Book Review #20 | The Accidental Love Letter By Olivia Beirne

This book was a rather spontaneous purchase for me, one of those classic ‘I read the back of the book and thought why not?’ moments. And honestly, I am so glad I did. If you’re a fan of that The Flatshare and Sophie Kinsella type of book with heaps of British humour that is just simply a good read, this is the book for you.

The story follows Bea; she used to be outgoing and confident, but over recent months she has lost the person she used to be and has found herself in a rut. With her two roommates and best friends moving on with their lives and both in committed relationships, Bea is feeling more alone than ever, and has found herself in a regimented routine that she cannot break.

That all changes when a mysterious envelope arrives addressed to B. Will she give into the intrigue and open it? A whole new world of possibilities is awaiting her…

Yes. It is a spoiler, but we all know she’s going to open the letter, right? There would be no story otherwise. Please let me assure you though, if you are feeling a slightly predictable plot brewing–you couldn’t be more wrong. Whilst our mystery envelope is the starting point for The Accidental Love Letter’s plot, if you're imagining a love letter back-and-forth romance story than you would be mistaken. The book is so much more than that. While Bea is our typical girl-next-door character, you really feel her problems and trauma from the instances of social anxiety she experiences to her loneliness. Some heavily topics are discussed throughout the book without ease and gentle understanding, with British humour providing light-hearted moments where I laughed until I cried at points.

There’s so much about the book I want to talk about, but to do so would give away where the plot leads you, with the story going to places I was not expecting at all. But I can confirm you meet some of the loveliest characters along the way. You truly fall in love with the world Bea finds herself in, and it just makes you want to keep coming back for more.

The Accidental Love Letter has a whole host of secondary characters, who in their own way show different sides of loneliness and how that can manifest itself into your life without you even noticing it. In that sense, it was a very eye-opening experience to how other people may be feeling that you yourself might be overlooking. And not only that, but every secondary character gets their own personal character arcs completed to a satisfactory level that you don’t feel that any of them got left behind. Which is particularly fulfilling when you get so invested in each of the characters.

This is the first Olivia Beirne book I have purchased, and I already want another. If you are looking for a light-hearted read and a good laugh, then this is the book for you. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading, Rhi x.