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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
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:
Complicated
The last goodbye that I don't want to say.....until next time.
I should start by saying, I'm not really a chick lit, rom com kind of girl, but I am glad I listened to the hype around this book. Even though I do not have any grief to compare to Anna, it still has a valuable message of forgiveness and moving on, even when you are terrified.
Anna is consumed by the grief of her husband's tragic and untimely death. At nearly 3 years, she is not ready to move on from the love of her life, Spencer. Her friends and family, although with love and support, are pushing Anna towards a new life, one where Spencer isn't and salsa dancing is! After a New Year's Eve party gone wrong, Anna is once again alone in her safe cocoon of her bed, desperate for the touch and reminder of Spencer and the undying love they shared.
Anna knows how she can time travel to a world where Spencer is still here. She calls his answerphone, just as she has many times before, just to hear him and maybe tell him that she loves him....but what do you do when the ghost answers you call?
The last goodbye is a year's long journey of Anna's passage through grief. Including acceptance, fear and the realise that new doesn't have to replace old. With the help from her best friend Gabby as well as a new friend, Brody, Anna realises that there are some people in this world that understand grief as she does. And that maybe those people need her as much as she needs them.
This story compassionately covers important and sensitive subjects such as grief, mental health, survives guilt and mother in laws 🙂 This story gives a fresh take on the acceptance of the state of grief, reminiscent of P.S I love you. Initially, during the read, I was hoping for a different ending to what we got. I felt, mid story, that it wasn't needed but as I read that last chapter, how could I ever doubt that we didn't need that ending...it was perfection.
I loved this story! As I started, I am not a typical rom com reader but reading this felt like a cold evening with a hot cup of tea and a blanket. It felt safe, despite the sadness of the story. It helps to remind, no one is alone.
Thank you Fiona for a lovely, tender piece of work.
I should start by saying, I'm not really a chick lit, rom com kind of girl, but I am glad I listened to the hype around this book. Even though I do not have any grief to compare to Anna, it still has a valuable message of forgiveness and moving on, even when you are terrified.
Anna is consumed by the grief of her husband's tragic and untimely death. At nearly 3 years, she is not ready to move on from the love of her life, Spencer. Her friends and family, although with love and support, are pushing Anna towards a new life, one where Spencer isn't and salsa dancing is! After a New Year's Eve party gone wrong, Anna is once again alone in her safe cocoon of her bed, desperate for the touch and reminder of Spencer and the undying love they shared.
Anna knows how she can time travel to a world where Spencer is still here. She calls his answerphone, just as she has many times before, just to hear him and maybe tell him that she loves him....but what do you do when the ghost answers you call?
The last goodbye is a year's long journey of Anna's passage through grief. Including acceptance, fear and the realise that new doesn't have to replace old. With the help from her best friend Gabby as well as a new friend, Brody, Anna realises that there are some people in this world that understand grief as she does. And that maybe those people need her as much as she needs them.
This story compassionately covers important and sensitive subjects such as grief, mental health, survives guilt and mother in laws 🙂 This story gives a fresh take on the acceptance of the state of grief, reminiscent of P.S I love you. Initially, during the read, I was hoping for a different ending to what we got. I felt, mid story, that it wasn't needed but as I read that last chapter, how could I ever doubt that we didn't need that ending...it was perfection.
I loved this story! As I started, I am not a typical rom com reader but reading this felt like a cold evening with a hot cup of tea and a blanket. It felt safe, despite the sadness of the story. It helps to remind, no one is alone.
Thank you Fiona for a lovely, tender piece of work.
They took too long. I have the attention span of a fish and got bored. I did like how grief was worked in as a theme and not thrown away. I just can't do slow burns and, holy hell, this was the slowest of burns.
I have to say, when I came home to this on my doorstep as an advanced courtesy copy, it came at a time where I needed a positive pick-me-up the most. Little did I know how much this book would resonate with me and take me exactly where my mind needed to be.
WITHOUT ANY SPOILERS, this book is about grief, handling it (or not handling it), and mental illness in the form of anxiety and depression. The universal themes Fiona Lucas used in this book and the way she told each characters story make it such a wonderful read. It’s so EASY to connect to the characters because most of us have been in similar situations or are in them currently. There was nothing dragged or stagnant about this book!
Although I thankfully have not lost my husband, Anna’s journey through grief resonated with me more than any character I’ve ever read. I’m also NOT a fan of gushy, mushy, over-the-top romance, but this book was so realistic and didn’t make me roll my eyes at any moment. I do hope there is more to this story someday
WITHOUT ANY SPOILERS, this book is about grief, handling it (or not handling it), and mental illness in the form of anxiety and depression. The universal themes Fiona Lucas used in this book and the way she told each characters story make it such a wonderful read. It’s so EASY to connect to the characters because most of us have been in similar situations or are in them currently. There was nothing dragged or stagnant about this book!
Although I thankfully have not lost my husband, Anna’s journey through grief resonated with me more than any character I’ve ever read. I’m also NOT a fan of gushy, mushy, over-the-top romance, but this book was so realistic and didn’t make me roll my eyes at any moment. I do hope there is more to this story someday
emotional
sad
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
I’m not crying, you’re crying. Unfortunately the lovely Anna is also crying. Her husband died three years ago, and she’s still grieving. On New Years Eve, she calls her husband’s old phone number to hear the voicemail message, but finds the number was inherited by Brody, who has been dealing with his own grief and loss. The story is their journey forward. Beautiful, messy, and all consuming.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for an ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for an ARC.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
'Grief is a funny thing', he began slowly. 'People think of it as sadness. But it's much more complex than that. It has so many layers, so many tangled emotions-including anger'.
This book is about dealing with grief and moving on from loss. I loved how the author represented sorrow as a nuanced emotion and how everyone has their own grieving process.
The highlight of the book was the writing. It was smooth and gripping. The protagonist Anna was well developed while the other main character Brody could have been more fleshed out. Although the pacing was slow, it was consistent. However, I cannot help but feel that this could have been a 350-page book.
I would have rated the book 3.5 stars if it weren't for the last portion which was rushed and overwhelming. Nevertheless, it was a good one-time read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief