Everything Marie's Reviews > Dear Emily

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review *


From the very first teaser I read, I knew I was going to enjoy this book. Trudy does such a wonderful job of bringing emotion and passion through the pages of this book. Within the first 3 pages, I was hooked. The story begins with Carly and Kyle, a married couple who are not able to conceive and therefore have decided to adopt. Tabitha is a 21 year old who is the young mother, giving her unborn baby girl to both Carly and Kyle. The plot alone is so heartening and real the reader experiences these life altering events with the characters.

Both Carly and Tabitha have been through so much and each have a painful and tortuous past. The connection and love between Carly and Tabitha is just precious and genuine. I absolutely loved both of them and commend them for their bravery and determination to always strive to do the right thing. Trudy practically melted my heart and conjured my soul with her words. I felt so connected to Tabitha. Her story really hit home for me. Her life had gone to shit after a family tragedy and kept going downhill. I cried out for her and I wanted to console her and wipe away her tears. Reading her story broke my heart and boy, oh boy, did I cry for her. All she wanted was to feel loved but bad and indecisive decisions led to abuse and ridicule. I have so much respect for Tabitha in that, she knew she couldn't give her baby the life she deserved, and therefore, made the ultimate sacrifice.

I truly believe that Carly's strength and compassion is what helps Tabitha in the long run. Carly also had a painful and violent past, but her childhood was completely different from Tabitha's. Carly had a loving family and Carly had Kyle. Kyle is the perfect gentleman and knight in shining armor. I loved the way he protected Carly and I adored his admiration towards her. To him, Carly was an angel full of hope, and no one can take that away from her. He stood by Carly's side and welcomed Tabitha into their lives. How can you not love this man? He is super sweet, masculine, sexy as hell, and just freaking amazing!

The entire story will leave you in tears and provoke strong emotions from you. It is very touching and so personal, it's hard not to love this book. For a debut novel, this book really hit the mark. Trudy shows true talent by telling a story from two different woman, sharing a common goal. Her use of exceptional descriptive words brings the story to life. I felt like I was watching a Lifetime movie and all I wanted was a happy ending! I am so honored to have read this book and can easily say, that it has become one of my favorite books of 2013; definitely in my top 5. I am so proud of Trudy for writing such an amazing story and will definitely read the next in the series.