I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. I loved the interaction between all of the characters and how real their relationships are. There was no glossing over family issues in this book and it was really refreshing how realistic the characters were.

There weren't so many twists in this book but there were so many questions right to the end. I often prefer this rather than a book which is filled with so many 'red herrings' and 180 degree switches which make you dizzy!

Would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good dark mystery!

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for this ARC.

A very enjoyable read, with an intriguing plot. With excerpts from old letters and flashbacks from an anonymous narrator throughout, the story maintains an air of mystery.

This is the first Linda Green book I've read and the format was intriguing. It cleverly alternated from past to present, switching narratives, so the reader wasn't sure who the past contributions referred to. Whilst it was an engaging story, I felt there were too many convenient concidences: without giving too much away,the parallels between the grandmother and mother's experience and the two separate fairy placements suspended my belief . Incredible that two incidents several years apart,ending up connected. Thanks for netgalley for the opportunity to read a Linda Green novel though I wouldn't necessarily read another.

This is the first book I’ve read by Linda Green, and right away I knew I was going to love it. The story is hugely engaging, the characters very believable and ultimately it packs a massive emotional punch.

It begins with the death of Nicola’s grandmother, Betty, in her home in a Yorkshire village - only Nicola is there, as her mother, Irene, is apparently estranged from Betty. Betty’s last words to Nicola are to ask her to look after the babies at the bottom of the garden: words which naturally trouble and baffle Nicola, although she assumes her grandma may be referring to the fairy statues which have been there as long as anyone can remember.

However Betty’s dying words set in motion events which will have profound repercussions for the whole family, particularly Nicola, Irene and Nicola’s two daughters, with dark and long-buried secrets coming to light.

Scattered throughout Nicola’s narrative are sections from the point of view of two other characters in the past, and these are very mystifying and intriguing. I really couldn’t make head or tail of this for ages although about halfway I did get an inkling of where the story was going - in one respect, anyway - and really hoped I was wrong. I wasn’t, but there were plenty of surprises still to be had.

All the characters and their relationships were convincingly drawn and felt refreshingly realistic and natural - Nicola is a teaching assistant and her partner James a plumber - their two daughters, the boisterous Maisie and her quieter older sister Ruby, are also brilliantly portrayed.

Without going into too much detail there are some dark themes here and some distressing scenes, culminating in a very emotional and cathartic ending which had me in floods of tears. Despite the themes it manages to not be a depressing read in any way.

I loved this book and will definitely seek our Linda Green’s other work.

Now, this is going to be a really hard book to review without giving away any major spoilers! You probably think this is a bit of a short review, but I honestly don't want to spoil what I felt was an absolutely fantastic read! I’ve read a few of this author’s books, but this is the one I’ve enjoyed the most. As the blurb says, Nicola’s grandmother gives her the instruction to look after her babies at the bottom of the garden just before she dies. Nicola assumes she is confusing this with the fairy statues which has been at the bottom of the garden for as long as Nicola can remember. When the inevitable happens, and bones are found, Nicola has to make the difficult decision to report it or to leave the past alone.

This was certainly a nail-biter of a book! It gave me the chills and made me cry all in one go! The story was set in present day, but was interspersed with two different characters points of view from many years before. You don’t get to understand these points of view until much later in the storyline where everything becomes clear. The story covers three generations of women, all of whom are hiding their own secrets.

The story is difficult to read at times and the story is both heart-breaking and shocking, but wow, what a book!! It kept me gripped from the first page, just trying to work out what was going on. I could not put this book down until I had finished it, and neglected everything else until I had! Moral of the story – your secrets will always catch up with you!

Beautifully written, deeply moving and highly recommended!

“Look after my babies”. When Nicola’s grandmother Betty dies and her youngest daughter comes running in with a fairy bone Nicola assumes the worst. But what happens when you dig too deep into the past? Each chapter runs in the same format of current day and a letter into the past. Whilst we know the female featured in the letter is Betty who is the mystery man she’s corresponding with? I received this from NetGalley and enjoyed it a reasonable amount. I found that until about 3/4 through I wasn’t trying to second guess what was happening and it was only just before the reveal I figured it out. All in all I enjoyed but wouldn’t read again

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a fantastic book. this author knows how to keep you hooked from the first page to the end. 5 stars all the way

Excellent book! Loved the characters and it was a great storyline. I would highly recommend this book.

The Last Thing She Told Me by Linda Green was a heartbreaking story of secrets, lost and regret.
Nicola is visiting her grandmother who is extremely ill. The last things she tells Nicola is that there is babies at the bottom of the garden and to look after them for her.
After her grandmother dies Nicola decides to investigate this and things quickly start to escalate out of her control.
I enjoyed reading this book despite the subject matter. This is the first book I have read from this author and I will certainly be looking for more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book from Linda Green.

This is a mystery told from three generations of the same family. It is a very emotional and heartbreaking which had me hooked. Would definitely recommend.

A great tense read! Full of gripping moments and twists and turns.
The story was exciting to read and the characters were fleshed out well.

I’d like to thank Quercus Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Last Thing She Told Me’ by Linda Green in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Just before Nicola’s grandmother Betty dies she tells her there are babies at the bottom of the garden and asks her to take care of them. Following Betty’s death Nicola’s two girls, Maisie and Ruby, are in the garden when Maisie digs into the soil beneath one of the two fairy statues and finds a small bone. She says it’s a fairy bone but Nicola isn’t sure and when she digs in the same spot the following day she discovers a tiny human skeleton. Nicola reports it to the police but it looks as if she’s opened up a Pandora’s box, but is she ready for what might come out of it?
‘The Last Thing She Told Me’ is an extraordinarily well-written and touching novel where Nicola searches for the secrets her grandmother has kept hidden since the 1940s and those of her own mother who has secrets and doesn’t want Nicola to get the police involved. There are extracts from poignant letters sent to Betty from William, a Canadian airman, flashbacks of the man who met Nicola’s mother in the early hours of the morning to watch the sunrise, and it tells of the circumstances when Nicola became pregnant with Ruby whilst at university. There are twists and turns as Nicola tries to discover the truth about her grandmother’s family and characters who are good people and totally believable. The story is compulsive reading, dealing with rape and sexual abuse with compassion and sensitivity, and it’s thoroughly heart-breaking, yet I couldn’t put it down as I needed to know the truth. This is a wonderful novel and I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

When Nicola’s grandmother’s final words reveal an unknown secret. The words ‘that her babies are at the bottom of the garden’ Nicola does not know what to do with this information. Does is disclose it, who knows about this secret.
As the book progresses there are a lot more secret that come to light. But what is the impact.
Great Book
Thank you to both NetGalley and Quercus Books for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

This was a great read. Telling the story of Nicola and her family. Her grandmothers final words to her opened up a vat of family secrets that had been hidden for generations. Once Nicola starts looking into her past she discovers things about her past and creates friction within her family.
A really thought provoking read - should you do right by your past or your future?
Emotionally charged and gets more gripping the further into the book you get.

Nicolas Grandma is dying, her last words are " look after my babies at the bottom of the garden" Nicolas Daughter finds a bone under a fairy statue and so the story begins. What are these bones are they to do with Grandma and more importantly... are they human.

Follow Nicolas story as she endeavours to find the truth. Full of drama suspense and mystery this book kept me turning the pages anticipating the outcome of the find.

I would recommend this book indeed.

Wow this book is amazing, couldn't put it down, full of twists and turns and I loved reading about the different generations, the letters and all their family secrets. One of my favourite reads of 2018.

I have read most of Linda's books but this is the best so far after While my eyes were Closed.

I can definitely recommend this book and thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic book.

A really decent read about the secrets of three generations of the same family. It’s a good page turner with some emotional and hard hitting themes in it.

Loved this book!

What a brilliantly written and enticing read. Starting with the grandmother asking her granddaughter to look after babies at the bottom of the garden.

Family secrets are slowly unravelled with lots of great twists

My 4* review for The Last Thing She Told Me by Linda Green which I was sent via kindle from Netgalley to read and review.

"Even the deepest buried secrets can find their way to the surface...
Moments before she dies, Nicola's grandmother Betty whispers to her that there are babies at the bottom of the garden. Nicola's mother claims she was talking nonsense. However, when Nicola's daughter finds a bone while playing in Betty's garden, it's clear that something sinister has taken place.
But will unearthing painful family secrets end up tearing Nicola's family apart?"

This book is told in several different timelines, with parts going back to Nicola's Grandmother Betty exchanging letters with her sweetheart William in the war, but there are also sections written about Nicola's mother growing up in the same house and then flashbacks to Nicola's University days where her own daughter was conceived. Although I enjoyed the four different generations telling their own story, at times I got very confused and lost my way and had to re-read sections to determine if it was Nicola's mother or grandmother telling their story, and that is the reason I could not give it 5 stars.

However, what comes shining out of the book is that generations of hurt and hidden secrets because of shame, embarrassment or blaming oneself can destroy relationships and impact heavily on future generations. Linda Green has written a terrific book dealing with some current but very difficult subjects and I would definitely look forward to reading another of her books.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Nicola is caring for her dying grandmother and in her last moments she tells her to look after the babies in the garden. Betty passed away and Nicola is devastated. She speaks with her mum who tells her to leave it alone but when Nicola’s young daughter finds a bone, her whole world starts to crumble.

This story is interwoven with another POV from one of the women in the family and it’s so heartbreaking that I was in tears reading it. A beautiful read that had me hooked.