Things I Wanted to Say (but never did) By Monica Murphy

Description

For ten years, Emma Barrett has been sorry. After she graduated from high school, she wrote twenty-five letters to her best friend Nate Williams. Each letter was a confession of love, an apology, or a bold hope. But terror kept her quiet, and the letters stayed in an old oak box. Now, the night before her wedding, a terrible mix-up puts the letters in Nate’s hands, bringing back memories Emma believed she had buried.

Nate Williams always remembered Emma. The happy girl who stood by him when everyone else turned their backs on him was the rock of his youth, yet she disappeared without a word. Nate is divided between fury and desire when he finds a trunk of letters he was never supposed to read. Every page reminds him of summer nights spent under string lights, secret jokes written in yearbooks, and the vow he thought they had made to one other.

Cole Ramsey, Emma’s fiancé, is moving forward with their wedding arrangements. Emma understands she can’t get married until she deals with her history. Emma and Nate set out on a moving journey through the unsent messages against the backdrop of lavender fields and coastal sunsets in their hometown of Cape Haven. Each letter opens up a moment of weakness: an apology for breaking a vase as a child, a confession of first love as a teenager, or a sincere request for forgiveness after a misunderstanding that ended their friendship.

Monica Murphy tells a story of nostalgia and rejuvenation, and she fills it with colorful minor characters: Emma’s free-spirited bridesmaids who hold a secret letter-reading party; Nate’s little brother, whose curious optimism gives Nate hope again; and the old postmistress, who tells her own story of lost love. Emma and Nate work through their misunderstandings with laughter and tears, and they find the friendship they previously took for granted.

Murphy’s writing strikes a mix between deep self-reflection and real tension. As Emma’s hand shakes over the last letter the one she wrote the day before going to college, admitting a love she never said out loud readers will lean in. Nate will feel his breath catch when he reads it beneath the light of the moon.

At the most emotional point, Emma had to choose between destroying the letters or letting Nate see her true self. Nate, on the other hand, has to choose between protecting his heart and sacrificing all for a love that might never be the same. In a garden ceremony with sunlight streaming through the trees, they must say the things they have been avoiding for so long, showing that some truths are worth the risk.

Things I Wanted to Say (But Never Did) is a moving look at friendship, bravery, and how honesty can change everything. It reminds us that thoughts left unsaid can hurt us, but finding the right words to say them can heal scars and lead to fresh beginnings we never expected.

About the Author

Monica Murphy is a New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance novels that explore emotional depth and second‑chance love. Her heartfelt storytelling has captivated readers worldwide. Monica lives in Florida with her family and a house full of rescued pets.

Product Details

• Title: Things I Wanted to Say (But Never Did)
• Author: Monica Murphy
• ISBN‑13: 9788383209043
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Published: March 23, 2021
• Pages: 384
• Binding: Paperpack