The Last Time I Saw You is a skillfully crafted story about generational trauma, love and forgiveness. The story immediately hooks you in, making you care about the cast of characters from the start and as you learn about what each generation has had to cope with, your empathy for them grows.. Another brilliant read from Jo Leevers.

I was lucky enough to read Jo Leevers' The Last Time I Saw You as an advanced reader copy (it comes out in July 2024) and I loved the fresh take on what could have been a cliche or trope of a mother leaving her young family. Thanks to dual points of view, the character of Nancy remained as nuanced as that of her daughter, Georgie, and I loved this family drama turned mystery as Georgie, now an adult on the brink of motherhood herself, follows fresh leads to find her mother. Pick this one up for sure!

Jo Leevers has a superbly simple tone to her writing that hits all the right notes and reminds me of Maggie O'Farrell. I was completely drawn in and invested in Georgie and her missing mother, Nancy. I loved that we got both sides of their story in the dual timeline and dual narrative. This is a journey in the literal and metaphorical sense as Georgie and her brother search for answers about loss and abandonment, of what family means and how their childhood shaped who they became as adults. It is a layered and utterly compelling read.

Georgie, alone in a new village, pregnant a world away from her busy former life in London sees a newspaper article with a picture of a woman who is startlingly familiar. Could it be that after all these years later, the mother that abandoned her and her younger brother has finally broke cover?

What follows is an unscheduled road trip, with her estranged brother to locate their missing mother and find the truth as to why she abandoned them all those years ago.

Nancy is panicked at the thoughts of her cover being blown, she starts to run again, but not for the reasons you might think.

Deftly written tale of love, loss and forgiveness.

Georgie is about to have her first child — but before she becomes a mother she has to find her own.

Whilst Leevers’ debut centres around the end of life and the regrets we hold, this story is about motherhood and birth. It’s an in-depth exploration of how brutally our own childhood affects that of our children. Whilst at times heavy there is always warmth and, most importantly, a sense of hope that we are able to break generational trauma and not repeat our parents or abusers’ actions.

Leevers writes with such compassion for her characters; sharing their experiences, mistakes, trauma and healing. I found myself utterly gripped and longing to be back with Georgie and Nancy each day. The characters are so well crafted that even the side characters stayed with me long after I’d finished the book.

An emotional and evocative story that I cannot recommend enough.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union for the ARC.

I've always enjoyed road trips in books and films, and this one with heavily pregnant Georgie and her estranged brother was gripping from start to finish. There were times when I could barely stand to read on - for all the very best of reasons. I empathised so completely with both Georgie and her mother Nancy, and really cared about them and their pain felt, that at times I wanted to shout, "No!" out loud. A fabulous read. Thank you!