The Last Goodbye - Fiona Lucas

Book Synopsis: How can you move on if you can’t let go?

Spencer was the love of Anna’s life: her husband, her best friend, her rock. She thought their love would last forever.

But three years ago, Spencer was tragically killed in an accident and Anna’s world was shattered. How can she ever move on, when she’s lost her soulmate?

On New Year’s Eve Anna calls Spencer’s phone number, just to hear his old voicemail greeting. But to her shock, someone answers…

Brody has inherited Spencer’s old number and is the first person who truly understands what Anna’s going through. As her and Brody’s phone calls become lengthier and more frequent, they begin opening up to each other—and slowly rediscover how to smile, how to laugh, even how to hope.

But Brody hasn’t been entirely honest with Anna. Will his secret threaten everything, just as it seems she might find the courage to love again?

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If you are looking to read a sad, yet uplifting book about grieving after a loss and gradually moving on in life, then this is the perfect story for you.

Imagine calling your husband's phone number trying to hear his voice on his answering machine and then you end up hearing a complete stranger answer instead. That's the premise of this book in a nutshell. What most people wouldn't do is continue to talk to that stranger, they would probably hang up and proceed to block the number. The only minor detail that baffled me is why the main character would try to call her husband's old number to listen to his voicemail voice, especially if she's not paying to keep that number in service, then wouldn't the phone number be passed on to someone else? That's what bothered me about this whole plot.

What I loved was the message that was delivered so beautifully in this novel were the questions: how do you move on when you don't want to or you don't know how? Losing a loved one is so difficult and grieving looks different for everyone. Fiona Lucas was able to perfectly portray those emotions in this story through Anna and Brody as they grew as characters and learned to heal from their pasts together.

Although I didn't cry while reading this book, I definitely felt melancholy. The Last Goodbye will remain in my mind as a lesson of hope even in the darkest times.

After reading this novel, I want to read more from this author.

Rating: 5/5 Stars ★★★★★