Please Forgive Me by Melissa Hill is the story of
Leonie Hayes, a woman running from her life in Dublin, Ireland. She arrives in
San Francisco, California looking for a fresh start. She begins by finding a
new apartment which looks out over the Golden Gate Bridge and finds a job at a
local florist shop. While settling into her new apartment, she discovers a box
of old, unopened letters. They are addressed to a Helena Abbott at that
address. When a letter arrives on Valentine’s Day, Leonie unwittingly opens it
and reads the heartfelt message from a Nathan to Helena, It ends with “Please
forgive me.” Leonie then meets her neighbor, Alex Fletcher, who has trouble of
her own, as she has been searching for her estranged husband in order to serve
him divorce papers. As the two become intrigued by the mystery of the letters,
they set out on a mission to find Helena and Nathan. Will they be able to find
Helena and Nathan? What is Leonie running from? Will Alex be able to settle the
situation with her ex-husband?
I was intrigued by the premise of Please Forgive Me.
It reminded me of Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook. Unfortunately, it did
not live up to the comparison. As I read through the story, I realized that I
didn’t care for any of the characters or wished to see them work through their
problems. The ending was happy and not what I was expecting. Plus, the whole
situation with the divorce doesn’t ring true with actual California law.
According to my research, Alex could have received a divorce decree without her
husband’s response if she could prove she did everything she could to find him
which she does for a year. It shows a lack of research on the author’s part or
that she ignored it in order to have the ending she wanted to play out. The
mystery of the letters was a letdown too. By the time Leonie and Alex discover
the truth behind the letters and why Nathan was seeking Helena’s forgiveness
was anticlimactic. Please Forgive Me is a basic chick-lit, Hallmark
movie type story with a happy ending that feels forced. If you enjoy chick-lit,
you may enjoy Please Forgive Me.
Please Forgive Me
is available in paperback
and eBook
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