The Letter

by Josephine Cox

Bella can’t wait to be married to her fiancée Sidney, and dreams of the day she will walk up the aisle to be given away by her widowed father, with her bookish sister Alice as her bridesmaid. Their lives are disturbed when they receive a letter from their fifteen-year-old cousin Millie. Taken in by her austere aunt and uncle when her parents were killed in an accident, Millie says she is being badly treated and pleads to be rescued. When the two sisters take a trip to find out the truth, things take a troubling turn. Millie is brought home to live with them, her only possessions her ill-fitting clothes and a tatty suitcase. But soon they are questioning this act of kindness. Does their teenaged cousin just need some love and kindness? Or is she a troublemaker, with only mischief and malice on her mind…?

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2023

About the author

Josephine Cox was born in Blackburn, one of ten children. At the age of sixteen, Josephine met and married her husband Ken, and had two sons. When the boys started school, she decided to go to college and eventually gained a place at university but was unable to take this up as it would have meant living away from home. Instead, she went into teaching – and started to write her first full-length novel. She won the ‘Superwoman of Great Britain’ Award, for which her family had secretly entered her, at the same time as her novel was accepted for publication. She is now a No.1 bestselling author with over 40 books to her name.

She wrote dark psychological thrillers under the name Jane Brindle.

Reviews

[Louise Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bella can't wait to be married to her fiancée Sydney, and dreams of the day she will walk up the aisle to be given away by her widowed father, with her bookish sister Alice as her bridesmaid. Their lives are disturbed when they receive a letter from their fourteen-year-old cousin Millie. Taken in by her austere aunt and uncle when her parents were killed in an accident, Millie says she is being badly treated and pleads to be rescued. When the two sisters take a trip to find out the truth, things take a troubling turn.

I'm a huge fan of Josephine Cox. Her books are so easy to read. This is a heartwarming read, but it has its moments of sadness too. After receiving a letter from their cousin Millie, Bella and her sister Alice take a trip to find out what was really going on at their aunt and uncles house. They bring Millie home with them. The characters are well developed, mostly likable and believable. The pace is ateady. I was hooked after reading a few pages. What exactly was going on with Millie? I had to keep reading to find out. even though this book was 400 pages long, it didn't feel like it. It's so well written and the storyline is addictive. Another fabulous read by the late Josephine Cox.

I would like to thank #Netgalley #HarperCollinsUK #HarperFiction and the author #JosephineCox for my ARC of #TheLetter in exchange for an honest review.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read with a small twist at the end

[Lyn Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book five stars because I just wanted to pick it up at every opportunity.
I really thought Millie was a bad lot. Didn't expect that at the end though.

[Karen Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very easy gentle read but it is no page turner. I hadn’t read this author before, so I picked this up based on synopsis on the back of the book which leads to a slightly darker story than it actually is. However it is nice family drama set in the 1950s, with some dark elements and twists but the story was very predictable.

[Vicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was ok, and the story just about kept me interested. Unfortunately much of it was rather bland, and some was simply too far fetched and I thought it unessesary for the story. Also none of the characters were very well developed, so didn't get to care about them that much. All in all disappointing.

[Samantha Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so sweet. Even through her flaws of bossiness and anger issues, I feel like you just can't hate Millie. I feel like she had some deeper mental issue but at heart she did have the best interests of those she loved. It was adorable seeing this grow in the book.
Her aunt and uncle remind me exactly or Harry Potter staying with Dursleys which i loved except i feel really bad for her with those nasty conditions!
I also loved Alice and her hardworking attitude that was also seen in her loyal dad Thomas. And wow Bella's patience I applaud. i'm happy how her story line ended with her finance but I would have preferred it to not be as predictable.
One thing Ill never get tired of is beach settings in books, and in this read it didn't disappoint I can just image the setting eating chips bu the sea with the huts.
Overall loved this book and very easy to read.

[Valerie Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I have enjoyed many Josephine Cox books in the past, and this story was set in the same time period of the 1950s. That was the only similarity: I thought the characters were unrealistic (Bella, desperately wanting to be married and making excuses for Sidney; Thomas, the weak father; and Millie, the fifteen-year-old who speaks her mind far too often to be typical of a teenager of that era), and the story with its hints of the supernatural was plain silly. The story meandered so slowly I was bored for most of the book, but persevered to the end, only to discover it wasn't worth it. Would not recommend.

[Annie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have never read this Author. Sorry to hear she has passed away. However will definitely be reading more of her books. I found slow at start but the weaving and trickery was amazing - could not put down - had to have the answer - never a hint was given.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok story but struggled to finish and only did so to discover the ending as one does! Hard to read the way it was written. Illustrates how cruel some people are and how behaviour may affect generations not just immediate victim. Revenge is key word here.

[Dora Dukes · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5stars rounded up. A story of family, loss and ‘revenge’, with an underlying question of whether the orphaned cousin has powers to inflict revenge through her drawings, as well as foresee hints of the future. Was an easy read but a little slow going, the end did pick up however.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book but I found there wasn’t much detail given about most of the characters so I didn’t really get to know them. Not a huge amount happening in terms of plot either but it was an easy, enjoyable read all the same.

[SJAYMYA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book that was given to me for free. I thought it was a lovely story. I felt I was becoming part of the family whilst reading. I'm going to try some of Josephine's other books, too.

[Julia Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit predicable but loved it. A good easy read on with a nice story line.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful book. Josephine Cox certainly knows what her readers want and delivers every time. Such an easy read with some good but not too many characters.
Such a sad loss to the book world.

[Emma Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good

[Natasha Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars a pleasant read. Left unanswered questions.

[Alexia Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was gifted this book at Christmas so went into this blindly. Felt it was the perfect slow read for a busy season. Easy to pick up and put down and gave a cozy vibe.

[Emma Woodley-Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy and enjoyable read

[Dan Hooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely easy read ❤️

[Yvonne Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Valerie McGurk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storytelling at its best. Easy to read.

[Lesley Puncher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started well but the ending was disappointing.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. A bit different, bitbof supernatural theme in the main character.

[Helen Barsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read. The character of Millie grew as did all her new family. One does wonder whether she had power or not.