When I read the back cover copy of Becca Kinzer’s Dear Henry, Love Edith the movie You’ve Got Mail came to mind—even before it was mentioned at the end of the BCC as being reminiscent of said movie. I am a huge fan of anything by Nora Ephron, including this one. So, of course, I was excited to delve into this contemporary rom-com novel.
Although I’m a fan of this movie genre, it’s not my typical go-to when reading a book. I tell you this so you can factor it into my review. I know there are a number of women who enjoy light-hearted, quick reads—they devour books—while I like to savor them. If this is you, I have no doubt you will thoroughly enjoy Dear Henry, Love Edith, so there is no need for you to read further.
But if you’re like me, you might find this review helpful—so read on.
Not only am I a Nora Ephron fan, I was also a huge fan of Gilmore Girls. I even watched Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (which was a disappointment). There are shades of this quirky, quick-witted television show in this book. Goofy side characters who give flavor to the town where Henry Hobbes lives. So, why didn’t I enjoy Dear Henry, Love Edith?
First off, both Edith and Henry compare each other to movie stars from my parents’ generation (Paul Newman and Goldie Hawn). In fact, I looked up Becca Kinzer thinking she was a geriatric. She’s not; she’s young. That’s fine if there is context. Like if Edith was an insomniac and stayed up late watching very old movies, and maybe fell into a crush over Paul Newman. No such luck.
Secondly, there is a lot of dialogue that is antiquated—if it was ever really a thing. Words like yowza (used by two different people regarding a dress Edith wore). Too on-the-nose for me. And Edith thinking hubba hubba whenever she saw Henry just didn’t ring true.
I also realize that just because a book is under the category of Christian fiction, it doesn’t mean there needs to be a faith message—which there isn’t. However, Henry is basically engaged to another woman when he chases after Edith. There doesn’t seem to be any guilt or moral dilemma over this, which makes him look like a heel. It could be a character flaw (everyone needs at least one) but it’s not addressed. Even Tom Hanks’ character in You’ve Got Mail didn’t pursue Meg Ryan’s until after he broke up with his girlfriend, and Joe Fox was supposed to be a bit of a rogue.
Most every romance is rife with miscommunications, which is generally what keeps the characters apart throughout most of the story. It was a necessary component of Dear Henry, Love Edith, but it got to be too much. After a while, it felt contrived and overdone, which bogged down the story. It was a struggle for me to finish it.
But again, this is not my typical genre. You may find this a romantic, hilarious, quick read. It rated a 4.4 on Amazon with 269 ratings, and 3.72 on Goodreads with 1,659 ratings and 438 reviews. I’d love to get that many reviews on my books, so Becca Kinzer is definitely doing something right because it seems everyone is reading her work. And this was her debut novel! She has four others, all in the same rom-com genre.
My rating: 3 stars
