Book ~ "Postscript" (2019) Cecelia Ahern

From Goodreads ~ It's been eight years since Holly Kennedy's husband died - seven since she read his final letter, urging Holly to find the courage to forge a new life.

She’s proud of all the ways in which she has grown and evolved. But when a group inspired by Gerry's letters, calling themselves the PS, I Love You Club, approaches Holly asking for help, she finds herself drawn back into a world that she worked so hard to leave behind. 

Reluctantly, Holly begins a relationship with the club, even as their friendship threatens to destroy the peace she believes she has achieved. As each of these people calls upon Holly to help them leave something meaningful behind for their loved ones, Holly will embark on a remarkable journey - one that will challenge her to ask whether embracing the future means betraying the past, and what it means to love someone forever.

Holly's husband, Gerry, had passed away eight years ago at age 30 from cancer.  For a year after his death, she received a letter from him every month (in P.S., I Love You).  Holly has grown and moved on ... she has a new career and a boyfriend she is soon going to be moving in with.

Then she is approached to be part of the newly formed P.S., I Love You Club.  Five people with terminal illnesses want her to help them with their last letters to loved ones.  At first she resists because she has moved on.  Then she realizes that they do need her help and it's a way of giving back.  But it does jeopardize her relationship with her boyfriend because it's time consuming and he feels he has to compete with the ghost of Gerry.

I had read P.S., I Love You and have seen the movie which was based on the book a couple times so I thought it would be interesting to see what has happened to Holly in the years after Gerry's death.  While I liked P.S., I Love You, I found this book for the most part depressing and dreary and draggy and I had a hard time finishing it.

Though this is the second in the P.S., I Love You series, you don't need to read P.S., I Love You first to read this book.  There are many flashbacks to Holly's life with Gerry.  It was sometimes confusing when it happened because the flashbacks ran into the present timeline ... I read an ebook version and maybe the spacing/division was better in a "real" book?  As a head's up, the F-bomb is dropped a lot.

Book ~ "Where Rainbows End" - Cecelia Ahern (2004)

From Goodreads ~ From naughty children to rebellious teenagers, Rosie and Alex have stuck by each other through thick and thin. But just as as they're discovering the joys of teenage nights on the town and dating disasters, they're separated. Alex's family move from Dublin to America - and Alex goes with them. For good.

Rosie's lost without him. But on the eve of her departure to join Alex in Boston, Rosie gets news that will change her life forever - and keep her at home in Ireland.

Their magical connection sees them through the ups and downs of each others lives, but neither of them knows whether their friendship can survive the years and miles - or new relationships. And at the back of Rosie's mind is whether they were meant to be more than just good friends all along. Misunderstandings, circumstances and sheer bad luck have kept them apart, but when presented with the ultimate opportunity, will they gamble everything for true love?

What I liked about this book: This was an interesting style because it consisted entirely of notes passed in school, emails, instant messages, text messages and letters between all the characters.

What I didn't like about this book: The characters were lacklustre ... I didn't really care about them. They made some really dumb decisions. Also, Alex and Rosie loved each other. Instead of telling each other and having a future together, they tell others. Duh! Forty years later at the age of fifty (like you didn't guess the ending!!), they finally confess this to each other and I bet live happily ever after ... three failed marriages and three kids later.

Book ~ "PS, I Love You" Cecelia Ahern (2004)

From Goodreads ~ Holly couldn't live without her husband Gerry, until the day she had to. They were the kind of young couple who could finish each other's sentences. 

When Gerry succumbs to a terminal illness and dies, 30-year-old Holly is set adrift, unable to pick up the pieces. But with the help of a series of letters her husband left her before he died and a little nudging from an eccentric assortment of family and friends, she learns to laugh, overcome her fears and discover a world she never knew existed.

Despite the depressing topic, I liked it. It was funny at times and I liked the writing style. And I liked that the ending wasn't what I was expecting, which would have been too predictable.