Scan barcode
A review by jusstread
The Last One Home by Victoria Helen Stone
4.0
Lauren is 35 years old, she is coming back to her Grandma's beloved house, where she grew up and created great memories with her father. Her return awakes her mother's fears again, she knows Lauren is making a mistake coming back, but Lauren doesn't trust her because when she was just a child, her mother lied and sent her father to prison for murder. He was in prison for 10 years, until the killer confessed. A story about the past, family, love, sacrifices, the true story about Lauren's life.
.
I read this book really fast, I was so eager to have answers because it keeps the secrets until the last pages. The story jumps between past and present, in the past we follow the mother's life when she was 35, pregnant and in love with Lauren's father, so we keep up what happens until she decides he is a murderer. In the present we have Lauren, all her recently struggles being an adult with an split family, a lot of lies, resentment, and her need to belong somewhere. I like that dynamic of having both perspectives, at the end I was feeling that the combination of both past and present gave the book more tension and made it more interesting.
At the beginning I was not connecting with Lauren chapters, I thought there was nothing happening, she was a normal woman trying be useful and entertaining, but Donna's chapters had all the action and emotion, but once I read more and I advanced with the book, both chapters were exciting. I was feeling a lot of things, rage, sadness, frustration, anxiety and at the end there was an scene that scared me. The tension in the book was increasing through the pages, it started pretty normal but while I was reading I noticed how the author did a pretty good job creating and environment that scares and overwhelms.
My favorite character is the Grandma I think is well constructed, I like Lauren but not that much at the beginning but I enjoyed reading her development and empowerment. The Father I didn't get to know him well, but with the information that I had I could picture him perfectly. I enjoyed a lot reading about Donna, she is pretty strong and badass.
It was the first time that I read this author, I liked her style, there are a lot of details, descriptions, but specially the way she focus on the characters thoughts and feelings, allowing the readers connect and understand them. Definitely, this is a book about characters. I have to say is an slow burning reading, when you start reading is low tide, but then is all a storm and you won't be able to stop.
Thanks Netgalley for my ARC in exchange of an honey review.
.
I read this book really fast, I was so eager to have answers because it keeps the secrets until the last pages. The story jumps between past and present, in the past we follow the mother's life when she was 35, pregnant and in love with Lauren's father, so we keep up what happens until she decides he is a murderer. In the present we have Lauren, all her recently struggles being an adult with an split family, a lot of lies, resentment, and her need to belong somewhere. I like that dynamic of having both perspectives, at the end I was feeling that the combination of both past and present gave the book more tension and made it more interesting.
At the beginning I was not connecting with Lauren chapters, I thought there was nothing happening, she was a normal woman trying be useful and entertaining, but Donna's chapters had all the action and emotion, but once I read more and I advanced with the book, both chapters were exciting. I was feeling a lot of things, rage, sadness, frustration, anxiety and at the end there was an scene that scared me. The tension in the book was increasing through the pages, it started pretty normal but while I was reading I noticed how the author did a pretty good job creating and environment that scares and overwhelms.
My favorite character is the Grandma I think is well constructed, I like Lauren but not that much at the beginning but I enjoyed reading her development and empowerment. The Father I didn't get to know him well, but with the information that I had I could picture him perfectly. I enjoyed a lot reading about Donna, she is pretty strong and badass.
It was the first time that I read this author, I liked her style, there are a lot of details, descriptions, but specially the way she focus on the characters thoughts and feelings, allowing the readers connect and understand them. Definitely, this is a book about characters. I have to say is an slow burning reading, when you start reading is low tide, but then is all a storm and you won't be able to stop.
Thanks Netgalley for my ARC in exchange of an honey review.