I liked this novel. I’m judging this on the basis that I read it the whole way through without getting bored of it. It’s a nice summer read and If you’re dreaming of a road trip with drama aplenty then this is for you.

This book is the best kind of guilty pleasure read because you ultimately see what’s going to happen but that doesn’t stop you from turning page after page to see how we get there. Much like the road trip Zoey finds herself on - we know the destination but what’s along the way is a mystery. See what I did there? I made the metaphor of being on a road trip much like that of reading this book. Pat on the back.

The story starts off with us seeing Zoey the protagonist getting ready to go on a road trip. I appreciate that the story just delves straight in. There’s no long drawn out backstory and unnecessary details, we receive the right amount of background to become curious and later more is revealed to us. Nothing is worse when you’re reading than when authors give too much detail and too soon.

What we do know when we start reading is Zoey kind of went crazy six months ago. Went off the rails, drank all hours of the day, didn’t know what day it was when she woke up, crazy. After the tragic loss of her brother, she drank away her sorrows, pushed away all the people closest to her including her best friend and boyfriend. Turns out she’s pushed her boyfriend right into her best friends arms. Now she’s determined to get her old life back complete with her ex, Finn. This comes from a hopefulness that when she does so she will also go back to feeling how she did pre her brother passing. What’s not on her plans is Luc, Finns surprisingly disarming cousin or Jolie and her love for life and everyone in it.

This novel had everything I love. Love, loss, redemption, heartbreak, regret and righting past wrongs. I appreciated Beck Nicholas’ writing style. Who doesn’t love a good road trip when friends and this was one of the reasons that drew me to reading this book.

Beck Nicholson also does a great job of exploring some very real issues we face such as grief, mental health, death, and polarity of loneliness. As a teenager you often times are left questioning a lot of things in your life as you grow up and start to explore what you value in your life and how to deal with certain emotional experiences that come your way. There were many different kinds of love - romantic, family and friendship and I think this novel beautifully showcases all those different kinds. There is an issue of grief and how it is handled by people differently that Nicholson touches on beautifully. Not too much to offset readers as her demographic is quite young but enough to touch on some key points of loss that everyone can identify with.

I really enjoyed how music was used also as a means of healing for the protagonist. It often times is a real lifeline for people and I especially enjoyed how each chapter started off with a song verse from Zoey’s favourite singer, Grey.

This coming of age story is especially poignant and will leave you feeling nostalgic if you’re past your teen years or looking forward to summer if you’re still in them. I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone for their summer holiday reading. Set in the sizzling Australian summer it’s a novel people of all ages can enjoy.

*I wish to thank the publisher, Harlequin Books Australia, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately it’s not the book for me. DNF @ 26%.

Yay for this being set in Australia! There are so few, that this really makes me happy!
Boo for the protagonists and forced, over the top scenes and interactions...
This book had an extremely forced feel and the pace, didn't match the pace of the characters progressions.

The Last Days of Us is a road-tripping coming of age story about 5 Australian teens traveling the Great Ocean Rd to Melbourne for a concert. We learn a little about the scenery but I couldn’t quite get past the fact that it took days to get from Adelaide to Melbourne when I know it could easily be achieved in a day. I understand that taking your time and seeing the country is an adventure but I guess the fact that my cross country trips involve an SUV and a family means that the priorities change a little and I just want to get to the destination.
Nicholas has written a story that is totally character driven, the dragged out road trip is a wonderful vehicle to take the reader from start to finish but it is the characters who will keep you glued.
Zoey is a wreck, she lost her older brother and went completely off the rails; ruining friendships, splitting up with her boyfriend and making some terrible decisions. She has decided it’s time to get her life back on track and the catalyst in her mind for finding the girl she was before losing her brother is getting her ex back. Unfortunately for Zoey her ex is now dating her best friend.
There is a big part of me that understood where Zoey was at but I just couldn’t come to terms with her behaviour. She irritated me because for all her talk about making things better and getting her life back on track she plans to destroy her best friend to get it.
It took quite a lot of time to discover what it was Zoey did to break Finn’s heart but it all unfolded the way it probably should. It was relatable, it was believable and it rang true for me… but Zoey’s behaviour still irritated me no end.

Joining Zoey on the road trip is her ex, Finn, and her best friend Cass, both who claim to care about her and promise the trip won’t be awkward. These are two more characters who irritated me. They were not very good friends to Zoey, and even though she had made some bad decisions these were the closest people to her, they really needed to cut her some slack.
Luc and Jolie round out the fivesome and they are cousins of Finn. Luc is the grumpy, over-protective older brother to 16 yr old Jolie who is eternally bright and optimistic. These two seem to be polar opposites but it doesn’t take long to realise that there’s more to these two than meets the eye. Zoey sees the glint of a completely different guy shining from behind the gruff exterior and the two really seem to understand each other.
The Last Days of Us is an end of summer road trip story that sees a change of perspective and a coming of age. It is a story that I really enjoyed with characters I could relate to, even when their actions seemed reprehensible. The bonds of friendship once fractured are quite fragile, the best of friends find themselves battling bitterness and a sense of not knowing one another anymore.
The long road back from the depths of grief can be a slippery slope and it can be difficult to try and work out what will be that magic cure to bring things back to an even keel, because we all know that things will never be the same. Sometimes it seems that getting as much as possible back to the way it was will work but people aren’t the same after suffering so there is no way to go back, you have to find a way to move forward.
The Last Days of Us is an engaging road-tripping tale that is just perfect for the long summer days we are currently blessed with and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a character driven YA novel with messed up leads trying to find their way.

*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I'm always a fan of Oz YA, but this book was interesting because it was a bit more dramatic than Oz YA normally is and therefore it felt more like an American YA roadtrip novel. I liked the main character Zoey and I shipped her with Luc but a lot of the dialogue between them felt super unrealistic which was a bit of a shame.
But yeah I definitely enjoyed the Australian setting and being from Melbourne it was nice to see all the landmarks being mentioned.

I really enjoyed this despite a couple drawbacks.

A sweet coming of age story about friendship, young love and how to move on when the people we love die.

Nicholas conjures up vivid images of south Australia as the setting for this novel. Intriguing characters that get under your skin and into your heart.

This is a sweet, fun story about finding yourself (or at least learning where to start looking!), with a summery vibe. Don't let this fool you though - there are some really heavy issues in here too.
In a way, this book is really about grief - and how people process it at a time when they aren't even really sure who they are (or want to be).

I thought the characters were really well written - I liked that they were all flawed in their ways, but also all trying to be better and so not unlikeable. The ensemble cast also allows us to see that different people deal with challenges in different ways - I love this in YA, since I think it is really important for young people (and everyone, really!) to learn that there is no one right way to react to a particular situation because we are all different.

Given the themes of loss explored in the book, this got pretty emotional in bits. I found some of these heavier parts really moving - partly because the characters were written in a way that I felt a connection with, or at the very least sympathy for, them. I'm not going to lie - there were tears!

Because of the way grief and loss are explored in this book, its one where I'd recommend some further research before reading if you have any concerns about triggering content.

Also, I love this cover!

I gave this one 4 stars

3.5 ***' I enjoyed this story, there were parts that I didn't enjoy so much, but overall it was a good read. Sometimes what we think we want isn't always the case. Zoey has a lot to work through, as do her friends ( though I'm not sure I'd want friends like hers). Setting out on a road trip is a great way of making or breaking these relationships.