This was such a heartbreaking book. It broke my heart and put it back again. Anna and Brody both have tragedy and their pasts. The connect by pure coincidence and start a friendship through phone calls. I love how they both seem to heal each other!

The narrator was amazing in this audio book the the story was super well written. I was very engaged the whole time and the emotions ran high. Tears welled up in my eyes and Anna has stolen my heart in this book.

I was interested in reading this book because I have been enjoying some newer commercial fiction that deals with death such as Josie Silver and Angie Hockman. Unfortunately, this story was far too emotionally manipulative for my personal taste. It was missing both the whimsy and realistic elements of lighthearted moments of those authors. THE LAST GOODBYE stayed relatively smooth and low energy throughout. It was relatively formulaic and predictable - even the “twist” of Brody’s loss was very easy to see coming. I just think it was missing some of the lightness that comes with life after loss - not everything is forlorn or a growth moment. That being said, I think this is PERFECT for fans of Jojo Moyes. So if you love her, you should read this.

The narrator for this audiobook was also very good though I don’t think she was particularity adept at doing the side characters voices.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the copy.

Listening to the audiobook of The Last Goodbye by Fiona Lucas was truly a cathartic journey helping me cope with my own grief. A powerful story of loss told with humor, grace and love.

Three years ago Anna lost her husband Spence, her one true love , in a senseless accident. On New Year's Eve she dials his voicemail to hear his voice and is truly shocked when a man answers the call.

Brody lives alone in a small cabin in the woods with only his precious dog Louis for company. He is truly startled when his phone rings on New Year's Eve and he hears a woman's voice he has never heard before.

Anna and Brody start to talk and what Anna realizes is Brody really listens to her without judgement. Brody realizes Anna doesn't force him to talk and he can just be her phone friend.

As their conversations last longer and time in between calls grow shorter they both are scared that their feelings for each other are becoming more than casual. For Anna taking a risk with one another means loving someone other than Spence and that feels like a betrayal. For Brody it means telling Anna why he never leaves the cabin and that means facing his own grief.

I was fully invested in Anna and Brody and when Anna's fears are spoken by the multi talented narrator Antonia Beamish I felt the pain. But when Brody revealed his story my heart just broke. I am tearing up now just remembering listening to his sadness, his grief and his guilt.

The author quickly makes you care about these two people and the unhappiness they deal with every day. Even the supporting characters, like Anna's often cruel mother-in-law, are handling their grief in their own way.

When you can't say goodbye it is hard to move on but when you are ready you realize you never say goodbye because the ones we lose are always in our hearts.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publishers via #Netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved everything about this story and the audiobook. Grief is a complicated topic and everyone processes it differently. And people around the person suffering can't always understand what they're feeling so it's hard to be supportive or feel like you're getting supported. These nuanced dynamics around Anna were very realistic. I liked seeing Anna's story unfold and how, even years on, she feels the need to reach out to hear her husband's voice again. I was less committed to Brody, but I enjoyed hearing more about him. I think Anna just resonated more with me. The audiobook narrator was fantastic and kept me really engaged. I understand the comparisons to Jojo Moyes and how the emotional depth and ease with which you can connect to the story is there. I would happily read this author's other books and listen to anything this narrator read.

🥀The Last Goodbye🥀

Synopsis:
How can you move on if you can’t let go? Spencer was the love of Anna’s life: her husband, her best friend, her rock. She thought their love would last forever. But three years ago, Spencer was tragically killed in an accident and Anna’s world was shattered. How can she ever move on, when she’s lost her soulmate? On New Year’s Eve Anna calls Spencer’s phone number, just to hear his old voicemail greeting. But to her shock, someone answers…

Brody has inherited Spencer’s old number and is the first person who truly understands what Anna’s going through. As her and Brody’s phone calls become lengthier and more frequent, they begin opening up to each other—and slowly rediscover how to smile, how to laugh, even how to hope. But Brody hasn’t been entirely honest with Anna. Will his secret threaten everything, just as it seems she might find the courage to love again?

This novel undeniably packed a powerful and emotional punch. Having witnessed an unexpected loss myself, the author truly captured raw, honest and nonfunctional grief that so many people have a hard time overcoming. Fiona Lucas also created such a beautiful blend of supporting characters that you can’t help but wish on all the lucky stars that you will have the same support system in place if you were ever thrown into the same situation.

Thank you @netgalley and @harperaudio for this E-ARC!

#evesbookishreads.....
#bookstagram #bookreviewerforfun #reading #books #igreads #igbooks #booklover #instabooks #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookstagramfeature #thelastgoodbye #fionalucas

This book was hard to put down and sucked me in from the very beginning. It's hard not to like Anna and Brody and feel emotionally invested in their respective journeys. I really enjoyed how the characters, even the side characters, develop throughout this book. It also felt like the story unfolded effortlessly and I was just swept along with it. This is helped in huge part by the narrator who did an amazing job bringing this book to life.

Thank you Netgalley for offering audiobook ARC’s. I really enjoyed this audiobook and might not have picked it up otherwise. A story about a widow still grieving the loss of her husband 2 years prior, who still calls his number just to hear his voice, until one day when she dials the number and someone else answers. The man on the other end listens sympathetically and the two form a friendship and over time learn that each has suffered a terrible loss but have to ask themselves, can they love again?

Anna is struggling after losing her husband, Spenser, 3 years ago. Everyone is waiting for her to move on. Her friend tries to set her up but it doesn’t seem to work out. She can’t get passed the fact he’s not Spenser. She doesn’t think she can ever move on.

She picks up the phone and calls Spenser’s number. She gets someone on the line. She doesn’t know what to think. Was it Spenser. No his phone number went to someone else when her card was canceled.

She calls again.

Brody hasn’t spoken to anyone besides Anna in 4 months. He likes that he can be here for her. To just be on the phone and let her talk it out. He knows how it feels to loose someone.

This is a sweet love story that shows the depths that people can end up in after a loss. Anyone who knows how hard it is to loose someone knows that three years is nothing. It can take over your life in a dark way and not let loose even after others prescribed set time limits for grief. The author does a great job representing grief and the grip it can hold on you.

I really liked the give and take of this relationship. While it may not seem like it, these two give the other what they need. I really liked Brody and his kindness, too.

I enjoyed Antonia Beamish’s narration on this. She did an excellent job and I will likely be adding her as a favorite narrator.


This is a definitely one I would recommend. Be warned that it does deal with guilt, death, grief, phobia, and overcoming. It might be a tough book for those that feel that pain and may set heavy. I just want you to know so if you’re looking for something quick, light fluffy romance then this may not be the right pick. Now if you aren’t dealing with grief this book may be that for you. It was a pretty quick read for me and while I have had that kind of loss in my life, I was able to get through this one without any tears. Although, I have dealt with my grief and am on the lighter side of it. TMI?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Audio for this free audio edition in exchange for my honest review.

Anna lost her husband a couple of years ago. Wanting to just hear her husbands voice she calls his number as she has many times before. But it isn't her husband's recorded voice that answers. It was Brody. He is a man working through his own grief. The two become friends and call and talk almost daily. Little by little their grief begins to ease. There is hope that they each may be able to move on someday.
I listened to the audio version of the book. I enjoyed the narrator and the story itself. It kept me interested throughout. It's not an easy topic to talk about but it was told in a way that was honest and heartfelt.

Thanks to netgalley and Harper Audio for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. This was such a sweet story of love and loss. I found myself crying several times while listening. I will definitely be buying a hard copy to read again soon.

This is a women's fiction. In the beginning I did not think I was going to like this book. I have to say the beginning was hard for me to get into, but once I got pulled into it I could not put it down. Anna lost her husband, Spencer, and she is having trouble moving on. His mother is being not very nice to her, and she calls his old phone number to hear the message for when his phone is not answer. She is shocked when someone answers the phone. This book is about two people that is going through something so hard to get through, and they meet by a shocking phone call. They are there for each other and hopes each other through the dark times. This book was really about the light at the end of a very dark road of life. I loved the characters and the storyline in this book. I really love the ending. Wow... The ending was everything, but the whole book was great as well. I think this book maybe my new favorite book. I loved it so much. I listen to the audiobook for this book, and the narrator was really good, and I loved the audiobook. I was kindly provided an e-audiobook of this book by the publisher (William Morrow Paperbacks) or author (Fiona Lucas) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

"THE LAST GOODBYE is a heartwarming tale dealing with the loss of a spouse and finding love again."

Review to come on FreshFiction.com.

An emotional journey through our MC's grief journey. While I enjoyed this journey of healing, I wish Anna and Brody would have met sooner. I'm a sucker for romance and the romance wasn't as much of the storyline as I would have liked. Not a fault of the book, just my preference.
I reviewed the audiobook version of this book and the narrator was great! It was a character-driven story and I always prefer those on audio. Anna was a well-developed MC and we learned more about Brody as the story went on. I recommend this to anyone who liked the Two Lives of Lydia Byrd.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC! I really enjoyed it and thought the romance was very sweet. This book is about Anna and Brody. Anna's husband, Spencer, died 2 years ago and she has not been able to move on. She calls his phone and gets an answer and thinks its Spencer at first but its actually a man named Brody. Brody is agoraphobic and hasn't talked to someone in months so he's definitely not what you would call a conversationalist. However, they continue to talk and form a friendship that is built on shared vulnerability and loneliness. I thought the story was really sweet and I enjoyed it, but I wasn't really emotionally invested so I don't know if I'll remember this for very long.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
Brody is actually a children's book author that has stopped writing because his 2 year old daughter drowned when he was watching her. His marriage split up and he completely retreated into himself to the point that he became agoraphobic. Through their friendship, Anna finally starts to take steps toward accepting Spencer's death and Brody starts writing again. I think this showed pretty well how a friendship or relationship can build your confidence without necessarily "fixing" you. I also really liked the discussion around the inlaw relationship once the loved one has passed. I thought it was really interesting how her mother in law got so hurt when she saw Anna with another man and how that relationship was broken and then healed.

I think it says so much about an author and their book when they can draw in the reader and get them to feel the same emotions as the characters. That was definitely the case with The Last Goodbye so make sure you have tissues close by when you pick this one up.

What I loved about this book:

1. I loved this one in audio format and part of the reason was the accent of the narrator. The narrator was amazing and she definitely added to my enjoyment of this book.

2. This book is a story of love and loss and how it can completely wreck a person. It is also about friendship and how you can start to heal. The characters of Anna and Brody were well written and the author did an amazing job of getting the reader to connect and feel the pain they were going through.

3. This captivating book was everything I needed to read, but I really loved how the author took a storyline that was heartbreaking and turned it into something that was also inspirational. I have never lost anyone as close to me as the characters, but I imagine this story could give someone in that position a bit of hope.

4. This book covered the different stages of grief and the mental illness that can follow with grace and sensitivity.

I really enjoyed this book so I hope you get the chance to pick up a copy for yourself.

{This book is available now}

I recently had the opportunity to listen to The Last Goodbye by Fiona Lucas and I loved it. Narrated by Antonia Beameish, she brought this emotional and touching story about grief and loss to life. Anna is still grieving the husband she lost tragically. Moving on seems impossible. To hear his voice once again, she calls his old number to hear his voice and is shocked when someone actually answers. Before she knows it, she is sharing things with Brody she never expected. They are both suffering from heartbreak and sorrow. Their friendship begins over long conversations that seems to bring the something they never expected.

Happy listening!

The Last Goodbye is a highly engaging story right from the very beginning.  The book is emotional at times, but one that had me rooting for both Anna and Brody as they worked their way through their grief.  Each of these characters was extremely well developed.  I loved their ability to push each other out of their comfort zone to reclaim some joy in their lives.  There is a scene reminiscent of Sleepless in Seattle that will keep you guessing.  All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book which was narrated by Antonia Beamish.  The clarity and tone of her voice was perfect for this story.  I would not hesitate to recommend this version to those who enjoy this format.

What I Liked About The Last Goodbye

- The well developed characters
- The poignant, beautiful storyline
- The theme of trying to let go of past relationships to move on

Please note that this review is for the audio book edition of this title.

What do you do when you lose the person that you most love? The person who was your soulmate. Maybe one day, you dial their phone number out of a sense of longing and…someone (but not your husband) answers. Can you connect to this person? Do you even want to? Are there things in their past that will complicate things? Where will all of this lead?

This heartfelt title is beautifully read by the narrator. For those looking for an emotional read, this may be it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

A great story of overcoming grief and dealing with crippling social anxiety. For fans of PS I love you or Evvie Drake starts over. Really enjoyed this sloooow burn romance that focuses on losing a loved one in tragic ways and how difficult moving on can be. Really well written!