Dear Tatum

by Emily Reilly

How far would you go to get away from the past? Sadie Barnes is married to Tatum, her one and only. Haunted by the memories of her ex-husband, she must face her dark past in order to heal from her insecurities. Their relationship is put to the test when Tatum travels to attend a school reunion, connecting unexpectedly with a sworn past enemy, Harper. Much like Sadie, Harper faces demons from her past; she's a carer for her mother, who lacks compassion for her childhood trauma, and is on the receiving end of emotional abuse from her brother. She must also face the secrets lying in her past in order to move forward with her life. "Dear Tatum" is a testament to anyone who feels stuck in the past and wants freedom from their previous mistakes to move towards the future. Told from the perspective of both women, they realize how their past trauma is stopping them from leaving Tatum behind. Both women must face their past so they can move on and become the person they know they should be. Everyone has their secrets... but will they be strong enough to own them?

246 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2020

Reviews

[Ashley Summerfeldt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dear Tatum zeroes in on love, loss, marriage and aging from two women's perspectives. Main characters Harper and Sadie try to maintain their respective relationships under the weight of painful secrets, past trauma and fear of moving forward as they get older.
This contemporary romance book is a little slow to start and confusing at times when there is a change of scenery, but an overall interesting storyline. I would have liked to see a little more character development with all of the main characters. I found the language and overall personality/ demeanor of the characters a bit "young" despite them being in their 40's or 50's. I also see a lot of mention of Sadie's children but it seems like they are not around much in the story. A lot of things come into fruition at the end but I felt there was more I wanted to know.
All in all I did find the storyline interesting and I really empathized with the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes drama/ romance novels.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Suzy (readaholicmom) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Tatum is a must read story for many women! At times we live in a bubble not seeing what's happening right in front of us and that's only because of our blinded comfort in the life we supposedly are living! This story is one that many women live on a daily basis.
Dear Tatum is a story about two women who cross paths because of their love for the same man. A man that lies, manipulates, cheats and destroys without any regards for the destruction he's created in other's lives. His selfishness pushes these two women into reliving and reevaluating their past in order to face the consequence for their present actions.

[Adel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to know where to begin my review of this book, but I guess a good starting point is when I first read Dear Tatum over a year ago as a beta-reader. I wish you could all have seen what that draft looked like compared to the final version, because even though I was blown away by it, I can't say how amazed-but not surprised-I am by Emily's progress. From her writing at the sentence level to the evolution of the narrative that she weaved, she took Dear Tatum to a whole other level. That brings to me what I loved specifically about this book, however, I will be sure to avoid spoilers.

The two point-of-view characters of this book, Harper and Sadie, are magnificently well written. They are not just shells of people that react accordingly to what is needed by the plot, but instead behave like legitimate people who have their own strengths and flaws and use them based off of the situation. And with the way these two are positioned in relation to one another, the conflict not only forms on the page, but in you as the reader as you switch between Harper and Sadie. This is only bolstered by Emily's prose that makes you feel for the two women as they deal with Tatum. And while Tatum is not someone you get to view this world through, the ending will feel almost like a release and an understanding between these three characters. I can't really say more on this without getting into spoilers, but read this book, and you'll see what I mean! Finally, I cannot say enough about Emily's writing at the sentence level. From the dialogue to the description, you'll feel all the emotions that Harper and Sadie are feeling, and you will populate a world that she has crafted. While I could go on, the last thing about her writing that I will mention is that even though this is not a thriller, the end of each chapter will make you want to flip to the next page.

I cannot recommend this book enough, and I can't wait to see what Emily has got next!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harper is not been accepted by her religious family for who she is. Then at a high school reunion she feels a spark with Tatum. Everything changes after that. She is taking risks, falling in love, defying her identity.
Sadie is not sure about her marriage anymore. She knows something is wrong with her marriage but everytime she tries to move on her guilt doesn't let her do it.
Sadie's and Harper's life are gonna collide and will destroy everything that they stood for. Can they face their past and handle the consequences of their present actions. As they you can never run from your past.


Review

This book is very very slow paced and it is filled with inner monologues. Though I don't mind them but I felt author keep repeating same thing again and again.

The emotional connect is bang on. You feel their misery, their guilt, their heartbreak and their helplessness. You know somewhere both Sadie and Harper is wrong but still you emphatise with them.

The ending is quite rushed. I felt author build up a great mystery and very long heartbreaking journey of both characters but it was all finished up very quickly in the end. I wanted more scenes and confrontations between Sadie and Harper. I wanted to see some women power in the book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

firstly, i just want to say how impressed i am with Emily- not just as a storyteller, but as a writer. from her last book (which i still thought was pretty good) to this book, it is clear how much her writing has blossomed.
this book was very character driven which is one of my favorite things. this means the main plot had very little to do with the majority of the book because instead we spent time getting to know Sadie and Harper and how they got to this point in their lives. i feel with these characters we more or less spent time with them while they made some huge decisions and learned the background of why these decisions were so hard to make. i think this execution was done extremely well and made the book so much more interesting.
as for the main plot, what a rollercoaster. everyone was very morally gray- having good and bad aspects- and by the end, i had no idea who i was rooting for. and the ending was so perfectly ambiguous and bleak, another one of my favorite things. i highly recommend you pick up this novel and support a fellow indie author. 🖤

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reilly has written a poignant, emotional story that will stick with you. If Colleen Hoover is our self-publishing Queen, Emily Reilly is our princess. You MUST buy this book!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I binged this story in a few days, unable to put it down. The story is told from the perspective of two women — with vastly different back stories, but a few things in common. They are only tied together through a man, Tatum, who’s character purposely changes depending on who he’s around at the time. Like a true chameleon, his character is rather unpredictable, and seeing him through the eyes of the two rose-tinted narrators is very interesting. I found myself grappling along with them — trying to figure out exactly who Tatum really is. But ultimately, the story is not about him. It’s about two women finding themselves, brought about by a common catalyst. Emily does a brilliant job of placing you directly in the mind of her narrators, especially when it comes to bullet-point, head racing thoughts. By the end of the novel I found myself smiling at the twist of events, very satisfied by the duality displayed by the characters as well as the foreshadowing beforehand. A very enjoyable read!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jacklyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

While attending a high-school reunion, Tatum unexpectedly connects with Harper, his high-school enemy. It's unexpected that a decades long enemy would be the one to stir up romantic feelings. Will he stay faithful to his loving wife Sadie or will this new connection have Tatum second guessing his whole life? While Tatum struggles with his new found feelings towards Harper, Sadie and Harper deal with struggles and secrets of their own. Will they work through these struggles and come out on top? Or will their hearts be torn to pieces?
I was a little wary to read this contemporary romance novel as it isn't my usual genre, however I am so glad I gave it a go! This book has opened a new door for me as I would love to explore more contemporary romance novels after such a pleasant experience. Emily Reilly constantly had me guessing and wondering where the story was headed and how things would end up for each character. I can't wait to see what stories she will bring us in the future!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[JANELLE || WHATSHESEEES · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Tatum is a book line no other and what I mean by that, I mean it’s a book you don’t want to miss. I haven’t forgot about this story since I’ve read it in 2019 and those types of books are special because they stood with you for a reason. Weather you related to a situation that was similar to you at the time or if your mind set was somewhere else.

Reilly creates these unique stories with characters that are extremely relatable and that’s one of the things I love most about her books.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled a bit with this one. It was slow paced and at times hard to follow. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. And i was unsure how i felt about one of the main characters being gay but then dating a man.

I think it was an intriguing premise and i think the emotions were well portrayed. I definitely understand the characters inner struggles and frustrations. And Tatum really is something else. He was a terrible dude and i felt so bad for the women involved.

[Brittney Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing style is gorgeous, unlike anything I’ve read quite before! The story was very unique, and I was not expecting all of the twists and turns! I’m so glad I finally read this gem. I deducted a star just because I feel like Tatum was SO evil, and I would have liked to learn more about his backstory/learn why he hurt so many women. It was difficult to relate to him or feel sorry for him. But otherwise, a great book!

[Shafaque]

Someone who vows to never get married, shouldn't be reading this book which deals with the complexities of marriage, pushing her further away from the living adversity called Marriage, thank you.
Ps. I know there was more to the story, but I still don't feel sorry for the pages I have skipped. Picked this book at the wrong time!