Dear Mr. Knightley Review

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay is a clean contemporary romance. I think it was intended to be a Christian fiction book and had some of those elements, but not enough for me to feel good about labeling it as such. This book is about Samantha, a girl of the foster care system as she is entering adulthood. She is given a grant to get her graduate degree in journalism at a specific university as long as she will write letters to her anonymous benefactor updating him on how things are going. We follow her on her journey through college, new opportunities, new acquaintances and more.

This was a very interesting book. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars. I loved that Sam was a book lover (especially of the classics) and took it to the extreme. Being a book lover myself this really hit home. There were many very interesting characters in the story and I enjoyed getting to know them through Sam’s eyes. Character creation and development seems to be a strong point for Reay.

I also enjoyed the writing style of the book. Books written in letter format are generally enjoyable for me. This one was done quite well, maybe a little too journal or diary like for my taste, but that quality of the letters was explained away in the book. However, the heroine was a bit annoying and I found myself getting frustrated with her on and off through the book.

I liked that this book was such an honest look at human emotions. She didn’t hold back or sugar coat it. Things got gritty and a bit ugly at times, but the hope she shows is real too. There were some faith elements included in the story: like characters who seem to be believers, talk about God a little, pray and quote a tiny bit of scripture. However, it is never directly stated that anyone is a believer and the main character isn’t one by the end of the book. It feels like Reay is trying to get up the courage to be a Christian fiction writer, or she is trying to sell to non-Christians with a little hidden faith thrown in.

All that being said, I would be interested in reading another book by her. After two books I don’t feel like I understand her as a writer yet and I would like to.

Disclaimer: A trigger warning for a violent event (non-sexual, but a little bit graphic).