This was an endearing love story. A sweet tale of a couple struggling to deal with an ocean of feelings, crashing against a shore of regret and heartache. It's all about history, friendships, missed opportunities and chances to right wrongs. The author largely hits the mark, although I felt a little backstory was missing and it verged on the saccharine at times (just my opinion). However, it ticks all the boxes in terms of interesting characters, well-written dialogue and a satisfying ending. My thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

The Last Dance by Aimee Brown is an intense, well-written, second chance at love story that follows Ambri and Henry through the ups and downs of a relationship that is detailed in alternating POV chapters.

I didn't like Henry in the beginning and didn't feel he deserved a second chance with Ambri, but he does redeem himself spectacularly.

"Ambri was always the one to watch from the sidelines as Ben and I did over-the-top crazy romantic things for our girlfriends. I don't want her to be on the sidelines of my life anymore. I want her to have those experiences from me."

Ambri is wary of being hurt again, but her big heart allows Henry back into her life.

"We may have our demons but they're the same ones and it's easier to fight when I've got someone on my side who's done it before..

I enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Nearly two years ago- Henry got tickets to a show that was completely sold out for a couple of weeks now. Ambri didn’t know how he did it but he had always somehow pulled off the impossible. Henry and Ambri were just friends although best friends just friends. They had been best friends since the day they met in Ambri’s freshman year of HS and Ambri had been a little bit on the mouthy side that day. Ambri haven't even dated anyone yet. Than she seen henry out of the corner of her eye. She knows who he is and who Jasen was- they are in the popular crowd. Everyone knows who they are. They are a couple years older than Ambri and their crowds don’t intermix. Not that Ambri was part of a crowd she was a more leave- me- alone than the clique kind. Henry slipped up to her right and told Jasen to leave and he did not argue at all. He told Ambri not to be a stranger she was fourteen years old. Ambri is a barista and works at Starbucks. Ambri had told Henry she wanted to go see infusion which was her favorite band. And now they had tickets. Ambri told her co-worker Henry was a broken man , he had demons he can’t always silence. The last couple of years his demons have got to him at times he gets really depressed. Ambri understands depression as she watched her sister Rory die last year on Ambri’s birthday. She was the perfect older sister even though they were complete opposites in everything from personality to looks.She had only been twenty seven when she died. Henry had been dating Rory for four years including the year she got sick. She was exactly his type: blonde, successful,social, and sweet. After Rory died Henry’s ability to deal with everything was gone. Henry and Ambri had gotten even closer through all this. Anytime the other needs something no matter what the other is there. Ambri and henry had been best friends for eleven years and he’d married her sister for a week before she died as her dying wish was to marry the love of her life. There are times when Ambri wonders what they might have been like. There is something about Henry that does it for her sometimes. He’s got a good heart. Anbri had a chance for her dream job which was listed for a popular local website writing resteraunt reviews and news, She had a few more days that she could apply. Henry told Ambri she was such a talented writer and her dream job writing about food, her next favorite thing besides seeing Infusion. Henry told her to apply for the job. Ambri was a little ashamed of herself for being so pathetically insecure. She loved that Henry pushed her to go for her dreams if he didn’t who would? Ambri and henry end up sleeping together one time and it tears them apart and he cuts all ties with Ambri and gets depressed and feels he had to leave town. Ambri was devastated Henry left her and she believes he left because of her. He was gone for two years. Ambri and Henry are in new relationship. Ambri with Noah and Henry with karmen. with that seem to be in good places.Ambri took a year to get to know Noah, built a friendship than romance. He treated her so well. Ambri and Henry are leery to see each other. Henry wasn’t over Ambri. Than they bump into each other. Ambri yelled, screamed, and cried when they met up as untold feelings come to the surface. She is driven by rage from the past.
I really enjoyed reading this book. This was an intense, emotional and yet at times funny read. I like Henry and Ambri together. I didn’t understand how Henry could hurt Anbri so much if they were best friends for so long, sleep with her and cut their friendship off and leave town. I would have like to been shown how Henry ended up with Ambri’s sister Rory and their relationship. I felt bad how Noah and Ambri ended. I felt this was well written. I liked the pace and plot a lot. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend it.

This is a deeply touching and captivating novel about a couple who are meant to be but are torn apart by the choice one of them makes. Ambri and Henry have been best friends since high school. He dates her sister who learns she is dying and her last request is to be married. Henry agrees to it but the consequences for him are dire. Devastated by her death, Henry is consoled by her sister, his best friend. Ambri is his rock but one fateful night it all blows up in his face and he leaves her for two years. She has no idea why and is left with feelings too hard to bear.
The story is of their unlikely progression back to each other with all of the accompanying doubts, mistrust and pain to be handled.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ambri and Henry were supposed to always be there for each other. And they’ve been through more than a lot— like when Ambri’s sister, Henry’s wife, died. They made it through that together, but then one moment ruined everything and split them apart. However, two years later, Henry’s back in town and, after a chance encounter with Ambri, untold feelings bubble over.

Some romances throw everything at the reader upfront, and others opt for a more careful attitude, letting information trickle out and build up. Author Aimee Brown is an expert in the second approach. Sure, at the beginning, there’s an understood connection between Henry and Ambri. But Brown keeps their history close at hand, doling it out as complications in the present unfold, and ultimately producing a completely layered view of the two. It almost sneaks up on the reader.

Part of what makes this so successful is that Ambri and Henry and such rich characters. Writing in alternating first person chapters, Brown gives each a time to shine, showcasing both their triumphs and problems. Ambri is a food writer somewhat struggling with her company. Henry is readjusting to Portland, though haunted by the death of his wife. These subplots are compelling, and Brown makes it impossible not to root for these characters to find their happy endings— however they might look.

Plus this book oozes tension on every page. Both Ambri and Henry are in new relationships that seem to be in good places. They’re hesitant to even see each other, and Ambri is driven by pure rage from their previous encounter. Yet Brown continually finds creative ways of forcing these two together. It’s complicated and messy without ever veering into melodramatic territory.

Most importantly, all loose ends are tied together in the end in a realistic and satisfying way. However, that would be impossible without Brown’s careful crafting. Her sharp writing and attention to her characters make this book soar.

I thought this was an intense, funny and a emotional read. I truly ejoyed reading about Ambri and Henry. It was well written and a good storyline. I was hooked from the first chapter. It was a page turner.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the advantage copy in exchange for a review. All the the thoughts and opinions are of my own.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried to enjoy this story, I really did, but I just never made a connection. As much as I tried to love Henry and Ambri, both as individuals and as a couple, it never happened. To be completely honest, I ended up liking the supporting characters, Ben and Claire, a whole lot more than Henry and Ambri. I think part of it was that I absolutely couldn’t wrap my head around how despite the fact that Ambri was his best friend for years, he ended up falling in love with her sister, Rory, seemingly out of nowhere. Henry’s grief was believable, but it was much harder to believe that it was over Ambri’s sister. Maybe it was because there wasn’t too much of a back story for how Henry and Rory’s relationship began as much as there was a story of how their relationship ended. I also think it would have helped if the author had showed more sisterly moments between Ambri and Rory in the flashbacks. As a result it ended up feeling like Ambri was helping Henry mourn someone she didn’t know personally. That being said, I am a sucker for a love story, and in the end that’s what this story was, despite how disconnected some aspects of this story felt. I give this book two stars.

A cute but somewhat flawed story of friends to lovers to enemies to lovers again. I found myself getting annoyed with the story at times. I honestly didn't like Ambri very much. She was very judgmental about a lot of really minor, stupid stuff (really, using "epic" was a point against someone?), and as most of that judgment was directed at Henry's girlfriend, I ended up actually rooting for her. And then she was proven to be a bad person - which came out of left field as everything up to that point was generally positive. (The one scene that I can think of that was meant to show that Karmen wasn't nice was her being critical of Henry's hair, which was relatively minor compared to her real transgressions later on.) Why did there have to be a bad guy? And the big reveal about Noah was also out of nowhere.

Also, it was pointed out numerous times that Henry was blonde. So what's up with the dude on the cover?

4 1/2 stars. This is my first book by this author and it definitely won't be my last. This is a beautifully written friends to lovers story that took me from A-Z with my emotions. It is so full of heart and soul and has everything you could ask for. Henry and Ambry are just so special and amazingly deep characters, and they are so good together. The best of friends! Until one day something happens to change all that. I found myself rooting for them to get past what had led to their time apart and bring them back stronger than ever. So much goodness in this book!

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet, sexy romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

I read the author's first book and loved it so much that finding out her next book was coming out was reason to celebrate. When I read the synopsis I was even more excited. A friends to lovers story with the added angst of the hero being the widower of the heroine's sister? Sign me up.

This book does certainly have a lot of emotions involved but to me everything felt really muddled, There were so many reason tossed around for Henry's disappearing act that I never felt as I had a real handle on what was going on in either character's mind. I know that grief is confusing but I needed a little more clarity especially if they were both so in love. I thought that when the two were reunited things would flow better but to me it never did. I was just as confused by their actions, especially Henry's. The way things were resolved with their new partners seemed more of a cop out designed to prevent either of them from being villains even though they were so careless with the feelings of everyone around them from their best friends to their partners. I am not sure I was ever rooting for them or if I even liked the two of them. I wanted to love this book so much but I just didn't. I am hoping that I love Brown's next book as much as I loved her first.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The characters were likable and the setting was quite enjoyable including the music scene and coffee cafes. I thought Henry lacked in explaining his relationship with his wife. I think loving two sisters is a tough concept to sell. I really felt his pain in losing his wife to cancer. I thought the writing regarding his decision to move to LA was fantastic. I was feeling just how both of them felt. Good writing because I was happy and satisfied.

Henry stepping out of his best friend life, two years has come and gone. Through all the highs and all the lows, including the death of Henry late wife and Ambri sister Rory, one night changes everything and they are left estranged. When he walks back into her life, old habits die hard but would they be able to forgive and forget?

What I liked the most about this read was the realism of life and death, peoples struggles with depression and learning to forgive. It was easy to see how Henry and Ambri were able to fall in love with each other. It was years in the making and even though misunderstandings happen, they were able to persevere and learn to forgive. it was known from the get-go that they were made for each other and you couldn't wait to see their happily ever after. Unlike some other heroines in romance novels, Ambri didn’t shy away fron how much Henry has hurt her. She screamed, she yelled, she cried and it’s hard not to feel the gut-wretching raw emotions she was able expressed to him. Additional, a few negatives I will mention is how unappealing the side relationships were when added into the mix with the leads. It was redundant and I felt bad with how Ambri romance with Noah ended. It was just a little too convenient how the leads partners were still in love with their exes, etc. What was the point of them even being included? Overall, I understand Henry's reason behind his actions but how quickly they were able to fall back together and leave everyone in the dust left a bad taste in my mouth. Let alone how supportive their friends were about it. Didn't they spend a year getting to know Noah, built a friendship and was able to witnessed how great he treated her? It would have been better if Ambri and Henry were both single in the first place while trying to fix their relationship. Overall not exactly Nicholas Sparks, but I guess it could be considered close enough.

Walking through a lightning storm to get to love

Here we have AlwaysDoTheRightThingHenry and AlwaysDatesTheWrongGuyAmbri. Best friends forever. Never more. Firmly friendzoned. Henri even married Ambri’s sister, only to have her die on him. And he doesn’t deal with that. He’s understandably depressed and shuts Ambri out. And really hurts her. Destroys her. That was 2 years ago.

And now he’s back. How will they find each other again? When they both have new partners? And can they be more than ‘just’ friends?

I loved it. Easy-to-read. Good flow. Some foul-mouthed language, but not too bad and it actually never goes THERE. You know, first person present tense is not my favorite writing style. But Aimee Brown makes it work in a seemingly effortless way. The story was depressing in the beginning. It depressed me a bit as well, to the point where I even ugly-cried. Heart-breaking! Writing about depression is important; so many people deal with it and it shouldn’t be a taboo. So, it was not a light-hearted beginning. But it was such a good story! I really liked Henry. Of course I didn’t like what he DID, but he’s a good person who does one bad thing. And I also really liked Ambri. She’s honest. I did feel bad for their new partners, until…no, that’s for you to find out. You won’t regret it.

This was such a romantic book with no shortage of grand gestures (I love grand gestures!). The book had a healthy dose of humor and romance, but the author also tackled more serious issues like depression, grief, and loss. I particularly liked the banter between the friends. Now I want to go to Portland for some food and music!

Thank you to the author and publisher for my complimentary ARC from Netgalley.

This is a good romance story where the ending is predictable but not the journey.

“Never once have I fallen for the guy in the beginning who puts a Band-Aid on the heroine’s scratched-up knee. I need the big overdone, hearts-racing, if-he-doesn’t-hurry-it-might-not-happen kind of moment.” ~ Ambri

That is what this book was for me. It started of just like any Romantic book a little slow, but it picked up quickly. I hated Henry and was a little said for Noah until the end. The big grand gesture was my favorite (I too like Billy Idol).

I look forward to reading more books by the author. I was given an advance copy from Net Galley and the publisher for my honest review.

This was a bit out of my comfort zone in category and era but it was well told, enjoyable light read and the characterisation was credible despite my inability to relate to them. The vibrations from Henry and Ambri were extraordinary. Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus Aria.

I loved this so much I didn’t want it to end - I think I got a touch too over invested! Perfect for a hopeless romantic, Ambri and Henry’s story feels real, and honest, and it was incredibly easy to get utterly lost in - completely un-put-downable! The supporting cast are richly drawn and utterly likeable.

📚I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review📚

“Sometimes life takes you for a ride you’re not sure you’re ready for. Either you buckle up and make it through, or you give up and let life run you over. I’m now happily buckled in, and turns out fate seems to be on my side this time.”
– Aimee Brown in The Last Dance

I know that the end of the story is predictable but I could not help myself from reading this book. I love seeing how Ambri finally was able to shout at Henry saying “You destroyed me!” I somehow can relate myself to her love-starved and loneliness…and the worst one of all…the feeling of being unwanted by someone you love. Ah, the book is just perfect! a perfect companion for one to read during the relaxing time with a glass of wine (I prefer Vodka) and Nat King Cole’s voice singing “Smile.” Raising my glass of vodka! Well done, Ms. Brown! I am waiting for your next writing!

Full review: https://literatureisliving.wordpress.com/2019/01/11/the-last-dance-by-aimee-brown/

Can you fall in love with your best friend? Is it okay to have feelings for your late wife's sister? Those are just two of the many questions that the main characters of this novel have.

With flash-backs to the protagonists' common past, recent past and current lives, this book spans more than a decade of friendship and love between two people who seem to be soulmates, love triangles included.

I truly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to seeing more stories from this author.

Publication is in April 2019.