Review – The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

TITLE: The Last Time We Say Goodbye
AUTHOR: Cynthia Hand
PUBLICATION DATE: February 10, 2015
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RATING:

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a gorgeous and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and letting go.

*Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book through a giveaway from Cynthia Hand. This in no way affected my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review:

I can’t. I’m sorry but I just can’t. Just the feels in this book. The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a beautifully woven book about Lex, or Alexis, depending on the person talking, and her life after her younger brother committed suicide.

This book is a roller coaster emotion wise. I’m going to tell you right now that this book is a tearjerker. You might want to read this alone, in private, with a tissue box nearby. For me, crying, especially over fictional characters is rare and yet I cried many times while reading this book. First it was just a few drops here and there, but by the end tears were streaming. I cried more while reading this than I did while reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. But I also found myself laughing and smiling at times too.

The Last Time We Say Goodbye really makes you think about life and appreciate your relationships with the people you love. It really made me want to run into my younger brother’s room and say “I love you” which is different from the usual “stop being such an idiot” comment.

On a lighter note, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is structured a bit like If I Stay by Gayle Forman – the present mixed was with flashbacks (journal entries written about the past) but without the out of body experience. The journal entries were like missing puzzle pieces of what happened. They helped me better understand why Lex did certain things and thought a certain way.

I really liked Lex. She was sarcastic at times which, among other things, helped lighten the mood a little when things were getting a bit heavy. She’s a nerd with a love for math and I really appreciated the math and nerdiness put into her character (instead of counting sheep to go to sleep, she goes over the Fibonacci Sequence, 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc). Did I mention her sarcastic humor? It was great.

My one problem with with plot is that I felt like there was this unwelcome twist. I also felt some things happened abruptly and seemly for no reason. Thinking back I can kind of understand why it all happened from a writer’s perspective, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I also like the way The Last Time We Say Goodbye ended. It was conclusive kind of realistic… in a way.

In Conclusion…

Be prepared for the tears when you read The Last Time We Say Goodbye. It’s a huge tearjerker with the ability to take you on an emotional roller coaster and an interesting and likable main character.

Final Rating
Characters
Pacing
Plot
Romance
Writing
Overall:	4.9

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