“But thank you for not fighting for me; you taught me how to fight for myself and that was the greatest lesson I have ever learned.”
This book honestly stole my heart!…. I loved the idea of the letters. Beautifully done. I connected with so many of these letters. Usually when you read a book like this you don’t always connect with so many pieces but I really did.
There are letters for past loves, those that you hurt or have hurt you. Some letters were letter of explanations, while some were asking for explanations.
All the letters here were heartfelt. The beauty of this collection is that, I am positive, that one of these letters would be for you. One of the letters would mean something to you whether directly or indirectly. At least one of them would leave you wondering if that specific letter was written for you or by you.
Book has divided up in three parts:
~To the people we love the people who couldn’t love us
~To the ones who loved us and the ones who healed us
~To the ones who made us ask important questions and the ones who gave us the answers
Rania Naim grew up in Cairo, Egypt with more than just a passion for writing, it was her dream. After living some of her most pivotal years stateside, Rania is able to couple her dream while bringing a range of topics to light.
While reading this many of these letters triggered emotions in me I have felt before. Some I didn’t want to feel again. Her writing was very captivating, very relatable. I will definitely be rereading this one again and again.
Naim has bared it all here. It made me think that we all have letters that we should have sent.
Some quotes from All the Letters I should have Sent:
Thank you for loving me.
And thank you for leaving me.
Thank you for giving me a taste of everything delicious and a taste of everything sour.
Thank you for introducing me to euphoria and introducing me to pain.
Thank you for being there to hold my hand and thank you for letting me go.
Because letting go shouldn’t feel like a burden, it shouldn’t be something you regret, it shouldn’t be something that holds you back.
Letting go shouldn’t feel so wrong.
Do you sometimes write a long message to apologize, then delete it?
Was it me? Was it you? Was it timing?
Was I too hard to love? Were you too scared of loving again?
I always believed in comebacks. I always believed in second chances. I always believed in a universe fighting for two people to end up together. Fighting for two people to grow apart so they can realize how badly they need each other.
I always believed in me and you.
But sometimes years pass by and you never show up.
I’m deleting your number because I’m done torturing myself over losing you. I’m done with your maybes. I’m done with your uncertainty. I’m done with your games.
I’m deleting your number because I’m looking for love and that’s something you’re still confused about.
I’m deleting your number because you couldn’t make me the only girl.
I’m deleting your number because it’s time to delete you from my life.
Do you still need time to think about it? Time to figure it out? Time to see the obvious?
That maybe I’m the one and maybe you shouldn’t have let me go.
Do you believe me now?
When I joked one day and told you that you’ll roam the world and you won’t find anything like my love. When I told you that I can’t wait for you forever and maybe one of these days I’ll be gone.
Do you feel it now?
The pain. The agony. The torture of loving someone who’s not even yours. Of wanting someone who doesn’t want you. Of waiting for something that may never happen.
Do you get it now?
How you made me feel all along. How you broke my heart. How hard it was to move on.
This is me accepting that our connection will always be disconnected, our love will always be broken and our bond will always be frail. This is me getting used to being alone. This is me learning how to find my own worth away from you. This is me acknowledging that I’ll always be enough for me even if I wasn’t enough for you.
But if this is the end of our story, then I want you to know that you are my favorite chapter, the chapter I will go back and read when I want to smile and the chapter I will go back and read when the story gets boring and I hope I’m your favorite chapter too.
Eventually, we’ll meet again and this time, you’ll be the best version of you and I’ll be the best version of me and somehow, we’ll magically be the best people for each other.
You had to be you and I had to be me so we could be us.
It’s complicated, I know.
Source: Goodreads
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