3.25 stars!

First of all, a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ALC of Dear Virginia, Wait for Me by Marcia Butler! I'm so grateful I got the chance to listen to this gem early.

Right from the start, I was completely hooked by the premise — I mean, a woman followed around by her inner voice as she builds resilience and fights her way through struggles? Sign me up! I just knew this was going to be special, and it absolutely was.

The writing and narration are super intriguing from the very beginning — it pulls you right in, and you don't want to leave. And oh, Pappa. What a queen! I found myself rooting for her so hard. She’s been through so much, but the way she pushes forward is just inspiring.

What I also loved is how the story explores some really heavy, emotional topics but manages to do it with a kind of lightness that makes it feel real and approachable, not overwhelming. It strikes that perfect balance between heartfelt and hopeful.

If you love character-driven stories with heart, grit, and a little bit of quirk, definitely give this one a listen. Pappa’s story will stick with me for a long time!

I had the opportunity to get an ARC of this book (audiobook). The storyline was really interesting, based in the Y2K era, a girl getting her first real job in the city while coming from what seems like an overbearing family, at first.

A few chapters in, you realize her parents rely on her for a lot of things due to her mother having had a mental break previous and still dealing with mental health struggles.

She’s struggling to find her way in the city. Her boss is extremely particular. The job is different than she’s expecting but she’s excited. Her boss introduces her to a whole new world of “luxury” she isn’t used too. Funny enough, she’s lived not far from the coast her whole life, but she’s never had seafood and is given lobster for the first time.

Also, she hears the voice of Virginia Wolfe in her head, talking to her.

Was it my favorite book? No. Was it a bad book? No.
Just a little drug out to show the stark differences in how her life was, then the life she was introduced too. Then the love story her parents introduce into her life feels off to me too.

The audiobook narrator was great. The different voices she did for the characters made following the story easy.

Dear Virginia, Wait for Me had moments of brilliance—there were scenes and passages that truly captivated me, and those parts were incredibly well done. The book showed real potential, and when it was good, it was really good. Unfortunately, those highlights were mixed with sections that felt unnecessary or even distracting, which pulled me out of the story. It was frustrating at times because I could see how great this book could have been. In the end, the inconsistency made it hard to fully enjoy, even though I genuinely loved certain parts. 2.25

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for the chance to listen to this title in exchange for my opinion.

tbh i found this book to be quite grating. couldn’t connect with the narrator or any of her decisions. some of the supporting characters felt like caricatures at times, specifically gogo and her father. chapters felt choppy & abrupt. not one i enjoyed reading.