Dear Orchid

Letters and New Beginning

By: Carol Van Den Hende

Narrated by: Carol Van Den Hende

These aren’t just stories. They’re love letters.

Told through a mix of true stories and new fiction, Dear Orchid opens the heart in unexpected ways: through loss and love, silence and recovery, and the hard-won resilience of people who don’t always fit the mold.

With tenderness and heart, Dear Orchid is an Asian American author's homage to Mary-Louise Parker’s Dear Mr. You, through letters to a girl newly freed from East Berlin, an aunt lost to Communist-era borders, and Purple Heart-decorated heroes. These intimate portraits explore the messy beauty of friendship, family, disability, and belonging.

You’ll meet a wounded hero who jokes through his pain, a beloved cat with a crayon note taped to his back (“HELP ME”), and characters who refuse to be defined by what they’ve lost.

The final chapter brings a fictional reunion with the unforgettable cast from the Goodbye Orchid trilogy, offering healing, closure, and a second chance romance.

Written in a lyrical, letter-style format, this collection blends memoir and imagination in a deeply personal exploration of grief, identity, and human connection. It’s a window into private moments that echo something universal.

Underneath the heartbreak and humor runs the quiet pull between star-crossed lovers, whose stories unfold across time, distance, and impossible odds.

Whether you’re drawn to true stories of survival or fictional narratives filled with tenderness and truth, Dear Orchid offers an emotional journey that celebrates love in all its forms.

A collection for anyone who’s ever loved, lost, or longed to understand the emotional truth behind the quiet moments that shape us.

Includes elements of multicultural and medical romance, true stories, and unforgettable moments of vulnerability and hope.

Also look for the Goodbye Orchid trilogy.

©2025 Azine Press (P)2025 Azine Press

Heartstrings, Healing, and Unforgettable Narration

Dear Orchid is a tender, hope-soaked conclusion to the Orchid Trilogy—one that speaks straight to the heart. Carol Van Den Hende writes with such gentle honesty that her characters feel beautifully real: brave, flawed, and deeply human. Heartstrings of emotion are threaded through each passionate chapter, creating a story that feels intimate, uplifting, and touched with grace.

But the true gift here is the audiobook. Read by the author herself, it becomes a living, breathing experience. Her voice carries every whisper of doubt, every spark of courage, every fragile moment of healing. It’s phenomenally done—rich, tender, and full of emotional truth.

A deeply inspiring listen for anyone who believes in hope’s steady glow and the quiet miracles that rise from broken places.

I'm beyond grateful to Ms. Van Den Hende for the honor of listening to this exceptional Audio version of this book! All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own. So worth the five stars and so many more.