Dear Henry, Love Edith: A Charming Mistaken-Identity Romantic Comedy

The following is my dad’s review.He has my buy his stuff through my account:“I’m going to give you a couple paragraphs about myself, because I think it’s relevant.When I read I nearly always read non-fiction, and I figure that when I want fiction there are plenty of movies, and for me the movies don’t take as long. For me to read fiction it usually has to be a recognized classic, or something provocative or funny, or for some special circumstance or because of a convincing recommendation. I am pretty sure this book was the first rom-com I have ever read.I am old guy who happens to prefer rom-com movies to action flicks. They get me, because I’m easy. I usually like the older movies more than the newer ones, in part because I usually prefer to feel good both during and after the flick. And, other than some of the newer rom-coms, and comedies, I will usually choose a 50+ year old movie over a newer one. And the older I get the more I enjoy seeing and getting my emotions tweaked in the older flicks by the likes of Jimmy Stewart, Kate Hepburn, Cuddles Sakall, Judy Holliday, Fred and Ginger, etc. This book, “Dear Henry, Love Edith” can work for all kinds of folks, but it feels like it was written for guys like me. Fun, clean, even informative, and clever, … clever in a good way.It’s a rom-com, so of course there are romantic attractions, and a little heat. But it is Christian fiction, so there is nothing “graphic”. And on the other hand, nothing preachy or gooey. The kind of acknowledgment of “religion” that was much more common a couple generations ago. There are at least a couple of “villains” you might not be inclined to like, and there is nothing that I caught implying their “redemption”. But most of the characters (there are quite a few “small parts”.) are charming and likable, and likely resembling some people you know.When Edith says “Oh, Henry!”, it made me think of the author O. Henry and the fact that the story does transcend our little moment in time.This was my first rom-com book, so I don’t know how common this is, but I like the way the book is conveniently divided, pretty evenly, into chapters averaging no more than about 9 pages of actual reading. Makes it extra easy to remember where you left off in the book and in the story.Yes, admittedly I’m easy, but the main characters did became real for me and I found myself cheering for them. A fun and entertaining read. But now I’m going back non-fiction, or maybe semi-fiction, like how to improve my golf game.I agree with the other reviewers who say that this book would make for a good movie. The 1998 movie “You’ve Go Mail” was an update of the plot of “The Shop Around The Corner” which was released in 1940. Both are, for me, still very watchable movies, and “Dear Henry, Love Edith” is just as readable as they are watchable, and with a few more twists.

Dear Henry, Love Edith by Becca Kinzer is such a good story. I loved every minute spent reading this hilarious story. And I want more! I’m super excited to see what Kinzer has in store for us readers with her next book. Kinzer’s writing is excellent, and her comedy is fantastic. I laughed out loud many times and it felt good. I haven’t laughed like that while reading in a long time. I found all of Kinzer’s characters to be well-crafted and endearing. The townsfolk of Westshire, Illinois are an absolute hoot. I love their unique personalities, their great big hearts, and their need to be all up in everyone’s business. I love how they take Edith in almost immediately and give her safe spaces to be uniquely her. I love how they just love. It’s wonderful and I really wish it were real life. Our world needs places like Westshire, Illinois. Edith is a spectacular mess. This woman has no idea what she needs. She thinks she knows, but she has no idea. I like how Kinzer — through Edith’s journey — gets the reader to wrestle with the concept of dreams we have for ourselves versus God’s plans for us. Dreams are really good to have, but they have to line up with God’s plans or in the end they amount to nothing. This is a great reminder, and I enjoyed watching Edith come to this same conclusion. I also really like that she figured out the right moves to make with Henry. Henry is a great hero. I love how playful he is with Edith. He brings out the side of her that can chill out. I also love that he supposedly looks like Paul Newman. Since Paul Newman was, hands down, the most handsome man that ever walked the face of this earth, it was really fun envisioning him as Henry. And it definitely made the swoony parts all the more swoony. As for the chemistry between Henry and Edith, it is spectacular. I love, love, love that everything between them begins with letters and a misunderstanding, but then grows into friendship and then into something really, really special. What a wonderful Rom-Com this book is!Dear Henry, Love Edith is an excellent read, one I highly recommend. If you love a good Contemporary Rom-Com and have not yet read this one, then you have to grab a copy ASAP. You won’t be disappointed that you did.I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on January 31, 2023, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was so fun to read. I don’t think I’ve laughed so much while reading a book. This new author has now moved up in my list of “very delightful authors.” And she is one I will watch for!There was so much packed into this story. So much humor and quirky, crazy stuff. I loved all the crazy fun banter the two main characters had, even when they had never met and had totally wrong perspectives of each other. It made this story thrive and flow so smoothly! I also completely enjoyed and laughed out loud during the parts with the townspeople. So many wacky, unbelievable incidents where things got so warped. But in the end, I fell in love with the whole town and its crazy characters.Becca Kinzer is a new author, this is her debut novel, and I truly hope she doesn’t stop writing because I want to read more of her stories. This book truly brought a smile and chuckle to my heart, and I would love to read about this town and many of the other characters in future books.I will definitely be on the lookout for more!I highly, highly recommend you pick this book up to get a sweet read and escape that will warm your heart!

This was a fantastic read! Romance and an abundance LOL humor. I kept wanting to copy passages to post for friends to read, that they may have a good chuckle, as well. Upon completion of this review, I will be looking for other books by this author and watching for hopefully, many more to come. An absolute delight. The reference to "Bench-Worthy" will become clear in the reading! Enjoy!

I needed some good belly laughs, and did not realize they would come from this comedy of errors.Certainly plenty of seriousness as well, but the way the town blows everything up over and over...Henry and Edith definitely have an adventure ahead of them.