Review of Wallflower Pen Pals

[Bertha Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Wallflower Pen Pals" by K.L. Estrada.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

At Carolyn’s brother Herman’s wedding, her friend Virginia tells her that guys in the military are lonesome and love to receive letters. Virginia points out Joe and tells her he is in the service and would like to receive letters. Later she gives Carolyn Joe’s address in New Jersey. The next day Carolyn writes a letter of introduction to Joe and tells him about her steady boyfriend, Billy, and offers her friendship. Joe writes her back, which is the beginning of a pen pal friendship spanning July to December 1955. This book is a compilation of the letters Carolyn and Joe exchange and is a romantic tale where they fall in love with each other’s letters. Are pen pal letters enough to build a relationship on? Can you get to know someone else through the letters they write? Read their letters in Wallflower Pen Pals: The Ultimate Love Story by K.L. Estrada before you decide.

This book has many positive aspects. The letters between Carolyn and Joe show their faith in God. I particularly like this one quote from Carolyn, “...we take the easier path, which is usually the wrong one. The harder road is often the right path to God.” Life is not always easy. There are lessons that we can learn from Carolyn and Joe. For example, everyone deserves a chance and should be forgiven for their past. I enjoyed reading about myths like if you do not put a return address on your mail, you do not want the recipient to write back, and a cracked stamp means the sender no longer loves you.

Since this book is a compilation of letters, no chapters are separating them. I found myself getting bored with the book because there is a lot of repetition with Carolyn or Joe asking questions of the other one in one letter, and then another letter goes over that same topic with their response. The beginning and end of each letter are basically the same, which got quite tedious. Since the book is a compilation of letters, this should be expected but does not make it any easier to read.

Overall, this is a lovely and romantic story that has been exceptionally well edited by a professional editor. There are some errors in the letters, but they are what was written in the original letters, and at times Joe and Carolyn apologized for the errors they made writing their letter. Therefore, they are not what I would consider typographical or grammatical errors in the book. The errors attest to the authenticity of the letters. I gladly give this book 4 out of 4 stars. I will not give it fewer stars even though I found parts of the book boring and hard to read because readers who enjoy slow-paced books will enjoy it.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy romantic novels based on the lifestyle in the mid-1950s. This was an era where everything was low keyed compared to today’s lifestyle. There are a couple of mild borderline profanity instances, and Joe and Carolyn are both Catholics who speak of their faith. If either of these offends you, you probably do not want to read this book.

******
Wallflower Pen Pals
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Ruchi Raina]

The plotline of this book is beautiful. The concept of exchanging letters is so romantic, and the myths mentioned in the book just add to its charm. Thanks for your elaborate review.

[Mtibza eM]

This is such a beautiful review, I enjoyed reading it. Great job.

[Black Jewel]

This looks like an interesting read. I appreciate your review. I might have to add this one to my list at some point.

[Ada Ling]

This look is a lovely and romantic story. Thanks for the introduction!

[Wesusa]

Well thought out and well-written review. Great Job!

[Sara chhawniwala]

I myself being traditional, love to write and read letters.
And pen pals are just fun!
This book is something i would love to read despite its content being repeated.

[Nancy Morara]

I've never read anything like this and would hope to read one someday. Nice review.

[onyii_review]

If not for boredom you experienced, I would have enjoyed reading this. Thanks for the review though.

[Katie Blackmore]

I love the unique idea of the book being the exchanged letters and it is so disheartening to see that it landed up being monotonous. Thank you for the honest and beautifully written review. You did a really good job.