I have enjoyed previous releases by Valerie Fraser Luesse and her newest, Letters from My Sister is no different. I thought it was a pretty good read. Four and a half stars.

This is an outstanding coming of age novel involving two privileged sisters, Emily and Callie. I was completely engrossed in every word Author Valerie Fraser Luesse put to page and especially surrounding the blossoming relationship between Solomon and Callie. A refreshing southern story of family, romance and hope. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I have never read this author before but I was interested in the plot. It has a good story line with likable characters and vivid descriptions. I did find it a bit odd to be called Letters from My Sister but only has four letters total exchanged.

Sisters Callie and Emmy are as unlike as you can imagine but love each other very much. They live on a successful farm with their happy, vibrant family. Emmy is engaged to man from another prominent family, while Callie is still looking for someone who will love her with all her quirks. When a man from Missouri buys a neighboring farm, Callie might have found her matching heart. But when the married brother of Emmy's fiance starts inappropriately chasing the granddaughter of the family cook/housekeeper, someone has to act to protect innocent widow, Lily and her new baby. When Lily and the baby go missing, Callie begins having visions and disconnected thoughts relating to their disappearance. Did something bad happen to Lily and the baby? Is Callie going insane? And how will these circumstances effect her budding relationship with their new neighbor, Solomon?

I did enjoy the whole Bullock family. Some are outgoing, some are reserved, but all are fiercely loyal to each other. The book highlights prejudice and racism against former slaves after the Civil War. The Bullock family do not see color, but others around them don't feel the same. The story as a whole, is very sad, but I suspect we/I have forgotten how death was an everyday occurrence for people throughout history. I also felt that the big mystery surrounding Lily's disappearance fell kinda flat. She needed to escape the clutches of a nasty white man and vanished; End of story.

So, in conclusion, not my favorite, but worth reading if you enjoy post Civil War or Christian fiction.

Two teenage sisters growing up in a privileged family in the post-Civil War Era must come to terms with societal expectations for women and race relationships, cope with tuberculosis and its tragic impact, as well as paying the high monetary cost of medical and mental health treatments prior to private or public health insurance. At times slow to develop and unrealistically sweet relationships, the story developed into a satisfying read.

This is my introduction to books by Valerie Fraser Luesse, but it won't be my last. She created a moving novel of sweet romance, endearing sisterhood, family loyalty and overcoming diversity. Thanks to NetGally and the publisher for an advance reader copy.

This book took me quite a while to understand what the heart of the story was. Once the backstory was developed and the author got into the mystery and the romance, it was an enjoyable story. My favorite character was Solomon. I really enjoyed how much he cared for the Bullock family. The healers and things were something I could have done without.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Initially I thought Letters from my Sister was an enjoyable sweet romance, then just before the half way point there is a change and I became really engaged and didn’t want to put this suspenseful novel down. I appreciated the description of life for the two main characters, sisters, as young women living in a privileged family at the turn of the century who were loved and supported by their family while still being fairly well stuck with their lot in life as women. The historic aspects of the story including tuberculosis and treatment, farming and family life, and the relation between landowners and household/farm help created an interesting and realistic backdrop for the story. One slight downside for me was that several good characters were painted as overly perfect rather than real. Thank you to NetGalley and Revell for an early copy to read and review. This book will come out mid August 2023.

This is my second time reading this author’s work, and it was an endearing story about two sisters that takes place during the post-Civil War era. I grew up with four brothers and no sisters, and the sister dynamic has always intrigued me since I never experienced that. Emmy and Callie have such a sweet and beautiful relationship, and witnessing how that relationship changes and evolves was by far my favorite part of the story. There are several elements to Letters from My Sister that keep the reader turning the pages, including some romance, family secrets, and even some mystery and suspense. The only thing that kept me from giving this book five stars was the inclusion of “seers”. If I’m not mistaken, Valerie Fraser Luesse is a Christian author, so this plot element was a bit distracting. Overall, though, I would still recommend it.

In Letters from My Sister, Callie Bullock finds herself unable to remember how she received a head injury that removed all her memories of a curious family incident. The book tells of her journey to remember while she also falls in love and copes with tragedy.

My favorite part about the book was the sisterhood relationship. Callie and Emmy were so sweet to each other, and I thought their unwavering love and support was beautiful. Emmy was the best character, in my opinion.

For the rest of the story, though, I had a difficult time caring too much about what happened. From the get go, I didn’t understand what the big deal was about the plot elements that were supposed to be dramatic. It took a very long time for me to really even understand what the plot was. At first, it seemed like Lily would play a larger role, but she pretty much disappeared abut 25% of the way in. Then it seemed like the letters would feature more heavily, but they didn’t come until about the 60% mark, and there were maybe only 4 total (give or take, but there weren’t very many). When the secret was finally revealed, it felt very anticlimactic. Also, I felt like there needed to be more relationship development between Callie and Solomon. It started off well but then progressed too quickly.

My biggest problem with the book was the emphasis on “visions” and “seers.” That was weird coming from a Christian fiction book, and I wasn’t a fan of that theme.

This is an endearing story of the relationship between the Bullock sisters. Nevertheless, I fell in love with the entire family. The dynamics of their family was raw, real, and relatable on many levels. There was a mysterious event that occurs that I believe kept the story moving and interesting.

A heart-warming, beautifully written book about two sisters. This had a great premise with romance and family secrets slowly being unravelled as you progress through the book. I also loved seeing the sisters grow and change as well. Overall a great book I would really recommend.

This was a heartwarming book I how two sisters overcame adversaries to come together when things don't go as wcppected.

A beautifully written story with layers upon layers of mystery, love, and fantastic writing! I have never read anything by this author and she is brilliant. This was brilliant - it included everything I want in a good book: family secrets, history, love (both romantic and the love of family), and quality prose. Do yourself a favor and absolutely get this book. You won't be sorry. I couldn't put it down until I turned the last page!

Story about two sisters coming of age in the post-Civil War era, with both finding love but only one finding a happy ending. I enjoyed the story, but my suggestion would be to make the time frame clearer from the start, as that would provide more context to the story.