I met my soulmate on July 17th, 2017. He wasn’t my typical type, but the way his ice blue eyes cut through me and his deep honeyed voice warmed me back up made him something new entirely; they were two of the million little things that seemed to make him mine.Except…I met my fiancé December 22nd, 2012.I didn’t plan for any of this to happen. Not to meet James Larrabee or to fall in love. Not to … fall in love. Not to hurt the people closest to me. And definitely, definitely not to write the letters that would be both my salvation and my damnation.
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Mina was engaged to be married until her fiancé found letters she wrote someone else. Now she’s gotta pick up pieces and move on and live. James is the man she’s secretly in love with but is he good for her? Will she ever get a chance to find out?
“ . . .”
This was unlike anything else I’ve read, EVER.
The letters gave us a deep insight into the love Mina has for James.
I devoured these words in one sitting, with no breaks for air or anything else a human needs to sustain themselves.
I cried with Mina. I felt with James. I rallied with Courtney. There were so many things to experience, and Gray did it flawlessly.
This is not the first I’ve read of her work, but this was so incredibly different than the route she’s gone before, and I have to say it paid off tremendously.
I can’t wait to find out if love is enough for this couple.
Ace Gray ripped my heart out, broke it into million pieces and then left me in a complete emotional chaos in All The Letters I’ll Never Send You. This is beautiful love in most raw, intense and captivating form.
I cannot tell you that this story has a definite beginning or ending. This is the endless journey of Mina and James and their feelings. The beauty of the story in the sorcery of words. They have this unique and all consuming friendship that slowly transformed into love. A love that cannot be. A love that is forbidden and so wrong. Yet nothing makes more sense and more right to them. But that doesn’t make it easy to accept. So James destroyed Mina’s heart. And she has just recovered a bit only for him to come back with promises of future. Will she survive if she falls this time? Are they too toxic to be with each other?
If angst wrote an autobiography, All The Letters I’ll Never Send You will be it. Many of my friends think I read romance because it’s sweet. But this book is the reason why I read romance. All the ugly, messy, painful, debilitating and heartaching glory of love. Because love is not perfect. Love is not rainbows and sunshine. Love is deep dark tears of heart. And Ace Gray brought it to life like never before. I am in love with Mina’s insecurity, guilt, heartbreak and ability to love with every thing even it means breaking herself. I am in love with the simple, easy, fascinating and charming ways of James. I am in love with their flawed, scarred and special kind of love. It is that kind of love story that will consume your heart, drown you in emotions and you will still want more.
All The Letters I’ll Never Send You by Ace Gray is the celebration of love that is gritty , real and soul deep. The author will make you face your own heartbreaks and tragedies. And it will remain one of the most spiritual and unforgettable reading experience for me!
Received ARC for Honest review
This is my first book by Ace Gray. I fell in love with the title and blurb straight away and I was so excited to start this. Unfortunately that excitement didn’t last.
All The Letters I’ll Never Send You starts with a series of letters written by a woman who’s in love with her co worker. She makes it clear she never intends to let him read the letters, it’s a way for her to process her feelings. This is the part when a little of my excitement died. I felt like I was missing something. The letters gave such a one sided, at times I thought somewhat vague, view of what was happening. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something but hoped things would be explained later in the book. You can see the impact that events are having on Mila, you can feel her pain and suffering, her turmoil and infatuation. The story then skips to three years later, she’s moved away, she’s getting her life in order and then James appears sending her spiralling.
I struggled with both Mila and James. I couldn’t connect with either of them. Mila is a hot mess when it comes to James but I couldn’t see why. What made him so special? Was he interested or playing games? Mila is borderline obsessed with James, she questions everything and at times I found her to be very draining. The constant back and forth between them didn’t have the angst I was hoping for, it just got tiresome.
I really wanted to love this book. I had such high expectations and I’m not sure if that’s got anything to do with my feelings about the book. Did I build it up too much in my head? Possibly. I loved the idea of it but maybe getting just Minas pov wasn’t enough for me? I can’t help but feel getting James pov would’ve brought a lot more to the story. Is it a case of it’s not the book, it’s me? I don’t know. I do think this is one of those books that everyone will form different opinions about, some are going to love it and some like me are going to struggle.
An angsty and often painful love story
Have you ever loved someone with all your heart but couldn’t get past your insecurities to let them all the way in?
Welcome to Mina’s world.
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Overall rating:
Kindle unlimited: Yes
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This is not your typical love story. This is a story of love that happens at the wrong time. This is a love story that hurts. This is a love story filled with regrets and insecurities.
What do you do when you are engaged to one man but love another obsessively. You watch your world implode. You watch your heart break, you feel the pain. What happens when your soulmate comes back into your life after you break and have managed to barely duct tape yourself together. This story that’s what happens.
If you are looking for a story that will bring you to tears, make your heartache and make you pray that two characters can find their way, this is your book. This angsty, painful and unique story is for you.
Mina and James have their flaws. But you can’t help but root for them! You will want to scream at Mina many times! But every one of us has probably been a Mina before. Loved someone so deeply you couldn’t breathe, loved someone to the point of insanity. I know I have. This story reached me on so many different levels and now I anxiously wait for book two, I recommend you give this a book a read.
Time and time again Ace blows me away with the craft in her words. Granted, Im used to some her more dark, sinister writing, but she has always made me feel all the things. Love and lust and longing for what you feel you can never have. Pain, betrayal, and anguish. All these things come from her words and carry over into All the Letters I’ll Never Send You.
Just going by the letters, we get an idea of how it might feel to have feelings for someone OTHER than the one your with. For Mina to feel as though something is missing and wonder if James may be the missing piece. Or is that just the art of illusion?
I feel like this first installment showed us how James helped Mina make some very important realizations (even if he didn’t know it). To be able to love freely. To recognize how great a great love can be. How sometimes we set our expectations so low, we truly believe we are receiving the love we deserve.
The question now…Is she ready?
“James Fucking Larrabee is holding out his hand, waiting for me to take it, like he’s my knight in shining armor not the battle axe that split me in two.”
Unexpected and original. Ace Gray writes heartache so beautiful and real, you feel your own breaking right along with Mina’s & James’s.
3.5/5 Rating
Angst and Heartbreak… Those words were playing in my head on repeat. The angst was in full effect and the heartbreak was not only felt by Mina but by me as well. Her heart and soul was within each letter she wrote. Oh Mina… I wanted her to express herself. Not just within her letters. Well, I wanted both characters to express themselves better. James… it seemed like an okay character but I wanted a little bit more out of him. It was all about the communication. I’m hoping for more communication between the characters in the next installment.
Here we go…Ace I have been a reader of yours for awhile now and think I have managed to read as many of your books as I can find. Each one always get me in the feels but also makes me come back for more. There are no words for the excitement I had to find out this series was going to be published! THIS BOOK IS FILLED WITH SO MUCH ANGST, LOVE, LIFE, AND REALNESS. THIS IS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER OF THE BEST KIND! BE PREPARED THIS IS NOT A COOKIE CUTTER LOVER STORY! The book just jumps right in a whirlwind and in the beginning my heart was all for Mina while I was completely rationalizing her feelings and actions. But then BAM I’m now feeling so conflicted with Mina and James. Whose side am I really on? Are there any sides? And wait for it…BAM…you get another major angsty twist. (Many Bam moments all over the place just dont want to spoil anything for anyone.) This book has such a different writing style that I find so refreshing. Now that I have finished I’m honestly left needing the next book and feeling happily emotionally drained. I feel like a book hangover is coming because I’m not sure anything will keep my attention at the moment. Ace has never let me down on making me feel like I’m the characters in her books and I love every second of it!
My frame of reference for Ace Gray’s work is dark romance. And while All the Letters I’ll Never Send You is definitely not dark, it is mostly a romance. I say that because, at times, it felt more like an obsession than a romance.
The formatting of the story is a little unusual. It starts off with letters Mina has written that contain her emotions. Her anguish was clear. They are an inside look at everything that can’t or won’t be said, but needs to be.
Mina has her issues. Her insecurities and lack of trust were battles I wanted to see her win though it was difficult to read and very frustrating. James is complicated. His communication skills are lacking. I’m not sure I completely understood their dynamic and at times felt like I was missing something.
Their love is messy and flawed. They need to figure it out. This one ends on a cliffhanger with the answers coming in All the Letters I’ll Ever Read.
This book definitely has the angst and heartbreak down! It did feel a bit slow moving and I mostly wanted to shake the characters and just tell them to actually communicate but I did enjoy it as well haha. Looking forward to what happens in the next book!
Wow. I have never read a book like this before. It literally starts out with letters. I thought that was very unique. This story is very real and raw. This story pulled me in and wrapped its self around me squeezed as hard as possible. This story has amazing highs and lows. You will fall hard for these characters. I can’t wait for the next book!
Thank you so much Ace for giving us your words again
There’s a reason I have sat on writing this review FOR MONTHS! I am having the hardest time figuring out what to say. This is such an original, unbelievably stirring story that took me completely by surprise. So well, here we are. I joked with Ace that I should just copy and paste the direct messages I sent her during and after I read the book and honestly, it’s the best I can do. Word for word—in order even—my feelings and ramblings:
1. I’m at 76% (that’s fast for me these days…) and it’s incredible. Those damn letters man. They set up the story so tortuously and beautifully.
2. Mina’s yearning honestly had me reminiscing about old unreturned crushes and those heart-aching feelings. And I know this story is so much MORE than that so please don’t think I’m downplaying anything, but I think that’s why people are going to be able to relate on at least a small level. Because anyone who tells you that they’ve never had a crush (even a small school-age one) on someone they couldn’t have is a liar! In my opinion…
3. Duuuuuude! It’s the best I’ve read from you, no doubt.
4. I LOVE that it’s raw and honest and painful!
5. And it’s a total gut punch, but this shit isn’t all fairy tales in real life.
6. Fuck the typical desired book boyfriend! I personally love James. I am so much like him—I don’t often wear my heart on my sleeve, I tend to probably over-rationalize things when feelings like this just don’t make sense most of the time, I’m not an overly expressive person (emotion-wise)!
7. But Mina also broke my heart! I’ve had Minas in my life!
8. It’s such a lovely painful story that makes my heart stutter a bit. I’m serious about the reminiscing…I’ve felt a little bit of this feeling before and man oh man…
9. I just really loved it. It’s not typical, it’s hard, it’s heartfelt.
10. …Mina is pouring her heart out. It’s her stream of consciousness and it shouldn’t be interrupted. It’s maybe messy but her feelings are messy so I think it’s perfect for the whole damn heartbreaking show.
11. Look, it won’t be everyone’s jam—but nothing is!! I still maintain that the story is absolutely relatable. Even if it’s in a teeny tiny way for some people. And those letters are the backbone of this story. Who hasn’t wanted to rip their own heart out in such a cathartic way!! But seriously, I FEEL these books. And to wrap the whole heart-aching package up—your writing is stunning.
There you have it. It’s not neat, but perhaps it’s quite fitting for Mina and James’ story because their story is anything but neat. Ace Gray pours her heart out with this very real, bleeding and poignant story about true heartache. Take a chance. It’s unlike anything you’ve read before. All The Letters I’ll Never Send You gets all my stars.
All the Letters I’ll Never Send you is an emotionally riveting novel. I fell deeply in love with this story mainly because it’s real, raw, and has flawed characters. I don’t always want to read about perfect characters in my books and feel like I enjoy them more when the characters are flawed and dealing with tough decisions. So for that, the author gets my highest praises. Books like this are sure to cause inner turmoil in a reader because it touches us in places we may never want to venture or experience. Should be love the characters for their faults? Hate them for them? Well, that’s for the reader to decide themselves but I personally felt connected to them FOR their issues. I felt this connection because I could sympathize with them.
This may not be the easiest read for everyone but it’s certainly one that had me glued to the pages. I love a book filled with angst such as this and am really looking forward to the anticipated conclusion.
Well give me a neck brace because the whiplash was fucking everywhere.
All The Letters I’ll Never Send You starts with letters Mina is writing to her coworker, James. Letters that she hasn’t and won’t send him because she is engaged to another man. These letters bordered on obsession, honestly, which I think is a good insight into Mina’s character. She really over-feels and overthinks and analyzes EVERYTHING.
I couldn’t get what her draw to James was. The manbun? Because the rest of him was an emotionally closed-off man, with what appears to be a phobia of commitment, and a distinct lack of ability to communicate.
Once James reappears back in Mina’s life, the two are constantly back and forth regarding their feelings and relationship. I just wanted to shout at them to PICK A SIDE. The angst was too much for me and by the end I really didn’t care for either character. Sadly not for me.
The moment I read the premise for All the Letters I’ll Never Send You, I knew that this story was going to pull on ALL of my heartstrings, but I never could have anticipated that intense ache that would stay even days after finishing (honestly it probably won’t disappear until I get my hands on the conclusion of the Handwritten & Heartbroken Duet and possibly even longer than that).
Ace Gray’s writing is beautifully poetic and I absolutely adored this emotionally unique storyline. She wholeheartedly captivated every piece of my heart, or what was left of it after inhaling all the words. She drew me in right from the beginning of this complicated journey and had me fighting back tears at times. Mina’s letters reveal her deepest desires and allows readers to see right into her soul. We feel the pain she does and we cry right along side her. Her story was raw and all you wanted to do was reach through the pages and give her a hug because of the pain she felt and the heartbreak she endures for a man who she feels was destined to be her soulmate, even if she had a fiancé already at the time they met.
I cannot freaking wait to get my hands on, All The Letters I’ve Ever Read, because I can’t wait to see how this journey ends. It was EVERYTHING and I think you all should give this one of a kind story a chance, even if your heart will NEVER be the same again!
Get ready to be mindblown. Get ready to have your heart shattered in this unique, tumultuous love story that is so differently executed but still bears the exquisite Ace Gray writing style we all admire. She has this beautiful way of tearing pieces out of her soul and stitching them perfectly on paper with so much emotion that every word feels like a shot through the heart.
Mina and James are not your everyday romance book characters. They are flawed and real, sometimes annoyingly so, but that’s what I love about them. The complexity of their relationship, their inner struggle, the doubt, the angst – I want to feel it all, no matter how painful, heartbreaking or raw it is. That’s what makes me devour books and I practically inhaled this one. Well done Ace!
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I was intrigued when I read the blurb for it so I knew I had to read it and I am really glad I did. This author starts telling this story through letters and it was a unique and intriguing way to tell a story . It immediately sucked me in and I really enjoyed it ! Can’t wait to find out what’s in store for Mina and James ! Will they be able to find there way back to each other ? Start this intriguing story of love loss and heartache in All The Letters I’ll Never Send You right now ! You won’t be sorry !
*** I voluntarily reviewed an advanced complimentary copy of this book ***
This book is unlike anything Ace has written before. Honestly, it is unlike anything I have ever read before. It is really hard to try to put into words what this book is! The only word that really comes to mind is REAL. This book felt so real!
It is emotionally raw, sad, full of heartbreak, insecurities, but also so very beautiful.
The story starts off with a number of letters written by Mina to James. Letters that she never intends on giving to him, but things she needs to get out. The letters depict her heartache, inner turmoil, slight obsession, and realizations that a) she is in love with him, b) she doesn’t feel worthy enough for him, c) she can never be with him, and d) he is her soul mate. The book then segues to years later when Mina has finally started to rebuild her life after the implosion of her friendship with James, only to have James re-appear and throw things off kilter again. In the end, we are left wondering if/how James and Mina will overcome their troubles and find their way to one another.
The emotions this book evoked in me were real. I felt everything Mina and James felt. I felt the rawness of their want, the realness of their heartbreak, and related, in ways, to their insecurities. I love both these characters, but I will tell you there were times where I was really frustrated with them!
Mina and James’ story seriously hurt my heart.
This book is unique and it is special, and I highly recommend you all give it a try! Once you read it, I think you will know exactly what I was trying to convey in this review.
Congratulations Ace! This book is something that was definitely needed in this book world and I am so glad you took a risk and wrote it! You BLEW ME AWAY!!
I am sitting here eagerly awaiting All The Letters I’ve Ever Read, Handwritten & Heartbreak Book 2, to find out what happens with this couple.