This is the first book by Renee Carlino I have read. I had no idea what to expect from her writing going into this book.
When this book came up for review I jumped at the chance to read it. I love the cover and the blurb had me hooked.
A lot of my rating had to do with the characters. I didn’t like them. Micah was a stalker and not in a nice way. I found him creepy and didn’t like him. I was expecting to do something terrible at any moment.
Layla was no different, I couldn’t relate to her and I found her annoying.
The side characters were no better.
The authors writing was fantastic and I would be interested to read her other books.
Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me.

***ARC received in exchange of an honest opinion***

I came to the conclusion that Renee Carlino's books aren't for me. The other ones I read didn't really impressed me, but reading the blurb for this one (which I hardly ever do and this proves why I should keep that up) I thought this one would be my kind of book, filled with angst and emotions.

And unfortunately I was disappointed. For me, this book lacked the emotion this kind of story should, or could, reach. It wasn't angsty either and that made it really hard for me to connect with the story and the characters.

Speaking of those, the heroine was very frustrating, which is understandable considering what she's gone through, but I felt she frustrated me for other reasons. The same with the hero, he was borderline stalkerish and I just didn't feel anything for him.

The idea of this story is a good one (one I liked in other books with similar tropes), but the overal execution didn't impress me and that is a shame, because it had everything to be my next favorite angst-filled read.

Laya had a whirlwind courtship and marriage to her husband Cameron after meeting at the emergency room she worked at with an injury from his job as a stuntman. It was one of those moments in time where they both knew there was something there between them that they couldn't ignore. Life has been crazy ever since.

‘Are you trying to wink at me?’ I asked. ‘No. I just want to make sure what I’m seeing is real.’ ‘What are you seeing?’ ‘The love of my life.’

Cameron travels all over the world chasing the next thrill and when she can, Laya goes along too. There is huge risk involved in this career choice and although Laya supports him, she has no appetite for the thrill seeing things Cameron does. Her biggest fear becomes a reality when Cameron is tragically killed on the job leaving her a young widow. Devastated at losing him, Laya leaves her job at the hospital and returns back to New York to be closer to her father and figure out how she can live without her beloved Cameron.

‘I just want to know when I’ll stop feeling like a broken tooth walking around with exposed nerves constantly hitting the freezing air. I feel like my skin has been peeled off.’

One thing that helps Laya deal with her loss is to post messages on Cam’s Facebook page. Messages from Laya to Cameron about memories that pop into her head of things they experienced together. Some of them are about things she wished they did and some are just random thoughts. Laya’s father and Cam’s family are not happy about these posts but how can anyone tell someone how to grieve. If this is what Laya needs to do to get through this awful part of her life then so be it.

When Micah first meets Laya he pretty much forgets how to breath, let alone talk. She is the most stunning woman he has ever seen but her evident grief overshadows her beauty. He wants to know everything there is to know about her and he soon finds her posts online to Cameron. He decides to use these as his guide to occasionally be in the same place as Laya and in some instances to make some of her wishes come true. The last thing he wants to do is hurt her or scare her off. He just wants to make her smile and bring some light to her darkness.

‘It was in that moment I understood what falling for someone meant. It had nothing to do with sex, or wanting to feel good. I had already been there. Falling for someone is when you can’t look away. When you know you would never forget what a person looks like. You would never mistake her for someone else.’

Laya genuinely likes Micah’s presence in her life but she struggles with the guilt that comes along with that, like she is betraying Cameron by even having a friendship with him. She knows that she is not ready for anything more right now and she may not be for a long time. However, Micah makes her feel less alone and just knowing that he is there when she needs him gives her comfort.

I love that Micah was a mostly, quiet, keep to himself sort of guy. He didn’t look at Laya as a conquest or someone he could seduce. He saw the pain and anguish in her eyes and just wanted to help make it go away. His intentions were very sweet and although he may not have expressed himself in quite the way he wanted to, I found his honest ramblings so endearing. He definitely felt out of his depth and potentially felt like Laya was out of his league at times but his patient persistence was exactly what she needed.

‘Why are you staring at me?’ I said. ‘It’s hard to look away,’ he replied.

I’ve always believed that you can have more than one great love in a lifetime and Renee does a wonderful job showing this in this heartfelt story. I have loved every book I have read from this talented author and this story was yet another fabulous 5 star read.

Renee Carlino has always been one of my favorite authors. Her books have always made me feel so many emotions and been must reads. When I read the blurb for the Last Post, I was instantly intrigued. The first chapter captured my attention immediately. As I continued to read, I really wanted to love it, but the story fell a little flat for me. I didn’t connect with Micah and Laya was a bit wishy washy for me.

It wasn’t a bad story, the writing is great. I did able to read it quickly. I just wish I left more and connected a little bit more with the characters. This was a 3.5 star read for me.

I related so much to Laya, and in putting myself in her shoes it broke my heart over and over. But as always, Renee Carlino guides you through a beautiful story of someone who is able to rise up and accept love, despite what's happened in the past. I love Renee's work, and can't wait for what comes next.

This was another good book by Renee it made me laugh it made my cry. I loved the characters that were in the book. I liked how he was helping her get through this but he was also helping himself also.

May be I am a sadist and want to make myself cry. May be thats the reason I chose to read this book inspite of knowing that Renee Carlino always makes me emotional mess with her writings. But I couldn't resist to be honest. Firstly,I have to give to huge shoutout of thanks to Netgalley and the publisher and also the author for the chance to read this heartbreaking book about first love,heartbreak and second chances with the person you least expect to be with.
This book starts with a happy couple, Laya and Cameron. Where it is shown that Cameron is trying very hard to convince Laya to come with him to paris and then be with him when he performs a skii stunt for Red Bull. Cameron and Laya are happily married for a year and are blissfully enjoying their married life. This would be thier third honemoon break. Though Laya hesitates to take off time from her surgery residency,she eventually agrees on the condition that Cameron takes her to see the Louve,inspite of having a very off feeling about this trip. They agree and set off for the land of romanctic adventure. They have a very short but lovely time to themselves there before Cameron had to prepare for his stunt. On the day of the stunt, Both Cameron and Laya felt something different about the situation but Cameron choose to ingore it in favour of adrenaline running through him and as a result he fell of the slope and was dead on impact.


//“Count me down,” he whispered, just loud enough for me to hear over the gusting wind.
“Three,” I paused.
“Come on, Laya, you must be hypothermic by now. Hurry up.”
“Two. One. See ya.” He winked, pulled down his goggles and said, “See ya.” Then he was gone."//

This scene was actually horrible to witness. Was a sobbing mess and could not see proper the lines I was reading. Laya made a count down for Cameron and Cameron promesed to see her on the "other side" only to crash and die leaving Laya without her soulmate. The girl was rightfull miserable. She quit her residency and came back to her home-city New York where she lived in a rented unit offered to her by the architectural firl her father owns.
Now after six months of this incident, we get to meet the "Golden Boy" -Harvard Graduate architect Micah, who was miserable state working in a conflicted environment under co-partners of Laya's father's firm. He got to meet Laya when she came to visit the office with her father. Something in both of them clicked.

//"I know I’ve never met you, but we know each other?"//

Micah architect with a huge ambition which was getting lost admist the offce work ethics environment. He was like a lost boy whose passion was getting put off and in Laya,he saw something that needed his attention. When he found out that Laya posts almost regularly on her husband's "facebook page",he started to follow her posts. He bought her tickets to " The Nationals"
which he left at her doorsteps anonymously and then sat beside her at the program.He sent her roses,metrocards,took her to see a movie while they made out. They also had sex at a bar where Micah went in hope to see Laya after reading her Facebook post. In a nutshell, Micah slowly and very steadily took Laya out of her mourning period.It was hard,not perfect and never easy to start a new life without the person whom you thought you will spent the rest of your life with. Whom you promised to grow old with. There was always a basic flaw with Cameron. He was a adrenaline junkie. A classified thrill seaker which came with a life full of danger. And Laya realised it too but unfortunately it was too late to do something about it.

//"In my mind, I was back in that French chalet begging Cameron not to do the stunt. Deep down, just like his mother said, I knew Cameron lived for it, and had I asked him not do what he loved, he would have resented me."//

What happened next you ask...haha. It was a a beautiful journey. Even I stopped crying and enjoyed my ride with Laya,Micah,the amazing secondary characters and ofcourse Cameron,because thats the moral of the story. You can find the love of your life both times. Thier love to you may be different but its a love for life all the same.


//"I got to have two great loves in my life. One was a little nuts, a little unpredictable, a spontaneous spirit too wild to restrain, and the other  .  .  . a deep and introspective, thoughtful being with magnificent eyes who loved the stars and space right alongside me. I will always look back and think of Cameron as that rocket ship, shooting for the stars, and Micah  .  .  . well  .  .  . he’s like mission control, guiding me home. Both easy to love, both loved me  .  .  . and I never had to choose."//


This is a beautiful love story. A second chance to love and live a life you thought you will never get to live. Micah got to design his own building after he landed the account he always wanted. Laya remarried. It was Micah. She also finished her residency and gradually became a top surgeon. She also scattered last part of Cameron's ashes. She learnt to let the pain go and have a future that she deserves with the person she loves. This is a beautiful book and if you love "P.S. I love you",Me Before You", then you should definately read it.....xoxo🧡💛

I have been reading this author since she was an indie author. I have read all of her books. I have liked or loved pretty much all of them. I always go into her books with such high expectations.

I struggled with this book. At times I liked it, and at times I found myself disinterested in it. This book is such a slow moving and a mostly depressing story, it's hard to stay focused on it.

I didn't care for the characters in this one. I definitely didn't like Laya. I was so-so with Micah. And I definitely didn't feel the chemistry or connection with them. They were just two characters going about their days, sometimes interacting with one another.

This definitely didn't feel like the author's usual writing. It felt more lacking in emotion than all of her previous books. And this book should have been all about emotions. My overall impression of this book is blah. (And it kills me to say that.)

3.5 Stars

Carlino's talent to spin a tale and convey her words with such style has always enthralled me, so it's not difficult to imagine how excited I was when the publisher sent me the ARC via NetGalley.

I really wanted to like Leyla and it niggled me to bits that I didn't connect with her until nearly the end of the story. I tried to put myself in her shoes in an attempt to understand why she reached out to a lost one the way she did. Logically, sorrow consumed her; however, it did seem a tad odd for someone in her profession to cling memories in such an obsessive manner. It all felt rather illusory to me.

I really liked Micah and gave this lovely guy ten out of ten for his steadfast patience. He set eyes on Leyla and that was that! She was the one he'd been dreaming of, like a sign to get out of the rut he'd got himself into and start anew. Even though he was on the receiving end of something confusing, he quickly became aware that specific boundaries weren't to be crossed. Yet him pushing so subtly paid off to a certain degree. This gentle and compassionate man began to tap into Leyla's subconsciousness, occasionally making her reflect on what could be, other times causing her deep distress.

You see, there’s a lot to be said about social media. You post, it’s read. Is this considered to be stalking? I can’t answer that because sometimes I like to check out what my authors are up to. Was Micah overstepping the mark by reading what Leyla uploaded? It is indeed food for thought. What she was doing showed me she’d hit rock bottom and rebuilding her life was the last thing on her mind.

It's not until disaster struck that Leyla realized just how important Micah had become to her. Yet she still held back...hmm, I don't think Micah's twin sister helped here. Honestly, I would have run a mile, too. I often wondered if the wide berth Micah had given Leyla would backfire on him. It was her call, so he has no option but to play the waiting game. One thing is for sure. It was like a wake-up call for Leylah, and going back to her job meant putting things into perspective.

Carlino's character development left me with my mouth wide open. How twins can be so different, how one can be so sensible and sensitive and the other...well, I honestly thought she'd got a screw loose. But one thing is for sure, neither can live without the other. I had an awful lot of trouble getting my head around some of the comments Micah's sister made and not just to her brother. If it was her idea of playful banter, she lost me there.

Observing how Leylah overcame feelings of crippling emptiness and how she learnt to cope with her emotions...even when faced with a few home truths, didn’t make for easy reading. However, Carlino gets home to her readers that hope and the will to carry on regardless is the key. The tone of the story changed three-quarters of the way in with some damn good dialogue lightening up the mood, and I have to say Pretzel, the dog, tickled me pink!

I’ve heard wonderful things about Renée Carlino‘s books, so I was beyond excited to read The Last Post. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me. I had a difficult time connecting to the characters and I didn’t feel any real romantic chemistry between them. Laya was likable enough but Micah came off a little strong for my liking. Although this particular book wasn’t for me, I will still gladly pick up other books by this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an emotionally charged roller coaster for me. It was definitely not the light romance I was expecting. I really loved the chemistry and realness of the characters. While I understand while there were no steamy sex scenes, I wished there was because I really enjoyed the chemistry between Laya and Micah.

Thank you Netgalley, Simon & Schuster, and Renee Carlino for the advanced copy of The Last Post!
I devoured this book in less than 24 hours.
This was my first novel by Renee so I went In with no expectations.
With that said I gave this book 4.5 stars.

I LOVED the references to the National. (One of the reasons this book really spoke to me).

I thought Laya and Micah’s relationship was interesting. I didn’t get creeper vibes like other readers did.

My favorite character in the book was definitely Melissa, she brought some funny scenes.

Smooth and easy read. Kind of predictable but sweet.

I love this author's writing and her previous books so much but this one didn't work for me! I did my best and gave my full concentration but I could only give three stars for the parts that I loved!

What went wrong with the book?
1`)TROUBLE ABOUT CHARACTERS
Hero, Micah acted so much like You's Joe Goldberg, I know he likes his boss's daughter Laya so much and he might have good intentions to help her through her grieving process but still I didn't like his obsessive style to bring her happiness.
Laya was more lovely character but at some parts I wanted to yell at her: `Please stand up for yourself!" But she didn't. At the end I'm happy to see she's capable of handling her own grief!

2) THEIR TOGETHERNESS
It was hard for me to enjoy their love stories maybe too many lies and too many obsessed stalkerish starting to a new relationship didn't fit my impeccable romance mind!

3) SLOWNESS
Especially mid parts of the book bored me to death! I tried so hard, even skipped a few pages but it was still slow and all the grieving process kept repeating itself. It was torturing experience for me!

I love angsty, edgy , heart wrecking stories but this one is starting with wrong foot and then you're getting lost in some place of the story.

CONCLUSION: I still love this author and I love to read her upcoming books without thinking a second but this one was not for me!

Let me preface this by saying I couldn’t love Renee Carlino’s book more. She’s an author I don’t even hesitate to get her next book because they’ve all be undoubtedly great. However, this was a hard book for me to ever get into and connect with. For me, the main problem were the characters. Micah came off too creepy, needy, and just odd... and in no way was endearing to me. Layla wasn’t all that likable to me and I hated her indecisiveness towards Micah and how she would just disappear for long periods of time. And lastly, Mel wasn’t “coming” relief. Her “sense of humor” was just rude and not all that relatable. Unfortunately, this highly anticipated book was a big let down for me

The Last Post engaged me from page one, and I was desperate to love it.

But, I didn’t. I liked it.

Here’s what worked for me: I loved the writing. It was a smooth read. The concept was unique. And I liked the dual perspective. Oh and I loved that Micah had a fraternal twin sister, because I’m a fraternal twin. Though, my brother and I are nothing like Melissa and Micah.

Here is what didn’t work: Creepy dude who’s a mess sees his boss’s daughter and becomes infatuated with her. Stalks her social media and leaves her gifts of things she mentioned OR shows up where she is going to be. I get that he thought his intentions were good, but dude. No.

3.5 stars

When I pick up a Renee Carlino book, I know that it's going to be an emotional ride. One that will pull on my heartstrings and make me examine my own life and experiences. The Last Post was no different.

Laya's journey after the sudden death of her husband was painful, poignant, and sometimes frustrating. There was a lot of hot and cold and erratic behavior, but I think it was the author's way of showing how disjointed and broken Laya felt. People cope and handle grief in so many different ways. I'm hesitant to call this book a romance because even though there were romantic elements, I felt the story was more about healing, forgiveness, and self discovery. My favorite chapter in the book was actually one where Laya and her father speak about grief and loss. It was such a heartbreaking and uplifting chapter. One that gave me a different perspective and had me reframing my own experiences and feelings.

I liked both Laya and Micah, but I can't say that I loved them. Micah was a creepy stalker and did some really questionable things in his attempts to get to know Laya. I just didn't feel the spark and connection that they supposedly shared. They were both emotionally stunted and the back and forth dance between them with Laya pulling away and Micah coming on way too strong or constantly apologizing got old pretty quickly. Micah just felt too desperate for most of the book, taking any scrap Laya would grant him. The first part of the book was a bit confusing and slow for me, but the ending and epilogue were very sweet and tied the story together really well. Overall, The Last Post is a thoughtful read that will have you holding your loved ones next time a little longer and tighter.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Renee Carlino's vivid, descriptive prose never fails to draw me into her stories. Having read this book pretty quickly, unable to tear myself away from the tortured and tragic yet hopeful and full of love pages, I found myself enamored with the story telling chops of Carlino. Her style of writing just always manages to find some long buried emotion or reveals a new vulnerability in life. It's a sort of magic ingredient that makes her stories so compelling and captivating.

While I didn't connect wholly to these characters I understood them in a myriad of ways. Grappling with their grief and existential issues right along with them helped me to absorb and really feel the story that much more. There were certain actions that I struggled with because I didn't understand it and some I thought I did understand but still didn't agree with. But that's okay for me and didn't detract from the emotional depth of the story.

The Last Post was more than a romance to me. It was realistic piece of contemporary Women's fiction with very complex, layered romance and interpersonal relationships. The romance of the story was juxtaposing the hope with the despair, the light with the dark. The story was as welcoming as it was standoffish making for a really intriguing reading experience. Taking this unique journey with these fascinatingly complex characters told with rich and brilliantly executed writing is definitely recommended by me.

Renee Carlino quickly became a must read for me after Swear On the Life and Before We Were Strangers. I also read Wish You Were Here and loved it too. I was denied for her last book on Netgalley, I cant even remember what it was called, so like a child, I refused to read it. According to one of my book besties, it was total shit, so I am glad I didn’t read it! And here we are with her latest.

I don’t even know what to say about this book. The story line was good, and there was a lot of character growth and development. But it was a little odd too? It is about a woman who loses her husband after a year of marriage and she is grieving. She can’t let him go and still posts on his Facebook page and calls and leaves messages on his cell phone. And a guy who works at the woman’s fathers architectural firm, who basically stalks Laya and reads the Facebook posts and shows up at random places, etc. It was hard to like Micah at first, because of his stalker tendencies, and Laya is such a mess. And a lot of the middle of the book was a little meh for me. It was really heavy and dark, but then also, I felt like there was something missing too?

But then, the end of the book came back around for me and I am glad I read it. So I cant really tell you 100% how I feel about the book. It is no Swear on This Life, I can tell you that. But I guess in the end, I end it up liking it?

Bottom Line: Normally I say something like, if you are a fan of Carlino, read it! But in this case, it isn’t really anything like her other books. I am glad I did read it, because I thought about the book a lot. If you don’t mind a book that goes a little rogue in the middle, and some heavier things…it was a decent plot line and the characters did come together for me.

**I received a copy of The Last Post from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.**

Laya never planned to get married, never planned on falling in love. But life had other plans for her. Well on her way to becoming an orthopedic surgeon, Laya met Cameron, a fearless stuntman who got his thrills from extreme sports. They had a whirlwind romance and were married within a year. But only a year after they tied the knot, Cameron unexpectedly dies during one of his stunts and Laya is left trying to pick up the pieces of her life. She moved back to New York to be closer to her dad and puts her career—and everything else—on hold during her grieving process.

Micah has been working at the same architecture firm for years and doesn’t feel his career is progressing in any sense of the word. His friends are content partying every weekend, sharing their bed with a new woman every night. But Micah’s over that lifestyle. He’s ready to move forward, settle down and leave the party days behind him. Micah feels he’s in a midlife crisis, even though he’s barely even 30-years old. But when he meets his boss’ daughter, Laya, he snaps out of his funk and has a reason to move forward.

Laya’s family is worried for her—she isn’t coping with Cameron’s death in the healthiest way. She’s been sending Cameron Facebook messages, updating him on her life and reminiscing about all their good memories together. But while doing so, she isn’t able to move on. Little does she know, Micah has been reading her posts and sending her anonymous gifts that remind her of Cameron.

Micah and Laya enter each other’s lives at the most inconvenient of times, but for some reason they just work, even if it takes months to get to their destination.

The Last Post is Renee Carlino’s latest contemporary romance publication. The premise of this story was intriguing—a hard-hitting story about grief, love and moving forward. Previously I read Blind Is and Swear on This Life by Renee Carlino an loved both, but unfortunately there was a disconnect with The Last Post. What I loved about this story: Micah’s relationship with his twin sister, Melissa. Their banter was witty and funny and their connection I feel was awesome. For some reason I couldn’t connect with Laya and Micah. I thought Micah’s interest in Laya was a little odd and he came off too strong for no reason. I sympathized with Laya’s grief but didn’t buy her romance with Micah. I wanted so badly to love this one, but it just wasn’t for me. I think it was well-written and I will continue to read more by this wonderful author. 3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Renee Carlino for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for a review copy of The Last Post. I am a big Renee Carlino fan but this book did not carry the same weight as her others have. I admired Laya and her loss, however the other main character, Micah, I found to be unlikable and creepy at certain places. I thought his twin sister, Melissa, brought much needed humor to the story. This was not a DNF for me, but it wasn't a huge hit either.