What do you think?
Rate this book
Love Letters for Joy
A new LGBTQIA+ romance story by the author of You, Me, and Our Heartstrings.
Less than a year away from graduation, seventeen-year-old Joy is too busy overachieving to be worried about relationships. She’s determined to be Caldwell Prep’s first disabled valedictorian. And she only has one person to beat, her academic rival Nathaniel.
But it’s senior year and everyone seems to be obsessed with pairing up. One of her best friends may be developing feelings for her and the other uses Caldwell’s anonymous love-letter writer to snag the girl of her dreams. Joy starts to wonder if she has missed out on a quintessential high school experience. She is asexual, but that’s no reason she can’t experience first love, right?
She writes to Caldwell Cupid to help her sort out these new feelings and, over time, finds herself falling for the mysterious voice behind the letters. But falling in love might mean risking what she wants most, especially when the letter-writer turns out to be the last person she would ever expect.
Less than a year away from graduation, seventeen-year-old Joy is too busy overachieving to be worried about relationships. She’s determined to be Caldwell Prep’s first disabled valedictorian. And she only has one person to beat, her academic rival Nathaniel.
But it’s senior year and everyone seems to be obsessed with pairing up. One of her best friends may be developing feelings for her and the other uses Caldwell’s anonymous love-letter writer to snag the girl of her dreams. Joy starts to wonder if she has missed out on a quintessential high school experience. She is asexual, but that’s no reason she can’t experience first love, right?
She writes to Caldwell Cupid to help her sort out these new feelings and, over time, finds herself falling for the mysterious voice behind the letters. But falling in love might mean risking what she wants most, especially when the letter-writer turns out to be the last person she would ever expect.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2023
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
June 8, 2023
This book would maybe work best for younger readers in YA as the plot and writing were a bit simplified.
For me it was wooden. And I don’t want to say that. I was so excited to read an Ace romance set in Union Square!! I feel bad for saying it. But every interaction and moment was so stiff that there was no emotional payoff whatsoever. It was like I was just getting a brief glance at an interaction or a characters feelings. Nothing was ever fully developed and realized.
For me it was wooden. And I don’t want to say that. I was so excited to read an Ace romance set in Union Square!! I feel bad for saying it. But every interaction and moment was so stiff that there was no emotional payoff whatsoever. It was like I was just getting a brief glance at an interaction or a characters feelings. Nothing was ever fully developed and realized.
Shelved as 'nope'
July 10, 2022the MC is a panromantic asexual girl with cerebral palsy!! omg i don't think i've ever seen that kind of rep i'm so excited!! 🥺
August 13, 2024
2024 reads: 169/250
2024 tbr: 68/120
disclaimer: the publisher gifted me a finished copy of this book. this did not affect my rating/review.
joy is less than a year away from graduating and has her sights set on becoming caldwell prep’s first disabled valedictorian. as she works to defeat her academic rival, nathaniel, she can’t help but notice that everyone else around her seems to be pairing up. she’s asexual, but that doesn’t mean she has to miss out on a high school love story. she writes about her feelings to caldwell cupid, who’s set up so many couples at her school, and finds herself slowly falling for this person.
i adored this book!! i loved how joy and caldwell cupid fell for each other through their emails. i also loved how joy’s disability (she has cerebral palsy) was expressed throughout the book, being an integral part of her rather than something mentioned a handful of times. i also loved that we got caldwell cupid (nathaniel)’s point of view, too. his story was so much more than just that of an academic rival or love interest.
overall, this was a sweet book (but don’t get me wrong, it did have its heavier moments) and i would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA romances.
2024 tbr: 68/120
disclaimer: the publisher gifted me a finished copy of this book. this did not affect my rating/review.
joy is less than a year away from graduating and has her sights set on becoming caldwell prep’s first disabled valedictorian. as she works to defeat her academic rival, nathaniel, she can’t help but notice that everyone else around her seems to be pairing up. she’s asexual, but that doesn’t mean she has to miss out on a high school love story. she writes about her feelings to caldwell cupid, who’s set up so many couples at her school, and finds herself slowly falling for this person.
i adored this book!! i loved how joy and caldwell cupid fell for each other through their emails. i also loved how joy’s disability (she has cerebral palsy) was expressed throughout the book, being an integral part of her rather than something mentioned a handful of times. i also loved that we got caldwell cupid (nathaniel)’s point of view, too. his story was so much more than just that of an academic rival or love interest.
overall, this was a sweet book (but don’t get me wrong, it did have its heavier moments) and i would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA romances.
January 1, 2023
3.5 rounded up!
Disclaimer: indirect spoilers for topics that are discussed in the book!
What I loved:
🌟Joy!! A fellow panromantic asexual? I was all about that!
🌟The cerebral palsy rep was amazing and I loved how it was an integral part of Joy's identity and mindset and how she dealt with people's reactions to spasms and other symptoms just shows how important these representations are to destigmatize disabilities (more of this in books, please!!)
🌟 the diverse cast of characters - we had side characters who sat in wheelchairs, who also live with cerebral palsy and are all over the queer rainbow! 🥳
🌟Joys parents and most of her friends are super supportive which I adored
🌟Nathaniel! We love us a little rivalry and there was a lot about Nathaniel that warmed my heart!
🌟The cupid idea! Who wouldn't want someone to write their love letters for them? 👌
🌟How fast-paced this story was - I read it in one sitting, it's super digestible and quick to fly through
What didn't quite work for me:
🌟This suffered a lot from telling instead of showing..we never see how character's feel we are just told what they feel - even when it comes to the romance the characters somehow fall in love even though we only get a few short snippets of their deep conversations that never go beyond a few lines - there was huge potential here and I think a few more pages would have made a lot of difference here
🌟The story overall was pretty choppy - the narrative often jumps from one point to the next without resolving anything (e.g. complex family dynamics, friends not being supportive) which means that even though there are some fantastic topics being discussed (family expectations, acephobia, queerphobia in connection with religion, queerness and changing your labels, what it's like to live with a disability) we only barely scratch the surface of each topic before moving on to the next which was unfortunate...
🌟The characters were also largely underdeveloped...Quite a lot of opportunities to go deeper into someone's motivations or behavior overall were missed - I would have loved if, instead of getting descriptions of what every character was wearing in each new scene (though we love Joy's and her friends' pride-inspired outfits, of course), we'd have gotten a bit more insight into their personality or even their backstory
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for the queer and disability rep alone and if you're in the mood for something fast, uplifting and sweet with a touch of rivals-to-lovers then this one's for you! Fans of Jason June and Ciara Smyth might particularly love this adventure! ♥️
Disclaimer: indirect spoilers for topics that are discussed in the book!
What I loved:
🌟Joy!! A fellow panromantic asexual? I was all about that!
🌟The cerebral palsy rep was amazing and I loved how it was an integral part of Joy's identity and mindset and how she dealt with people's reactions to spasms and other symptoms just shows how important these representations are to destigmatize disabilities (more of this in books, please!!)
🌟 the diverse cast of characters - we had side characters who sat in wheelchairs, who also live with cerebral palsy and are all over the queer rainbow! 🥳
🌟Joys parents and most of her friends are super supportive which I adored
🌟Nathaniel! We love us a little rivalry and there was a lot about Nathaniel that warmed my heart!
🌟The cupid idea! Who wouldn't want someone to write their love letters for them? 👌
🌟How fast-paced this story was - I read it in one sitting, it's super digestible and quick to fly through
What didn't quite work for me:
🌟This suffered a lot from telling instead of showing..we never see how character's feel we are just told what they feel - even when it comes to the romance the characters somehow fall in love even though we only get a few short snippets of their deep conversations that never go beyond a few lines - there was huge potential here and I think a few more pages would have made a lot of difference here
🌟The story overall was pretty choppy - the narrative often jumps from one point to the next without resolving anything (e.g. complex family dynamics, friends not being supportive) which means that even though there are some fantastic topics being discussed (family expectations, acephobia, queerphobia in connection with religion, queerness and changing your labels, what it's like to live with a disability) we only barely scratch the surface of each topic before moving on to the next which was unfortunate...
🌟The characters were also largely underdeveloped...Quite a lot of opportunities to go deeper into someone's motivations or behavior overall were missed - I would have loved if, instead of getting descriptions of what every character was wearing in each new scene (though we love Joy's and her friends' pride-inspired outfits, of course), we'd have gotten a bit more insight into their personality or even their backstory
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for the queer and disability rep alone and if you're in the mood for something fast, uplifting and sweet with a touch of rivals-to-lovers then this one's for you! Fans of Jason June and Ciara Smyth might particularly love this adventure! ♥️
August 15, 2023
This book was a cute and quick read. I loved the representation so much and I loved the characters, but I just wanted more. Things felt very surface level; I didn't really feel the chemistry between Nathaniel and Joy, I just inferred there was based on the moments we did see between them. Part of it is that this book is very rushed in time, but the writing also unfortunately fell flat for me. I felt like I was hearing this story from a distance rather than being fully immersed. That said, I would still recommend it if you're looking for a cute palatte cleanser that you can read in an afternoon.
May 8, 2023
That was so cute omg. 4.25 stars!!
Rep:
Panromantic Ace main character with CP
Pansexual love interest
Bi, lesbian, and gay side characters
Disabled side characters
Black, Latinx, East Asian, and South Asian side characters
Rep:
Panromantic Ace main character with CP
Pansexual love interest
Bi, lesbian, and gay side characters
Disabled side characters
Black, Latinx, East Asian, and South Asian side characters
Read
April 26, 2024
Trigger & Content Warnings
Acephobia including mentions of a teenager being disowned by queerphobic parents
Forced outing & coming out themes
Sexual assault (nonconsensual kiss)
Parental divorce discussed
Asthma attack
Mentions of fertility & premature labour
Acephobia including mentions of a teenager being disowned by queerphobic parents
Forced outing & coming out themes
Sexual assault (nonconsensual kiss)
Parental divorce discussed
Asthma attack
Mentions of fertility & premature labour
June 26, 2023
The representation was phenomenal! 😃
June 28, 2023
This was a fantastic YA romance with excellent disability and queer rep. Perfect for fans of You've got mail story-lines, this book features two rival seniors competing for valedictorian who find themselves falling in love online and IRL.
Joy is on the ace-spectrum and has cerebral palsy while Nathanial is pansexual and has asthma. Joy's moms are super supportive but Nathanial's parents are much less so, causing him a great deal of anxiety and trauma.
Full of a great cast of secondary queer characters and found family, this book is a must read for Pride month or for anyone looking to diversify their bookshelves!! Melissa See is quickly becoming one of my fav YA authors!!
Joy is on the ace-spectrum and has cerebral palsy while Nathanial is pansexual and has asthma. Joy's moms are super supportive but Nathanial's parents are much less so, causing him a great deal of anxiety and trauma.
Full of a great cast of secondary queer characters and found family, this book is a must read for Pride month or for anyone looking to diversify their bookshelves!! Melissa See is quickly becoming one of my fav YA authors!!
June 12, 2023
This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. It is truly a perfect read not only for me as an adult, but for it's target audience.
This story about queer teens is an homage to Cyrano de Bergerac, and if you know the story, you will know a lot of the beats of this story. This is two academic rivals in that situation, and it is truly an amazing story.
TW: queerphobia/queerphobic comments, slanderous speech against disabled people, awful coming out experience with parents, non consensual kiss, early term labor of side character)
Joy is just that, a joy to read about. Yes, she deals with a lot in her life with her cerebral palsy, but doesn't let it get her down for long. She is smart, she is small, and she is fierce. She wants nothing more than to be like one of her mothers, and be a fantastic NICU nurse.
Nathaniel is tall, conventionally good looking, and crazy about Joy. He wants to keep his parents happy, and has stayed in the closet because of that. He wants nothing more than to be a romance author, until he finds his true purpose.
The journey these teens go on is beautiful, and the way that they both start to trust each other as things go on in the story is beautiful. I wanted nothing more for them than their happiness.
This book is beautiful, lovely, and very well written. This book very casually talks about the day to day struggles of having CP, and I know that the author knows this first hand.
Again, I love everything about this, and I want everyone to go out and try it. It deserves way more love and hype than I have seen for it so far.
This story about queer teens is an homage to Cyrano de Bergerac, and if you know the story, you will know a lot of the beats of this story. This is two academic rivals in that situation, and it is truly an amazing story.
TW: queerphobia/queerphobic comments, slanderous speech against disabled people, awful coming out experience with parents, non consensual kiss, early term labor of side character)
Joy is just that, a joy to read about. Yes, she deals with a lot in her life with her cerebral palsy, but doesn't let it get her down for long. She is smart, she is small, and she is fierce. She wants nothing more than to be like one of her mothers, and be a fantastic NICU nurse.
Nathaniel is tall, conventionally good looking, and crazy about Joy. He wants to keep his parents happy, and has stayed in the closet because of that. He wants nothing more than to be a romance author, until he finds his true purpose.
The journey these teens go on is beautiful, and the way that they both start to trust each other as things go on in the story is beautiful. I wanted nothing more for them than their happiness.
This book is beautiful, lovely, and very well written. This book very casually talks about the day to day struggles of having CP, and I know that the author knows this first hand.
Again, I love everything about this, and I want everyone to go out and try it. It deserves way more love and hype than I have seen for it so far.
November 22, 2023
I really enjoyed this! It was so heartwarming and cheesy and absolutely wonderful. At times, I found it a bit too childish/immature and the story is a bit simple and predictable, but I think that is exactly what we need sometimes, especially queer readers. Straight people get to have cheesy, cringy love stories all the time, and I think we deserve those too.
I think I'm a bit too old for high school romance, but it still felt so nice to read such an inclusive story. I wish I'd had books like this when I was 16 and desperately needed them.
The characters are so cute and lovable.
Thank you so much for this, as an ace girl, I needed it. <3
I think I'm a bit too old for high school romance, but it still felt so nice to read such an inclusive story. I wish I'd had books like this when I was 16 and desperately needed them.
The characters are so cute and lovable.
Thank you so much for this, as an ace girl, I needed it. <3
May 24, 2023
5 stars for the vibes and the disabled queers. Melissa See please never stop writing <3
June 7, 2024
3.5/5
i loved the premise of the book! i will absolutely eat up anything with secret identities and letter writing involved so that was a win. there was also lots of queer representation including a panromantic asexual mc with cerebral palsy, a pan mc with asthma, and lesbian and gay relationships, so yay for all the queerness!!
i was surprised at how fast i finished this book after taking a break from reading but this was a fun and easy read nonetheless. i needed something cute and fun to read and this book was both!
points docked off because of mr “entitled nice guy” luca :/ he was an absolute aphobic ableist asshole and we hate that!!! get your saliva ridden dog slobbering nonconsensual kissing hacking into the school system ass out of here!!!
i loved the premise of the book! i will absolutely eat up anything with secret identities and letter writing involved so that was a win. there was also lots of queer representation including a panromantic asexual mc with cerebral palsy, a pan mc with asthma, and lesbian and gay relationships, so yay for all the queerness!!
i was surprised at how fast i finished this book after taking a break from reading but this was a fun and easy read nonetheless. i needed something cute and fun to read and this book was both!
points docked off because of mr “entitled nice guy” luca :/ he was an absolute aphobic ableist asshole and we hate that!!! get your saliva ridden dog slobbering nonconsensual kissing hacking into the school system ass out of here!!!
July 3, 2023
eeeeep. this was the perfect level of people be cute have nice time for me to read in between two heavy and intense memoirs. i needed something cute and fun and this book was both! but. do not be fooled, it was not all sunshine and rainbows - it’s got bullying, rivalries, a really weird and yucky friend situation, and an absolutely horrible coming out to parents moment. the writing could have been better but i ate up every single detail of this plot. it was about graduating 12th graders who are stressed about high school ending and worried about what to do next, which is really not a preferred topic for me but i set that aside because it ALSO had queer parents! email correspondence! (i will read literally anything with secret email love letters) gossip and secrets! cute winter romance! cats named POMEGRANATE AND LASAGNA! and so on. okay friends read this boon so i have someone to discuss it with :)))
Read
July 8, 2023Overall, this book did not work for me. There was a lot to like: lots of queer characters including panromantic asexual MC, pan MC, two girls in a romantic relationship, two boys in a romantic relationship, two gay men who are engaged, Joy has 2 moms... yay for all the queerness!!
Joy, the panromantic ace MC, has cerebral palsy and Nathaniel, the pan MC, has asthma. Yay for disability representation!
Most of the characters are high schoolers, including Joy and Nathaniel, who are competing for class valedictorian. In addition, we have Nathaniel's parents, 2 brothers, and sister, who are all physicians (which comes into play with a ridiculously over the top fallout over Nathaniel's future medical specialty choice.) What didn't work was that none of the characters felt well developed to me. They were at best shallow, leaving me wanting, and at worst over the top caricatures of evil cartoon villains. I was expecting mustache twirling at one point!
There was so much that just didn't make sense, and, overall, it felt really clunky to me. The premise was good: high school rivals plus a Cyrano de Bergerac situation. The execution didn't work for me. I'd give this 2.5 stars. I liked the idea a lot, but I said "What?" while reading way too many times.
CW for extremely queerphobic parents, acephobia, forced outing, non-consensual kissing, gaslighting. Medical content included asthma attack, pregnancy, emergency labor and delivery (mom and baby healthy and fine).
Joy, the panromantic ace MC, has cerebral palsy and Nathaniel, the pan MC, has asthma. Yay for disability representation!
Most of the characters are high schoolers, including Joy and Nathaniel, who are competing for class valedictorian. In addition, we have Nathaniel's parents, 2 brothers, and sister, who are all physicians (which comes into play with a ridiculously over the top fallout over Nathaniel's future medical specialty choice.) What didn't work was that none of the characters felt well developed to me. They were at best shallow, leaving me wanting, and at worst over the top caricatures of evil cartoon villains. I was expecting mustache twirling at one point!
There was so much that just didn't make sense, and, overall, it felt really clunky to me. The premise was good: high school rivals plus a Cyrano de Bergerac situation. The execution didn't work for me. I'd give this 2.5 stars. I liked the idea a lot, but I said "What?" while reading way too many times.
CW for extremely queerphobic parents, acephobia, forced outing, non-consensual kissing, gaslighting. Medical content included asthma attack, pregnancy, emergency labor and delivery (mom and baby healthy and fine).
August 2, 2023
3.5 stars but rounding up for the amazing disability and queer representation. I was really excited for this book because it’s so rare to read a YA romance with a disabled protagonist. There were many parts of the book that I liked and it was engaging and I read it quickly. I thought Joy was a great character and readers got a good sense of her hopes and dreams while also seeing how her disability affected her. But, I think certain plot points (especially an important character turning into a villain seemingly out of nowhere) were unbelievable and underdeveloped. I also think there could’ve been more said about Joy’s sexuality and how she came to terms with it, especially as she experiences her love story. I still liked the book and thought the diverse cast of characters was wonderful. I just think the writing and plot could have been even better.
March 7, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
i ADORED this book so much!
best bits👇🏻
💖 loved the main character. loved!! i have never read a book with a MC with cerebal palsy so this was really cool to see
💖 written by a disabled author
💖 ACE REP!
complaints👇🏻
♿️ disability rep was there but it did feel a little like it was just inserted in for the sake of it in some places, it would've been nice to have more different scenarios
♿️ the plot was quite simple, but this would be great for a lowkey read, not much action
everybody who liked lighthearted romance should read this. it's so wholesome and fulfilling! good for younger or more cosy readers :)
i ADORED this book so much!
a rom-com between two rival school students, featuring both ace and disabled rep!!!
best bits👇🏻
💖 loved the main character. loved!! i have never read a book with a MC with cerebal palsy so this was really cool to see
💖 written by a disabled author
💖 ACE REP!
complaints👇🏻
♿️ disability rep was there but it did feel a little like it was just inserted in for the sake of it in some places, it would've been nice to have more different scenarios
♿️ the plot was quite simple, but this would be great for a lowkey read, not much action
everybody who liked lighthearted romance should read this. it's so wholesome and fulfilling! good for younger or more cosy readers :)
June 11, 2023
3.75ish, rounded up because (a) the representation is really important, and (b) the epilogue was super cute.
More thoughts coming soon.
More thoughts coming soon.
February 25, 2024
Like 3.5?
- It was pretty cute
- Nathaniel’s siblings were a bit hard to follow in the beginning (there’s a lot of them, they were introduced kinda all at once), but they were really sweet as the book continued
- Lots of great representation
- I always appreciate content warnings
- It was pretty cute
- Nathaniel’s siblings were a bit hard to follow in the beginning (there’s a lot of them, they were introduced kinda all at once), but they were really sweet as the book continued
- Lots of great representation
- I always appreciate content warnings
June 20, 2024
4.5* maybe love IS real
June 4, 2023
This is a dual POV YA romance between Joy, who's asexual and has cerebral palsy, and Nathaniel, who's pansexual. It was good, but I felt like it was pretty rushed, especially towards the ending, which made me feel like some things were kind of glossed over. I especially liked Nathaniel, and I felt like his storyline didn't quite get the attention it deserved.
July 6, 2023
3.5/5
I loved the premise for this book. I am a big fan of rivals to lovers and secret identities. I was happy to see a variety of queer rep, cerebral palsy rep, and even asthma rep! I know few people with CP so I was surprised See included multiple (three, I think).
About halfway through, I realized I wasn't enjoying it quite as much as I thought. The conflict felt extremely overdramatized, though the situations themselves were realistic. The rivals part of their relationship was almost immediately dropped. Joy is openly asexual, and asexual people don't owe anyone an explanation, but those experiences are varied and I didn't know where Joy fell in her feelings and boundaries.
I want more books like this to exist so I can be pickier in my decisions but ultimately I did enjoy it and would love others to read it too.
I loved the premise for this book. I am a big fan of rivals to lovers and secret identities. I was happy to see a variety of queer rep, cerebral palsy rep, and even asthma rep! I know few people with CP so I was surprised See included multiple (three, I think).
About halfway through, I realized I wasn't enjoying it quite as much as I thought. The conflict felt extremely overdramatized, though the situations themselves were realistic. The rivals part of their relationship was almost immediately dropped. Joy is openly asexual, and asexual people don't owe anyone an explanation, but those experiences are varied and I didn't know where Joy fell in her feelings and boundaries.
I want more books like this to exist so I can be pickier in my decisions but ultimately I did enjoy it and would love others to read it too.
November 14, 2023
what a lil cutie 🤗🌈
content/trigger warnings; amatonormativity, fatphobia mentioned, ableism discussed, divorce discussed, religious bigotry mentioned, preterm labor, child neglect, kissing, coming out, financial abuse, asthma attacks, nonconsensual kiss, acephobia, misogyny (of the “entitled nice guy” variety), anxiety, fertility issues mentioned, outing, panphobia, queerphobia (including a queer teen being kicked out of their home for being queer), physical violence,
rep; joy (mc) is panromantic, asexual, fat, and has cerebral palsy (and two moms!). nathaniel (mc) is pansexual and has asthma. valentina (sc) is a grey ace lesbian. yasmine (sc) is a black lesbian. luca (sc) is bisexual and has asthma. lots of other queer/disabled side characters.
we’ve got academic rivals to lovers, hidden identity, and partially epistolary. a romance between TWO PAN CHARACTERS. and it’s super sweet, if a touch dramatic, but we love drama so it’s okay. and despite some of the serious topics, it never feels heavy, there’s a lighthearted quality to it throughout, even during the tougher moments. both main characters have their own storylines going on outside of their romance that are compelling, especially nathaniel’s struggle with his queerphobic abusive parents and coming out and being outed. joy’s commentary on disability and ableism are very appreciated, as is nathaniel’s automatic understanding and support.
and my god it’s just full of so much casual queer and disability rep. it’s genuinely incredible. the two main characters are queer and disabled. joy’s entire friend group is queer and she has two moms (we fucking LOVE to see queer parents in ya). nathaniel’s friend is queer, as is his brother who is dating a disabled man. one of joy’s neighbors has cerebral palsy, as does the bartender at the pub nate’s friend’s family owns. it’s just lovely. some people would say it’s “forced” but i’d just say queer and disabled folks exist and interact with each other, babe. (and i love that the queer characters pretty much all have pride flag pins, jewelry, clothing, etc.)
these two are alex/sanjay (modern family) coded. am i going to say every romance i read is x coded now? i just might. but seriously. academic rivals to lovers. he liked her first. they’re competing for valedictorian. he cares more about her than being valedictorian. she thinks it’s a trick to throw her off her game. and him saying they both know their frontal lobes aren’t fully developed yet so he’ll wait until they’re 25 to propose reminds me of when alex and sanjay plan their breakup before college only to realize that 86% of long-distance relationships end in failure and neither one of them have ever been in the bottom 86th percentile of anything, so they stay together. just nerds doing romance.
i’ve seen criticism about the characters always saying and doing the right thing because that’s “unrealistic,” but some parents are good, actually? and some teens grow up around supportive, kind, and communicative people and in turn become that themselves? not every teenager is a little shit who is rude or insensitive or selfish or whatever y’all expected these characters to be. (and even if they were, my guys, this is a book. and maybe a teen reading this will be more like that or won’t accept less than that in the future or an adult will feel some kind of way about what they didn’t have but should’ve when they were young.) i truly do not understand the insistence on immediately slamming good, healthy relationships in media for being unrealistic or too perfect or whatever else.
notes: the turn luca takes is very abrupt and over the top, but unfortunately there are guys like that in real life, so i can’t really knock it. the author put “forced outing” in the tw but outing by nature is forced, and nathaniel says he came out to his parents, but he was outed to them by someone else, which is just a pet peeve of mine. another pet peeve of mine, which isn’t specific to this book, is smirking...my god do i hate when characters do nothing but smirk, like, is it supposed to be charming or attractive because to me it’s a just a giant glowing neon sign that says “smug douchebag” lmfao.
pan quotes, as always. from joy: “i’m panromantic ace.” and from nathaniel: “the only one who knows i’m pansexual is my sister.” “i’m pansexual. my friends know and accept me.”
content/trigger warnings; amatonormativity, fatphobia mentioned, ableism discussed, divorce discussed, religious bigotry mentioned, preterm labor, child neglect, kissing, coming out, financial abuse, asthma attacks, nonconsensual kiss, acephobia, misogyny (of the “entitled nice guy” variety), anxiety, fertility issues mentioned, outing, panphobia, queerphobia (including a queer teen being kicked out of their home for being queer), physical violence,
rep; joy (mc) is panromantic, asexual, fat, and has cerebral palsy (and two moms!). nathaniel (mc) is pansexual and has asthma. valentina (sc) is a grey ace lesbian. yasmine (sc) is a black lesbian. luca (sc) is bisexual and has asthma. lots of other queer/disabled side characters.
we’ve got academic rivals to lovers, hidden identity, and partially epistolary. a romance between TWO PAN CHARACTERS. and it’s super sweet, if a touch dramatic, but we love drama so it’s okay. and despite some of the serious topics, it never feels heavy, there’s a lighthearted quality to it throughout, even during the tougher moments. both main characters have their own storylines going on outside of their romance that are compelling, especially nathaniel’s struggle with his queerphobic abusive parents and coming out and being outed. joy’s commentary on disability and ableism are very appreciated, as is nathaniel’s automatic understanding and support.
and my god it’s just full of so much casual queer and disability rep. it’s genuinely incredible. the two main characters are queer and disabled. joy’s entire friend group is queer and she has two moms (we fucking LOVE to see queer parents in ya). nathaniel’s friend is queer, as is his brother who is dating a disabled man. one of joy’s neighbors has cerebral palsy, as does the bartender at the pub nate’s friend’s family owns. it’s just lovely. some people would say it’s “forced” but i’d just say queer and disabled folks exist and interact with each other, babe. (and i love that the queer characters pretty much all have pride flag pins, jewelry, clothing, etc.)
these two are alex/sanjay (modern family) coded. am i going to say every romance i read is x coded now? i just might. but seriously. academic rivals to lovers. he liked her first. they’re competing for valedictorian. he cares more about her than being valedictorian. she thinks it’s a trick to throw her off her game. and him saying they both know their frontal lobes aren’t fully developed yet so he’ll wait until they’re 25 to propose reminds me of when alex and sanjay plan their breakup before college only to realize that 86% of long-distance relationships end in failure and neither one of them have ever been in the bottom 86th percentile of anything, so they stay together. just nerds doing romance.
i’ve seen criticism about the characters always saying and doing the right thing because that’s “unrealistic,” but some parents are good, actually? and some teens grow up around supportive, kind, and communicative people and in turn become that themselves? not every teenager is a little shit who is rude or insensitive or selfish or whatever y’all expected these characters to be. (and even if they were, my guys, this is a book. and maybe a teen reading this will be more like that or won’t accept less than that in the future or an adult will feel some kind of way about what they didn’t have but should’ve when they were young.) i truly do not understand the insistence on immediately slamming good, healthy relationships in media for being unrealistic or too perfect or whatever else.
notes: the turn luca takes is very abrupt and over the top, but unfortunately there are guys like that in real life, so i can’t really knock it. the author put “forced outing” in the tw but outing by nature is forced, and nathaniel says he came out to his parents, but he was outed to them by someone else, which is just a pet peeve of mine. another pet peeve of mine, which isn’t specific to this book, is smirking...my god do i hate when characters do nothing but smirk, like, is it supposed to be charming or attractive because to me it’s a just a giant glowing neon sign that says “smug douchebag” lmfao.
pan quotes, as always. from joy: “i’m panromantic ace.” and from nathaniel: “the only one who knows i’m pansexual is my sister.” “i’m pansexual. my friends know and accept me.”
July 3, 2023
Panromantic ace representation and cerebral palsy representation!
Shelved as 'dnf'
February 3, 2024dnf @ 29% i was so excited about the premise and especially the representation in this book but I just couldn’t warm up to the writing and I didn’t wanna get to the drama that I could tell was going to happen
August 26, 2023
Yeah short book with lots of LGBTQ+ and disability rep but honestly one of the more underwhelming academic rivals to lovers dynamics I've read and part of it might just be a function of how short it is but I felt there was so many more scenes we could've explored.
Also for what is basically light romcom-y type vibes this book seems to be giving, the antagonist and Nathaniel's parents caught me off guard with how aggressively villainy they act. Idk it's also possible this judgement is influenced by how stressed/sensitive I've been these last couple days.
Nitpick paragraph: As a generally good student in high school who had a few final marks of 98s and 99s and had proximity to the really high achievers of the school, ok man there is no possible way 99% was the lowest mark either of them ever got on an assessment like what plane do these people operate on? Also probably just salty that I chose to live at home to go to university and also that I succumbed to the allure of high rankings but idk going to the highest ranked most prestigious school that accepts you is not the no-brainer choice this book represents it as even if it's right for some people. I think that's all my nitpicks lol bad mood.
This book did spark a bit of reflection that led to accepting the conclusion that I'm most likely on the asexual spectrum or should at least operate as such rather than perpetually acting shifty when anyone talks about sex or relationships and ghosting people who I tried to go on dates with cuz I don't want to kiss them. Lol. Not something this book did except for existing as ace rep so that is nice and not nothing
Idk I will edit this
Also for what is basically light romcom-y type vibes this book seems to be giving, the antagonist and Nathaniel's parents caught me off guard with how aggressively villainy they act. Idk it's also possible this judgement is influenced by how stressed/sensitive I've been these last couple days.
Nitpick paragraph: As a generally good student in high school who had a few final marks of 98s and 99s and had proximity to the really high achievers of the school, ok man there is no possible way 99% was the lowest mark either of them ever got on an assessment like what plane do these people operate on? Also probably just salty that I chose to live at home to go to university and also that I succumbed to the allure of high rankings but idk going to the highest ranked most prestigious school that accepts you is not the no-brainer choice this book represents it as even if it's right for some people. I think that's all my nitpicks lol bad mood.
This book did spark a bit of reflection that led to accepting the conclusion that I'm most likely on the asexual spectrum or should at least operate as such rather than perpetually acting shifty when anyone talks about sex or relationships and ghosting people who I tried to go on dates with cuz I don't want to kiss them. Lol. Not something this book did except for existing as ace rep so that is nice and not nothing
Idk I will edit this
July 17, 2023
Love Letters for Joy is actually a love letter to all queer disabled folks, specially those in the asexual spectrum. Melissa See created representation for us in such a lovely way that made me smile all the day I spent reading this novel (I got so invested into the story that I stayed up at night without realizing).
I only don't give it four stars because I needed to see much more of the letters between Joy and Caldwell Cupid to really believe Joy fell in love with a stranger. And because of a certain character being an a***ole after years of not showing any of this part of their personality to their friends.
If you want a sweet cliché story about romance while being queer and disabled, with all the tumultuous stuff of Senior year, this is the book for you. (And it is going to be specially wholesome for the hopeless romantic a-specs).
I only don't give it four stars because I needed to see much more of the letters between Joy and Caldwell Cupid to really believe Joy fell in love with a stranger. And because of a certain character being an a***ole after years of not showing any of this part of their personality to their friends.
If you want a sweet cliché story about romance while being queer and disabled, with all the tumultuous stuff of Senior year, this is the book for you. (And it is going to be specially wholesome for the hopeless romantic a-specs).
June 21, 2023
A very lovely YA book with disability rep and queer rep. I love everything about this book. It reminded me of “radio rebel” and “read it and weep” on Disney channel.
I think that the author did a great job describing what it’s like to have a disability in high school. And oh my gosh, the love letters were sooo smart. The end was a bit obvious but regardless I still ship the couples.
It’s a perfect pride month read for young readers or Valentine’s Day read.
I think that the author did a great job describing what it’s like to have a disability in high school. And oh my gosh, the love letters were sooo smart. The end was a bit obvious but regardless I still ship the couples.
It’s a perfect pride month read for young readers or Valentine’s Day read.
July 14, 2023
This is slightly reminiscent of Shop Around the Corner/ You’ve Got Mail except queer and in high school. I do love the ace representation, the other queer identities, some of the friendships, and the plot was a cute idea. However, the execution fell flat for me. There were some story lines that were glossed over very quickly that could have been discussed more. Some of the side characters were rather one dimensional and I would have loved an explanation for some of their behaviors.
October 27, 2023
This felt like such a "hey, we exist, and we deserve love" kind of book-- it felt so amazing to read! A queer and disabled take on the classic anonymous letter romance trope, I enjoyed it from start to finish! And read it in 36 hours : ) Despite some really challenging moments, "Love Letters for Joy" was overall a cuddly blanket of queercrip gorgeousness. Highly recommend for a quick, engaging read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews