Review: Postscript

I read P.S. I Love You a long, long time ago. Cecelia Ahern's breakout novel was published in 2004 and the movie was released in 2007. I definitely know I read it before watching it because I remember being annoyed at the bizarre things that were changed in the movie. All that to say, I had to stretch my memory almost 15 years to remember what happened in the first book when I picked up the sequel, Postscript, back in September.

Here's the synopsis:

It's been seven years since Holly Kennedy's husband died – six since she read his final letter, urging Holly to find the courage to forge a new life.
She’s proud of all the ways in which she has grown and evolved. But when a group inspired by Gerry's letters, calling themselves the PS, I Love You Club, approaches Holly asking for help, she finds herself drawn back into a world that she worked so hard to leave behind.
Reluctantly, Holly begins a relationship with the club, even as their friendship threatens to destroy the peace she believes she has achieved. As each of these people calls upon Holly to help them leave something meaningful behind for their loved ones, Holly will embark on a remarkable journey – one that will challenge her to ask whether embracing the future means betraying the past, and what it means to love someone forever…

I'm not sure Postscript could have stood alone without the success of P.S. I Love You. The Holly in this book has gotten stuck. She wasn't in a great place in the first book, obviously, but you can tell that she hasn't quite gotten to really living part of her new life. She's kind of just...existing. I'm not blaming her, I can't imagine what it would be like to lose your partner and try to move on. Even though she sometimes seemed like someone you couldn't be friends with, she was very much a hot mess, I was rooting for her the entire time.

I found the novel to be really...I don't necessarily want to say realistic but Ahern did not sugarcoat things. Holly had a lot of really hard things to get through in this story and Ahern didn't pull any punches. Yes, facing, once again six years later, what Gerry's death did to her was hell. Of course it was. Helping others, while usually a noble pursuit, is not helping her and her not-quite-healed wound. Is it what she should be doing? Or is it something she feels she has to do? Holly has a lot to grapple with and it was sometimes hard to read as she worked things out.

And the members of the PS I Love You club? They'll break your heart. Not intentionally, of course, but how could you not be heartbroken once you meet members who are so wonderful and who are facing a terminal illness? It's hard but sweet all at once.

Ultimately, I was really happy with the way this story turned out. It's heartbreaking but I had forgotten the way Ahern tells her stories and how great they are, even when dealing with something less than ideal.

And heads up: the rights to this book have been sold too so a movie is a-comin'. Let's hope it's a better adaptation.

I was a fan of Postscript and was reminded why I used to read everything Cecelia Ahern wrote. Your heart will get a little bruised while reading this one but it will be so much fuller by the end.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*