Love Letters to the Dead

Love Letters to the Dead is a deeply emotional young adult novel that follows 15-year-old Laurel as she grapples with profound grief after her older sister May's mysterious death. Through an English assignment, Laurel begins writing letters to deceased public figures like Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse, using them as confidantes to explore her feelings, family secrets, and the complexities of her new life. The book sensitively addresses themes of loss, identity, first love, friendship, and family dysfunction, including parental divorce and a mother's abandonment. It also includes a significant subplot involving sexual experimentation and molestation, which parents should be aware of. This novel is ideal for mature young adults aged 14 and up who are ready for a contemplative and sometimes dark exploration of difficult life experiences, ultimately offering a message of resilience and healing.

When Laurel starts writing letters to dead people for a school assignment, she begins to spill about her sister's mysterious death, her mother's departure from the family, her new friends, and her first love.