Molly Alcott didn¿t expect to open her mailbox one summer morning and find an old letter stuffed between bills and a supermarket flyer. Penned in familiar handwriting, dated over fifteen years ago, the letter was written to Molly after her first date with the man she¿ll never forget.
Week after week, new letters appear. Each marks an event in the history of their epic love affair. Each heals a … Each heals a wound. Each holds the confession of the man who still owns Molly¿s heart.
The letters are full of promise, hope and love, but truth be told, Molly wishes she could unread them all.
Because the man who wrote these letters is not the one sending them.
more
5 AMAZING Second Chance Stars! My new favorite by Devney Perry. You felt everything in this story! The love, the loss and everything in between. Finn and Molly’s chemistry is so palpable. This storyline will put you through a whole gamut of emotions and will piece back your heart in the best of ways. Hooked from the beginning until the end. A definite must read!
One word review………STUNNING! This beautiful love story by Devney Perry is absolutely stunning!
Soooo many feels. You’ll experience happiness, sadness, your heart will be full and your heart will break…it’s so realistic and fresh, you feel like you’re living right alongside these beautifully broken characters.
Molly and Finn experience so many beautiful and heartbreaking memories. The letters take you on a journey unlike any other that I’ve read.
If like me, you loved Cole and The Birthday List, you’ll love them in this one too.
I adored this beautiful book and highly recommend this author and series
Letters to Molly is my kind of romance – because second chances just rock my boat! And the love between Molly and Finn wasn’t dead – but it was in need of lots of help. That help came in the original way of old letters Finn had written to Molly, but never given to her. Then, one day, they started showing up in her mailbox. Forcing both Molly and Finn to deal with both the past and the present.
As always, Perry writes a heart-wrenching story. And yes, I was teary eyed at times. But I was also happy at times. I absolutely loved how present the children were in this novel, they were well fleshed out and had a real purpose in the story.
Letters to Molly is a beautifully written story. I’m so glad the author decided to let Molly share her story with the world. It’s a perfect example of how important communication is, especially in relationships.
Welp…I’m a mushy, emotional mess after finishing Letters to Molly. While I’ve been a big fan of Devney Perry’s work for a while now, this one spoke to me on another level. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve had to fight for a relationship. Maybe it was the sweetness of Max and Kali. Or maybe it was that Finn and Molly were both so wonderfully flawed. Whatever it was, I did not want to put this down.
I loved that both Finn and Molly were both a little broken from how things ended between them. Yes, time had passed, life had moved on, but they were in a holding pattern. They had never resolved some of the old wounds that hurt them. But when some old letters started to show up, it forced them to take a long, hard look at their relationship. Past and present.
Can you say emotional roller coaster? Revisiting their shared past, the good and the hard times, made them both look in the mirror and own up to their own mistakes. It wasn’t easy. It was hard. Painful. Laced with melancholy. They were both resigned for things to continue as they were. Until disaster struck and they were all thrown into survival mode. Hard decisions had to be made. Sacrifices. Pride set aside.
Devney Perry took loss and family and hope and forgiveness and spun it in a way that was completely captivating. I was racing to see how it would all end, while, at the same time, never wanting it to. Letters to Molly is second-chance romance in it’s purest form. There was no other way for Finn and Molly to be happy except with each other. It took a whole heck of a lot of work and even more tears and fear facing for them to get there, but the reward was oh so very sweet.
‘Letters To Molly’ is the second book in the ‘Maysen Jar’ series by Devney Perry. I was given a copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review.
First I’ll start by saying that this book is beautifully written. It deals with the pain of death and divorce, and works it’s way through a journey of forgiveness and healing. The plot is unique, captivating and you can’t help but root for Finn and Molly.
Finn and Molly are two ex spouses who co-parent their two children Max and Kali. They have gotten used to a life of separation, and have established clear boundaries. But when Finn shows up at her door and offers to help with her garden as a side project to his landscaping business, old wounds are opened.
When mysterious letters start appearing in Molly’s mailbox supposedly written by her ex-husband, she deliberates their purpose and wonders who her mystery postman might be. The letters are full of raw honesty and are words that weren’t meant to be spoken, let alone delivered. But with the delivery of more letters, Finn and Molly embark upon a journey of discovery from their past and any wrongdoings.
I love how normal Molly and Finn are, and how they could literally be your next door neighbours. Their bond is undeniable, and you share their pain of loss, betrayal and loneliness. It is a book that enables you to consider both perspectives in what appeared to be a very messy break up.
Amazing twists and turns with lots of loveable side characters such as Randall, Jimmy, Poppy and Cole. I didn’t not expect who the postman was! The book was intriguing and a total page turner. I’d recommend to all romance lovers and anyone looking for a nice enjoyable read.
In my opinion 5 stars just isn’t enough for this one!! It was absolutely incredible. It was beautiful and emotional, raw and silly. I fell in love with Finn & Molly immediately…..I was pulling for them from the very beginning because I could almost feel their connection and love for one another radiating from the pages. I never wanted it to end but at the same time I couldn’t wait to find out what happened.
Wow! Devney Perry’s writing is phenomenal. She writes beautiful stories that both break your heart but heal it again afterwards. She pours so much emotion into her words that you feel everything along with her characters, every laugh, every tear every bit of pain, but also every ounce of healing.
I loved the book 1 in the Maysen Jar series, The Birthday List. You meet Molly and Finn there and my curiosity was seriously peaked over what had happened to them. Even in the Birthday List you could still feel the love between them but it was buried down under a lot of pain and anger.
Molly and Finn met at college. Molly was Finn’s sisters roommate and from the minute they met the connection between them was instant and electric. Over time and 2 children later they are broken and divorced.
Molly has never stopped loving Finn and has hated watching him move on but now lines are starting to blur between them. When letters start arriving that Finn had written to Molly and never meant for her to see they will either break them completely or give them the chance to start rebuilding.
I loved this tale. I was rooting for Molly and Finn from the beginning hoping Finn would get his head out of his backside to see what he had in front of him. This couple had so much thrown at them, so many obstacles but their love still shone through whether they wanted to admit it or not.
Over the last few months I have become a huge fan of Devney Perry’s writing after devouring her Lark Cove series back to back. I am so excited to see what she is going to bring us next.
4.5 stars
Two broken hearts, a broken family and a lot of things unsaid. Can two people who still have feelings for each other overcome a divorce? Letters to Molly tells the story of Finn and Molly, who used to be married, and who are trying to move on from all the hurt. I love this second-chance story.
“That’s our story.” It wasn’t perfect. But it was ours.”
Finn and Molly had everything; a loving family, a successful business, and most importantly; each other. That was until real life took over, and both made bad decisions that caused the breakdown of their once so strong marriage. Fast forward six years, and Molly and Finn are kind of okay with their current situation. Being parents to their kids while keeping a personal distance to each other. But since true love can’t be ignored, Molly and Finn are giving it a second chance. Even if it means talking about their past and what went wrong. Some unsent letters from Finn to Molly play an important role.
“We’d had so much love. How did we get here? How did we get all the way from that letter to us now?”
Oh oh Molly and Finn. I want to hug both of them, and at the same time I want to lock them in a room to make them talk. Well, that should have happened years ago, and maybe things wouldn’t have turned out so badly. Molly is a sweetheart who blames herself for her failed marriage. Yes, she drove the ‘final nail in the coffin’, but she wouldn’t have done so if Finn had acted differently. Finn had good reasons for working as hard as he did, but the end result wasn’t what he had in mind. It’s very clear that Finn and Molly still love each other, and I’m so happy that they are back together.
I loved the Birthday List, but the whole Molly and Finn side story left me a bit unsettled. When I learned that they were getting their own book, I was thrilled. And Letters to Molly totally lives up to my expectations. Finn and Molly both have to learn to deal with their painful past, to forgive the other one and to see their own role. And that isn’t an easy thing to do. But true love is worth everything, and Molly and Finn take their chance.
“We’d never go back. We were all in, taking this journey together. Taking another chance on one another.”
In the last year I have become a dedicated Devney Perry fan. This book does not disappoint! It touches on some harsh subjects, that some readers might not be sure about (divorce and separation). Look past your fears because this beautiful story is worth it. Molly and Finn are the epitome of a second chance love story. You can’t help but fall in love with both of them, and root for their happily every after!
I was looking forward to this story since I read and loved The Birthday List. I couldn’t wait to learn more about Finn and Molly.
This story exceeded all my expectations for a great second chance love story. I loved both the characters as well as re-visiting with Cole and Poppy. The story was so well written and had great twists that were unexpected.
Devney never disappoints. Absolutely one of my top reads of 2019. I have recommended this to all of my book groups.
*4,5 stars*
A heartwarming yet heartbreaking story you won’t lightly forget after reading. A lot of things in the book also happen in real life to which you can definitely identify with. Another heartfelt story of this author who just has a way with words.
Molly and Finn have been divorced for a few years after they not only experienced a terrible loss but stopped communicating along the way but feelings between them still linger on as both have never really moved on. They somehow found a way to co-parent their two children and try to go on with their lives. But when something unexpectedly happens and there’s a terrible accident, things start to change between them and Finn will try everything to win Molly back. Although Molly has never completely gotten over Finn, there’s still some things from the past that are unresolved and when she starts receiving his old letters, something beneath is resurfacing. Will they find a way to break away from the past? And will Finn be able to break down Molly’s walls and reunite their family… forever?…
This is my first book by Devney Perry and although this is the second book of the Maysen Jar series it can definitely be read as a stand alone.
Molly and Finn have been divorced for a few years but they get along well and have a routine when it comes to co parenting their kids. They’ve worked hard to get to where they are in their relationship but you can feel the love that they still share for one another. Things start to change when Molly receives an old love letter that brings up old memories. This is the point that I thought I’d figure this book out. The letters arrive, they kiss and make up and live hea….but the letters make them both face things they’d prefer to leave in the past and it’s not only hard for them to face but it’s painful for the reader to witness how their love fell apart.
As I said before this was my first taste of a Devney Perry book and it definitely won’t be my last. The way the story is told, the emotion, the characters that you can’t help but love are all written perfectly and I can’t wait to read more of this authors work.
Molly and Finn’s story isn’t the first one wherein the couple was previously married, but the author’s take on the whole “divorce romance” trope was fresh and bold. Devney Perry had no qualms putting before her readers the good, the bad, and the ugly of Molly and Finn’s history as a couple, and I more than appreciated that because two people who go their separate ways is, more often than not, heartbreaking and Perry’s honest take on it reflected that. We get glimpses of how much they loved each other, but no more than necessary, another direction that Perry decided on that I found refreshingly creative. We don’t need the whole falling in love part rehashed too deeply nor is it something that’s needed after the divorce because the love is subtly revealed to still be very much there. What’s highlighted on is the story of forgiveness and reflection, both of self and the other person. My heart broke for these two and the revelation of how it all ties in with the heartrending tale that unfolds in The Birthday List stole my breath and had me reaching for tissues. I never had a doubt that Devney Perry could write a hauntingly beautiful love story, yet she still took me by surprise with the heartfelt honest found on the pages of Letters to Molly, which I’m giving five-plus stars to, even though that doesn’t seem enough. While you can read this as a standalone, I seriously encourage you to first peruse The Birthday List, which is the story of Finn’s sister, Poppy.
Overall Rating: ++++
“We have to live with the wounds we’ve inflicted on one another.”
And isn’t that life? Isn’t a part of loving someone, unfortunately, cutting into them even when it is unintentional, even when it is devastating? Even more importantly, how do we survive and continue to love that person after the damage has been done, after the cuts have struck so deep that the scab is now thicker than the original skin? That is the crux of Devney Perry’s newest heart-wrenching gem of a book, Letters to Molly.
My experience to date with the “second chance” romance trope has entailed two people who loved each other once, endured a trauma, and found themselves swept away from each other for some reason. Years later, they find each other and reconcile, ending in their “happily-ever-after” no matter the time lost. In all of these situations, the couple is not married until after the reconciliation. This has been my reading experience, and I don’t profess to be the most experienced romance reader since my entree into the genre didn’t begin until a year and a half ago.
Enter Devney Perry’s Letters to Molly. This book is a second book to her The Birthday List (TBL). We meet Molly, as the main character’s best friend (and former college roommate) and now ex-sister-in-law in that book. We find out quickly that Molly and Poppy’s brother, Finn, have a seemingly idyllic marriage. Until it isn’t. Unfortunately, in the midst of Poppy’s tragedy in that book, the two separate, and, one night, Molly sleeps with someone else, ending in Finn divorcing her.
Letters to Molly begins six years later. Molly and Finn have created an arrangement for their children and each other that allows them a fairly flawless relationship as they raise their children together, yet independent of each other. One night, after a night of family time, Molly and Finn’s natural chemistry (and some alcohol) leads them to sleep with each other, complicating the fortress of boundaries that Molly has created in the six years of their divorce. One day, a letter arrives at her house, a letter written by Finn, a letter written from a time when they were dating. Confused, Molly asks Finn about the letter, who responds in confusion that he never sent her the letter. In fact, these letters were written for her, but never given to her because they are letters he used to process his thoughts and emotions. He never had any intention of sending them to her.
As their physical relationship continues, so do the letters, highlighting the brokenness of their prior relationship. Through this process, Molly and Finn are forced to confront the truths of their marriage. The questions created by these letters: (1) who is sending them and (2) can these two forgive each other and find a future together?
“Until I forgave myself for being human and flawed and impulsive, the past would haunt me. It would haunt us.”
That is really at the heart of this story: forgiveness. And it’s the genius of this book. As I stated previously, I haven’t read a book about a divorced couple finding reconciliation. I think in our society today it seems odd for a couple to move past the traumas of their past to find a future together. However, Perry’s book shows us beautifully that two people, dealing with the ways in which they inflict trauma on each other, can own their part in it and reconcile. To be honest, it is glorious to consider this nowadays with the number of people who are divorced being equal to the number of people who are married. Acknowledging that maturity and perspective could go a long way to heal wounds made in a union seems a profound consideration.
When I was reading The Birthday List, my heart broke for Finn and Molly, most notably Molly. I read myself in her in many ways. She is that every day strong woman, the type of woman who takes care of everyone to the exclusion of her self. Most importantly, these type of women tend to have soft underbellies, so being shut out from your partner’s emotions or thoughts cuts deeply. And we see this happen with Molly. Instead of communicating this, she carries it onto her shoulders, weighing down her soul and heart. As we see in the book, this weight breaks. For so long, Finn doesn’t “see” Molly. He doesn’t note the weight that bears down upon her through life situations, and this is the problem. It’s the angst of this story that Devney writes so tragically. I could feel this weight and connect with the heaviness it bears on Molly’s life. It also brought me to tears because I could feel its impact in the careful crafting of Molly’s character.
It would be easy to vilify Finn. I was intensely angry with him in TBL. Honestly, I thought his emotional response to Molly was immature. But the beauty of Finn’s character in Letters to Molly is his eventual epiphany. We find out that he is dedicated, focused, thoughtful, hardworking, and introspective. I’m not sure that most men would take the time to consider his part in the divorce. In TBL, he blames Molly wholly for the destruction of their marriage. However, in this book, his introspection brings about their reconciliation. Perry helps us see through his character that forgiveness can only come from accepting responsibility for one’s own actions without blame to the other person. His character is essential to this story’s message, and Perry has created this man who the reader cannot help but fall in love with, especially by its end.
Beyond its characters, there is so much to love about this book:
Its ending, the epilogue, is delightful. I mean, heart-stoppingly perfect. I made a note in my Kindle version of this book to that effect. It made me sigh heavily, sad that the story was over.
The structure of this story. Each moment relates to one of Finn’s letters, and it points to a moment in the past while existing in the present. Each situation points us to one of the ways in which love was built or destroyed, and the raw emotional nature of each letter builds the depth of the story. Perry creates a depth of emotion throughout the story that you can’t help but feel what Finn and Molly feel. It’s true constructed empathy at its best.
The connection to the past characters of TBL. I love re-connecting with Poppy, Cole, their parents, and the kids. It’s like wrapping yourself in a ratty, comfortable blanket on a cold day.
The hope of this story. Finn’s response to his epiphany is one of the best parts of this story. The way in which he goes about wooing Molly is everything a woman dreams of in a man. It made my heart beat harder and hope for more love and care.
“Finn was claiming me. We both knew that after this, we’d never go back. We were all in, taking this journey together. Taking another chance in one another.”
I wish that I could adequately offer the true feelings I have for Letters to Molly. I knew that I would love this book simply because I am a huge fan of Devney Perry’s. What I didn’t expect was loving a divorced couple and rooting for them to find their happily-ever-after. Trust me when I say that this review doesn’t do justice to this book. If you struggle with reading a divorced couple, please don’t worry. Devney Perry’s Letters to Molly is an ode to forgiveness and finding love even when the past has scarred your heart. We all could use a reminder of that lesson from time to time.
‘But there’s a danger in loving somebody too much,
and it’s bad when you know it’s your heart you can’t trust.
There’s a reason why people don’t stay where they are.
Baby, sometimes love just ain’t enough.’
Patty Smyth’s “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough”
The idea that two people who truly love each other, who seem made for one another, who are soulmates in every sense of the word struggle to stay together due to a litany of circumstances and external influencers is not necessarily a foreign concept to me, but it’s one that I find difficult to truly understand.
And I’m sure it makes me naive and in some ways impractical to believe that love should sustain even the most difficult of relationships, but I wholeheartedly feel that love should be enough, even when I’m confronted with contrary evidence to my claim.
Letters to Molly is an emotionally dense story line – one that examines all sides of Molly and Finn’s story as it explores the details of their growing love that solidified into a blissful marriage and a family they both desperately wanted to the missteps and heartbreak that seemed to take over their lives after the death of a loved one and the destructive path chosen to not only deal with said loss but also to attempt to move on from bad decisions and extenuating circumstances that altered the dynamics of their lives.
There are so many integral parts to Molly and Finn’s story to explore in order for readers to truly understand the why’s and how’s of their broken marriage despite the love that still exists between them, and Devney Perry provides those necessary details in excruciatingly vivid scenes and all of the heartbreaking and heartwarming moments the main characters experience as they try to move on with their lives, separately, while still loving one another with every part of who they are and will be.
The written word is a powerful testament to how people truly feel; there’s meaning in every word put on paper and an honesty that may not be found anywhere else, and this is exactly what the letters to Molly hold, and while Finn is not the one sending them to her, it doesn’t negate the fact that the words, the sentences, and the paragraphs in those letters are spoken from his heart and shed light on the array of feelings that consumed him both at the beginning of their courtship as well as when things felt hopeless and out of control.
Even towards the end of Letters to Molly, I didn’t know if these two would be able to find their way back to each other, not after all the pain they’ve caused one another and the regrets and guilt that still seem to weigh them down, threatening to break them even farther. And I also can’t imagine the emotional toil that Devney Perry went through as she crafted this story, but I can say with 100% certainty that she gave voice to a story that needed to be told because despite the heavy burden of emotions that more than likely plagued many a reader, there are lessons in painfully emotional stories just as much as, if not more, than those where the characters don’t struggle and don’t need more than one chance to make things right.
4.5 Poison Apples
Dear Lord does Devney Perry know how to hit me in the heart.
I’ve yearned for Molly and Finn’s story since I read The Birthday List. I’m so glad Devney told their story because it was one that needed to be shared. This is a bit of a spin on a second-chance-romance as Molly and Finn were married but are now divorced. This story was so heartfelt and full of emotion. That is one element that I know I can count on from Devney; her books are full of substance, depth, and emotion.
Letters To Molly takes us on a journey between Molly and Finn as they continue to learn how to navigate divorced life (with kids) and how to let go of old angers and hurt. It’s also proof that you should always fight for love and not just give up on it because things get hard.
“Some mistakes were unforgivable. Some mistakes came with a regret that lived like a monster in your soul.”
Another emotionally brilliant story by Devney! This book ran me through the gamut of emotional turmoil! Brutally raw and beautiful!
Six years and three months after their divorce Molly starts receiving letters from Finn, but he’s not sending them. And the letters aren’t new. They were written after major events throughout their marriage. Finn bares his true feelings in his letters, things he should have communicated at the time. The letters take us through the good and bad of their marriage. It makes Molly and Finn rehash old wounds. But will reliving painful times bring closure?
“Once, years ago, Molly and I could carry on entire conversations with our eyes alone. But that was before we’d learn to hide things from one another-before I started keeping my problems from her, and she started hiding her true feelings from me.”
Revealing failures is difficult and emotional. The torment of hurt and failed connections from the very one you considered your supporting half, the one that is supposed to have your back is a bitter pill to swallow. While they are relieving the past they are also trying to move on or attempting to do so, sometimes they are met with success and sometimes not.
If the letters aren’t making them have new perspectives on things a tragic accident sends them spiraling into second thoughts.
“Where had we gone wrong? How could we be this good and lose it all? How could we throw this away?”
Discovering little things that scream they still love each other and truly didn’t want to let go.
“Those curls screamed sex, they begged to be twisted around my fingers. To be splayed across my pillow.”
But they’ll have to learn from the past before they can move on. Are they ready for that? Do they even really want that? Is it too late?
Another angsty, romantic, steamy read that’s filled with brutally raw emotional turmoil! This is a book I highly recommend reading. Just make sure the tissues are ready!
Fantastical story!
Emotions run high in this equal parts heart wrenching/heart warming passionate story.
Even though, at times I had to pause because this book was not always easy to read.
This deeply emotional book turned out to be thought provoking and uplifting as Molly and Finn’s story unfolded.
This is the second book in the Maysen Jars series, so it helps reading book 1 in order to gain insight into the characters.
Flawlessly written with likable and relatable characters, the main characters who really shined in this story, are the Letters themselves.
Letters that were never sent, mysteriously show up in the mailbox, years after being penned. Letters that make revelations and confessions that force the receiver of said letters Molly, to face circumstances she and her ex-husband opted to ignore which led to their divorce.
Told in dual POV which I always prefer, I got front and center stage seating into their inner most thoughts.
Their story was well developed and it flowed naturally. The ugly parts of their complicated and painful past are dissected, and the result was stunning.
Who sent them? Why?
This is a story of missed opportunities, righting wrongs and second chances.
How it all unfolded made it a MUST read!
Here’s the deal.
I am not usually drawn toward romance stories about the trials and tribulations of married life, or – as the case may be – divorced life. It’s a little too real life for me. My sappy little romance loving heart is wildly addicted to fairytales and all the belly fluttering “falling in love” feelings that come with them. But y’all? Devney Perry is some kind of magician. Because this book is all of those things I usually try to avoid — but it was sheer perfection.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. It was uncomfortable sometimes. There were things I didn’t like and moments that were hard to read. Things got raw and ugly at times in the exact way that they do in real life. But the payoff for that was tremendous because beyond all that raw pain was this wonderful, honest, and simply stunning love story.
Ms. Perry doesn’t pull any punches with Molly and Finn’s story. I felt like nothing was sugar-coated and all of the emotions were captured so perfectly and so authentically. These characters were so flawed, yet it was impossible not to love them, to root for their second chance. It was just so brilliantly executed – a perfect balance of heartache and hope. That is – the heartache didn’t outweigh the hope, it didn’t feel depressing, it didn’t feel weighted down. It felt…like love. And all of the messy emotions that come with it.
I don’t even know what to tell you. This book far exceeded my expectation. It drew me in immediately, it held me captive in front of my Kindle while Finn and Molly sorted through their history and tended to their rekindled flame. It made me smile, swoon, and hiccup my way through some sobby tears. I adored every single moment of this brutally beautiful love story (even the sobby ones). I cannot recommend it highly enough! ~ 5 “Darling Molly” Stars