Book Review: Sincerely, Me by Julietta Henderson

Do you ever feel like you want a charming, life-affirming and endearing book to read? Well, Julietta Henderson’s ‘Sincerely, Me’ was supposed to be all that, and it is in many ways. A sweet story of a girl and her estranged uncle while she tries to hold her family together.

Click me to go to my Review

Synopsis

Danny is the definition of a man who ‘could do better’. He drinks more than he should, currently lives in his best friend’s garden shed – and he hasn’t spoken to his sister in 16 years.

But when Danny is the subject of a misleading newspaper article, claiming his lifestyle is actually quite enlightened, he suddenly finds himself in the limelight. Letters begin to flood in from strangers seeking his guidance.

Wolfie is the daughter of Danny’s estranged sister, Lou. She’s never met her uncle, but her mother is struggling. So when Wolfie sees Danny’s picture in the paper, she sets out to find him.

Within a week, Danny goes from being responsibility-free to a big brother, an uncle and an unwitting existential ‘guru’ to some very lost souls.

Can he become the man they all need him to be?

About The Author

Julietta Henderson grew up in the rainforests of North Queensland, Australia. Like many Australians, her love affair with Europe began when she came to London on a working holiday and stayed for more than a decade. Now a full-time writer, Julietta divides her life between Melbourne, the UK and wherever she can find winter.

My Review

Meet Danny, a 39-year-old man who is living in his best friend’s garden shed, can’t hold down a job and whose favourite hobby is happy hour down at the local pub. One night, Danny drunkenly decides to paint something philosophical on the path outside his neighbour’s house and he finds himself promptly arrested. Being drunk, Danny flips his elderly neighbour the bird in the back of a police car and using that as the opportune moment, his neighbour takes a photo. A photo which will change Danny’s life as he knows it… The story is told through dual perspectives—Danny and fifteen-year-old Wolfie—which turns out to be an extremely clever writing device.

The book itself has some great characters with unique personalities that are easy to connect with. I especially enjoyed reading about Wolfie; her naivety was endearing but her rebellious nature made her likeable too. It was also great to see how much she grows throughout the story as she learns more about life from Danny. And speaking of Danny, he’s an incredibly likeable character; despite his flaws (and there are many) you can’t help but root for him when things start going wrong. His determination and resilience were inspiring to read about and really added depth to the story overall.

Despite its charming characters and heart-warming moments, I think this book could have been better if it had focused more on developing its storyline rather than focusing so heavily on characterization. There were some great plot points sprinkled in here and there, but they often felt overshadowed by other elements of the story; more focus on these would have made this book truly shine!  All in all though, ‘Sincerely Me’ is still worth checking out; it’s funny, heartfelt and surprisingly thought-provoking – plus you’ll feel like part of the family after just one chapter!

However, like her first book, The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman, I found the writing style didn’t suit me well. It felt a little too slow and drawn out and didn’t flow as nicely as I would have hoped. The premise of both books is great. They are truly heart-warming and uplifting but I just can’t seem to get past the writing style, though I may try again one day as an audio book to see if that helps.

In conclusion, if you are happy with a slow-paced, long and drawn-out book with a fantastic heart-warming, uplifting message with endearing characters then this is the book for you!

Rated