Review of Sincerely Yours,

[Annika porter]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sincerely Yours," by J.M. Norris.]

---

3 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

J.M. Norris’s Sincerely, Yours is an eerie tale that left me constantly looking over my shoulder. This story follows Sean, a young, handsome physician’s assistant, who finds himself the target of a delusional stalker who is convinced he is in an ongoing relationship with the perpetrator. Sean and his friends, alongside a detective from the local police force, vow to find out who is stalking Sean in order to ensure his safety. Things take a dark turn as the friends get closer to the heart of the mystery, and danger lurks at every corner.

The author does a relatively good job of immersing their readers in Sean’s world. Reading this book evoked anxiety and tension in me as I raced to see what would happen next to the friend group. The messages the stalker left for Sean were eerie and helped immerse me in the story. I thought the idea of a (delusional) jilted-lover stalker was an interesting concept for a plot and kept me intrigued as the story progressed.

Unfortunately, my immersion in the story was often broken by numerous typos and grammatical errors, seemingly on every page. Additionally, incomplete sentences were strewn throughout the book, leaving me, as the reader, to guess at the author’s intent. I believe sentence fragments can be used in certain circumstances if an author utilizes a strong voice in their writing and can do it without breaking the immersion in their story. However, in this work, I was left confused and frustrated by the lack of editing or seemingly even proofreading. In a similar vein, the author also utilized abbreviations (for example, “Det.” and “HPD”) without first providing context about what they stood for. It struck me as odd that the author would not write out “detective” at least the first time it was used, and especially in dialogue. I was eventually able to decipher that “HPD” meant Houston Police Department when the setting was later revealed about halfway through the story. I understand that this was likely clear to the author, however I would appreciate not having to guess at small details such as these.


While I loved the idea of this plot, I felt that the execution was a bit lacking. The ending felt a bit predictable, and I think most readers will be able to solve the mystery a good deal before the protagonists do. However, I do know how difficult it is to write a mystery that presents all the evidence to the reader while also leaving them guessing until the very end. While I did enjoy reading the book and grew fond of the characters, the lack of editing was a huge drawback for me as I believe a lot of issues could have been solved with a quality editor. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick, haunting read, but I would have to rate it 3/5 stars due to its countless errors and predictability.

******
Sincerely Yours,
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Mark Lazarus]

It sounds like a gripping and suspenseful read with a lot of potential, but the lack of proper editing and the predictability of the plot might take away from the experience. With a bit more polish, it could really shine.

[Annika porter]

It sounds like a gripping and suspenseful read with a lot of potential, but the lack of proper editing and the predictability of the plot might take away from the experience. With a bit more polish, it could really shine.

That is exactly how I felt! There was so much potential and greatness within the story, and I think with more editing and more time to bake the story could be extremely fantastic. You're so right!

[NetMassimo]

This novel seems to have good potential but it's hindered by editing issues and problems such as a predictable ending. A professional editor might help the author in developing the novel's potential to its fullest and with proofreading. Thank you for your honest review!