This was a lot sadder than I was expecting it to be. I knew it was about Anna struggling to get over the death of her husband, but I assumed that things would get lighter when she connected to Brody. I started this and stopped this so many times - I wasn’t a fan of the audiobook narrator. If you want a sad book, read this. It was good but sad.

Thanks to @NetGalley, William Morrow and Custom House, and HarperAudio for my ARC!

4.5 stars
Such a sweet, heartfelt book. I loved every minute I spent with Anna and Brody, even though some of it was heart-wrenching and difficult.
If you've ever experienced loss of any kind, you realize how much it can break you and how grief affects different people in completely different ways. Anna and Brody are both well acquainted with loss and the solace they find in talking with each other is really beautiful.
There were parts of this story that made me angry, because I didn't think that a particular character was handling things the way I thought they should. Yet when I stopped to think about it, each journey was just right for that character. When the ending arrived I felt very satisfied with how each storyline concluded.
I partially listened to the audio book and partially read a print copy. The narrator is fantastic and her way of communicating the voices of each character really made me connect with them in a deeper way.
Highly recommended if you like emotional romantic tales.

Anna's husband died tragically almost 3 years ago and she is still struggling with his loss. On New Year's Eve, she calls his old phone number and a man picks up. Anna proceeds to connect with her new friend as she navigates her friendship with Gabby, her standing with her mother-in-law, Gayle, and finding her way back to the world of the living. This story provides a strong glimpse into Anna's life and relationships. Anna begins to rely on her calls with her mysterious man, Brody. They are both dealing with loss and find ways to help each other through their struggles. It's worth a listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Harper Audio, for providing me with an eARL in exchange for my honest review.

This is a great #fiction read that will help restore your faith in humanity. It’s about finding your way through the hardest of times & learning to re-open your heart and begin building a new future for yourself when the life you were living is unexpectedly, irreversibly changed. It’s sweet, caring, patience and understanding that helps those who mourn recover from their isolating sadness. No one wants to be told how to behave, how to mourn, or how to “get over it.”

Totally worth putting on the TBR. #Poignant new novel #TheLastGoodbye by #FionaLucas and #audiobook #narrated by #AntoniaBeamish (who delivers a wonderfully diverse and very believable cast of characters!!) is expected to be published June 8, 2021, just in time for #beach #reading #vacations. Thank you to #Netgalley, #HarperAudio, and Fiona Lucas for allowing me to review the audio of The Last Goodbye in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is not a happy book. It is about grief and loss. But it's also about healing. I loved this one. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was lovely.

Anna tragically lost her husband and soulmate nearly 3 years ago. Her friends and family are desperate for her to move forward, but that just doesn’t seem possible for Anna. She’s going through the motions and drowning in the pointlessness of life without her love. On New Years Eve, feeling especially lost and alone, Anna calls her husband’s cell phone, just to hear his voicemail, but instead hears another voice down the line. Her husband’s number has been reassigned to a man named Brody. Anna comes to find comfort and freedom in baring her ugliest thoughts to this stranger. As the conversations continue with more frequency, Brody becomes a bit of a lifeline. He’s someone who has also experienced loss and therefore understands all the ways Anna feels in a way others in her life simply cannot. This story was so lovely. Usually when I get to the end of a book I’m ready for everything to wrap up and end, even if it’s a book I’m enjoying, however I was genuinely sad for this story to end. This book was so cozy and comforting and sweet. I could have hung out with Brody and Anna for a long long time. I was captivated by the depictions of grief. This book captured the heartache and struggles without ever being dreary or hopeless, even when the characters felt dreary and hopeless. This is the story of finding a way forward and battling your fears, even with numbness feels safer. I absolutely adored this book! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This delightful debut from Fiona Lucas releases on June 8, so keep an eye out!

I used the audio to follow along with the book. It was my first time actually utilizing an audio and I must admit I was very iffy at first but the narrator was very entertaining. Her voice is soothing and she sounds very engaged with the story.

As for the story itself here is my review:
I enjoyed this story. I got the sense of mixture of You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle and Lake House. I was totally enthralled with this story. It had me laughing out loud and crying the "ugly tears". I just wish the ending was a little better but overall this story is worth your time.

I didn't care for this one at all. I had a difficult time connecting to any of the characters, did not enjoy the narrator and found the story sad and depressing. I thought it would have been more uplifting.

TW: Grief/Loss

There are quite a few books that have been written about losing someone, quite a few about how someone has continued with their life after losing someone, but I find that it is rare that I find a book that goes through the grieving journey. It was unique to follow a woman 2-3 years after her husband’s unexpected death. It’s not the immediate grieving or the ‘how ai have learned to live’, but the actual learning to live part of the process.

It was so brilliantly depicted through the eyes of the main character as we see her friends and family try to help, but no one can truly understand.

I really liked how the characters all felt real and developed while the main focused stayed on Anna. It so great the different areas of her life (friendships, family, his family, etc) were all part of her life and her loss was something that was kind of there, happening to her all the time rather than being the main focus of every conversation at all times because that’s not what happens in real life.

The only thing I would have liked would have been to have an epilogue. I usually don’t love an epilogue, but so feel like I got so invested in her learning what her new happy looked like that I wanted to know what that looked like for her.

The Antonia Beamish was excellent & I would love to listen to other work by them.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Harper Audio, and Fiona Lucas for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am not going to provide a lengthy summary of the book as many others have done, but I will say I really enjoyed this book! I had a difficult time getting into as it can be sad because it discusses grief, but I'm glad I continued on. If you have ever lost someone, I imagine you will connect with what she is going through. It is a great story and I recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for providing me with this advanced audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Please see my Goodreads review by clicking on my link. This book was not what I was expecting and I was disappointed because I was expecting a the story to be more uplifting and not so serious.

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio-ARC of The Last Goodbye by Fiona Lucas, narrated by Antonia Beamish.
Almost three years ago, Anna's husband Spencer died suddenly. Spencer was the love of Anna's life, and she has found it challenging to move forward without him. On New Year's Eve, Anna calls Spencer's phone number to hear his voicemail message but is surprised when a man answers. Through a series of phone calls, Anna gets to know Brody, a man dealing with his own tragedies. Together, they help each other learn to challenge themselves to move forward and find purpose. This book was well-written and allowed the reader to feel the difficulties of loss and sudden death. At times the book moved slowly, and the ending was somewhat predictable. Antonia Beamish's British accent added to the audio and helped the listener feel like they were in London experiencing the story. I felt the pace could have been faster and increased the audio speed to 1.25x. Overall, this was an easy read perfect for someone looking for a love story born from tragedy.

This one surprised me. I though it was going to be a super sad book but I really loved it! I found myself thinking about this book even when I wasn’t listening to it. This is one that I would love to read a physical copy of one day

This book is going to take the romance reading community by storm. It has all the trappings of an emotional "PS I Love You" type story, and I can already hear the women weeping in their bedrooms. I was delighted and enamored by this book, and recommend it for fans of more hard-hitting romances like The Two Lives of Lydia Bird and Beach Read.

This was exactly what I needed. I don’t know how else to explain this than it was hopeful and heartbreaking at the same time. I really enjoyed the main character, Anna, and felt so connected to her. I loved the narrators voices so much. I usually listen to audiobooks during my drive to and from work but I found myself still listening around the house while I did chores.

I don't even have words for this story. It was so heartbreaking but sweet and hopeful at the same time. The story of moving on from loss and friendship turning to love was so well told and so relatable. I wouldn't call this a tearjerker, but it was definitely an emotional story. Easily 5 starts for the book itself. I will absolutely have to own it in paperback when it releases.

Where this book fell flat for me was the audio. The narrator was fine for Anna's parts, but I did not enjoy her reading of Brody's sections at all. I think dual narration would have been a much better choice here. Her "other" voices for side characters were lacking as well. I'll admit that I listen to a LOT of audio books (sometimes 50 a month), so I absolutely have opinions about what I like and don't like as far as narration goes. Unfortunately, this was a "don't like". 3 stars at best for this audio.

This was a pretty sad depressing book! I did love the story but just a bit slow moving for me. My heart broke for Anna and Brody... and was so glad they found each other. I listened to the audio book and loved the narrator. Very well written, well told book.

Even though this was not the right book at the right time for me so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped, I still have to admit there were some really great things about the story. This book is a slow moving storyline that focuses on the character development. I have not experienced some of the events these characters have gone through but the author made it where I could feel some of the emotions with these characters. I thoroughly enjoyed how the characters helped each other, whether meaning to or not. It made me think about how my simple actions in life can affect and help those around me. At times I did get very frustrated with some of the characters and how self centered they had become. At times I considered putting it down because of that. But as I kept going I saw how they learned and grew and I’m glad I kept reading. I’m glad I was given the opportunity to read this book.

This book gave me a Hallmark move feels. It was so sweet and sentimental and i really enjoyed the story. It wasn't my favorite, but i did enjoy it. I really enjoyed the narration

Anna lost her husband three years ago after a car accident and still struggling with the loss, calls his cell phone to hear his voice. She’s shocked when someone answers the phone. On the other end, Brody patiently listens and seems to understand her pain. A friendship grows as the two begin opening up to one another and they realize that it might be possible to move on from the past.

Anna was still part of her husbands family Sunday dinners and celebrations and putting up with a grumpy former mother-in-law. I loved those interactions and her wanting to maintain the connection. It just felt so real and honest and I was completely emotionally invested. Anna and Brody were both such likable characters and the friendship they developed was just so sweet. I adored this book.
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