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A review by take2max
The Last Goodbye by Fiona Lucas
5.0
*Disclaimer, I was permitted to read a ARC of this book through the NetGalley service!*
The Last Goodbye is a story of loss, grief, depression and the power of human connection. It's been three years since Anna lost the love her life, her husband Spencer. He was killed by a drunk driver while running an errand for Anna. The story centers around Anna's depression and her inability, or unwillingness, to move on with her life. Anna's best friend, Gabi, tries hard to maneuver her friend out of the depression stage of grief but for every triumph her mother-in-law succeeds in sucking her back into the shadows of sadness. She knows she needs to move on, but she can't let go of her guilt long enough to give herself a chance to move past on.
On New Year's Eve, in sheer desperation and loneliness, she dials Spencer's number to listen to his voicemail message and is shocked when she hears a male stranger's voice pick up. At first, she thinks it's Spencer's ghost come back to haunt her, but she soon realizes that, in her grief, she forgot to pay Spencer's phone bill and the phone company had closed the account and had given the number to someone else. Unbeknownst to her, the man on the other end of the line is just as lonely and sad as she is and together, they form a precarious and curious bond. Anna continues to call the number and the man continues to pick up, to listen and offer her advice and they build an unusual friendship.
Gabi, in an attempt to help her friend to start living life again, signs them up for a salsa class and Anna meets Jeremy. She's surprised that she finds him attractive and she tentatively tries to build a relationship with him but she can't get past the notion that "he's not her Spencer." The relationship dies before it's given life but the experience teaches Anna that she's capable of living a normal life, however that may look for her.
Anna continues to maintain a relationship with Spencer's family though in a lot of ways, her desperate attempt to keep them in her life prevents her from moving forward and she continues to struggle to keep Spencer alive in her memory but desperately searching for normalcy.
Though the story moves slow at times, I feel it's necessary to show the reader the importance of coming to terms and dealing with various degrees of grief and depression. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that has had trouble navigating their own difficult journey with the death of a loved one. Lucas does a really good job of exploring and processing the stages of grief, specifically depression, guilt and the complexity of living one's life and moving on from a personal tragedy.
The characters are well rounded and the story is beautifully written. I appreciated Lucas' attention to Brody's story and dealing with the aftermath of his personal tragedy. In a lot of ways, this story begins as Anna's story and ends completing Brody's story. It's a lovely twist and I would highly recommend this book if you're looking for a story that deals with love, loss and new beginnings.
The Last Goodbye is a story of loss, grief, depression and the power of human connection. It's been three years since Anna lost the love her life, her husband Spencer. He was killed by a drunk driver while running an errand for Anna. The story centers around Anna's depression and her inability, or unwillingness, to move on with her life. Anna's best friend, Gabi, tries hard to maneuver her friend out of the depression stage of grief but for every triumph her mother-in-law succeeds in sucking her back into the shadows of sadness. She knows she needs to move on, but she can't let go of her guilt long enough to give herself a chance to move past on.
On New Year's Eve, in sheer desperation and loneliness, she dials Spencer's number to listen to his voicemail message and is shocked when she hears a male stranger's voice pick up. At first, she thinks it's Spencer's ghost come back to haunt her, but she soon realizes that, in her grief, she forgot to pay Spencer's phone bill and the phone company had closed the account and had given the number to someone else. Unbeknownst to her, the man on the other end of the line is just as lonely and sad as she is and together, they form a precarious and curious bond. Anna continues to call the number and the man continues to pick up, to listen and offer her advice and they build an unusual friendship.
Gabi, in an attempt to help her friend to start living life again, signs them up for a salsa class and Anna meets Jeremy. She's surprised that she finds him attractive and she tentatively tries to build a relationship with him but she can't get past the notion that "he's not her Spencer." The relationship dies before it's given life but the experience teaches Anna that she's capable of living a normal life, however that may look for her.
Anna continues to maintain a relationship with Spencer's family though in a lot of ways, her desperate attempt to keep them in her life prevents her from moving forward and she continues to struggle to keep Spencer alive in her memory but desperately searching for normalcy.
Though the story moves slow at times, I feel it's necessary to show the reader the importance of coming to terms and dealing with various degrees of grief and depression. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that has had trouble navigating their own difficult journey with the death of a loved one. Lucas does a really good job of exploring and processing the stages of grief, specifically depression, guilt and the complexity of living one's life and moving on from a personal tragedy.
The characters are well rounded and the story is beautifully written. I appreciated Lucas' attention to Brody's story and dealing with the aftermath of his personal tragedy. In a lot of ways, this story begins as Anna's story and ends completing Brody's story. It's a lovely twist and I would highly recommend this book if you're looking for a story that deals with love, loss and new beginnings.