Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Beautifully loving
Sam's Letters to Jennifer is another wonderful love story from James Patterson. Be forewarned though, you WILL need a box of Kleenex standing by.Departing from his infamous Alex Cross murder mystery genre, Patterson has written a very loving book on relationships. Sam is Jennifer's grandmother and the bond that they share is incredibly special. Through a series of letters left to Jennifer by Sam, Jennifer finds out that the grandmother that she has known throughout her life has secrets of her own. Jennifer reads these letters at her grandmother's house, while not knowing if her grandmother will be pulling out the coma after her unexpected fall. Jennifer not only learns about herself in these letters, but also finds the "real" woman her grandmother is and has been and Jennifer is drawn even closer to her grandmother. Not believing in love after the loss of her soul-mate husband, Jennifer learns to open up the door to the possibility of love and finds that magic still does exist for her. This was a very quick read and the reader is totally absorbed into the secret of the letters and what Jennifer will do with her new awareness of her grandmother. This book is wonderful, with several surprises along the way, keeping the reader guessing on just what will happen. Full of love and caring on each of the character's parts, this story will stay with you for awhile, as well as bring tears and smiles along with the knowledge that the power of love is indeed strong and eternal. I absolutely "loved" this book and wish that Patterson would write more books like this. His sensitivity and insight are remarkable. If you have not read his previous book, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, I would also highly recommend that incredible love story, which is an actual true story. This book is special and I am sure that a little of its' magic will spill into your life!
Rating:  - A quick summer read.
Jennifer is a young woman desperately trying to put the pieces of her life back together after being struck by two tragedies, but news of her grandmother being ill will force her to push her own problems aside and turn her attention to the one person that has always been there for her...her grandmother Sam (short for Samantha.)Jennifer returns to her childhood home and in the house she finds letters written by her grandmother, letters that tell a mysterious love story of two people, one of those people being Sam, the other a man named 'Doc.' Intrigued by these letters, Jennifer continues to read, only to find out that her grandmother was in love a someone other than her grandfather. After deciding to remain on Lake Geneva while her grandmother lies in a coma, Jennifer runs into Brandon, a childhood friend, sparking a passion she hasn't felt in a long time. But, this new found love comes with a high price as Jennifer learns Brandon has a secret that may destroy their love. 'Sam's Letters to Jennifer' is a moving and sad love story. As with any James Patterson novel the writing is first-rate and the pace is super-fast. The intertwining of two separate love stories will keep readers turning the pages until they reach the surprising and sad ending. This powerful novel, that is similar to the novels of Nicholas Sparks, should be a huge beach book. Major thriller writer James Patterson has written a love story...not once, but twice (Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas) and he does it with style to spare. Patterson's new novel, while a bit sappy in spots, does contain all the trademark plot twists that he is famous for, including an ending you'll never see coming.
Expect this quick summer read to fly up the bestseller lists! Nick Gonnella
Rating:  - Eh
James Patterson lost his touch in this book. The romance seemed too forced and the plot didn't flow as smoothly as you would expect it would from a Patterson novel. The fact the the reverend is shacking up with a married women is never discussed. Jennifer becomes romantically involved with a man she knew when she was too young to remember him and the apprehensions about becoming involved so recently after her first husband's death are only lightly discussed. The story seems too forced and Patterson should stick to mystery thrillers.
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