
Love Letters to the Dead
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $20.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Julia Whelan
-
By:
-
Ava Dellaira
About this listen
It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person.
Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to the dead - to people like Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, Amelia Earhart, and Amy Winehouse - though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating the choppy waters of new friendships, learning to live with her splintering family, falling in love for the first time, and, most important, trying to grieve for May. But how do you mourn for someone you haven’t forgiven?
It’s not until Laurel has written the truth about what happened to herself that she can finally accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was - lovely and amazing and deeply flawed - can she truly start to discover her own path.
In a voice that’s as lyrical and as true as a favorite song, Ava Dellaira writes about one girl’s journey through life’s challenges with a haunting and often heartbreaking beauty.
©2014 Ava Dellaira. Published by arrangement with Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC. All rights reserved. “One Art” and excerpt from “The Armadillo” from The Complete Poems 1927– 1979 by Elizabeth Bishop. © 1979, 1983 by Alice Helen Methfessel. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC. (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Last Time We Say Goodbye
- By: Cynthia Hand
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment. Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be. As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone--a text Tyler sent that could have changed everything.
-
-
Such sweet sorrow
- By Lesaly on 04-26-15
By: Cynthia Hand
-
Butcher & Blackbird
- The Ruinous Love Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Brynne Weaver
- Narrated by: Joe Arden, Lucy Rivers
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small-town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.
-
-
Listen, I'm a 'sympathetic retcher'
- By J. Scarlyn on 10-25-23
By: Brynne Weaver
-
How to Make Friends with the Dark
- By: Kathleen Glasgow
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Kathleen Glasgow
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is what happens when your mother dies. It's the brightest day of summer and it's dark outside. It's dark in your house, dark in your room, and dark in your heart. You feel like the darkness is going to split you apart. That's how it feels for Tiger. It's always been Tiger and her mother against the world. Then, on a day like any other, Tiger's mother dies. And now it's Tiger, alone. Here is how you learn to make friends with the dark.
-
-
It hit home (losing a loved one)
- By K.P. on 10-03-21
By: Kathleen Glasgow
-
Girl in Pieces
- By: Kathleen Glasgow
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kathleen Glasgow
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At 17 she's already lost more than most people do in a lifetime. But she's learned how to forget. The broken glass washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don't have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you. Every new scar hardens Charlie's heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.
-
-
Touching, Sobering, Fascinating
- By Wendi on 05-31-17
By: Kathleen Glasgow
-
You'd Be Home Now
- By: Kathleen Glasgow
- Narrated by: Julia Knippen, Kathleen Glasgow
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one—the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister. And at home, she's the good one, her stoner older brother Joey's babysitter. Everything was turned on its head, though, when she and Joey were in the car accident that killed Candy MontClaire. The car accident that revealed just how bad Joey's drug habit was.
-
-
Another MUST READ By Kathleen Glasgow
- By Pippy13 on 12-17-21
By: Kathleen Glasgow
-
You Can't Catch Me
- By: Catherine McKenzie
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve years ago Jessica Williams escaped a cult. Thanks to the private detective who rescued her, she reintegrated into society, endured an uncomfortable notoriety, and tried to put it all behind her. Then, at an airport bar, Jessica meets a woman with an identical name and birth date. It appears to be just an odd coincidence - until a week later, when Jessica finds her bank account drained and her personal information stolen. Following a trail of the grifter’s victims, each with the same name, Jessica gathers players - one by one - for her own game.
-
-
Wow! WoW! WOW!
- By Bibliophile on 06-12-20
-
The Last Time We Say Goodbye
- By: Cynthia Hand
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment. Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be. As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone--a text Tyler sent that could have changed everything.
-
-
Such sweet sorrow
- By Lesaly on 04-26-15
By: Cynthia Hand
-
Butcher & Blackbird
- The Ruinous Love Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Brynne Weaver
- Narrated by: Joe Arden, Lucy Rivers
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small-town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.
-
-
Listen, I'm a 'sympathetic retcher'
- By J. Scarlyn on 10-25-23
By: Brynne Weaver
-
How to Make Friends with the Dark
- By: Kathleen Glasgow
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Kathleen Glasgow
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is what happens when your mother dies. It's the brightest day of summer and it's dark outside. It's dark in your house, dark in your room, and dark in your heart. You feel like the darkness is going to split you apart. That's how it feels for Tiger. It's always been Tiger and her mother against the world. Then, on a day like any other, Tiger's mother dies. And now it's Tiger, alone. Here is how you learn to make friends with the dark.
-
-
It hit home (losing a loved one)
- By K.P. on 10-03-21
By: Kathleen Glasgow
-
Girl in Pieces
- By: Kathleen Glasgow
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kathleen Glasgow
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At 17 she's already lost more than most people do in a lifetime. But she's learned how to forget. The broken glass washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don't have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you. Every new scar hardens Charlie's heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.
-
-
Touching, Sobering, Fascinating
- By Wendi on 05-31-17
By: Kathleen Glasgow
-
You'd Be Home Now
- By: Kathleen Glasgow
- Narrated by: Julia Knippen, Kathleen Glasgow
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one—the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister. And at home, she's the good one, her stoner older brother Joey's babysitter. Everything was turned on its head, though, when she and Joey were in the car accident that killed Candy MontClaire. The car accident that revealed just how bad Joey's drug habit was.
-
-
Another MUST READ By Kathleen Glasgow
- By Pippy13 on 12-17-21
By: Kathleen Glasgow
-
You Can't Catch Me
- By: Catherine McKenzie
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve years ago Jessica Williams escaped a cult. Thanks to the private detective who rescued her, she reintegrated into society, endured an uncomfortable notoriety, and tried to put it all behind her. Then, at an airport bar, Jessica meets a woman with an identical name and birth date. It appears to be just an odd coincidence - until a week later, when Jessica finds her bank account drained and her personal information stolen. Following a trail of the grifter’s victims, each with the same name, Jessica gathers players - one by one - for her own game.
-
-
Wow! WoW! WOW!
- By Bibliophile on 06-12-20
-
The Kennedy Debutante
- By: Kerri Maher
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1938. The effervescent "It girl" of London society since her father was named the ambassador, Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy moves in rarified circles. Eager to strike out on her own, Kick is soon swept off her feet by Billy Hartington, the future duke of Devonshire. But their love is forbidden, as Kick's devout Catholic family and Billy's staunchly Protestant one would never approve their match. And when war breaks like a tidal wave across her world, Billy is ripped from her arms as the Kennedys are forced to return to the States.
-
-
The pure historical revisionism herein...
- By Talia on 05-04-19
By: Kerri Maher
-
Hello Girls
- By: Brittany Cavallaro, Emily Henry
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thelma and Louise gets remade in this powerful, darkly funny teen novel from acclaimed authors Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry. Two teenage girls who have had enough of the controlling men in their lives take their rage on the road to make a new life for themselves.
-
-
Wow
- By Phoenix on 08-06-19
By: Brittany Cavallaro, and others
-
All the Bright Places
- Movie Tie-In Edition
- By: Jennifer Niven
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne, Ariadne Meyers
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might die. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom.
-
-
Best YA Quirky Love Story of 2015
- By FanB14 on 06-09-15
By: Jennifer Niven
-
In Twenty Years
- A Novel
- By: Allison Winn Scotch
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twenty years ago, six Penn students shared a house, naively certain that their friendships would endure - until the death of their ringleader and dear friend Bea splintered the group for good. Now, mostly estranged from one another, the remaining five reluctantly gather at that same house on the eve of what would have been Bea's fortieth birthday.
-
-
Well written unlikable characters
- By Karen D. on 03-26-17
-
Since You've Been Gone
- By: Morgan Matson
- Narrated by: Suzy Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before Sloane, Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, and she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend - someone who yanks you out of your shell. But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just...disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There's just a random to-do list with 13 bizarre tasks that Emily would never try. But what if they can lead her to Sloane? "Go Skinny Dipping?" Um...
-
-
Took a while but I loved the ending!
- By Brittany on 09-24-15
By: Morgan Matson
-
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- By: Stephen Chbosky
- Narrated by: Noah Galvin
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky, Perks follows observant "wallflower" Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
-
-
You're Not Too Old To Read This
- By Anonymous User on 08-06-18
By: Stephen Chbosky
-
The Sweeney Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Lian Dolan
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maggie, Eliza, and Tricia Sweeney grew up as a happy threesome in a seaside town in Connecticut. But after their mother’s death from cancer 15 years ago, the sisters drifted apart. Their one touchstone is their father, Bill Sweeney, a famous literary lion universally adored by critics, publishers, and book lovers. When Bill dies unexpectedly one cool June night, his shell-shocked daughters return to their childhood home. They aren’t quite sure what the future holds without their larger-than-life father, but they do know how to throw an Irish wake to honor a man of his stature.
-
-
Is Netflix next?
- By Grace Smith on 05-03-20
By: Lian Dolan
-
Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes
- By: Kathleen West
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Isobel Johnson has spent her career in Liston Heights sidestepping the community’s high-powered families. But when she receives a threatening voicemail accusing her of anti-Americanism and a liberal agenda, she’s in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Julia Abbott, obsessed with the casting of the school’s winter musical, makes an error in judgment that has far-reaching consequences for her entire family.
-
-
Julia Whelan makes all books great!
- By Ellen Zelda on 02-19-20
By: Kathleen West
-
Looking for Alaska
- By: John Green
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words - and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet François Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps”. Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young, who will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.
-
-
I am concussed dot-dot-dot
- By Bren McKenna on 10-01-19
By: John Green
-
Birds of California
- A Novel
- By: Katie Cotugno
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Former child actor Fiona St. James dropped out of the spotlight after a spectacularly public crash and burn. The tabloids called her crazy and self-destructive and said she’d lost her mind. Now in her late twenties, Fiona believes her humiliating past is firmly behind her. She’s finally regained a modicum of privacy, and she won’t let anything—or anyone—mess it up.
-
-
Does anyone edit books anymore?
- By Audrey Fine on 07-05-22
By: Katie Cotugno
-
Firefly Lane
- A Novel
- By: Kristin Hannah
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the "coolest girl in the world" moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all - beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn.
-
-
Beachy Fare
- By FanB14 on 04-29-13
By: Kristin Hannah
-
Night Road
- By: Kristin Hannah
- Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 18 years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows - her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy - until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss.
-
-
Oh for heaven's sake
- By Angela on 10-24-11
By: Kristin Hannah
What listeners say about Love Letters to the Dead
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cari
- 07-07-15
Moving storyline, amazing audio performance
In the beginning of this story, I was disappointed at how it seemed to fold out. I was expecting something much deeper than a girl writing to famous dead people about her high school problems. However, as the story continues and it got deeper, the story intrigued me more and more. While it still had typical YA tropes, it was a moving tale and one that captured my attention until the end.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mollie
- 12-11-15
Odd but okay
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I would recommend the book to YA readers, but many of them won't know who Kurt Cobain or the other "dead" people the narrator is writing to are.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
Let down
What about Julia Whelan’s performance did you like?
She was a good reader.
Was Love Letters to the Dead worth the listening time?
The premise was odd, and I like how it developed, but there were a few things about the plot that were just...meh.
Any additional comments?
Nope!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mary Richard
- 05-14-17
<3
I don't think I have ever read (listened) to a book that made me "feel" like I did... I recommend whole heartedly!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ana cabrera
- 05-14-17
Good teller, but confusing
I love the narrator, but you need to pay alot of attention to under stand it, its confusing. But still love it
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- D. Lichtenstein
- 05-20-17
A wonderful Read, no matter what age
Although I am a grown man, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It brought back memories once so far removed. I will definitely listen again, to stir my emotions and memories. I highly recommend for any age. The narration was an additional pleasure.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- humboldtbutterfly
- 07-02-17
A Fantastic Book.
The most amazing story weaved with beautiful language and the poetry of life and loss.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Hugsbie
- 05-17-17
A healing journey book.
Such good advice for any kind of trauma, really. I laughed and cried and will listen again to this book. I loved it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- BAH
- 05-18-17
13 year olds diary
It's diary entries that are real and raw but it's kind of irritating and dramatic. It's all teenage drama. Boys, dating, friends, blah blah. It was rough to get through. The ending was cute. But that's it
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tony
- 06-04-17
Feelings
To me the book is about feelings and coming to terms with them. It made me think would I be the same way or worse?
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pink Amy
- 11-08-21
Perfect narration
4.5 of 5 stars
Six months ago Laurel's older sister May died. Then her mom moved across the country to "find" herself. Now Laurel spends her time between her very sad Dad's house and her religious fanatic maternal Aunt Amy. Now a sophomore in a new school, Laurel is making friends and opening, which she recounts in letters to famous dead people who died tragically- River Phoenix, Jim Morrison, Judy Garland, and Amy Winehouse, to name a few.
LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD started slowly, and I wasn't sure I made the right choice with my Amazon gift card. I usually read books in a day or two. After two days Kindle told me I had only read 25%, but not because the book didn't hold my interest. Debut writer Ava Dellaria wrote such a realistic, remarkable voice for Laurel I found myself re-reading the letters, often out loud, just to hear the words again. Dellaria allowed Laurel's story to unfold organically, as she slowly learned to trust herself through the letters to the dead. Then Laurel slowly began trusting her peers, and the adults in her life as she took scary emotional risks. Though not always likable, I loved Laurel's character. I wanted her to be more open, but she, like almost anyone in her circumstance, wasn't ready. I don't usually like relaxed paced books, but LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD, a true character story, couldn't have been written any better.
This novel has both teen and adult appeal, because many of the letters are to those who lived and died in prior generations and some of the irony may lost on those who haven't lived through it. The insights in Laurel's letters, simplistic, yet profound, often have universal, transferable meanings. I will definitely reread LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD while I eagerly await Ava Dellaria's sophomore novel.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!