Review: A wonderful return to the lives of Karen and Jordan
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 7, 2013
Return to Sender by Julie Cross is her return to the lives of Karen and Jordan, whom we met and loved in Letters to Nowhere.  I loved Letters to Nowhere and was thrilled when Julie decided, due to the wonderful feedback, to continue their story.  However, in Return to Sender, Julie will be doing short stories, as we follow Karen in her quest to rise up in the Gymnastic world.  If you remember my review of LTN; being part of this world, watching them practice, and fight to make the National team and eventually make the Olympic team was great.  In the middle of this, we spend more time with Karen, as she recovers from the loss of her parents, and trying to move on.  We continue to fall more in love with Jordan, who is such a great character, as he is the perfect young man for Karen.  He wants to take things slow, as she is still very much deep in her emotional grief, and vulnerable.  Jordan loves Karen, and she too loves him.  But gymnastics is everything for her, and this is where she must concentrate, and Jordan is always there for her.For her own counseling, Karen’s therapist still has her writing her letters to nowhere to allow her to express her emotions.  Very nice touch.  What is nice about this series is watching Karen daily, as she handles the pressures of her gymnastics hopes, especially after coming off winning an international competition; as well as trying to come to terms with her parents’ death.  One of the most emotional moments was when Karen went to help clean out her old home with her grandma, her best friend Blair and her therapist, Jackie.  We watched Karen fall apart as she put on her mothers jewelry, and especially when she sat in the closet surrounded by her mother’s clothes.  I loved when Blair joined her in the closet, then they both picked an outfit to try on.  It was the perfect cleansing of her soul.Return to Sender allows us to follow Karen and Jordan, as their relationship grows.  We also get to see how Karen will do on her quest to make the Olympics, as well as to follow the daily life of elite gymnastics.  Letters to Nowhere gave us a full story, and Julie now allows us to continue this story in what is probably the best way…a little glimpse at a time.  This is well written story of two young people slowly falling in love; a young girl trying to cope with tragedy and life; and a background of what it’s like to be an Olympic hopeful gymnast; it is family and friends being there for each other.  I look forward to reading more about Karen and Jordan, and learning more about this fantastic look at gymnastics.