[Chelsea’s Review]: The Last Goodbye by Fiona Lucas

The Last Goodbye
by Fiona Lucas
Pages: 432
Length: 11 hours, 28 minutes
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks
Release Date: June 8th 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction
Format Read: ARC, eBook
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Poignant, hopeful, and full of emotional power, an unforgettable story in the vein of P.S. I Love You about two people learning to love again after great loss, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Josie Silver.

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?

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This will be a spoiler-free review.

I was instantly drawn to this book from the moment I read the synopsis and saw the comparisons to both Josie Silver and Jojo Moyes, who write beautifully heart-wrenching books. After reading this book, I can tell you that The Last Goodbye is just as beautifully written. I knew going in that the story was going to be heavy and, if I’m honest, I was also wary about how it would become a love story. The reason for my wariness was due to the fact that the main character had recently lost her husband and was still very much going through the grieving process. I feared that it would feel like a rebound, or even that she was replacing him rather than healing. Boy was I wrong to worry about that. In fact, this book, while still a love story, is more about two people’s journeys toward healing and that sometimes we need someone to support us so we don’t go through it alone. Someone who understands what its like.

Anna’s story picks up nearly three years after her husband, Spencer, was killed suddenly in an accident. She is still raw and unable to accept that he is gone, pushing her friends away and feeling very alone. On one particularly rough night, she decides to call Spencer’s number, just to hear his voicemail greeting one more time, and is startled when a man answers the phone. Desperately clinging on to the false chance at closure, she begins talking to the man as if he were Spencer and instead of hanging up, he listens. Spencer’s number has been given to a man named Brody, who gives Anna the shoulder to cry on she didn’t realize she needed. They begin having phone conversations which begin to lead them both out of the dark.

Brody was such an amazing support for Anna throughout her journey of healing, and I just love that nothing felt forced or ingenuine. He has also been battling his own monsters, and she helps him in ways he never knew were even possible. The conversation is sometimes less conversational and more philosophical, especially from Brody’s perspective. This being one of my favorite quotes of his I highlighted while reading:

“And when life changes suddenly and unexpectedly,” he continued, “there’s a grieving of what was and what never can be again. I would call that being human.”

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an emotional and heartfelt read. It starts out very heavy, but really opens up to illustrate the presence of hope and growth in times of loss. It was a lovely read. I did find myself clinging to my own spouse more than usual while reading this, and telling myself to appreciate all the little things he does because I would truly miss them if he were gone.

A note of caution: This book contains issues pertaining to all kinds of loss and portays the emotions one might go through in these situations. Anyone who might be sensitive to these issues should read with caution.