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Love Notes #7

Dear Marley

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Everyone at Ryder High knows what it means to have a teal envelope taped to their locker on the first day of the month.

For Marley “Sunny” Sorenshine, a Secret Admirer might be just what she needs to put her recent, very public, break up behind her.

Her optimism is dimmed when she reads the first note—her admirer was tricked into participating. He didn’t choose Marley, a dart did. And he wants her to quit.

But if Marley is good at anything, it’s seeing the silver lining and standing up for herself. She decides to throw her Sunny disposition into the game to challenge her Admirer’s grumpiness.

The guy can’t be all that bad—he carefully crafted a crossword puzzle just for her. And as the month goes on, he shares more personal details that intrigue her.

Will Marley stick it out until the end, or will her Admirers morose attitude get the best of her?

154 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 31, 2022

124 people are currently reading
559 people want to read

About the author

Danielle Keil

58 books358 followers
Danielle Keil grew up and spent the majority of her life in the Chicagoland area. A recent transplant, she is enjoying the Mississippi life, especially the pool in her backyard.
Danielle is happily married for over 10 years, and has two young children, a daughter and a son, who are exact replicas of her and her husband.

Danielle's love language is gifts, her Ennegram is a 9w1, and she loves everything purple.
The way to her heart is through coffee, chocolate and tacos (extra guac).

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5 stars
235 (38%)
4 stars
196 (31%)
3 stars
141 (22%)
2 stars
39 (6%)
1 star
5 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
Profile Image for Mae Batchelor.
209 reviews6 followers
September 22, 2023
Honestly, such a sweet novel! Love it, just wished it was longer, dragging out the development of they’re relationship.
Profile Image for Mariem.
96 reviews20 followers
August 14, 2023
A+ for this one it felt too personal
Profile Image for Julie Thorpe.
Author 10 books28 followers
September 19, 2022
Yet another winner :)

Loved it, loved it, loved it.
These love notes stories just keep getting better with each one. I couldn't put this one down and I really enjoyed the storyline and the fact the author has gone into so much detail about how different people really are when you truly take the time to look. You can think one thing but realise it means something else completely.

Well written and great characters. Waiting patiently for the next one now :)
Profile Image for Margaret Weber.
82 reviews4 followers
September 11, 2022
OMG these Love Notes Series books get better and better. I was so happy to see the guy featured in this book. Marley is such a great person who feels she has to be sun shiny all the time. Through her secret Admirer she begins to understand herself and her Admirer better. I loved the spin that Danielle Keil used in this story. I seriously wish it was October already so I could read the next book.
Profile Image for Tara.
1,184 reviews8 followers
September 1, 2022
This was such a deep and beautiful story full of hope, trust & taking a chance on love. You get the feeling of being right in the midst of the book with the characters. I LOVE this series…fun reads, lots of humor & a fresh concept for a fantastic series. There’s just something so sweet and nostalgic about high school romance and this totally tugged all the right heartstrings! I can't wait for the next book to see who will be “the chosen one”. I highly recommend this book, the series, and definitely this author.
Profile Image for Megan.
250 reviews
September 8, 2022
Wow! This was a winner. I'm obsessed with this series, seriously.

This was hands down my favorite. Grumpy/sunshine(literally... her nickname is Sunny) and just so good!

I actually laughed out loud at one point and woke my baby, but it was totally worth it.

Did I mention this book was so good?
Profile Image for Amanda Martin.
194 reviews4 followers
September 18, 2022
Green Lights and Crosswords

Wow! Grumpy and Sunshine it certainly was but this was definitely a story about being seen for who you truly are. Absolutely loved this story from beginning to end! May have shed a few tears but this story definitely touched my heart.
Profile Image for victoria °❀⋆..
38 reviews
January 3, 2024
This was a great start to the year! It was such a cute little quick read and definitely made me silly giggle the majority of it! I just wish there was more build up to the relationship and some more after! I would’ve loved that so much.
Profile Image for Andrea Thompson.
748 reviews11 followers
September 1, 2022
I adore these fast-reading, fun YA love stories! This installment features one of my favorite tropes - a sunshine heroine and a grumpy hero... but with a twist. The puzzles in this one spoke to me (brb finding a crossword book) and as always the journey to solving the mystery is pure serotonin. LOVE this series!
Profile Image for Paige Rice.
69 reviews4 followers
April 10, 2024
This book was just so sweet but it was too short. Way too short. I wanted so much more from it. There’s so much more that could be written into it to beef it up.
Profile Image for Jule.
76 reviews
October 19, 2023
Ne also der Anfang ist schon gut aber das Ende ist ja mal so beschissen wirklich. Also erstmal hieß der Typ die ganze Zeit Owen was schon red flag ist aber am Ende hieß er einfach Jay und ich verstehe nicht wieso hä. Naja und denn rettet er sie vor so nh playboy und sie umarmen sich und denn sind die zusammen und er soll direkt mit zum Abendessen der kompletten Familie so dumm. Achso und sie ist voll pick me. Ihr bester Freund ist Max und der spiel Baseball oder so und noch ein anderen Sport und deshalb hat sie NUR Jungs Freunde die morgens immer alle bei ihr am Spind stehen weil Max da ja ist und die sehen sie angeblich alle auch als beste Freundin deshalb.
Profile Image for Bea Serrao.
1 review
September 21, 2023
I absolutely loved reading this book, literally cannot handle it, it was so so cute. I love the grumpy/sunshine trope. Sure some cringe parts, like the random spanish that only lasted liked 3 pages, but AHH so cute.
Profile Image for Deanna Hopping.
398 reviews
September 27, 2023
Marley is miss sunshine at Ryder High, so her nickname Sunny is a perfect fit. She is so thoughtful and generous that she brings Mr. Thompson a retired teacher his blueberry muffin top that reminds him of his late wife. So, when she was giving her first teal envelope, she thought it was a complete joke. After finding out it wasn't she was starting to get excited then for first clue came and it was a total let down, for Marley now she was thinking her admirer, was forced into the game. will she make it the whole month, will it get better or is this the cloud that brings downs the schools sunshine.
Profile Image for funkelbunt.liest.
321 reviews5 followers
February 9, 2025
4,5 stars rounded to 5

Love Notes series: To enjoy this series you just have to accept the premise that there is a secret society which organizes this secret admirer game and that most of the teenage boys want to participate and that most of the girls wish to receive a letter. Especially for the boys I find that hard to believe, but like I said - just accept it and move on.
You also have to accept that there are a lot of boys with a crush on a girl and they just wait for their turn to be the secret admirer instead of making a move on their own. Considering they can only participate in their junior and senior year and the game sometimes pauses for summer break, there are at maximum 24 months and A LOT more boys who want the spot. So that’s another really unrealistic part, but the books just don’t make sense if you don’t accept this.
I was quite annoyed with this - in some books more than others - but I tried to forget that it’s kind of a stupid concept to pine silently away for your crush, to wait up to two years for your turn and never do something on your own.
If you can look past that, the series is kinda cute. Some books are very enjoyable, others I really really didn’t like. But for all of them - I repeat myself - you HAVE to accept the premise.

***

This is my absolute favorite book of the series and I was curious about his story since book 1, excited to read his book definitely after book 2.

It’s THE typical grumpy/sunshine pairing and I think it works really well here.
Of course it was again really obvious who the book was about. After reading book 1 I read all the blurbs and was already pretty sure who would be Marley’s admirer - but in this case it didn’t bother me.
Marley was very sweet and I liked her a lot, especially how she handled the whole ‘I don’t really want this secret admirer game’ from his part. Even though I would never have done it and it wasn’t always logical how she thought he might care/like her and how she could beat him.
But I can overlook that because the interaction in letters, thoughts and in person was overall just great. I didn’t really care for the Great Gatsby scenes and especially the end could have been longer/had more depth, but for 150 pages this was really good and I felt like I got to know both main characters and I could totally see them as a couple.
Profile Image for Dani.
27 reviews
September 12, 2022
This is it boys, Owen finally gets his story! I’ve loved Owen since he was introduced so this book automatically started at 5 stars but then lost one because from the description alone I guessed it was gonna be him (my book updates show as proof). So there’s still barely a mystery to this series, but maybe there is and I’ve just read them too much to the point where i’m really getting to know these characters. Overall I liked the story, I’ve loved the baseball boys since the beginning so their involvement automatically made me happy. I also loved Marleys interactions with the front desk man (Mr.Thompson i think??) and just her as a character. Also the way Max and Owen would defend her was kinda hot and had me swooning a little (ignoring the toxicity of course) I could’ve let the predictability slide and give this book five starts, but what the hell was that random fight scene with the baseball player from the other side?? It was completely unnecessary and felt like the author was just trying to meet a page quota. Their chemistry was so great and could’ve carried the book, that scene was 100% not needed and little cringey. Overall, I’m happy for Owen and I love this couple.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ilona Nurmela.
676 reviews16 followers
March 15, 2024
Loved this grumpy-sunshine teen romance!

Read this straight after book 1 in one go and it was lovely! Credible characters, both Marley who is Little Miss Sunshine and Owen who’s the grump. When a hih school has a tradition of one month of clues passed as kove notes (or rather, taoed to the girl’s locker), sometimes it turns out well even if oarticipation was not strictly voluntary. Marley had her heart broken at the prom and while she keeps smiling, to her utter shock, she is picked by an anonymous guy to court and woo for a month as oer their high school tradition. Except the guy seems not to be into her and she is determined to avoid a second rejection in a row. As the pair’s reasons unfold, their friends turn out to be hilarious but honourable sidekicks. Owen’s backstory was heartbreaking and it became totally understandable why he’s a grumpy git. I loved how Great Gatsby was woven into the story.p and how it unfolded into a HEA.

Recommended for lovers of teen high school mystery romances between a perky heroine and grumpy boy.
Profile Image for ضحى الحداد.
Author 3 books638 followers
November 1, 2022
I'm really impressed by this series, with each book it becomes cuter and cuter and I'm really falling for it :D
in this book we will meet Marley, she is the school sunshine with her perfect smile and her caring personality, but what nobody knows is that she is still hurting from that time when her boyfriend dumped her in front of everybody, which makes it extra weird that she have a secret admirer, the thing is .. the guy didn't want to participate and he tells her to quit but Marley decides to expose his identity and kill him with her smile and kindness
this is a very unique book because the identity of the secret admirer was revealed earlier on but the game still went on .. I really liked the relationship between Marley and "him" ( who is my favorite character and I was anticipating his book since book 1 ) and that ending made me tear up a bit .. I really loved this book and I'm so happy that the series isn't over yet :D
Profile Image for Vicky Johnson.
414 reviews
July 30, 2023
This is now my new favourite.

I loved Marley. She was hurting but never let anyone know other than Max her best friend who had known her long enough to see through the smiles and the sunshine attitude.

Her secret admirer told her from the start he didn’t want to be involved but had been tricked by his friend and then he threw a dart to pick the girl. She is really upset about this but keeps that smile on her face.

Eventually he starts to get into the game and I just felt really bad for him. Their conversations were really deep and beautiful.

I was really happy with the match and was glad he took the chance in her and her on him. His chapter at the end was so sweet. I’m really glad this boy got a book he deserves someone to love him like Marley will.

Also if you read the bonus chapter the dart wasn’t so random after all.

Again this was a cute story but just had a bit more depth than the others
Profile Image for Flhooco0279.
122 reviews
February 17, 2025
This was cute but both Owen and Max were possessive of Marley in a way that I felt was hypermasculine. I would have liked Marley to let them know she didn't need them to physically save her from the big bad boys. Which leads me to my next critique. Some elements felt sterotypical like the typical bad boys and Owen being dark and stormy because he had trauma. I liked that it kept me wonder who the admirerer was and then I really like that she uncovered him along with the reader. I didn't see that coming at the outset.
Profile Image for Vani E K.
47 reviews
October 10, 2023
It was cute, a bit cringy at parts, but we are talking about school love stories, so it has to be that way. I don't really enjoy stories with people who are looked depressed, sad, or so only because they are quiet or reserved but I enjoyed the read, I wanted a bit more of action from Owen tho, but it was not on his personality either so. That's it! It's cute enough to have 3 stars and also a really easy read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jess Loves To Read.
208 reviews4 followers
October 20, 2023
Oh my heart ❤️

I read this to fill a popsugar prompt and I am so glad I did. Though I figured out who the person was writing the notes way early I kept reading because he is amazingly sweet! I love that the main characters are human, believable, relatable, and charming.

You can feel their relationship grow and every letter makes your heart melt. Such a great novella I recommend to all. It’s clean and romantic!
Profile Image for Nikki Long.
152 reviews10 followers
November 18, 2023
A cute short read - each month the high school
plays a game where one of the guys picks a girl an send her real envelopes and hides as a secrets admirer.

The girl has the option to play along to find out who it is or can bail out at anytime.

Marley has just gone through a heartbreak and is unsure she can handle a secrets admirer when she revived her first envelope….but continues to play along to find out who it is.
Profile Image for Tanesha Abernathy.
510 reviews
December 28, 2023
Quiet is not always a bad thing

I enjoyed reading Marley’s story. Again, the characters showed their creativity in how they posed their letters/game and had fun with it. I enjoyed how the school curriculum played an important part of the plot as well.

These books have all aspects of school and the different personalities and things you typically take for granted when you think of young school age kids or teens. If you like teeny bopper romance you will enjoy this book of the series.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Edwards.
5,548 reviews9 followers
February 29, 2024
i am thinking that i got this thanks to knowing that Bookbub was saying it was free. got it back in Sept. came out August 31, 2022. teen & young adult fiction about being a teen. teen & young adult school & education fiction ebooks. teen & young adult contemporary romance ebooks. i am not sure i have read DK before. i will have to be sure?!!??! i love these great book covers. fun times. will check out more from this series soon. laters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews

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