Book Review: "The Mailbox" by Marybeth Whalen

When Lindsey Adams first visits the Kindred Spirit mailbox at Sunset Beach, she has no idea that twenty years later she will still be visiting the mailbox—still pouring out her heart in letters that summarize the best and worst parts of her life.

Returning to Sunset for her first vacation since her husband left her, Lindsey struggles to put her sorrow into words. Memories surface of her first love, Campbell—and the rejection that followed. When Campbell reappears in her life, Lindsey must decide whether to trust in love again or guard herself from greater pain. The Mailbox is a rich novel about loss, hope, and the beauty of second chances.

I don't always like reading romances but I do love a good love story. And this book is a beautiful love story. It's the story of two people who were meant to be together, misfortune happens along the way, and then they are brought back together under the most unlikely of circumstances. It's a story that;'s been told numerous times but Marybeth Whalen's debut brings a new take on the story that's fresh, realistic and a joy to read.

The parts of the story where Lindsey and Campbell are teens read just like a YA book. In fact a whole entire book could have been written about their summers as teens and marketed as a YA book and would be FAB. These segments are written in flashback form, including the letters that Lindsey has been writing to her Kindred Spirit throughout the years. Through these flashbacks and letters the reader is able to see everything that happened between the couple as well as different perspectives of each person that the other did not know about. I found both of their stories to be both enthralling and sad at the same time. Campbell thought he was doing the right thing to own up to his mistake and instead found himself losing almost everything. Lindsey tried to move on with what she thought was a good guy and instead saw her marriage crumbling.

This story is unique in that both Campbell and Lindsey are divorcees. While this is not unusual in real life at all, for a Christian fiction book this is breaking new grounds as divorce is usually a taboo topic. For me, I'm glad it is included because it's very realistic and it happens to everyone even Christians. It's not something that should be avoided at all especially in the situations of what Campbell and Lindsey's spouses did.

Overall, I was completely enthralled with the characters, the plot and the mailbox itself. I could totally picture the setting, of the beach and the houses there. It made me yearn to go visit the mailbox myself as my hometown is just a few hours away, it's totally possible to make a visit next summer. This is a wonderful and lovely debut and a book that I will think about a lot in the years to come. I am looking forward to more books from Whalen and hope that they will be able to capture the magic and love from this outstanding story. HIGHLY recommended.

The Mailbox by Marybeth Whalen is published by David C. Cook (2010)

This review copy was provided by the publisher