Reviews

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin

readingfourme's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny

• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

It’s a well-written book but, after the terrific beginning as children, the book felt like it hovered over the lives of four privileged, entitled, white adults I could feel absolutely no empathy for. They were so spoiled by the assurance of their success. I found the characters intolerable and I wonder if the author found them intolerable too. She didn’t dig in there the way she did in the beginning. 

katzreads's review against another edition

5.0

The book drew me in from the very first sentence; the characters were so well defined that I can see them; the story was compelling, with just the right amount of foreshadowing; and the conclusion (which is the point where many novels DISAPPOINT) was perfect.

readerjenn's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

nadia_oliver's review against another edition

5.0

I absolutely loved this book! It's a beautiful story of a family's life, one of my favorite types of stories to read. I loved all of the characters for different reasons, and the humanity of the characters was evident throughout. It made me question how I would deal with certain situations, and how I deal with situations in my own life. I highly recommend this book.

jgziacono's review against another edition

2.0

I found the story of their childhood written well and intriguing but then was disappointed as the book turned towards adulthood. Many of the characters were unlikeable and I felt disconnected and confused from the flash forward into the dystopian (?) future. I had hopes because I usually love dysfunctional family fiction but this one fell short for me.

daftplum's review against another edition

2.0

The writing and the message behind the plot was nice, however, I disliked the execution of the switch between perspectives as well as time. I felt that if that had been done more cohesively I would have been more engrossed in the book, however, as it stands the switches and perspective only took me out of what could have been gorgeous, deep rooted story.

bmpicc's review against another edition

5.0

Family drama at its finest. I enjoyed the writing/storytelling in this one. The characters were likable, yet flawed and it was a perfect showing of familial unconditional love.

cbh2584's review against another edition

4.0

Really enjoyed this one. A sad, touching, reflective story of four siblings. Reminded me of The Most Fun We Ever Had in many regards (though not as long, thankfully!)

thebalancedbookshelf's review against another edition

4.5

This book portrays a start to finish look at the lives of the siblings in the Skinner family. It shows how each sibling deals with life, loss, love, trauma, and happiness. It also deals with how an event can affect and change everyone’s lives differently. 

I found this book to be really interesting. All of the siblings in this family are marked by the trauma of their dad dying very young. The events that follow go on to affect not only their childhood but their whole lives. The bonds and experiences they share during this time causes unresolved issues into adulthood. They all struggle with it differently and I think the author did a great job at portraying that for each of them. 

What I liked about this book was that it felt realistic in the sense of family dynamics and situations that the characters go through. I liked the way the author used the past and the present to tell the story. Fiona was a great narrator and I enjoyed the storytelling medium. 

This book was very emotional at the end but it’s because we were with these characters from such a young age. We see how their lives progressed and how they found fulfillment and purpose. Like real life these characters had their ups and downs but always found a way to come back together and that is what makes this story impactful. 

chrissmea's review

3.0

I hope to never read a book as frustrating as this. Family tales always tug my heart strings, and this did just that up to a point.

Parts 1 & 2 hit all the right notes for me. I became attached to the Skinner siblings. Each so different but bound by blood and hardships. I enjoyed reading how they managed to go on with life. The tale realized its claim to share about the “failures of love”.

But part 3 was all over the place. The narration abruptly switches back and forth. There were too many things that were jumbled. It did not make sense to tackle the current shenanigans of Fiona. I feel disconnected with Luna. And also, I just feel pure annoyance at Fiona with her secrets to the family.

Nonetheless, this book is extremely well written. I did not consider my time spent listening to this book as wasted. Was I satisfied with how it ended? I’m still no sure.