The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

5 stars

Ginny Blackstone thought that last summer’s big adventure was behind her… until now.

Maureen Johnson’s anticipated sequel to her bestselling novel 13 Little Blue Envelopes follows up with Virginia “Ginny” Blackstone about five months after she has travelled across Europe alone. Her first adventure was guided by only the instructions of thirteen letters her eccentric Aunt Peg wrote for her before she passed away.

In the previous book, Ginny’s backpack was stolen from a beach in Greece, along with the unopened last letter, which is where The Last Little Blue Envelope comes in. This time around Ginny gets an email from a mysterious young man in England who has her missing letter, but he will only give it to her at a cost.

The book reunites a host of the lovable characters that were introduced in the first book, including Ginny’s love interest, an aspiring UK playwright named Keith. The book also introduces new characters, like the sinister Oliver, who found the letter, and Ellis, Keith’s girlfriend. The four of them join forces and travel across Europe together in Keith’s tiny beat-up car to find three pieces of Aunt Peg’s artwork, as told by the last letter.

Johnson’s writing style allows readers to be in Ginny’s shoes for yet another compelling, and even comical, trek across Europe. And the author doesn’t disappoint with another brilliant page-turner. The Last Little Blue Envelope is impossible to put down once you start, but it is advised that you read the book’s predecessor before reading this one, so the plot makes more sense.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read and enjoyed other books by Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot and John Green.