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Dear Me
“If you ever need to break, I can hold your pieces. I can keep them safe.”
Penelope Elizabeth Howell has always been perfect. The perfect daughter, student, friend and cheerleader. Penny’s life has been perfectly planned out for her. Down to the way she wears her hair, and where she’ll be attending college. But when she loses her best friend to a tragic accident, she is faced with the reality of just how little control she’s had over her life. She is done being perfect. And who better to help her shed her rigid rules than the boy who drove her insane through high school?
Daniel Aguilar is tall, dark, handsome, drives a motorcycle to school, smokes between classes and is tatted head to toe. But he’s had his eyes set on a quiet girl with bright eyes and a gentle smile. Except, when he finally gets the courage to admit his feelings, he fumbles his opportunity and instead finds himself faced with the cheerleading princess and bane of his existence... Penelope Howell. As time progresses, and despite their history, Daniel finds that things aren’t always what they seem. And maybe he’s been wrong about a lot when it comes to the perfect Penny.
A year and a couple run-ins later, Penny and Daniel find themselves in an unlikely friendship and a potentially beneficial partnership. Penny has a bucket list of things she hasn’t had the opportunity to experience yet due to her strict upbringing, while Daniel needs help getting the girl. But as the line between friendship and something more blurs, they'll have to decide if their connection can handle the truth or if everything will fall apart before it even begins.
Penelope Elizabeth Howell has always been perfect. The perfect daughter, student, friend and cheerleader. Penny’s life has been perfectly planned out for her. Down to the way she wears her hair, and where she’ll be attending college. But when she loses her best friend to a tragic accident, she is faced with the reality of just how little control she’s had over her life. She is done being perfect. And who better to help her shed her rigid rules than the boy who drove her insane through high school?
Daniel Aguilar is tall, dark, handsome, drives a motorcycle to school, smokes between classes and is tatted head to toe. But he’s had his eyes set on a quiet girl with bright eyes and a gentle smile. Except, when he finally gets the courage to admit his feelings, he fumbles his opportunity and instead finds himself faced with the cheerleading princess and bane of his existence... Penelope Howell. As time progresses, and despite their history, Daniel finds that things aren’t always what they seem. And maybe he’s been wrong about a lot when it comes to the perfect Penny.
A year and a couple run-ins later, Penny and Daniel find themselves in an unlikely friendship and a potentially beneficial partnership. Penny has a bucket list of things she hasn’t had the opportunity to experience yet due to her strict upbringing, while Daniel needs help getting the girl. But as the line between friendship and something more blurs, they'll have to decide if their connection can handle the truth or if everything will fall apart before it even begins.
386 pages, Paperback
Published November 15, 2025
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November 21, 2025
"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆.”
This book is incredible. DFH was one of my favourite books ever so you can tell how much I was excited and it did not disappoint meeeee. Did I cry ? Why yesss. Why be happy when you can cry over a book ?
𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒎𝒆..
Every letter was so beautifully written. Pure poesy. That alone should be your only reason to read this book (read DFH first tho)
“𝑮𝒐. 𝑻𝒐. 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍,” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒅𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅'𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑱𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌, “𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕!”
The romance… the teasing, the yearning, everything was absolute perfection. I cried after finishing it because I’m not sure I’ll ever find that and it destroyed me. That is why it took me so long to write this review because I wasn’t sure if I could put the right words into place to describe how I felt about this. Also the loathe to love was so hot.
𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍, 𝒂𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑺𝒉𝒆’𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕. 𝑶𝒃𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚, 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒌𝒆. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒚, 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒆. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕.
Daniel, my danny. Bad boy with Doberman energy but so so sweet. Trauma can do things to a person and his self esteem and what he thought he deserved broke my heart. Also he stopped smoking for her 💚🏳️( why isn’t there a green flag emoji omg). Also the scenes with his family were the bestttt
“𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑷𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒆. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒎𝒆.”
Penelope my girl. Your mother is a… nope not gonna finish this sentence. But you my love are the best, a litteral queen
“𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓?” 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅. “𝑨𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆.” 𝑰 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒎𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒕. 𝑰 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒑. 𝑭𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒓, 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒆. “𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔.”
Ps : the side character of this book were amazing but I have a bad memory for names sorry. But just know they are worth it
Thank you Taryn for the arc (second time already omg) and also for the cameo of two very special people to me. @Taryn Christeen
Just finished reading :
I’ve been waiting for this since the day I finished dear future husband and this book was so good that I read it in A DAY. Rtc
Pre-release :
I’m excited since the day I saw the email so I literally can’t wait for November 18th or whenever the ARCs dropsssss. 🥰🥰🥰
This book is incredible. DFH was one of my favourite books ever so you can tell how much I was excited and it did not disappoint meeeee. Did I cry ? Why yesss. Why be happy when you can cry over a book ?
𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒎𝒆..
Every letter was so beautifully written. Pure poesy. That alone should be your only reason to read this book (read DFH first tho)
“𝑮𝒐. 𝑻𝒐. 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍,” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒅𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅'𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑱𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌, “𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕!”
The romance… the teasing, the yearning, everything was absolute perfection. I cried after finishing it because I’m not sure I’ll ever find that and it destroyed me. That is why it took me so long to write this review because I wasn’t sure if I could put the right words into place to describe how I felt about this. Also the loathe to love was so hot.
𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍, 𝒂𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑺𝒉𝒆’𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕. 𝑶𝒃𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚, 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒌𝒆. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒚, 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒆. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕.
Daniel, my danny. Bad boy with Doberman energy but so so sweet. Trauma can do things to a person and his self esteem and what he thought he deserved broke my heart. Also he stopped smoking for her 💚🏳️( why isn’t there a green flag emoji omg). Also the scenes with his family were the bestttt
“𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑷𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒆. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒎𝒆.”
Penelope my girl. Your mother is a… nope not gonna finish this sentence. But you my love are the best, a litteral queen
“𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓?” 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅. “𝑨𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆.” 𝑰 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒎𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒕. 𝑰 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒑. 𝑭𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒓, 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒆. “𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔.”
Ps : the side character of this book were amazing but I have a bad memory for names sorry. But just know they are worth it
Thank you Taryn for the arc (second time already omg) and also for the cameo of two very special people to me. @Taryn Christeen
Just finished reading :
I’ve been waiting for this since the day I finished dear future husband and this book was so good that I read it in A DAY. Rtc
Pre-release :
I’m excited since the day I saw the email so I literally can’t wait for November 18th or whenever the ARCs dropsssss. 🥰🥰🥰
November 18, 2025
DEAR ME is an upper YA college romance with characters 18-20 years old. While this book is full of love, found family, very mild intimate scenes and hope, I want you to be prepared for the following topics:
Death of a loved one
Toxic Parent
Substance abuse
Panic Attacks
Underage Drinking
Penny and Daniel's story is so special to me. I hope you fall in love with them and their messiness as much as I did writing them. Happy reading🫶
Death of a loved one
Toxic Parent
Substance abuse
Panic Attacks
Underage Drinking
Penny and Daniel's story is so special to me. I hope you fall in love with them and their messiness as much as I did writing them. Happy reading🫶
November 28, 2025
“Improbable-not likely to be true or to happen.”
These two character’s, Penny and Daniel, chance of being together, I believe, was so improbable. They were directed in two crazy directions away from each other, but somehow crossed paths.
Daniel-he’s a bad boy with tattoos and a motorcycle. He is a quiet guy who’s in the corner always alone.
Penny- popular, perfect, and loud. She is team captain of the cheerleaders.
I loved this book so much. The first book, Dear Future Husband, was pretty good I had a few complaints, but this book! I don’t know if Taryn saw other people critiquing similar things, but Dear me is absent of a lot of the stuff I didn’t like in Dear Future Husband.
Anyways, I loved the slowish burn, the chemistry, the plot, the characters, the duel POV, the playlist, and everything really. This time I liked both the FMC and the MMC.
Thank you so much Taryn Christeen for the arc. I loved it so much. Your writing has developed so much 🩷
The Playlist BTW is not clean
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7cH...
TW: smoking, underage drinking, small flings and hookups off page at the bar, hospitals, needles, car crashes, death, drugs, panic attacks
Language: 👩🏻🦰👩🏻🦰
Spice: 👦🏾👦🏾(not too descriptive happens a few times)(lots of hookups with random people at the beginning)
Trope: grumpyxsunshine
Enjoyment: 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
These two character’s, Penny and Daniel, chance of being together, I believe, was so improbable. They were directed in two crazy directions away from each other, but somehow crossed paths.
Daniel-he’s a bad boy with tattoos and a motorcycle. He is a quiet guy who’s in the corner always alone.
Penny- popular, perfect, and loud. She is team captain of the cheerleaders.
I loved this book so much. The first book, Dear Future Husband, was pretty good I had a few complaints, but this book! I don’t know if Taryn saw other people critiquing similar things, but Dear me is absent of a lot of the stuff I didn’t like in Dear Future Husband.
Anyways, I loved the slowish burn, the chemistry, the plot, the characters, the duel POV, the playlist, and everything really. This time I liked both the FMC and the MMC.
Thank you so much Taryn Christeen for the arc. I loved it so much. Your writing has developed so much 🩷
The Playlist BTW is not clean
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7cH...
TW: smoking, underage drinking, small flings and hookups off page at the bar, hospitals, needles, car crashes, death, drugs, panic attacks
Language: 👩🏻🦰👩🏻🦰
Spice: 👦🏾👦🏾(not too descriptive happens a few times)(lots of hookups with random people at the beginning)
Trope: grumpyxsunshine
Enjoyment: 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
November 18, 2025
If you've read my review for Dear Future Husband, you'll know that my obsession for this series runs DEEP. Except whereas after reading it, Dear Future Husband became one of my favorite books, after reading Dear Me, Taryn has cemented herself as one of my favorite authors (like... literally top 2). This world is UNBELIEVABLE. The way these books follow the exact same timelines yet have their own incredible, independent story is just so amazing. Once again, I adore these kids. 1000% my favorite group of characters of any series of all time. And we know I love Trey Turner, the yearner he is. But DANIEL AGUILAR?! Hello! This man is pure hotness, with a beautiful side of sweetness. So many butterflies reading this book, Penelope Howell is one lucky girl.
But to address the true beauty of this book: its depth. No one writes heartache and healing like Taryn does. This book was somehow even deeper than DFH, with an accentuated focus on family. Daniel's family is the second most beautiful thing I've ever seen, only behind the breaking and mending of Penny's raw, hurting family. Penny's emotions and thoughts were so relatable and real, and I loved the way Daniel helped her--not forced her--into becoming who he knew she could be all along. Oh, and her friendship with Maybelle was the best, most lovely way to tie these two books together. Once again, the side characters were perfection, the love story made me swoon, and the conclusion gave me so much hope for light in the darkest of places. Thank you for book 2, Taryn. I'll always be your biggest fan!!
But to address the true beauty of this book: its depth. No one writes heartache and healing like Taryn does. This book was somehow even deeper than DFH, with an accentuated focus on family. Daniel's family is the second most beautiful thing I've ever seen, only behind the breaking and mending of Penny's raw, hurting family. Penny's emotions and thoughts were so relatable and real, and I loved the way Daniel helped her--not forced her--into becoming who he knew she could be all along. Oh, and her friendship with Maybelle was the best, most lovely way to tie these two books together. Once again, the side characters were perfection, the love story made me swoon, and the conclusion gave me so much hope for light in the darkest of places. Thank you for book 2, Taryn. I'll always be your biggest fan!!
November 20, 2025
*** Thank you to the author for a copy of this ARC. All opinions in this review are mine and are freely given
Content Warnings: Discussion of Grief and Death, Toxic Parent, Substance Abuse, Panic Attacks, Underage Drinking
OK… I am genuinely thrilled about this book! It was SO GOOD!
“Dear Me” is a charming, emotional upper YA romance that feels comforting in the best way.
At its heart, it’s about two people who seem to have nothing in common—Penny, the perfect cheerleader who’s followed every rule, and Daniel, the tattooed boy with a heart of gold hidden under his rough edges—but who go from loathing each other to loving each other.
Penny has a bucket list of experiences she’s been too sheltered to explore, and Daniel, in need of some help in the romance department, agrees to be her guide—if she helps him impress someone else. The setup leads to a series of charming, funny, and often heart-thudding moments as their “deal” slowly turns into something deeper.
What makes the story shine is how it captures the tension between who we think we’re supposed to be and who we might become when someone finally sees us for who we are. Penny’s growth—from obedient daughter to someone willing to take risks—and Daniel’s quiet vulnerability make their relationship feel authentic and earned. Their chemistry builds gradually, through shared secrets, late-night conversations, and the realization that maybe what they both need is right in front of them.
I also really loved the found family aspect of this book – I love Maybelle and Austin, they’re such good friends! & Daniel’s Family!!!!!!! We will not be discussing how toxic Penny’s family is; however, I am extremely pleased with the character arc she underwent.
Penny and Daniel, I’m so happy they’re happy now. PLS I LOVE THEM!
Content Warnings: Discussion of Grief and Death, Toxic Parent, Substance Abuse, Panic Attacks, Underage Drinking
OK… I am genuinely thrilled about this book! It was SO GOOD!
“Dear Me” is a charming, emotional upper YA romance that feels comforting in the best way.
At its heart, it’s about two people who seem to have nothing in common—Penny, the perfect cheerleader who’s followed every rule, and Daniel, the tattooed boy with a heart of gold hidden under his rough edges—but who go from loathing each other to loving each other.
Penny has a bucket list of experiences she’s been too sheltered to explore, and Daniel, in need of some help in the romance department, agrees to be her guide—if she helps him impress someone else. The setup leads to a series of charming, funny, and often heart-thudding moments as their “deal” slowly turns into something deeper.
What makes the story shine is how it captures the tension between who we think we’re supposed to be and who we might become when someone finally sees us for who we are. Penny’s growth—from obedient daughter to someone willing to take risks—and Daniel’s quiet vulnerability make their relationship feel authentic and earned. Their chemistry builds gradually, through shared secrets, late-night conversations, and the realization that maybe what they both need is right in front of them.
I also really loved the found family aspect of this book – I love Maybelle and Austin, they’re such good friends! & Daniel’s Family!!!!!!! We will not be discussing how toxic Penny’s family is; however, I am extremely pleased with the character arc she underwent.
Penny and Daniel, I’m so happy they’re happy now. PLS I LOVE THEM!
November 23, 2025
5⭐️
so i was in the biggest reading slump before picking up this arc and i feel terrible because it was actually an anticipated read for me (i was counting down the days till it was available to me) and i started it didn’t pick it up for days and would only read little by little
anyways
aside from that
this book was amazing! i have to agree with others because this couple was just so good, not that i don’t love trey and maybelle too 🫶🏼 but daniel and penelope were just perfect together
i do wish the ending had focused a bit more on their relationship but i can’t complain because i felt an incredible sense of relief from what happened
i also love and hate that it made me cry because i was not prepared for it (though i should’ve been)
so i was in the biggest reading slump before picking up this arc and i feel terrible because it was actually an anticipated read for me (i was counting down the days till it was available to me) and i started it didn’t pick it up for days and would only read little by little
anyways
aside from that
this book was amazing! i have to agree with others because this couple was just so good, not that i don’t love trey and maybelle too 🫶🏼 but daniel and penelope were just perfect together
i do wish the ending had focused a bit more on their relationship but i can’t complain because i felt an incredible sense of relief from what happened
i also love and hate that it made me cry because i was not prepared for it (though i should’ve been)
November 7, 2025
ARC READ: I need a Daniel in my life🥹
IM SO EXCITED FOR PEOPLE TO READ THIS. taryn the emotions you put into your books hit me every time😭🫶🏽
IM SO EXCITED FOR PEOPLE TO READ THIS. taryn the emotions you put into your books hit me every time😭🫶🏽
October 25, 2025
This is the type of book you read, finish and immediately want to go back to the beginning to relive every moment.
I didn’t want this to end.
The FMC Penny is best friends with Liam from book one, and the MMC Daniel is friends with Maybelle from book one (Dear Future Husband). Won’t get into specifics because it’ll spoil the first book for you.
I loved this. Every piece. It was beautiful, raw, real and overall just incredible. There was a lot of grief, broken family aspects that hit close to home and I think that’s why I loved this so much.
Penny and Daniel are being added to my list of favourite fictional couples.
The tension was UNREAL. I was eating it up, when I wasn’t reading this I was counting the hours until I was done work to come home and dive back in.
The way Daniel called Penny “Monedita” made me blush so much and don’t get me started on the tattoos and motorcycle. We need to protect this man at all costs, he was charming, funny, and would literally burn the world to ashes for this girl, and the PASSION between them don’t even get me started. I was swooning. You know the saying “if he wanted to he would?” Well Daniel was definitely that man, he was there for Penny no matter what.
Penny, my girl. Sheesh she really went through it. I was rooting for her from the beginning of course, and the amount of times I was internally screaming for her because of joy or even because she was holding back a little too much. I definitely shed a tear or twelve throughout this.
The bucket list was a really nice touch too! It was really cute. 🍓
Read this, please. 🩷
I didn’t want this to end.
The FMC Penny is best friends with Liam from book one, and the MMC Daniel is friends with Maybelle from book one (Dear Future Husband). Won’t get into specifics because it’ll spoil the first book for you.
I loved this. Every piece. It was beautiful, raw, real and overall just incredible. There was a lot of grief, broken family aspects that hit close to home and I think that’s why I loved this so much.
Penny and Daniel are being added to my list of favourite fictional couples.
The tension was UNREAL. I was eating it up, when I wasn’t reading this I was counting the hours until I was done work to come home and dive back in.
The way Daniel called Penny “Monedita” made me blush so much and don’t get me started on the tattoos and motorcycle. We need to protect this man at all costs, he was charming, funny, and would literally burn the world to ashes for this girl, and the PASSION between them don’t even get me started. I was swooning. You know the saying “if he wanted to he would?” Well Daniel was definitely that man, he was there for Penny no matter what.
Penny, my girl. Sheesh she really went through it. I was rooting for her from the beginning of course, and the amount of times I was internally screaming for her because of joy or even because she was holding back a little too much. I definitely shed a tear or twelve throughout this.
The bucket list was a really nice touch too! It was really cute. 🍓
Read this, please. 🩷
October 27, 2025
Do you want a book that you will devour in 3 days? This is THE book. Do you want a book where the so called perfect girl falls for the “bad boy” this is THE book for you. To say I’m obsessed is an understatement. Penny and Daniel will forever have a special place in my heart. From helping pick up each other’s pieces to finding themselves together and apart these two are what putting the work into a friendship is about. If you read the first book you’ll know our lovely Maybelle. But getting to see Maybelle and Penny’s relationship from Penny’s POV was like a fresh breath of air. Daniel is the sweetest human being who proves that sometimes all you need is a good friendship to change your outlook on life. Taryn thank you so much for letting me arc read your second book. I’m so excited for everyone to read this masterpiece and can’t wait to see what you have on store next.
November 2, 2025
Dear Me was the second book in a wonderful interconnected standalone series! It was so fun to be back in this world with these characters again. I really enjoyed the couple in this book and I am looking forward to who the next book will be about. I was lucky enough to read this as an ARC and I am just so grateful to the author for that.
This book was a YA college romance and it was cute, deep, and meaningful. The story has its moments where you are laughing and smiling but it also has the real raw emotions and experiences that people in their early adult life experience. Penny and Daniel are very well paired and I like how their relationship went in the story.
If you like:
- YA romances
- college romances
- friends to lovers
- teasing between love interests
- found family
Then you should definitely check out Dear Me!
This book was a YA college romance and it was cute, deep, and meaningful. The story has its moments where you are laughing and smiling but it also has the real raw emotions and experiences that people in their early adult life experience. Penny and Daniel are very well paired and I like how their relationship went in the story.
If you like:
- YA romances
- college romances
- friends to lovers
- teasing between love interests
- found family
Then you should definitely check out Dear Me!
November 6, 2025
I was so happy to be chosen once again to read this ARC and it did not disappoint! I am not one that generally will pick a romance book, but the way Taryn writes is so relatable and not cheesy that i devour it! It was the perfect sequel to Dear Future Husband and i loved being able to see the story from the other characters point of view. Congrats Taryn it’s amazing!
November 6, 2025
WOW! taryn knocked book 2 out of the park. I was hooked with penny & daniel’s story. the good girl x bad boy trope was PEAK!!!!!!! I TRULY can’t wait to see what she does next!
November 7, 2025
This book was really cute! I think my 16 year old self would have died over this book! It gave John Green type vibes and such a good swoon worthy romance!
October 26, 2025
4.5 stars
Thank you Taryn for my ARC for Dear Me!
I, like many others, sometimes fear sequels. But this book was amazing and surpassed Dear Future Husband.
I absolutely loved Penny and David and their relationship was so cute. I found it entertaining how often in Penny's POV she seemed to enforce to herself he was just a friend even as they continued to do not friend things.
I also loved the journey of healing that this book presented, it was very heartfelt.
Thank you Taryn for my ARC for Dear Me!
I, like many others, sometimes fear sequels. But this book was amazing and surpassed Dear Future Husband.
I absolutely loved Penny and David and their relationship was so cute. I found it entertaining how often in Penny's POV she seemed to enforce to herself he was just a friend even as they continued to do not friend things.
I also loved the journey of healing that this book presented, it was very heartfelt.
November 15, 2025
Just like Dear Future Husband, Dear Me was an amazing read. Penny is one of my favorite character, and when I say I related to her, I mean it. Wdym she tried to learn to crochet on YouTube? (I did learn to crochet on YouTube) Wdym everyone around her thinks she's perfect but she's not? Well, I really loved her and her relationship with Daniel. He's not usually the type of guy I would go for, but the way he was so sweet with his family and Penny made me melt. Just like Taryn's books always do, Dear Me made me cry. Yes, it is a romance book, but also a book about family. It's about the importance of family and friends in our lives. I learned a lot from this book. I recommend it to everyone.
𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒
"𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩—𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞."
"𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫."
"𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝."
𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒
"𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩—𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞."
"𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫."
"𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝."
November 2, 2025
I cannot wait for the world to have this book. Taryn Christeen does an INCREDIBLE job of writing very heartfelt stories, while also writing very beautifully chaotic, messy, hurt, incredible characters who resemble your average person. She writes characters who are so deeply layered, so different from one another, but all so so relatable.
Her characters make you reflect on how everyone can differ in their family life, personal traumas, mental health, but in the end, we all truly are more alike than we realize.
I deeply related to Penny in this book, I have felt very similar feelings, had similar thought patterns, and mental health obstacles that she experienced and I was very emotional reading her character development.
The pacing of the book, the story line, the interconnected characters relationship, and overall this book was one of my favorites of this year.
So excited to read more Taryn Christeen books in the future!
Her characters make you reflect on how everyone can differ in their family life, personal traumas, mental health, but in the end, we all truly are more alike than we realize.
I deeply related to Penny in this book, I have felt very similar feelings, had similar thought patterns, and mental health obstacles that she experienced and I was very emotional reading her character development.
The pacing of the book, the story line, the interconnected characters relationship, and overall this book was one of my favorites of this year.
So excited to read more Taryn Christeen books in the future!
December 4, 2025
If you think this book is about a good girl and a bad boy, then... you'd be right, but it's so much more than that. This book is truly about family relationships: sisters, brothers, parents, and friends (Liam, you're still my hero). Again, it's beautifully written, and the novel and its entire love story captivate you from the very beginning and don't let go even after the book ends. I was surprised that Penny and Daniel weren't together in "Dear Future Husband", as they acted very much like a couple. The fact that there's a supplementary book about them was a pleasant surprise, and I kind of related myself more to this book – eldest daughter core. But despite this, there are still many questions about the side characters, about whom I also want to learn more (Austin, dude, you really made me scream WHAT?.). But even if there aren't any books about them in the future, I'll eagerly await the future works by Taryn Christeen.
October 25, 2025
I was so excited to receive an ARC for the second book in this series! I was obsessed with the first book and its characters, so I couldn’t wait to dive into Penny and Daniel’s story.
Penny and Daniel both struggle as they enter a new chapter in their lives after graduating high school. They lean on each other to navigate their challenges while figuring out if they’re meant to be together. I really enjoyed that each chapter was from either Penny’s or Daniel’s perspective. It added so much depth to their story.
I also loved getting more insight into the other characters from both the first and second books. It helped fill in the story and missing pieces perfectly. Overall, this was a fun and heartfelt read about overcoming grief, opening up to others, and discovering your true self. I’d definitely recommend this series! You can read it on Kindle Unlimited.
Penny and Daniel both struggle as they enter a new chapter in their lives after graduating high school. They lean on each other to navigate their challenges while figuring out if they’re meant to be together. I really enjoyed that each chapter was from either Penny’s or Daniel’s perspective. It added so much depth to their story.
I also loved getting more insight into the other characters from both the first and second books. It helped fill in the story and missing pieces perfectly. Overall, this was a fun and heartfelt read about overcoming grief, opening up to others, and discovering your true self. I’d definitely recommend this series! You can read it on Kindle Unlimited.
November 23, 2025
Dear future husband was an up and down of emotions but dear me was one on another extreme rollercoaster🤭.
We sprang back in time to the graduation beach party and even though I knew what would happen shortly after, I wasn’t ready😭
This book was about Penny and Daniel, Penny being Liam‘s best friend. (Spoilers dfh) Having read about Maybelle’s loss hurt but being at the funeral of Liam and Stephanie, ohhhh that didn’t hurt, it broke me😭💔.
But Penny and Daniel flicked themselves and me back together❤️🩹. I rooted for Penny since the start and I loved to see how she let the perfect act slowly fade to be herself.
The tension between Penny and Daniel was soo sooo good and intense🤭.I love banter and nicknames, hihi and dear me had both of them✨Plus, a bucket list, not to forget👆.
I liked dear future husband a tiny little more but dear me is a cloooose second🫶.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
We sprang back in time to the graduation beach party and even though I knew what would happen shortly after, I wasn’t ready😭
This book was about Penny and Daniel, Penny being Liam‘s best friend. (Spoilers dfh) Having read about Maybelle’s loss hurt but being at the funeral of Liam and Stephanie, ohhhh that didn’t hurt, it broke me😭💔.
But Penny and Daniel flicked themselves and me back together❤️🩹. I rooted for Penny since the start and I loved to see how she let the perfect act slowly fade to be herself.
The tension between Penny and Daniel was soo sooo good and intense🤭.I love banter and nicknames, hihi and dear me had both of them✨Plus, a bucket list, not to forget👆.
I liked dear future husband a tiny little more but dear me is a cloooose second🫶.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
November 27, 2025
To start, I would like to thank the author for an Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
5/5⭐️ (I might put this as a 6 ⭐️ later)
First of all, I would like to say that I will read Taryn Christeen’s book willingly knowing that they will make me cry. Wait, no, I will buy them because I know that they will make me cry.
I adore the writing:
- The way that Christeen writes her stories you can tell she pours her heart and soul into these characters and ideas🫶
The found family is sooo sooo sweet:
- Danny and Penny are so good for each other 🫶
- The friendships in this book are so strong
The way that this book ripped my heart to shreds and gave me a needle and thread to sew is back together 😭🫶:
- The similarities between Liam and Maybelle being noticed 😭
- Rereading the ending scenes of book one through Penny’s perspective 💔
- Fanny’s family (I need one like his 😭)
- Seeing people from different perspectives 😭
5/5⭐️ (I might put this as a 6 ⭐️ later)
First of all, I would like to say that I will read Taryn Christeen’s book willingly knowing that they will make me cry. Wait, no, I will buy them because I know that they will make me cry.
I adore the writing:
- The way that Christeen writes her stories you can tell she pours her heart and soul into these characters and ideas🫶
The found family is sooo sooo sweet:
- Danny and Penny are so good for each other 🫶
- The friendships in this book are so strong
The way that this book ripped my heart to shreds and gave me a needle and thread to sew is back together 😭🫶:
- The similarities between Liam and Maybelle being noticed 😭
- Rereading the ending scenes of book one through Penny’s perspective 💔
- Fanny’s family (I need one like his 😭)
- Seeing people from different perspectives 😭
November 29, 2025
“i need you” 🩷🩷🩷
honestly didn’t think i was going to love this more than DFH but here we are. Penny and Danny’s journey together to find their way to each other but also helping each other through their personal traumas was so beautiful. Pennys grief was so raw and i hated going through Liam’s death again and it was so much worse this time around. i am obsessed with the danny’s suave and how he grew as a character and found his path. i also loved getting penny and maybelle page time like ughhhh they are so precious and their friendship makes me so happy. it’s what liam would have wanted.
now i’d LOVE Noah or Austin’s book now xoxoxo
honestly didn’t think i was going to love this more than DFH but here we are. Penny and Danny’s journey together to find their way to each other but also helping each other through their personal traumas was so beautiful. Pennys grief was so raw and i hated going through Liam’s death again and it was so much worse this time around. i am obsessed with the danny’s suave and how he grew as a character and found his path. i also loved getting penny and maybelle page time like ughhhh they are so precious and their friendship makes me so happy. it’s what liam would have wanted.
now i’d LOVE Noah or Austin’s book now xoxoxo
November 2, 2025
I’ve been waiting for this book since the day I finished reading dear future husband and lucky me I got chosen to be an arc reader! Now let me tell you this book is my new favorite! I loved all the characters and was so invested in the story, to the point where I brought my kindle around with me everywhere. Penny and Daniel are my all time favs. This was a cute college romance that made me giggle and kick my feet in the air. Overall I would recommend 10/10 would read again!
Ps. I loved the bucket list❤️
Ps. I loved the bucket list❤️
November 30, 2025
4.75 ⭐️
Taryn has permanently solidified herself as one of my top romance authors with this book. It is emotional and romantic and so wonderfully human. As a perfectionist (both because of my family and because of myself) I very much related to Penny's character. I have also struggled for the majority of my life with extreme anxiety and panic attacks. I've asked myself numerous times if I could just turn all my feelings off and have tried many a time. I learned a lot about myself and the person I hope to become through Penny's story. May I one day be half the woman she is.
Taryn has permanently solidified herself as one of my top romance authors with this book. It is emotional and romantic and so wonderfully human. As a perfectionist (both because of my family and because of myself) I very much related to Penny's character. I have also struggled for the majority of my life with extreme anxiety and panic attacks. I've asked myself numerous times if I could just turn all my feelings off and have tried many a time. I learned a lot about myself and the person I hope to become through Penny's story. May I one day be half the woman she is.
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November 7, 2025Dare I say this is better than Dear Future Husband and thats saying a lot… This book was EVERYTHING! Penny and Daniel’s story had me feeling all the feels and wanting to cry with Penny along the way. Some story’s are relatable but the best cut deep in ways you think they were written just for you and this was Dear Me. So thank you Taryn for writing another gut wrenching rip your heart out book. It was so so good!!!
December 16, 2025
Taryn did it again - this second installment of The Dearly Written duo left me speechless just like the first!
Penny & Daniel are proof that you can fin beauty in the broken.
“She managed to steal her way into the space I saw as dark and mine alone. But she was here and there was color.”
“He didn’t just look at me like I was the inspiration for his art. No, he watched me like I was the art, painted just for him.”
Penny & Daniel are proof that you can fin beauty in the broken.
“She managed to steal her way into the space I saw as dark and mine alone. But she was here and there was color.”
“He didn’t just look at me like I was the inspiration for his art. No, he watched me like I was the art, painted just for him.”
November 15, 2025
I loved reading how these characters grieved, changed, and grew so much. I was scared to start this book after how hard the first one hit, but this book was perfect. the character development was amazing, the way I was attached to every single character was awesome. I loved this book and I am so grateful to have gotten the arc of it!!
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October 29, 2025Absolutely amazing! Taryn Christeen's 'Dear Me' had me gripped and left me not wanting to put the book down. The plot, the characters, the link to the first book; it was all so perfectly curated. A must read for any and all.
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August 18, 2025pre read:
IM SO EXCITED. DFH WAS DEBUT NOVEL PERFECTION AND I CANT WAIT FOR NOV 18 OR WHENVER THE ARCS COME OUT YAYYY
IM SO EXCITED. DFH WAS DEBUT NOVEL PERFECTION AND I CANT WAIT FOR NOV 18 OR WHENVER THE ARCS COME OUT YAYYY
November 18, 2025
Great book. I love Penelope and was hooked the entire book.
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