** spoiler alert ** 
 I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Generally, I don't take well to books written in the form of diaries or in this case letters. I tend to ignore the dates and then end up completely confused because I have no idea why there is snow on the ground because the last time I actually read the date of the entry, it was July. Anyway, the entries of this novel were thankfully rarely dated--the authors used the text to explain the time of year and gradually lead the reader from one season to the next. Many people find that stories with many players are better told in the medium of film--this was well done though. The characters were dynamic and easy to keep track of and easy to love. The ending wasn't nearly as predictable as I thought either.