My Dear Ellie (Love \u0026 Friendship, #1) by Aisha Urooj

My Dear Ellie (Love \u0026 Friendship, #1) Reviews

• 
  Hannah E. Griggs

  This was a dnf for me. The writing style wasn't my style with a mixture of past and present tense, so after reading the first chapter, I went in search of other reviews to see if the story made up for it. Which then led me to skimming the last chapter, a practice I seldom do. Well, there I discovered a paragraph that was most disturbing. The main character said if she had a choice between going to Heaven or Hell, she would go wherever her best friend went. That and another bit about bargaining with fate showed me this was not a book I wanted to read.
• 
  Phyllis Kerr

  My Dear Ellie is the story of the relationship between two females ranging from childhood to early adulthood. The story, an adventure of comradery, childish antics, teenage angst and unfathomable happiness and sorrow reads like a series of essays with an emotional distance that flattens the impact the story begs to express. Still, the rich possibilities of this touching story leads the reader to the sad, expected ending.
• 
  Melynda Wangsness

  "He said that we don’t always understand what makes us happy, but we know what makes us sad."
  
  A quick read with an important message (that got lost in translation).
  
  Distracted by the spelling and grammar errors, I had a hard time enjoying the overarching theme of this read. Parts of the story drug along while other parts felt so quick that they were incomplete and I felt as though I was missing part of the story.
  
  While I wanted so much to like this book, I found myself skipping the free sneak peak of the next book at the end. There just wasn't enough to keep me hooked. I feel this short book would have done better incorporating more of Ellie's side of things to include important context. Instead of two (or three) books. I would have loved to see an intertwining of these stories together in a longer book.
  
  That being said, this would be a great YA read for those wanting something quick and light regarding friendship and life.
• 
  Michele

  “Ever had a friend that made you smile on the darkest of days?”
  
  My Dear Ellie is a thought-provoking YA novel of a timeless journey that asks what would you be willing to do for a very best friend. “Would you be willing to live through heartbreaks over a thousand lifetimes?” This novel is suitable for all ages; we all ask ourselves these questions in regards to friends and loved ones. Friendships are complicated, now more than ever.
  
  This novel is a tribute to Eleanor James and Cassandra Grace. Ellie and Cassie, best friends extraordinaire, love and friendship, the ties that bind, even when unbound by circumstance.
  
  “Some moments and some people leave such a mark on your life, that life begins to be defined by the moment before and the moment after their arrival.”
  
  Aisha Urooj’s debut novel is a beautiful testament to friendship and love, in the best of times and in the darkest.
• 
  Dawn 🫶

  3.25
  
  My Dear Ellie is a cute coming of age story for two female friends. This book is filled with cute normal teenage drama with a mix of unsuspecting feelings. If you are looking for a sad ending that is very expected this is the book for you. I really want to say that I like this book but honestly I feel like there was so much the was left unsaid and the ending was very typical so it makes it hard for me to rate it any higher. I don't know... Maybe I need to reread it but I just didn't get into it as much as I expected to
• 
  Beena Khan

  3.5 stars.
  
  A lovely book about friendship.
• 
  Louise

  RTC :)
• 
  Esmée

  Wazig boek...
• 
  Emma Katherine

  Read my full review here:
  https://lifesanovelty.blogspot.com/20...
  
  
  
  Opinions: The perfect word to describe my feelings about My Dear Ellie is shocked. This book was meant to focus on the journey of life and how normal people overcome its struggles, but the conflict these characters face is drastic and unrealistic. Are we meant to feel bad for Cassie and Ellie when they purposely drop out of high school then struggle with finance? Are we meant to sympathise with them when they burn all of their money on three takeout restaurants in one night? Although these events did not correspond with the tried themes of the book, they were quite entertaining! A twenty-year-old high school dropout winning a Grammy and being nominated for an Oscar is not something we can relate to, but it is certainly a change from your classic YA breakup! Suffice to say, I will not be rereading My Dear Ellie, but it was definitely worth reading once.
  
  My Favourite Thing: All I've done in this review is complain, but My Dear Ellie has an indescribable feature that captivates readers. Even through the odd relationships, lack of parental charge, and timeline-y feel to the story arc, I was enamored by the character's consistency and desires in life, the creative writing style, and especially the originality. I haven't read another YA coming of age story like My Dear Ellie! It's down-to-Earth, straightforward, and special to the readers.
  
  My Least Favourite Thing: Adding on to what I said above, the projected themes of the book did not correspond with the plot. Urooj tried to write a story of overcoming struggles, but as I commented, the struggles were not realistic. Finally, towards the end of the book, an opportunity for Urooj to depict real-life tragedies arose but the book ended five pages later.
  The climax of the book was Ellie's unfortunate death due to drug overdose, the most realistic event of the book. As a reader, I was immersed and anticipating the effects of Ellie's death on Cassie, but they hardly came. This was the biggest letdown of the book for me.
• 
  S.E. Crawford

  "...I hear Buddy barking angrily at my deception and broken promises."
  
  This is an idyllic story. Dark subject matter, while mentioned, is never fully explored and quickly sidelined. The characters grow safely and securely much like the characters in a PG teen movie. Happiness is the name of the game until a heavy plot twist hits the reader in the face. Blink-and-you-miss-it foreshadowing will be enjoyable to sleuth out.
  
  I do have to mention that there are quite a few jarring typos/grammatical inconsistencies. They interrupted the narrative quite a bit. That’s where the 3-star rating applies. A skilled proofreader would do wonders for improvement here.
  
  Overall this story suits the young-hearted readers of the world. You know who you are!
  
  Friendship, loyalty and love are the intermixing themes. Enjoy~
• 
  The Glass House Online Magazine

  We all remember our firsts, don’t we? Our first love, our first heartbreak, our first school, even our first home… but few firsts rival our first heartbreak in our memories quite like finding our first best friend.
  
  Many of us make those first best friends at primary school but for some it can take a little longer to find that soul mate that can help you through the trials and tribulations of growing up; but you would be hard pressed to find someone reading this book that couldn’t relate to the emotions of truly loving (in the purest sense) a friend so deeply that you would want them in your lives forever.
  
  If you could go back now, to the day you first met that first best friend, could you remember all the details? Would you change a single thing you had gone through together? What would you give up, or put on the line, for that friend that you promised to spend the rest of your life with?
  
  My Dear Ellie by Aisha Urooj is a book that explores the depths of friendship and how mere moments can shape your life.
  
  My Dear Ellie isn’t a book that I would normally rave about, it’s the kind of book that I would quietly consider. It’s quite a slow burn and at times feels more like a collection of diary entries of a young girls trying to make sense of the world. There are moments when I questioned if this was a work of fiction, or if indeed the author herself had tried to reimagine a friendship that meant so much to her as a child.
  It feels real, as if you are reading the inner most thoughts of a child growing into herself as we follow Cassandra and her analysis of a friendship that is shaping her life in more ways than one.
  
  If you are a fan of The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, this book might tweak your interest. Although the story itself is a slow burn (and seems to end exactly where I hoped it would begin) it is a book that makes you look into your own world and think about the friendships that shaped you and why.
  
  My Dear Ellie is the first part of a trilogy, at first I had no idea how the author would pull out this story into three parts, but the ending of book one makes it clear why this is not even close to being the end of the story for Ellie and Cassie.
  
  The characters are drawn with heart, emotion and empathy. The sentences are wrapped in delicate cloaks of nostalgia and at only 166 pages, it is a quick read that leaves you waiting eagerly for more. A fabulous YA coming of age story that I look forward to reading more of.
  
  
  Reviewed by Emma-Claire Wilson as a guest post review for A Little Book Problem.
  
  3 Stars
  
• 
  Carissa Leighton

  Book review for My Friend Ellie: Love and Friendship: Volume 1 by Aisha Urooj
  
  I recently read the first volume of My Friend Ellie by Aisha Urooj and it is a lovely book aimed at younger adults/teenagers with a really important message in it. It says it will take roughly 3 or 4 hours to read, however I did manage to read it in an hour and a half, so I would say it is generally a quick read type of book.
  However, as much as I really wanted to enjoy the book, there were a few grammatical issues, which I think may be partly down to an issue in translation to English from the author's native language. Also time pretext is a little muddled up in some places, with it being in both past and present times in one sentence.
  Further to this, the ending is a little strange and I did have to go back a few pages at times to check I hadn’t missed anything out, however I couldn’t find anything and I believe that it could have been explained a little bit more in depth beforehand to stop the confusion.
  Overall though, I love the message that is trying to be portrayed across to young adults as I feel it is an important one, I just wish that it could have been translated across to English a little better.
  
  
• 
  Happy Booker

  My dear Ellie is a fictional story about love and friends. It begins with Ellie wanting to be a superstar. Her dream and ambitions are so intense that she does not want to take a long time to achieve it. As the going says, “be careful what you wish for,” Ellie’s fame is something she needs to be cautious of as it becomes a sorrowful experience.
  
  Cassie, on the other hand, is her best friend and has a charming and loving character. She is somehow the opposite of how Ellie is. She isn’t sure about her future and where she stands in her life. As her life changes and becomes more purposeful, so does her decisions and the relationship she has with Ellie.
  
  The story is more of a coming of age tale, and the bond between the two girls builds the foundation of this young adult story.
  
  I wasn’t a big fan of the cover. The story was so beautiful, and I felt that the cover did not represent the content. I later found out that she had changed the cover design and was impressed by the update.
  
  The literature and narrative were good. The content is a testament to what friendship is all about, and I recommend it to young adult fans of fiction.
  
• 
  D.W. Plato

  I always get so excited when I find an indie author who's gone the extra mile and created an audiobook. This one has a lot of potential but alas, it's another example of how a good editor could make an average story better. I liked/enjoyed the storyline itself, the idea behind it, however; the dialogue wasn't realistic and I found I was having a hard time liking the characters plus there were places the tense wasn't consistent which took away from the overall story.
  Aisha, good job for writing this book and getting in on Audible, your imagination is spot on but for me, it seems you still need help polishing up your work. Keep writing, you'll just continue to get better. #dowhatyoulove
• 
  Selena

  This is a book about friendship and how to cherish every moment you have together.
  
  We learn about Cassie and Ellie who have been friends since childhood and that’s where their story begins. From there we see Cassie and Ellie go from acquaintances to best friends. I enjoyed reading about Cassie and Ellie and their loving friendship. Everyone needs a friend like Ellie in their life!
  
  I didn’t really find that the writing style was for me and I don’t think I’ll read any other books by this author, but this wasn’t bad.
• 
  Pamela A. Plumer

  incredibly moving short.
  
  What and an amazing story these two best friends had, this story resonated with me as I lost my adult son last year to an accidental drug overdose. This story also reminds us you are never promised tomorrow and if if we do get tomorrow to make better choices. I miss having a best friend so I enjoy reading friendship fiction a lot. Thank you Aisha Urooj for a really touching and thoughtful story. 😍
• 
  Paddie

  I, I don’t know what to say about this book. It is amazing. Not going to give any spoilers away. But there was points that I was laughing and some serious points I was crying really hard! The last sentence in the book hit me hard! Absolutely a wonderful read!
• 
  Kyra

  I am typically super nice with reviews, but this book was terrible, especially the ending. I honestly still don't even know what happen in the ending since it was SO hard to follow and made no sense. Not to even mention all the spelling and Grammer errors.
• 
  Lisa Terry

  This book started out really good, got sad, then got really weird.
• 
  Jennifer Lara

  I was bored. There is a lot of telling and not showing. And I didn't feel a lot was happening. It may be for a much younger audience and the chapters were super short.
• 
  Carla

  DNF at 22%
  
  I tried repeatedly to pick it back up and I just could not. It might not be a book for me but it might be a book for someone else.
• 
  Cat

  This had a whole lot of telling and not a lot of showing. I wish the narrator/MC had a bit more of a backbone. Wasn't a fan of the narration style either.
• 
  kassandra tardif-armatage

  Good story, had me crying, but felt choppy at certain points.