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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
This ending had me sobbing…the powerful emotions that I felt throughout this book were beautiful.
I received an audio ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Anna's world was shattered when she lost her husband Spencer almost 3 years ago. She spends each weekend with Spencer's family remembering him and resists any attempts from her friends to convince her to move on. On New Year's Eve, she calls Spencer's number just to hear his voicemail. To her surprise, someone answers the phone! Brody has inherited Spencer's old number, and he understands what Anna is going through. The two continue talking throughout the year, growing close. Brody has a secret he hasn't confessed to Anna, though. Will it destroy their friendship when she finds out?
Fiona Lucas did a fantastic job of representing grief. The characters in this book were well written, and I loved the story. Antonia Beamish's narration was wonderful. I highly recommend this slow burn romance about learning to live again.
Anna's world was shattered when she lost her husband Spencer almost 3 years ago. She spends each weekend with Spencer's family remembering him and resists any attempts from her friends to convince her to move on. On New Year's Eve, she calls Spencer's number just to hear his voicemail. To her surprise, someone answers the phone! Brody has inherited Spencer's old number, and he understands what Anna is going through. The two continue talking throughout the year, growing close. Brody has a secret he hasn't confessed to Anna, though. Will it destroy their friendship when she finds out?
Fiona Lucas did a fantastic job of representing grief. The characters in this book were well written, and I loved the story. Antonia Beamish's narration was wonderful. I highly recommend this slow burn romance about learning to live again.
emotional
hopeful
sad
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book is so sweet! I like that while building the relationship between Brody and Anna, the author never sells out Anna’s love for Spencer.
My first thought when finishing this book was, "I'd love to watch this movie" (and I don't tend to watch movies)! Everything was so clear and tangible, bringing it even more to life through film would work perfectly.
Fiona Lucas is a very talented writer and brings her characters to life. The way the story handles grief is breath-taking. This is a story about a woman who loses her husband, but as anybody who has experienced grief will know, the feelings of helplessness and despair do not discriminate. For anyone that has felt a loss, this book puts into words the feelings that can be impossible to say.
Alongside this respectful and devastating story of loss is the element of suspense, something else this author does expertly. From the moment Brody's perspective came into play, I was desperate to know what his secret was and this ran on until almost the end, by which point I was so invested in the plot that I couldn't have put it down if you'd paid me!
There are some triggers in here which I won't mention due to spoilers, but you can read my full review on my blog here: http://lisaannkissane.com/book-review-one-last-goodbye-by-fiona-lucas/
I'm excited to read more from this author.
Fiona Lucas is a very talented writer and brings her characters to life. The way the story handles grief is breath-taking. This is a story about a woman who loses her husband, but as anybody who has experienced grief will know, the feelings of helplessness and despair do not discriminate. For anyone that has felt a loss, this book puts into words the feelings that can be impossible to say.
Alongside this respectful and devastating story of loss is the element of suspense, something else this author does expertly. From the moment Brody's perspective came into play, I was desperate to know what his secret was and this ran on until almost the end, by which point I was so invested in the plot that I couldn't have put it down if you'd paid me!
There are some triggers in here which I won't mention due to spoilers, but you can read my full review on my blog here: http://lisaannkissane.com/book-review-one-last-goodbye-by-fiona-lucas/
I'm excited to read more from this author.
More 3-3.5 stars until about 75% through the book, then I feel like it deserved my final 4-star rating.
Well-written. I just felt like there was too much "filler" in the beginning and not enough "back story".
Well-written. I just felt like there was too much "filler" in the beginning and not enough "back story".
THE LAST GOODBYE has me thinking about it long after turning that last page.
Both characters - Anna and Brody - have suffered horrible losses. It's hard watching them go through their grief and pain, and lovely watching them grow and heal. I found myself anxious for them to "get over" some of their issues and then realized that the lesson here is PATIENCE. I had to be patient with the characters and give them time to work through all the things holding them back. And that mirrors real life. There IS no timetable for grief. No one way to get through it.
I cannot think of another book I've read where the two main characters don't even meet in person until the last few chapters, and the fact that it utterly worked shows that Anna and Brody were in incredibly capable hands (Lucas's). It is a beautifully written story about love and loss, healing and hope, and you won't want to miss it.
Both characters - Anna and Brody - have suffered horrible losses. It's hard watching them go through their grief and pain, and lovely watching them grow and heal. I found myself anxious for them to "get over" some of their issues and then realized that the lesson here is PATIENCE. I had to be patient with the characters and give them time to work through all the things holding them back. And that mirrors real life. There IS no timetable for grief. No one way to get through it.
I cannot think of another book I've read where the two main characters don't even meet in person until the last few chapters, and the fact that it utterly worked shows that Anna and Brody were in incredibly capable hands (Lucas's). It is a beautifully written story about love and loss, healing and hope, and you won't want to miss it.
A wonderful story about finding love again after unimaginable grief.
When Anna's husband Spencer dies in an accident, she is left bereft and existing in a zombie state for a few years. One night, she calls her husband's phone number to leave a message for him like she's done on several occasions since his passing, when suddenly there's a voice on the other end of the line. Spencer's number has been reassigned, and Anna finds herself sharing her innermost thoughts with Brody on the other end of the line.
As time goes on, they continue to chat daily, providing Anna with courage to begin to move on in her life, standing up to her mother in law's mistreatment, and finding her way back to the company she used to work at with Spencer and his partners.
Brody has a host of secrets of his own; he's agoraphobic and has lost someone close to him as well.
They make a plan to meet up for New Year's Eve in London, when reality hits them both like a freight train.
I enjoyed this novel more than I was expecting to! I thought the author did an excellent job addressing grief and the hardships losing someone can bring to your life.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.
When Anna's husband Spencer dies in an accident, she is left bereft and existing in a zombie state for a few years. One night, she calls her husband's phone number to leave a message for him like she's done on several occasions since his passing, when suddenly there's a voice on the other end of the line. Spencer's number has been reassigned, and Anna finds herself sharing her innermost thoughts with Brody on the other end of the line.
As time goes on, they continue to chat daily, providing Anna with courage to begin to move on in her life, standing up to her mother in law's mistreatment, and finding her way back to the company she used to work at with Spencer and his partners.
Brody has a host of secrets of his own; he's agoraphobic and has lost someone close to him as well.
They make a plan to meet up for New Year's Eve in London, when reality hits them both like a freight train.
I enjoyed this novel more than I was expecting to! I thought the author did an excellent job addressing grief and the hardships losing someone can bring to your life.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. It took me a couple months to pick up due to not wanting to read about loss due to it resonating with me so much. From the time I picked up the book I ended up reading it start to finish. This book is an accurate depiction of loss and growth in life and was a great read.
This was okay. I got it from a blind book box so it wasn’t one I picked myself. The romance in it was not really the main focus of the book, which I wasn’t expecting. There was some powerful and emotional topics covered, but I honestly felt like the book was much too long. Overall I didn’t love the writing either. It felt a bit juvenile for some reason, even when dealing with all of these concepts. And how many times can a man grunt over the phone like a caveman before I’m supposed to find it appealing? I got through it fast and it was an easy read, but honestly I was hoping for something with a little more prose if it was going to be mainly about death and moving on. 3 stars.
I will preface this by saying The Last Goodbye is beautifully written. In terms of the grief cycle and how different people handle it, I believe Fiona wrote a moving and believable story. I personally wasn't in the proper headspace for such a heavy book initially and it did take me longer to finish than usual. The best compliment I can think of is that I kept thinking about it and coming back to it until I finished it earlier this morning.
Our introduction to Anna is after her husband, Spencer, has passed. She's filled with grief and struggling to move past it. Annually she calls his mobile number and most recently it is answered and she is met with silence. She pours out her love for him and discovers a grieving soul on the other end of the line. Brody, meanwhile, is suffering in a different way. While Anna has surrounded herself (uncomfortably) by those who loved Spencer, Brody has essentially become a hermit. Anna's breakthrough into his isolation begins a healing journey for both.
I know this is a book that will stick with me. Often the ones that make me sad or contemplative do. I think one of my favorite bits of it is that the journey and timeline was practically perfect. Anna and Brody's pen pal via phone relationship is a great love story.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Our introduction to Anna is after her husband, Spencer, has passed. She's filled with grief and struggling to move past it. Annually she calls his mobile number and most recently it is answered and she is met with silence. She pours out her love for him and discovers a grieving soul on the other end of the line. Brody, meanwhile, is suffering in a different way. While Anna has surrounded herself (uncomfortably) by those who loved Spencer, Brody has essentially become a hermit. Anna's breakthrough into his isolation begins a healing journey for both.
I know this is a book that will stick with me. Often the ones that make me sad or contemplative do. I think one of my favorite bits of it is that the journey and timeline was practically perfect. Anna and Brody's pen pal via phone relationship is a great love story.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.