* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

Before receiving a full copy of this novel, I read a short excerpt. I was pretty hooked in that short little section, so I knew I needed to read the whole thing. I had loved P.S. I Love You and, though I know that follow ups after the fact for something initially meant to be a standalone can often be huge disappointments, I wanted more of Holly's story.

The writing in this follow up is the same flowing and light tone as in the original, but it did seem to have a little less polish. There was also perhaps a bit more philosophical content, which came off a little too stiff. In fact, the prose itself felt initially a little halting overall, but this awkwardness faded and the narrative soon fell into a good rhythm. The storyline was mostly believable, but liberties were obviously taken to make this a bit more of a "feel good" in some of the circumstances...the way books lumped into the genre of "beach read" tend to do. So, yes, some of the plot devices were a bit basic and cliche. Regardless, I found myself wrapped up in the story and enjoying where the pages took me.

The characters continued to move forward from their initial trajectory, but there was less secondary character development than I recall from the first installment. This didn't feel lacking though, the balance was good and there was enough occurring peripherally to Holly to make the story well-rounded. With the addition of new characters, the pulling of heartstrings continued through this narrative. Gerry's character was still present to some regard, but (as would be expected) this focuses more on Holly's journey forward. This was a difficult balance to make between old and new, but it was done well.

Postscript is definitely a follow-up and couldn't really stand on its own without the history of P.S. I Love You propelling it forward, but it does have it's own merits. There was definitely a consistent stream of emotional content and further exploration of the topics of death and grief. I very rarely cry at books, but a piece of this one hit me hard, right in the feels. Bonus points for that. Takeaway thoughts: though not as good as the original, Postscript is a good story all the same and definitely worth a read.