P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

[Allie]

I'm embarrassed to say I own both a copy of the book and the movie...and since I haven't read one, I won't watch the other. Time to change that!

Ahern was 21 when she wrote P.S. I Love You, and 23 when it was published.

Synopsis:
Holly couldn't live without her husband Gerry, until the day she had to. They were the kind of young couple who could finish each other's sentences. When Gerry succumbs to a terminal illness and dies, 30-year-old Holly is set adrift, unable to pick up the pieces. But with the help of a series of letters her husband left her before he died and a little nudging from an eccentric assortment of family and friends, she learns to laugh, overcome her fears, and discover a world she never knew existed.

[Allie]

I'm struggling with this one. If not for the challenge, I think I would have already set it aside. It's so amateurish, and it's peopled with stereotypes (the brassy friend, the gay hairdresser...still?). Worse, Gerry and Holly were so syrupy, it's hard to read about them.

One thing I'm taking away from this challenge so far: I've read one other Ahern, published a good five years after this one, and it's obvious that she matured during that time. It's interesting to compare the two and see how her style has changed.

[Marah]

I read this for Week 40. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be. This is the only instance where I prefer the movie to the book.
I feel like the author could have gone a lot deeper. I had a hard time finishing this book as well. I powered through, but the ending just left me feeling disappointed.