Dear Holden

by Kathleen Mareé

It all started with a letter.

This letter I am now holding in shaky hands that I must have read at least a dozen times already. A letter I felt compelled to retrieve from the public trashcan after that woman all but tossed it away. I know it was none of my business. It was wrong, and I know that. But after suffering through the kinds of loss that I had, my gut insisted that whoever took the time to write down their words didn’t deserve them to be left in the trash like they didn’t matter.

Because they should matter.

What’s the big deal right? It’s just a letter…

But the problem was, my name wasn’t Daphne.

And I wrote a letter back.

Unknown Binding

Published December 15, 2022

About the author

Kathleen grew up in the south-western suburbs of Sydney, where family holidays by the beach and tormenting her two younger brothers, was how she spent her early years. But at the young age of 11, when she submitted a short story to a talented writing competition through the NSW schools program, not only did she win it, but she quickly found a love for it as well.

Throughout her schooling, writing was a hobby, along with sketching and various sports. But fast forward to her adult years when she moved to Europe to follow her husbands field hockey dream, and her love for writing surged to the surface.
Her debut story, Cut, was penned over two years where her hobby seemed to lead to the completion of Pennys' world. The rest of the series came the following year.

Kathleen enjoys writing stories full of self-discovery, emotional journeys and of course, love.
Something else she loves is hearing from her readers, so feel free to follow her blog or drop her an email.

Reviews

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 star rating

[Daisybookattic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book so much, I have been reading dark romance and I was in need of a breather and this book fixed it all.
" Because he didn't just exist in it, he inhaled, swallowed, and owned everything around him"

The story was emotionally charged, and you won't help but connect with the characters.

It all starts in a café when our beloved, down-to-earth, fighter, sweet, beautiful heroine " Olivia" witnesses something, she was not intended to, that itself pushed her fate into the arms of our lovable, lost, confused, possessive hero " Holden".
Olivia was a loner, she had suffered a lot already, she was shy, introverted, and kept to herself, as for holden he was totally the opposite or that's what he wants people to see ... something happens that pushed him to join the army ...

"I FELT HIM. DEEP IN MY STOMACH, THROUGH EVERY NERVE ENDING AND EVERY LIMB, I FELT HIM"

Would a simple letter utter fate and change the course of events in someone's life? will words become too much? ( read it to find out)

[Prac Agrl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was decent but the execution needed something,
The author really writes well but maybe her books are not for me, coz for one thing it had no steam or should i say chemistry between characters, plus even some characterisation is not something i enjoyed.
First it seemed i am reading thoughts and exchanges between two i don’t know what coz it was so bland and no way a teenager or 20 something guy talks or writes due to the nature of the flowery language plus the things they discussed.
I liked the h and H but was too depressing and more than halfway through the novel it was still the same topic and its expectations.
The whole 300 plus novel was based in letters leaving the last 10% for the author to rush around their confessions, reconnecting and epilogues which has still solved nothing for the H.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was cute, but it felt rushed in some places and drawn out in others. I stopped read at 300 pages because the main characters had no chemistry at that point and no real discussions of feelings. They boyn have trauma with death and lost family members which is a binding point for them, but other then that they had nothing real to talk about. I also felt like the central plot unfolded way too fast and the mmc feelings were extremely watered down about it.

[Kylie Estall · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the first letter was read, that was it, I couldn't put this book down! Kathleen Maree takes you on a slow and winding journey that is well worth the wait. Her ability to engross you in these characters lives and leaving you wanting more is pure magic.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me “right in the feels”

If you’re after a read that is wonderfully written, with a refreshingly new storyline and hard to put down - then this is the book for you! ……………….… If not, give it a try anyhow - you won’t be sorry.

[lisa jung · Rating 4 out of 5]

The letter

It all started with a letter meant for someone else. And two lonely people find love through letters during Holden deployment. A sweet and lovely book with a Christmas ending.

[wendy Shelton(obsessedbybooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. Olivia and Holden both have their own demons and trust issues a mile long, but letters and a undying love makes for an incredible story.

[Sarah O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved every one of Kathleen’s books but this one was my favourite. With characters like Holden and Liv and their slow burn love story, I was hooked from the beginning.

[Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that this didn’t have an epilogue was pure evil but not worthy of a star reduction. I don’t want a whole new novel because in my heart they are married with kids. End!

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite book that Kathleen has written.
I really enjoyed this slow burning romance. Olivia (liv) and Holden manage to build a level of trust that isn’t often found through their sharing of letters over time. The story is written is such a way that you have to see what happens next and you are taken along for the ride. I couldn’t put it down.