This was an enjoyable story about moving on after the death of a spouse at an unusually young age. I felt for Laya for losing a spouse, but I also felt like the Micah situation was forced and a bit much for me to believe. I think the larger theme of life after love, cue Cher, is strong and so important.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I'm a huge fan of Renee's but this book just didn't impact me like the others. Even though it's a story dealing with grief I felt it lacked emotion. There wasn't much antsy. And the main hero came on really really strong almost to the point of being a stalker. He didn't understand the heroine is grieving. I just couldn't connect to the characters. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

This is the second Renee Carlino book I read and it may be my last. I just can’t stand the characters she writes. I understand that they’re flawed or whatever, but it’s too much. Both of the main characters in this novel are so unbearable. There were so many times where I wanted to DNF’ed this book, but I kept trudging through in the hope it would get better and the fact that I was already so far in it, but no it does not. Layla knew what she was getting herself into when she met her husband, Cameron, so it was frustrating to listen to her whine how Cameron was such a risk taker that it took his life when she’s the complete opposite. As for Micah, I didn’t like him from the beginning as he came off as stalkerish and weird. Also towards the end of the book, most of it seemed so unbelievable and overly cliché. Personally, I’d recommend skipping this book unless you already like the author’s other books.

Laya has been widowed very young and is finding it hard to cope with widowhood. She felt that her husband courted death with his dare devil antics and escapades and that he was constantly seeking a new thrill (sponsored of course). Having watched him actually die was not going to make it easier on her and she resorts to Facebook posts giving the impression that he is going to come back (some day). Much to the distress of his family.

Trying to get back to what is considered a "normal" life for Laya was not easy. A promising surgeon she gave up on life and seemed to be just existing until she met up with Micah a architect in her father's firm and one who was attracted to her from the beginning but who did not know how he could get through to her - let alone falling in love, to just acknowledge his presence.

The story of survival, of letting go, of coming to grips with the fact that the world just goes on despite all the heartache and despair you may have is not an easy story.. It made for an interesting read though. Not emotional to the point that you are overcome with sadness and throw the book away. On the contrary it made for a page turner.

Well, that was a Renee Carlino book. And again I started crying and feeling while reading the first pages. Well, to be honest, I kinda already cried reading the blurb!
Ugh, I hate it when people die in books. Ok, in real life too obviously. But in books - we don't want people dying! At least we only got one chapter with Cameron - we couldn't fall in mega love with him before he died.
And then there's Micah. And he's soo adorable. He's not the perfect billionaire CEO we so often get these days. He's a bit broken too. He's in therapy for some things ...
I just loved him!
And I loved Laya too.
They would be soo perfect for each other! But of course Laya's husband just died. She can't immediately fall in love with Micah. And lots of things happen before we can even think about that happy end!
I really adored this book. I cried a lot. But it was also so very adorable and sweet and New Yorkish and so full of love and family and hope.
Great book!

THE LAST POST was such a beautiful and adorable and heartbreaking love story! Run to your nearest amazon asap for your own Micah - he'll be sold out in no time !!!

What an amazing 5 star heartfelt story that had me reading for hours non stop.

Laya is going through the steps of grief. Being married just a short time and to loose the love of her life. Micah hasn’t found a purpose in life. Going day by day just existing. That is until he meets Laya.

This was an amazingly beautifully well written story about grief, love and finding a place in life. These 2 characters struggle apart but together they will heal each other. I loved Micah and Laya very much. Even Micah’s twin sister was quite a funny one. It was an highly addicting story with a storyline that flowed well. A solid original page turning experience.

Standalone told in a dual POV with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.

I really loved this book! Renee Carlino did a really good job portraying the relationship through these letters. I felt much closer to the characters stories. It was definitely a bittersweet read because there was love but their story wasn't without its own pitfalls.

I have read every book by Renee. For the most part, everyone of her books I have adored. There was one that was ok, nothing really wrong with it, but it didn't wow me. I feel that this one will be in the latter category. I did finish this, I do not think it was bad, but I do feel it wasn't for me. I need to connect with the characters more than I did in this book. I need to see and feel the spark between them to be able to root for them. I didn't do any of that in this book. I love her and her writing, but this was just a miss for me.

This was an okay read. Laya suffered a horrible tragedy and it's been hard for her to move on. When she comes to NY, she meets Micah who works for her dad. Micah finds a connection with Laya and wants to be involved. What comes next is a story filled with grief, sadness, but ultimately love and happiness. As a reader we feel Layla's sadness and we go through the motion with her. Though sometimes it was just too much. I wanted more of the happiness to come out. And because of that it was hard for me to really get into the story. However there were parts that did keep me interested and I wanted to see how it would play out. Laya and Micah were ok characters. Overall this wasn't a bad read, I just wanted a little more.

The Last Post by Renée Carlino is a full length, romance novel and tells Laya and Micah's heart wrenching and emotional story.
Laya Marston is a doctor and at age 29 already widowed. Her late husband was a adrenaline junkie, a stuntman and he died doing what he loved most. Laya was the devoted and supportive wife and now she's lost without him.
And then there's Micah Evans. He works at her father's company, but the architect has his own baggage. He's stuck too.
The Lost Post is a story about loss, a new life and new love, a fantastic read, excellent written and beautifully thought out and beautifully told. 4,5 stars.

The last Post was an emotional read that was full of so much angst and pain throughout the story. The story was beautifully written by this author with each scene written in so much detail I could feel what the characters were feeling at the moment.

Laya my heart broke for her throughout the story with the loss that she experienced and the way that she was trying to deal with the pain of losing her husband. The way she posted to her after his death broke my heart.

Micah I really felt for in the story with the way that he felt loneliness and the worries that he carried around with him. I felt like I really connected with this character with the worries and feeling that he was experiencing.

Both of these characters were great and I could not get enough of them throughout the story. I could not get enough of this story and cannot wait to read what the author releases next.

First, let me start off by saying I am a fan of Renee Carlino. With that in mind, I am sorry to say that The Last Post disappointed me. The main character, Laya, is a young widow that is swallowed up in her grief. Micah, an employee of her father's company, meets and becomes obsessed with Laya and her grief. Their entire relationship was just totally strange, from their hook-up in a club to his stalker-like actions. His twin sister added another layer of oddness. I was glad to see that Laya is able to come to some closure with Cam's death by the end of the book. Sadly, I also was glad that the book ended.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy everything Renee Carlino writes but this wasn't one of my favorites. The Last Post is about two broken people learning how to move on with life and potentially find love again. 

Laya is a grieving widow trying to learn how to move on after the tragic death of her husband. She is struggling to let go of him and continues to leave messages and post on his FB account. Her family and friends urge her to let go but she doesn't know how. Will Laya ever learn to move on and be happy again?

Micah is a lost soul just trying to get through each day. He works at Laya's dad company and is very intrigued by her. He decides he wants to help her learn to live again. He does some unusual things to try get close to her and it scares her away. As time goes on Laya decides that she might be ready to let someone into her life again. Will these two broken souls be able to learn how to live again?

I really enjoyed the connection between Laya and Micah. The secondary characters added lots of depth to the storyline. This book proves everyone can get back up after tragedy strikes as long as they keep pushing through. I can't wait to see what Renee is working on next!

3.5 Stars


The Last Post is the latest book from Renee Carlino, a story of a woman drowning in grief and the man who tries to put her back together.

Filled with the beautiful words I've come to expect from Carlino, the blurb drew me in and I have been looking forward to this book for months. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me and wasn't what I was expecting. While I couldn't connect with the characters or the story, I couldn't bring myself to put it down as the writing itself was great, and I kept hoping it would hook me.

Laya & Micah were just an odd pairing in my opinion, and while they kept insisting there was a "spark" between them, I didn't feel there was a connection at all. Micah was more of a desperate stalker in my opinion, and while Laya kept finding herself drawn to him, I would have slapped a restraining order on him pretty quickly. Their storylines, separate & together, just seemed very wishy-washy, and unfortunately, I couldn't really figure out how I was supposed to feel or where the storyline was going throughout the book.

And while I wasn't a huge fan of the main characters, I adored Melissa and would love more about her. She definitely livened everything up and brought a much-needed dose of humor to an otherwise sad storyline.



**ARC received in exchange for an honest review**

This is an emotional and heartbreaking read!You need to be in mood to read it!It wasn't easy to read it, there were moments I wanted to stop, The Last Post is definitely different from her other stories.

"Scars are a testament to the love and the relationships I had for and with each person. And if the scar is deep, so was the love. So be it. Scars are a testament to life."

I had a harder time connecting with both Laya and Micah but at some point it happened!I loved the premise this one has and generally I liked it, but there were parts I didn't find good and this made me not give it 5 stars.

This is an intense read !

I love Renee Carlino and I tried really hard to like this book. I wanted to like this book, but there was nothing I could find likable about it.

The characters did not connect with me, but nor did they connect with each other. There was no chemistry, no romance, no fire . . . just nothing.

The story started out slow, and instead of gaining momentum it seemed to slow down throughout the story. Yet, I decided to stick with it hoping it would pick up in the end. Never. I found myself forcing the read.

After a whirlwind first year of marriage, Laya is suddenly and tragically a widow. Retreating from work, family and friends, Laya is mired in grief and finds solace in leaving messages for Cameron, her deceased husband, on his phone and his Facebook page. Despite pleas from his family to stop the posts, which they consider hurtful, Laya can’t seem to stop.

Micah works for Laya’s father’s architectural firm and seems to be at a crossroads himself. He feels a disconnect with his friends and a sense of pointlessness to his work and his everyday life. When he meets Laya he’s immediately drawn to her. He knows she is a widow and, when he comes across her posts to her deceased husband, he feels compelled to somehow help her. Taking cues from her posts, he begins to slowly get to know Laya and a relationship (of sorts) forms.

I was excited to dive into The Last Post because I have loved several of Carlino’s books in the past. She has such a gift for emotional storytelling. Unfortunately, it was the emotion that was missing from this one for me. I didn’t feel a connection with either Laya or Micah, and at times I wasn’t even sure I felt a real connection between the two of them. In the beginning I wasn’t sure what to make of Micah or what his motivations were. It wasn’t clear to me whether he was altruistic or was trying to fulfill some need in himself.

Both Laya and Micah were living very small, insular lives – disconnected from the world and the people around them. I liked how together they both started to rejoin the world. Laya was finally able to start moving past her grief and Micah was coming out of… whatever it was he was going through. Honestly, I never did really understand what his issues were or what was troubling him. Laya struggled to come to terms with Cameron’s failings and recognize that neither he, nor their marriage, had been perfect. It was satisfying to see her come out of her shell and be willing to move forward.

While I didn’t feel emotionally invested in Laya and Micah’s story, and I missed that emotional punch that I’ve come to count on from Carlino, there’s no denying that she is a gifted storyteller. I love her writing style and I love her ability to tell a story about real people facing real challenges. Her stories always feel authentic and never gimmicky. If you enjoy stories that focus on overcoming loss, second chances and moving on, give The Last Post a chance.

I am sad to say that The Last Post did not work for me.

The grief representation was done really well but unfortunately made this a pretty sad book and it eclipsed any romance that was present.

Both Laya and Micha's characters were SUPER messy and I didn't really care for either of them. I felt sad and sorry for both of them many different times throughout the book.

The writing was what I expect from a R.C. novel. Readability was easy but some of the internal dialogue/exposition from Laya felt out of place, as though it was added in response to an editorial note.

I loved most in this book was Melissa and Micha's back and forth. Melissa's character brought a much needed levity to the story. I'd actually like to read a book about her.

I've read all of Renée Carlino's books, and I've never doubted this author's ability to weave the sort of romances that capture your attention and stay with you even after you're done reading them. Her writing has been consistently at par with my high expectations, and the same can be said for her latest standalone. Where The Last Post falters, however, is the story line itself as well as any sort of connection I felt for either of the main characters, save for one character and he just happens to be the one that passes away tragically soon after the first few pages.

The blurb for this novel took hold of me, and I was prepared for a great deal of angst and an extraordinary story of finding love a second time around. I can check the angst part off of my check list; the extraordinary love story, not so much. In all of Laya's grief over losing Cameron, the connection between her Micah was lost, making it difficult for me as a reader to form the sort of connection with either one of them to make me emotionally invested in their happily-ever-after. There was so much stepping forward and then leaping back, that it did become rather tiresome.

There is a certain point very late in the book where things do seem to fall into place, with the pacing quickening and the development of the relationship between Laya and Micah making actual progress instead of this back and forth of progression and regression. From there, everything becomes a smoother read, one where I did feel a spark between the characters as well as a spark of interest on my part. Renée Carlino's writing is impressive as always, and that, as well as the last quarter of this standalone romance novel, I've decided to award The Last Post 3.5 stars. ♥

How do you move on after your husband dies? Not only dies, but dies violently with you as a witness… Well, you fall apart and wallow in despair.
Laya is a bright and ambitious doctor. She has a plan, and it doesn’t include marriage to a daredevil. Cameron is charismatic, and his zest for life pulled this reader and Laya into his vortex. Unfortunately, he didn’t defy death on the stunt in the opening act of this book. Even more gruesome is the fact that Laya is there; she is a witness to her lovely husband’s horrifying, untimely death. I melted when Cameron and Laya said “three, two, one, see ya’ on the other side”. Such a cute little thing between a couple that turned into something dark.
Between losing her husband and witnessing his demise, her grief consumes Laya to the point of neurotic posts on her late husband’s Facebook page and to his cell phone.

Micah is an architect who works in Laya’s father’s firm. He’s in a funk. He is not being giving credit for his work, and he is frustrated to the point of giving up. He is in the middle of a personal and professional existential crisis. When he starts obsessing over Laya on social media, he gets out of his own head in order to try to get Laya out of hers.

Ms. Carlino is truly respectful of loss as she flays open Laya’s emotions. She also lays Micah open for perusal as he reinvents himself. I love that Micah’s family brings a much-needed lightness to a story that is essentially about loss, grief and moving on. While I didn’t fully embrace either main characters or their relationship, I did appreciate the life preserver they provided one another.