Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
Iva's rating: ★★★✩✩

When I heard that Stephen Chbosky had warmly praised a new book, I could not wait to read it.  I counted down the days until it came out and then stalked the library website until I could order the book.  My excitement quickly died once I read the first few chapters.  The whole novel is a shallow imitation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The characters remind me of Chbosky's except that they are less likable.  The plot and conflict have minor differences that do nothing to add originality or life to the story.  And finally, the format of the novel, only different from Chbosky's in that Laurel (Dellaira's protagonist) addresses her letters to dead people while Charlie addressed his to a stranger, does nothing for the novel as Dellaira's voice is nowhere as captivating as Chbosky's.

So, why the three stars?  If I hadn't read Perks first, I probably would have loved this novel.  Also, KURT COBAIN and JIM MORRISON!