Dear Mike: An Uplifting, Tender Novel of Love, Loss, and Starting Over

Letters from Belmont #1

by Cristi Slate

Two hours and thirty-seven minutes.

That's how long Mike has been gone when Jan Holland picks up the fancy Moleskine notebook her daughter's froofroo therapist insisted would "help her process her grief." As if a stupid notebook could fix the fact that Jan has no idea how to be a widow when she's spent four decades being a wife.

What begins as a skeptical vent becomes a lifeline. Through letters that are by turns prickly, funny, and achingly honest, Jan navigates her messy first year—from medical bills arriving like a tsunami to Mike's heartbreakingly empty chair at the dinner table. All the while, she shoulders a family left behind: a son struggling to stay sober, a daughter who manages grief like a project, and grandchildren who keep asking questions she doesn't know how to answer.

Told entirely through Jan's letters to her husband, Dear Mike is the story of a woman learning—at sixty-five—that being strong enough to ask for help might be the hardest thing she's ever done.

186 pages, Paperback

Published June 23, 2026

Reviews

[Maria (a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bible says that when two people get married, they become one. So it seems reasonable that if we were one, then you were 1/2 of us and I was 1/2 of us. But somehow, it seems like you died and took 3/4 of us with you, and I'm here with the pitiful leftovers.

Jan's grief is palpable. I love how Slate shows this not through huge emotions - which would be inconsistent with how Jan describes herself - but with how it's the smallest, most unexpected things that can set it off. How grief hides in every corner, and how you can't run from it, and maybe don't even want to, because running means letting go. I like how her year unfolds, how the rest of the world doesn't slow down even though it feels like it should. I thought the medical debt added some extra painfully realistic weight to the story.

Jan starts out as a pretty typical Christian 60-year-old, which is not really my type of character, so I was a bit weary. But as the letters went on, she started growing on me. I love how she talks about her kids, with this combination of exasperation and genuine love, even for the one they've lost to addiction. I thought that was quite beautiful, actually.

I love the letter format, and it works really well for this type of story. However, I do feel like Slate struggled a bit with it; especially at the beginning, the letters contained too much information Mike would have known ('your sister Brenda'), things you wouldn't say like this to someone who knows the ins and outs of your life (often, though not always, accompanied by 'as you know', but in a way that only called more attention to the problem). Once all the backstory was set, though, that problem went away, and I got thoroughly invested in her life and the life of her kids. And though it's short - more of a novella then a novel - and I would have enjoyed spending more time with this family, I thought the ending worked really well.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sarah Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not often I read a book and resonate with the characters so much while having never lived the experiences they are going through. I felt the deep emotions Jan did as she was writing them in her journal entries. The author really portrayed the experiences perfectly to appeal to a wide variety of audiences. It’s hard to get a 5 star book rating from me. I would have loved for the author to have made the book longer and added in some more juice to the ending. I think that would have really amplified this enough to add it to my 5 star list!

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kim Territo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this and discovered the main j characters are the same age as my husband and I. Needless to say, I really related to this story and cried my way through the first half of this book. I powered my way through and loved it. I received an advance copy for feee and I am leaving my honest review.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Dear Mike" is an emotional journey of a widow in the days, weeks, and months after the death of her husband. I found myself laughing hilariously at times at her memories of her husband, and other scenes had me ugly-crying. The author finds a way to touch the heart of the reader; the book feels very real to life in both the relational aspects as well as daily-life components.

[Mary Rayburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I began reading this book I was not sure I could continue. I have experienced the loss of
several family members in the past seven months. I almost stopped reading but I am so
glad that I persevered through Jan's journal. Each entry inspired me to keep going and
brought healing to my soul. I highly recommend “Dear Mike.” Thank you Cristi for writing it.

[Elisabeth ingoldsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written as letters, this book has me laughing and crying. This story takes you through Jan living her life after her husband dies. It shows how she leans on her family to help her. I can’t wait to read the second book once it comes out.

[Madeline Brousseau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was lovely! The characters were so real that I found myself thinking about them and wondering what would happen when I wasn’t reading. Picking up the book felt like reading letters from an old friend. Each character felt unique and whole, and the relationships were complex. I loved that you also get a really good idea of who Mike was. I really came to love this family and was rooting for them! The writing was so relatable and interesting. I’m so excited to read more!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hesitated to read this, but I'm glad I did. There is so much in this book that I have felt, thought, or done in the past 18 months. It wrecked me a little, but I also felt seen.

[Katharine M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

How this author, a young wife and mother was able to get into the heart and head of an older, recently widowed mother/grandmother is a tribute to her ability as a writer. I highly recommend this latest book by Christi Slate!