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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not a hard read at all, if you’re looking for something relaxing. Can be repetitive at times, but the ending is very heartwarming.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I knew this book would make me cry and so I was somewhat nervous of how upset it would make me feel all the while knowing I wanted to read it and feel whatever sadness it threw at me.
This book is a slow burner with an adrenaline pumping near-to-the-end development. Not adrenaline inducing in terms of twists or reveals as this is not a mystery, crime or thriller book, but a beautiful and poignant love story that made me feel as if my heart had stopped whilst I was reading. Its quiet power and devastatingly accurate sense of loss and grief held me spellbound as I met and journeyed with Anna, bereft and heartbroken that her husband Spencer died and left her alone.
The 1990 pop song by Sinead O'Connor, Nothing Compares 2 U, came into my head as I was reading The Last Goodbye as Anna keeps a tally of years, months and days since Spencer has been gone in the same way the song talks about it being 7 hours and 15 days 'since you took your love away'. The song and the book share the same melancholy and the achingly torturous daily reminder of how life is so different without the person you love by your side.
Anna is an amazing character that I felt privileged to meet as she moved from hiding under the duvet to being dragged to salsa classes by friend Gabi, and standing up to her domineering and possessive mother-in-law Gayle.
Love and loss and how bereavement affects us in different ways is explored through Gayle's loss as a mother, Anna's loss as a wife and Gabi's loss of a relationship that just isn't going anywhere. It is raw and real, deeply sad but also life affirming as Anna begins to find courage and comes to terms with moving on.
She is helped enormously by the unseen Brody, caught in his own personal torment, and who just happens to have acquired a phone number that used to belong to Spencer. Anna, at her lowest ebb has rung the number before just to hear her dead husband's voice, but this time on New Year's Eve, it is a stranger's voice who answers, Brody.
I want to wax lyrical about every chapter of this book but can't spoil the story for would-be readers. There was just so much of Brody's fear that I could relate to and understand and this is why, in places, the tears kept falling.
An extremely thoughtful and compassionate novel, this book made me cry but also sows plenty of seeds of hope. If I could award it 10 stars I would because not only is this a love story it is also about the freedom we give ourselves if we can only face up to our fears and learn to let go.
Anna and Brody will stay in my heart as fictional role models for being brave, honest and prepared to face each day, no matter how hard that is.
And just in case you are worried about the book only being able to make you cry, it does make you smile too.
Thank you to Fiona Lucas, the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this inspiring and heartfelt story, in exchange for this, my honest review.
Read it!
This book is a slow burner with an adrenaline pumping near-to-the-end development. Not adrenaline inducing in terms of twists or reveals as this is not a mystery, crime or thriller book, but a beautiful and poignant love story that made me feel as if my heart had stopped whilst I was reading. Its quiet power and devastatingly accurate sense of loss and grief held me spellbound as I met and journeyed with Anna, bereft and heartbroken that her husband Spencer died and left her alone.
The 1990 pop song by Sinead O'Connor, Nothing Compares 2 U, came into my head as I was reading The Last Goodbye as Anna keeps a tally of years, months and days since Spencer has been gone in the same way the song talks about it being 7 hours and 15 days 'since you took your love away'. The song and the book share the same melancholy and the achingly torturous daily reminder of how life is so different without the person you love by your side.
Anna is an amazing character that I felt privileged to meet as she moved from hiding under the duvet to being dragged to salsa classes by friend Gabi, and standing up to her domineering and possessive mother-in-law Gayle.
Love and loss and how bereavement affects us in different ways is explored through Gayle's loss as a mother, Anna's loss as a wife and Gabi's loss of a relationship that just isn't going anywhere. It is raw and real, deeply sad but also life affirming as Anna begins to find courage and comes to terms with moving on.
She is helped enormously by the unseen Brody, caught in his own personal torment, and who just happens to have acquired a phone number that used to belong to Spencer. Anna, at her lowest ebb has rung the number before just to hear her dead husband's voice, but this time on New Year's Eve, it is a stranger's voice who answers, Brody.
I want to wax lyrical about every chapter of this book but can't spoil the story for would-be readers. There was just so much of Brody's fear that I could relate to and understand and this is why, in places, the tears kept falling.
An extremely thoughtful and compassionate novel, this book made me cry but also sows plenty of seeds of hope. If I could award it 10 stars I would because not only is this a love story it is also about the freedom we give ourselves if we can only face up to our fears and learn to let go.
Anna and Brody will stay in my heart as fictional role models for being brave, honest and prepared to face each day, no matter how hard that is.
And just in case you are worried about the book only being able to make you cry, it does make you smile too.
Thank you to Fiona Lucas, the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this inspiring and heartfelt story, in exchange for this, my honest review.
Read it!
emotional
reflective
sad
Sweet sweet story about grief and the people who help you make it through.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Child death, Death, Car accident
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After nearly 3 years, Anna is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of her husband, Spencer. Gripped by loneliness and desire to connect with him, she calls his old mobile phone number, however, instead of his answer-phone message somebody answers her.
This story is about loss, grief and trying to learn to live again.
This story gripped me from the start and I couldn't put it down, so much so I read it in 2 days.
I really connected with both the main characters and I feel both of their stories were handled with sensitivity.
For the most part, I don't feel the book is a romance, apart from near the end. That suited me fine but I could see that if some picked it up as a romance it might not fit their tastes.
I felt the story and the characters were very well developed and demonstrated the many different facets of grief.
I enjoyed the ending, but I could understand how some might feel it is too open-ended and be frustrated that this is when the two main characters finally meet.
Personally, I liked that we were left to imagine how the relationship might have developed and that the focus of the story very much stayed on moving on with grief.
I'd like to emphasise this story is never about leaving grief behind but on learning to live again with it, which I found more believable and understanding of the topic.
I loved this book - it made me cry, it made me smile, it definitely hit me right in the feels.
I would highly recommend this book to others but not to those who are purely wanting a romance novel.
This story is about loss, grief and trying to learn to live again.
This story gripped me from the start and I couldn't put it down, so much so I read it in 2 days.
I really connected with both the main characters and I feel both of their stories were handled with sensitivity.
For the most part, I don't feel the book is a romance, apart from near the end. That suited me fine but I could see that if some picked it up as a romance it might not fit their tastes.
I felt the story and the characters were very well developed and demonstrated the many different facets of grief.
I enjoyed the ending, but I could understand how some might feel it is too open-ended and be frustrated that this is when the two main characters finally meet.
Personally, I liked that we were left to imagine how the relationship might have developed and that the focus of the story very much stayed on moving on with grief.
I'd like to emphasise this story is never about leaving grief behind but on learning to live again with it, which I found more believable and understanding of the topic.
I loved this book - it made me cry, it made me smile, it definitely hit me right in the feels.
I would highly recommend this book to others but not to those who are purely wanting a romance novel.
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes