for me.

An undercurrent of humour was flowing through the pages so even in more serious moments I couldn't help but smile.

Family secrets and lasting friendships. Add to that the fact that Kate has managed to find a brilliant balance between emotions and all that combined make this story a quick, fun read.

If you want summer to last a little bit longer I recommend that you read this story.

This was an enjoyable quick read. It’s about families, friendships and finding lost love. I would say it’s an ok read, not something to recommend I’m afraid.

This was a Romantic story which was perfect escapism for current times. It also had intertwining stories of friendship and finding lost love and finding answers to family connections running throughout. I liked the idea of the love notes being sewn into the wedding dress as the basis for the story and the air of intrigue and mystery they created.

A fun summer read, The Love Note is about Maggie who finds a love note attached to her late mother's wedding dress bringing a family secret to solve with the help of Nick her childhood crush.
A good story that will keep you reading to the end.
Thank You to Netgalley and Orion Dash for the eARC to read and review.

I enjoyed this book with thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the arc of this book in exchange for this review

A nice easy read, perfect for summer! With romance and even a hint of mystery in the form of a love note pinned to the wedding dress of our main character’s late mother.

When your life begins to unravel, what option do you have but to return back to your childhood home?

Maggie's life is a bit chaotic at the moment, her mother just passed away, her job has asked her to take some time off and her boyfriend is cheating on her. She returns back to the home she grew up in and tries to regroup, but it brings back a lot of memories as her older sister and mother both felt a lot of animosity towards her. When her childhood crush comes back into the picture, her interest in him is again sparked. Nick is a genuinely good guy who is trying to plan his mother's birthday party and needs help. He recruits Maggie to help him with the planning. As she finds out that the father she never knew left messages for her mother, she turns to Nick to help her find him.

This book was a little confusing because it jumped around a lot and there was little explanation until the very end about why Gwen acted the way she did or the incident between Nick when they were younger. I was upset with Maggie's decisions and her naiveté, but I understood that it makes the story a bit more interesting.

Maggie's relationship with her two best friends is one of the best parts of the book. They're both so supportive and are a great set of people for her to lean on during the hard times. They were also amusing especially Perdita.

While this wasn't my style of book with the cheating and the way the story was written, there are people who would enjoy this book.

I received an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

This is the perfect poolside read that has a good flow with an interesting plot! I always enjoy a novel with childhood crushes and this was no different. Overall, this was a sweet emotional story with twist and turns that has a satisfying ending! Recommend if you’re looking for a good quick read!

Special Thanks to Netgalley and Orion Dash for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest review!

A slow start but a good read. Lots of twists. Some characters you could not warm to.. The house sounded lovely. Your childhood can really mess you up. Edd was a greedy person. You guessed what he was up to . The flash backs were good. I liked Nic.. A happy ending which I always like

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC, all thoughts are my own.

This is a very soothing & enjoyable read.
Returning back to her childhood home, Maggi finds letters sewn to her late mother's wedding dress and so begins a quest to uncover the buried family secrets.
Top it all, her childhood crush helps her with this.

It was a very light read, with amazing friendships & support group that were there all the time.
The idea of love notes were intriguing & very scene to read about.

This was an enjoyable, emotional read. Just perfect. Returning to her childhood home Maggie finds love notes sewn into her mother's wedding dress bringing a family secret to solve with the help of her childhood crush. So romantic. Some characters i just wanted to scream at. The friendships however were so uplifting, offering support whenever needed. I loved it, such a sweet read that I couldn't put down.

Thank you to Orion Dash and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An easy to read enjoyable story. I loved the relationships between Maggie and her friends - they truly were her family. Friendships established over years together plus a restablished friendship meant so much to her and supported her after her mother had died. The idea of the love notes was very sweet and set the scene for an intriguing mystery for Maggie to solve.

Cute cover, exactly what it says on the tin.

Maggie’s mother dies, and she finds an old wedding dress with little love letters inside the lining, was Maggie’s mother hiding secrets? And can Maggie find out what they were.

I enjoyed the ease of this book, easy to read and to stay focused on the story.
I found a few situations which weren’t addressed which I would have liked to have understood. ( why was nick in her house when he didn’t live that close ).

Overall I enjoyed this sweet story and would definitely read more from this author again.