The Letters I Never Sent

by Davide De Pierro

NARRATED BY THE AUTHOR

From viral content creator Davide De Pierro comes an achingly honest novel about heartbreak, memory, loneliness, hope, and learning how to let go of the people we thought would stay forever, for fans of Coco Mellors and David Nicholls

On a rainy night in New York City, Dante meets with a friend at their favorite diner. As the city lights glint through the rain-streaked windows, he begins to reminisce about the past loves that shaped him, from the fleeting sparks of youthful passion in the Jersey City housing project of his youth, to the steady love that he wasn’t ready to receive, to the lingering ache of “the one that got away.” As he slowly pieces his heart back together, he navigates through reflections both tender and sorrowful, clinging to cherished memories while seeking to understand the true meaning of love.

Sensitive, heartfelt, and lyrical, The Letters I Never Sent is a powerful story of love, longing and the unexpected moments that bring two lovers together.

Genres: Romance

Audible Audio

Published October 27, 2026

Reviews

[Sheray Garofalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davide has easily become one of my favorite content creators. My enjoyment of his clever and relatable articulation of human experiences made it easy and natural for me to give his audiobook a shot. While this story is different from his online personality, which is more on the humorous side, he still delivers the same great exploration of human experiences in this book. It was like getting to be a fly on the wall during someone’s journaling session as they reflect and ponder lost love and their honest role in how it all played out. I’m looking forward to his development as an author!

Also, shoutout to whoever got this book added to Goodreads so that it can count towards my 2026 reading goal!

[Ana Lombardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook feels like sitting with someone who speaks honestly, without rushing, about love and all the doubts and insecurities that come with it. Through memories of past relationships, the author explores how love shapes us, not only in moments of joy, but also in uncertainty, vulnerability, and quiet longing.
This work is the result of Davide's personal notes and experiences with love. The audiobook is narrated by Davide De Pierro himself and his voice adds a layer of intimacy that makes the reflections feel personal and genuine, as if you’re listening to a friend sharing thoughts they’ve carried for a long time, or reading from their diary. The narration is soothing, calm, warm, and thoughtful, allowing the words to fully sink in and bringing to life the scenarios and moments the characters are living through.
It's a tender romantic reflection with an introspective tone, perfect for anyone who enjoys emotional honesty, self-reflection, and stories that linger long after they end.

LINK TO GET THE AUDIOBOOK:
https://stan.store/davi_audiobook/p/t...

[Stephanie Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you follow Davide on social media, this audiobook is a much deeper dive into his storyteller side. The writing is beautiful and full of emotion. It acts as a mirror for anyone who has struggled with the ghost of a past relationship or the frustration of things left unsaid. It really hits home for people stuck in a loop of regret over connections that failed for reasons beyond their control. Davide’s voice is warm, and the slow, intentional pacing adds an intimacy you’d miss on the page, it is like you can actually hear the vulnerability in his voice. While the prose is absolutely stunning, it’s so deeply melancholic that it becomes repetitive. It’s unapologetically raw, but the cycle of sadness might be a lot to take in at once.

[Loralee Arbanas · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We are the batting of an eyelash through the vastness of existence, and yet we expect—we demand—that the things we love and cherish remain the same. What foolishness.”

When I was just a few chapters in, I thought to myself: This feels like a modern Gatsby tale sans the bloodshed and the protagonist’s inability to accept what is.

Lo and behold, Davi started referencing Fitzgerald in chapter 33–to say I was pleased is an understatement!

This story offers both an ongoing ache and glimmer of hope. Though Davi’s voice is PERFECT for the audiobook, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I want nothing more than to have this story in its physical form, sitting on my bookshelf and awaiting my reach.

Davi is best known for his comedic presence on social media, but his ability to create a story—a language of his own, if you will—is just as notable. What a talented guy!!

[Dineen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Letters I Never Sent by Davide De Pierro is a deeply emotional and personal collection of letters that explores the quiet, complicated spaces of love, heartbreak, and memory. The book captures what so many of us carry but rarely express, the words we rehearse in our minds but never say out loud. Each piece feels like a glimpse into a real moment, making it easy to see yourself somewhere in the pages.

This isn’t a book you rush through. It’s one you pause with, reflect on, and maybe even revisit. If you’ve ever loved deeply, lost someone, or wondered how things might have turned out differently, this book will stay with you. I found this collection to be filled with beauty even in the heartbreak.

[Laura Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well written and narrated book. Definitely feels like you are part of the intimate stories he is telling and the stories are so relatable, I think we all have been Dante at some point in our lives and also one or several of his love interests. This book also made me reflect on the things we do for “love” or the things we call “love” that many times are not love at all but just an idea, an idealized version of reality and sometimes even an obsession that do nothing but waste our time and our chances of a real relationship with a person that actually shows up for us. Definitely enjoyed the book and the reflections it produced. Hope Dante gets his happy ending.

[Alex Sigurdson · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

This book is about love, heartbreak and lots of memories. This book is so poetic, and there was so much meaning to each story. The author is a magician with words, and I feel like he did such a good job of painting the picture so crystal clear you feel like you are immersed in the book. I feel like this book would be SO good as an audiobook because it would place emphasis on the meaning of the book.

This book is meant to make you slow down and really think about life and love.

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC :)

[Ilene Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio of this book and absolutely loved it. It was romantic and heartbreaking but hopeful. It was also chock full of beautiful lines I actually stopped and wrote down.

[Helen · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Davide De Pierro is such a romantic that reading "The Letters I Never Sent" feels like looking into his soul. Although the book is fiction, it is clearly inspired by his experiences, especially his long-term relationship with an Italian woman he calls Sofia. Some of the details no doubt have been changed/embellished, but all the feelings are there. The book is framed as a late-night coffee shop conversation between Dante/Davide and a friend, based to some degree on emails De Pierro exchanged with men friends over many years.

The book is largely a retelling and a somewhat obsessive analysis of Dante's relationship with Sofia as he tries to come to an understanding of the loss that continues to torment him and affect his relationships with other women. He says he let her go, not just because he didn't want to move to Italy, but because he was afraid to love with fullness and sincerity. More than that, though, the book is a poetic exploration of love, longing and loss as he places Dante's experiences within the larger human context. We all want to be loved, to have a witness to our lives and to be remembered after death.

DePierro is a wonderful story teller and an interesting human being people have gotten to know through his short videos on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. This book is a way to experience his thoughts and opinions at a deeper level, although it comes without the wonderful dry humor of his videos. I read the Kindle version but also is available as an audio book he narrates.

Thank you to HarperCollins for providing a free copy of this book through NetGalley for review.

[Zumrud Huseynova · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

There is a cruelty in the way the world moves forward. Entire lives vanish without record. Entire loves disappear as though they never happened. A man works fifty years, loves one woman with all his heart, carries grief silently every day of his existence, and dies, and within a generation almost no trace of him remains except for a photograph in a drawer. And yet while he lived, his inner world was as vast and terrifying and sacred as anyone else’s.

Because while it could never be real, we understood too deeply and too powerfully that whatever this was, it was true.

She was a dream, I was her dream, and dreams exist because some things are far too true to be confined by the limitations of reality.

With the windows rolled down to the last of the summer wind,..

In life, there is never any such thing as a clean slate. We must live among the ruins we create.

It is a fantasy that every tragedy is heroic.

..there is a truth beyond language, higher than mind and lower than soul, where nothing we feel can be expressed except with a sigh, a breath, the inexpressible within us.

[Debbie T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. It’s definitely not a book you rush through—it’s one that makes you slow down, think about what you’re reading, and maybe even go back and read parts again. There was so much emotion in this story, and I found myself really connecting with it and thinking about it long after I finished. This is one of those books that stays with you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the copy! ❤️

[Electra · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

I am familiar with the author through his social media presence which is typically cynical and humorous. I was not expecting the beauty of these words or the level of depth and purity of storytelling.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this from beginning to end!

[Kristin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Djdixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF This book just didn’t appeal to me.

[June Coleman · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

A deep dive into love, self awareness, and regrets. Definitely a poetic passionate reflection of which I enjoyed its beauty but certainly not for everyone.