The Unfinished Life of Elizabeth D.

The Unfinished Life of Elizabeth D.
by Nicole Bernier

Goodreads:

Before there were blogs, there were journals. And in them we'd write as we really were, not as we wanted to appear. But there comes a day when journals outlive us. And with them, our secrets.

Summer vacation on Great Rock Island was supposed to be a restorative time for Kate, who'd lost her close friend Elizabeth in a sudden accident. But when she inherits a trunk of Elizabeth's journals, they reveal a woman far different than the cheerful wife and mother Kate thought she knew.

The complicated portrait of Elizabeth makes Kate question not just their friendship, but her own deepest beliefs about loyalty and honesty at a period of uncertainty in her own marriage - as well as her own choices as a wife, mother, and professional, and the legacy she herself would want to leave behind.

When an unfamiliar man's name appears in the pages, Kate realizes the extent of what she didn't know about her friend, including where she was really going on the day she died.

Review:

Kate is a worrywart, but who isn't in post 911 America? Losing her close friend, Elizabeth, in a sudden accident just added to the list of things for Kate to fret about. To make matters worse, Kate has been bequeathed Elizabeth's trunk of journals. Why would Elizabeth want her to read them? What did she want her to know? Kate has a million questions and Elizabeth isn't there to answer them. She has no choice but to read.

Kate soon discovers that she didn't really know Elizabeth at all. There was another part of her that she kept hidden from the world all those years. Can you ever really know someone? Or only what they want you to see? The person in the journals is a complete stranger to Kate in so many ways. Will she meet her friend for the very first time? Or are the journals meant to introduce her to herself?

It took me months to finish this book. It pulled at my heartstrings on so many levels that I had to digest it in chunks. It's brilliant! I couldn't help but think about all the pages of my own journals that expose the deepest parts of myself. What will happen to them when I die? Who will read them? What will they think about me? 

When I connect with a book on an emotional level, that's when I know that it's good. When I have to close it up just so that I can contemplate the characters thoughts and ideas and how they relate to mine, that's when you know it's more than good. The Unfinished Life of Elizabeth D. is more than good!

Thought provoking. 
Emotional. 
Real. 

This is a MUST read!

I give this book:

The Unfinished Life of Elizabeth D. was released in paperback on March 12th, pick up a copy online where books are sold! 

Visit Nicole Bernier's official website, follow her tweets, become a fan on Facebook.

I received a free copy of this book. All views expressed are my honest opinion.