Book Review: Dear Henry, Love Edith by Becca Kinzer

 

Dear Henry, Love Edith. Becca Kinzer. Tyndale House (2023). 373 pages. Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christian Fiction.

First Line: "Henry grimaced, not sure which irritated him more - the persistent ache in his knee or the relentless voice in his ear."

Summary (Goodreads): After a short and difficult marriage, recently widowed Edith Sherman has learned her lesson. Forget love. Forget marriage. She plans to fill her thirties with adventure. As she awaits the final paperwork for a humanitarian trip to South Africa, she accepts a short-term nursing position in a small Midwestern town. The last thing she needs is a handsome local catching her eye. How inconvenient is that?

Henry Hobbes isn't exactly thrilled to have Edith, who he assumes is an elderly widow, dumped on him as a houseguest for the summer. But he'd do almost anything for his niece, who is practically like a sister to him given how close they are in age. Especially since Edith will be working nights and Henry works most days. When he and Edith keep missing each other in person, they begin exchanging notes--short messages at first, then longer letters, sharing increasingly personal parts of their lives.

By the time Henry realizes his mistake--that Edith is actually the brown-eyed beauty he keeps bumping into around town--their hearts are so intertwined he hopes they never unravel. But with her departure date rapidly approaching, and Henry's roots firmly planted at home, Edith must ultimately decide if the adventure of her dreams is the one right in front of her.

My thoughts: This is a fun romantic comedy that could easily be a movie. The author writes in such a way as to allow the reader to "play the movie" in their head.  She could take a simple sentence uttered by one of the characters and turn it into a hilarious mess.  I will admit it did feel a tad over-the-top at times.  

But, the story is not all fluff and light-heartedness.  There is some depth.  Edith and Henry have both had some difficult times in the past that are informing how they are living now.  They both have to do some soul searching.  Fortunately, each of them has a friend to give them a nudge in the right direction.  But, these things take time which is realistic, but also really frustrating for the reader!  Just when you think things are going the right direction, suddenly they are going the opposite way.  Yes, there was quite a bit of tension which kept me turning pages. 

The scenario is a funny one - two people live in the same house, but have not met.  As the story progressed and Henry discovered who Edith was, but chose to keep deceiving her, I was disappointed.  However, that didn't last long as Henry finally set out to right the wrongs and tell the truth.  And of course that didn't go smoothly either. 

Some of the themes are home, serving God, love, being good enough and self-doubt.  If you are looking for a light-hearted read with some depth, give this book a try.

Quotes:

"The light of the full moon guided her.  The muted brassy sound of big band music, competing with the tune of cicadas, followed her.  She folded her arms over her stomach, a sense of peace battling with a restless desire to run."

"'Let me get this straight,' Lance said, raising his voice to be heard above Frank Sinatra's croons.  'You're baring your soul to an old lady who's living in your house but you've never actually met.  You've got the hots for a lady you've met but don't know anything about.  And you're still going out with a lady who drives you crazy every time she talks, which is all the time.'"