Last Summer both Lucy and Ben suffered a great loss. The loss of Trixie who was Lucy's best friend and Bens sister. This story revolves around the emotions and loss that Lucy and Ben are going through. It is a about loss, love and finding yourself. This was a great read and I can't recommend it enough.

ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled a little with my rating here. BUT I think I figured it all out! I tore through this book in one day! I was super invested in the story and the characters. Losing friends young is very hard. I lost family and friends young. One of my long time friends when I was just a senior in high school. So this book called to me right away.
We are dealing with two people at different stages in their grief. Lucy lost Trixie her best friend as if that isn't painful enough she loses Ben as well. The love of her life and Trixies brother. He is alive but is unable to be around her now. Lucy is at the point where she is sad and missing her best friend every day but she knows that she needs to get moving. That living is what Trixie would have wanted. She meets a boy Simon and that's really where everything changes for her.
Ben goes bat shit crazy in the wake of his sister's death. He is harboring guilt because he thinks if he had been paying attention to his sister and not Lucy she would be alive. He hates the world and everything in it. He attacks Lucy with that hate every chance he gets. Bens grief is the kind I understand. I loved that he was angry and reckless. I loved that he cursed like a sailor and acted out sexually. It felt very real to me. Don't get me wrong I was yelling at the book, begging him to get his shit together! That is the point though he invoked a real feeling within me.
Lucy was also a beautiful character. She has made a new friend named Hannah who is trying to help her deal with the grief. I loved their friendship so much. I loved that Hannah wanted to know Trixie. That she treated her with respect even though she was gone. I loved all the female friendships in this book!
" Be really brave. BRB - our code."
That sums up how amazing Trixie and these relationships are. Now on to my issues. Simon the boy Lucy begins dating to try and move on from Ben. He seems extremely sweet and it's so clear at times he loves her in a way. I also felt some off things about him. Maybe he capitalized on grief a little. I don't know if that was intentional because it wasn't addressed. He also throws something very personal in Bens face and that sat very very wrong with me. Simon at the end also faces a grief of his own and I didn't think that was needed. SPOLIERISH? I hated the kind of stress that added to Lucy. Simon and all his flaws was there for her during her grief and she just left him. It did not sit well with me. BUT my conflicting feelings on Simon the ones that think he was using her grief make me think that is why she left him in his time of need. (I don't mean she should have stayed with him by any means. Just been a friend) SO this was my only issue with the story. If you can even call it that.
I really liked this book. I think everyone should read! It dealt with grief in ways we don't often see in the YA world. It also gave us different manifestations of grief helping show that not everyone grieves the same. It was wonderful. FOUR STAR.

Favorite Quote
"It's a good day to have a good day." She leans in close to me and whispers, "BRB, Lucy. Promise me."

lucy and ben had always been connected by trixie. she was lucy's best friend. she was ben's little sister. they'd all grown up together in their small resort town on minnesota's halcyon lake. so when trixie's heart gave out on a routine swim they had no idea how to process that kind of grief.

lucy had loved ben forever. but since trixie died it was as if he only knew how to cause her pain. she didn't understand his anger or his need to hurt her. in the year since her death there had been a thousand small cuts. starting with what he said to her on the day of her funeral.

what he said was actually pretty unforgivable. and ben would take it back if he knew how. he hated hurting lucy. except that every time he saw her he'd think how she was here and trixie wasn't. and he'd think if he hadn't been thinking of lucy. of how her skin felt when it brushed against his. of how he wanted to run his fingers through her hair and caress the freckles dusting her cheek. of how he loved her and wanted to kiss her and be with her. and maybe, just maybe, if he hadn't been so focused on thoughts like that, maybe his sister would still be here. and maybe everything was his fault. but it's easier to blame someone else, and lucy is the only other person he can blame.

and the thing is, she is the only person he can blame who is strong enough to take it. she is the only person he can treat so badly that will still forgive him and love him in the end. and now that the anniversary of trixie's death is approaching, maybe it's time that he stop hating lucy and stop hating himself and stop hating the fact that his sister is dead. maybe if he accepts her death. accepts that it was something that could not have been avoided. she had a heart condition and it would have given out at some point, whether or not ben was there to stop it.

the last thing you said is a story about loss and heartbreak and grief. about how even when things are broken beyond measure they can be put back together again, you just have to accept the differences. lucy and ben's story is beautiful and sad. they both make a lot of stupid choices. they're doing their best to survive, because the only way forward is to take it one day at a time. and maybe they're done with all the hurting and are ready to start healing. sara biren's debut is a powerful exploration of grief and how the experience of loss at such a young age can be devastating and raw and painful.

This was heartbreaking. I know I've been giving it to too many but this too deserved a 3.5.

Lucy has lost Trixie her best friend, and her brother Ben has been treating her like trash, making her lose even more than a friend. Especially considering her long-lasting feelings for him. When a new boy comes to town, she wonders if it is time to move on.

I wasn't expecting the tone in this book. I just thought it would either focus on some drama about Ben and Lucy not being able to get together, or maybe on memories of Lucy's good times with Trixie. Of course, the book had both but they were exceedingly used. The actual tone was closer to paying homage to Trixie and all she was able to accomplish before her death.

This book centered a lot on grieving, too. Maybe it is because I have been going through some very dark weeks myself but some passages spoke to me in a way that I cried not really from being sad but from something deeper. It's hard to explain. Still, this isn't really a book written to make you cry. The author just wrote in very well how mourning someone feels. I don't think I had any moment of punch-in-the-gut, either. I feel that is an accomplishment, being able to take such a theme and resisting the urge to turn it into a tearjerker. It's much harder to reach your reader without that punch, in my opinion. And both Lucy's and Ben's grieving processes seemed real enough they brought me some comfort.

While I say that I don't mean I really liked Ben that much. In fact, if I cheered for him to finally get together with Lucy it was because she really seemed to love him. To be honest, he was unbearable too many times for me to forgive if this were me. Not that his rival was any better—he was so much worse I pitied Lucy. Yes, it was a good thing this book wasn't heavy on the romance. It focused more on friendship and bonds, including the one uniting Lucy and Ben, which happened to have the romantic aspect. I wouldn't have been as satisfied had this story really been a romance, considering what a terrible book boyfriend Ben turned out to be. I do understand he was hurting... it doesn't mean I'd want to have to deal with it.

So why didn't I rate it higher? Even though the story spoke so much to me, I felt it was still bland. Somethings also happened mostly because the author wanted, and others never received the proper attention, like Lucy's brother lacked a more complete ending besides being the big excuse for her parents to have her work extra hours at the family restaurant. Many of the characters lacked dimension, and I wasn't too into the interchangeability between Hannah, Lucy's new friend, and Trixie. Except for the accent, which you obviously can't hear, they just seemed the same person to me.

So this book had a lot of points to be improved but this was still a work that touched me a lot. It was the sort of book I really needed to read. In addition to having good themes to debate on if you want to do a buddy read, this was a very quick read. I never finish books in a day, and yet this one I did.

Absolutely beautifully written! I ate this book up in just 2 days!

The Last Thing You Said is a coming of novel about two young people dealing with the grief of losing someone close to them. Lucy's life changed the moment she lost her best friend, Trixie. She no longer has the brave best friend by her side to give her courage. Not only did she lose Trixie, though. She also lost Trixie's brother, Ben.

Ben can't forgive himself for what he couldn't do the day Trixie died. His grief has caused him to push away the people he loved the most. One of those people is his sister's best friend, Lucy. He can't stop thinking about Lucy, but he knows there's nothing he can do to make up for the way he's acted.

After a year of carefully avoiding each other, Ben and Trixie are forced to see each other at their summer jobs. Despite the pain of the past year, neither can stop thinking about what could have been.

The Last Thing You Said broke my heart over and over again. It did it slowly, throughout the entire book. The pain each character felt crushed me and made me yearn for better times for Lucy and Ben. Their pain was so raw. I wanted to lock them in a room and force them to talk to each other.

Ben was a tough character to like. I wanted to give him a good shake! The way he treated Lucy and everyone around him was frustrating. I hated how he became dependent on alcohol to numb his pain. His way of coping hurt more than it helped, and it was painful to read. I wanted him to dig himself out of the hole he was creating.

I loved Lucy, but she made me so sad. I remember what it was like to have my heart-broken and I empathized with her pain. She knew the way he treated her was horrible and she shouldn't want to be with him anymore, but she couldn't stop her feelings for him. It was painful to feel her discomfort every time she saw Ben. I liked that Lucy tried hard to move on, even if the way she did it wasn't the best.

No matter how painful The Last Thing You Said was to read at times, I still loved it. Ben frustrated the heck out of me and Lucy made me want to cry, but I couldn’t put the book down. I loved it. It was so beautifully written and filled with emotion. Even when I hated something a character was doing, I loved them. I wanted to see them overcome their problems and be happy.

I can’t believe this is Sara Biren’s debut novel. Reading The Last Thing You Said felt like reading a book from a seasoned author. It felt so real and raw. I’m incredibly excited to see what comes next from her.

Sara Biren's debut novel 'The Last Thing You Said' is that summer love between teenagers, but ripped apart by tragedy. The careful balance of teenage emotion and trying to be strong that Biren balances is the perfect combination to bring out a story that will put on all heart strings.

The story focuses around Lucy and Ben as they cope almost a year later with the death of someone very close to them. A death that ended up ripping their own friendship apart. Living in a small lake town, you are bound to run into each other, and these encounters cause awkwardness, old pent up emotions to flow out, and angry disputes. While these teens try and juggle their normal summer lives of working and hanging out with old and new friends, we watch as they learn about heart ache, resentment, forgiveness, and teenage angst.

Biren's writing is simplistic and has a great flow about it. The story transitions from one viewpoint to the other and you end up reading a chunk of the book without even realizing how long you have been sitting there. I love that about this novel. It's an easy read that draws you in. Lucy is average teenager. Juggling family, work, and trying to be a little normal. She regrets some of her decisions and realizes the mistakes she has made based on her emotions. This story is good for anyone, of any age. It's a fantastic spring read on a nice day sitting outside on the porch, or for those in snowy states, curled up on the couch with a good book. Being from Michigan, I could practically close my eyes and picture the small lake town, tourists milling about, taking boats out on the water, town parades, and all the other summer lake stories you hear about. They are all real and Biren nailed them in this novel. It's like a fresh blast of air from back home. I highly recommend this book for anyone to check out and read. Five out of five stars.

Thank your for the chance to read this book, however, it's a DNF for me and I won't be reviewing it at this time.

I really loved this story- it was a perfect and honest representation of grief and how everybody deals with it differently. It was summery, and cute but at times so devastating and makes you feel very grateful for what you have. I loved the characters in it, aside from Simon who I kind of hated for no reason. The dual POV was super important for me because I can't imagine having the story from only Ben or only Lucy's view, it was good to see how both characters were feeling and dealing with the tragedy. This was such a good summer contemporary that I would definitely recommend picking up if you want a story with a bit of depth too it as well as the cuteness!

This is a great book of loss, survival, love, and what happens when you lose someone you love. What happens to relationships and the people you leave behind. The author put a lot of thought into how people react to the loss of a loved one and how the closed relationships can deteriorate when it happens. A great heartfelt, heartwarming, real story.

The last thing she said --
"It's a good day to have a good day." She leans in close to me and whispers, "BRB, Lucy. Promise me."

I knew this books would elicit tears, when a few escaped as I read the author's introductory note.

This is a sad story of what happens when a life is cut short. It's about those who are left behind, and how they are supposed to survive without that person. I lost several friends too soon, and therefore was able to relate to this story. Biren deftly portrayed people in the throes of grief. The primary focus of the story was Ben and Lucy, but she also included Trixie's parents and other family members. I appreciated that Biren did this, because she showed that grief and how one deals with this grief is not a one-size-fits-all situation.

"Her life was short, but she did - she lived it."

This story really hit home for me on so many levels, as I lost several friends way too soon. It made me reflect on how I dealt with those losses. The coincidence that I finished reading this story on THIS day, which is always a little sad for me as I remember my good friend who I lost in a plane crash, was uncanny. It was many years ago, but I still hold a little piece of him in my heart and a little bit of the pain is still there too. So, yeah, I could relate to this story, and found that the pain and ache permeated this story was so real.

"'Tell me a Trixie.' I smile. This has become one of our favorite activities, a way I can keep Trixie alive."

The parts where memories of Trixie were shared were among my favorite parts of this book. I swear! Every one of them brought a smile to my face, and made my eyes shiny. These vignettes were so beautifully crafted, and radiated with love for their cherished friend and sister. They were just perfect. The picture of Trixie painted for us, was one of a girl who loved recklessly and lived her life out loud. She brought joy to those who she loved and who loved her back, but she had flaws, and I liked that Biren included those too.

"Be really brave. BRB - our code."

The broken relationship between Ben and Lucy was so painful! There were times when I thought my heart just could not take any more. These two were so deep in their hole of anguish, that they were missing out on their best means for survival. It is here that I will thank Biren for giving both Ben and Lucy such wonderful support systems in the form of Guthrie and Hannah. Guthrie was this fabulous strong but silent type, who has this zen-mystical quality. And Hannah! Hannah was loud and showy and sometimes crass, but she was thoughtful, understanding, persistent when necessary, and perceptive. She knew exactly what Lucy needed and when. It was really touching the way she shared in Lucy's pain and wanted to help her remember Trixie, even though she never met her. #FriendshipGoals.

I really loved the way Biren worked the inuksuit into the story. The whole purpose of the inuksuit as a form of communication to say you were here or to tell someone they are on the right path. Ben used these structures as a way to find his way back: back to Lucy and back to himself. It was very poetic and beautiful .

"I stack the rocks and they fall and I stack them again until I find balance. "

"Ben was so careful and methodical about it, so intent on achieving balance where there should be none."

And the ending image featuring the inuksuit just made my heart leap with joy.

Overall: A lovely and poignant story of love and loss which hit me right in the feels, and is leaving me wanting more from Sara Biren.

Loved this one so much. It is romantic and melancholy at the same time. Well done, highly recommended.

* I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion. *

This book is powerful. And from the title and description alone, I had a feeling I'd love it.

I was right.

Lucy's best friend died nearly a year ago. Her death occurred right on the cusp of Lucy getting what she'd always wanted—Trixie's brother, Ben. But as is the case with death, everything screeches to a halt. Things change, people change. And, <i>The Last Thing You Said</i> is a brilliant portrayal of death, grief, and first love.

Now, this isn't the first time I've said this, nor will it be the last, but I adore the best friends to lovers trope. It never gets old regardless of how many stories I read. So that was my first pull/draw to this book. The second? The death of a loved one. Maybe I'm morbid, but I find myself enjoying the stories of those dealing with grief while in the midst of love. What sets this apart from others I've read, though, is that the "couple" have both been affected by the same death. Both are grieving, but unfortunately, separate instead of together. And really, this is where 90% of the angst in this book stems from.

I won't even lie—I'm about to be a hypocrite. In my past review, I claimed to hate the brooding hero trope. And while it's still true, this time, it has merit. I loved Ben. I understood why he was moody and damaged. However, I also hated him for what he'd done to Lucy; how he was still treating her. I lost count of all the times I wanted to punch him for doing stupid things. I did give him a pass (somewhat) because both were stubborn. And, Lucy... I felt her pain. I can't imagine losing not only a best friend, but a second family as well. Or, potentially the love of my life. All in one swoop. And I'm in no way saying her actions weren't stupid at times, because they were. I did understand her reasoning, though, with how the distance came into play. Both characters were extremely well-developed, but more importantly, had their own voices. It actually felt as though I were in the heads of two separate people. And since this isn't always the case, I appreciated it.

Thankfully, we do get both points of view. Witnessing the damage the tragic death of Trixie caused was devastating. My heart broke for both. But again, all I wanted was them to get their heads out of their asses and TALK. The angst factor in this book is out of control. So much tension! And this doesn't go away... not until nearly the end. But it's not just about them. We see how it affected their families. Their other relationships, too. It's honest and real.

Hannah is a joy. As is Guthrie. Those two made for great background characters. And Emily. Through Lucy's storytelling to the little girl, we get to know Trixie a little better. We, too, get to mourn her loss.

This is one of the best contemporary stories I've read in a while. Maybe since 2015, even. I haven't been this invested in one in nearly as long. From Simon to Dana to Lucy to Ben... it's a tale that isn't always easy. But it's an honest, brilliant, realistic story. One that will stay with me for a long time.

This book is a heart-wrenching tale of loss, grief, love, and moving on after tragedy. A general purchase for all teen collections.

I REALLY thought I was going to enjoy this book. I thought it was going to be heartfelt and truly show how grief affects people. The foreword Biren wrote made it seem even more likely. But I was let down and left sorely disappointed.

The beginning was nice. I met the characters, Ben, Trixie, Lucille (Lucy/Lulu), and the rest, and they were real. There was no issue with plot pushing characters or annoying flimsy cardboard cutouts. I guess what bothered me the most was the fact that this whole book is based on a MASSIVE amount of miscommunication.

Ben scares me. I didn't like that he had a drinking problem and that sometimes he leans towards a possessive side and gets really angry and violent. I get that grief is very difficult for people, but I needed to see a side of him that convinced me that before Trixie's death, he was a great guy worth being around.

I admittedly have negative feelings towards Lucille. I didn't like the fact that she lied to and disrespected her parents and then later, (SPOILER) cheated on her boyfriend and didn't even THINK to feel guilty about it. It was never mentioned "I just cheated on my boyfriend. Oh no." Instead she just kept thinking about herself and how Ben made her feel. (spoiler)And I KNEW she was going to hurt her boyfriend the minute he was introduced. I really can't stand her for that. Which is another thing: I feel as if Lucille is really selfish. Throughout the entire book, she's always thinking about herself. She's always worried about how no one calls her Lulu anymore and how SHE feels and how much SHES hurting and it drove me NUTS. I wanted to scream WHAT ABOUT ALL OF THE OTHER PEOPLE AFFECTED BY TRIXIE'S DEATH?! Even when she FINALLY thought about Trixie's parents, she managed to turn it into "I feel so guilty about this. I feel terrible. Wah." It just drove me crazy. Also??? Can I just say?? The whole "I FEEL SO BAD MY BEST FRIEND DIED WAH WAH. oh and I'm in love with her brother and he'll make everything right." makes me want to DIE.

I don't like this one other character, but they would be a spoiler I guess so I will keep it vague. But I didn't like that he spoke for Lucille to someone else, especially something that was a lie. I also didn't like that he was spreading her personal information to hurt someone else. I hate that.

Like I said, the plot drove me crazy. If Ben and Lucille had just TALKED to each other, this book would've been over in half an hour or less. Instead it drags on with nonsense and mistakes and angst-filled thoughts and looks and wailing and yelling. This book shouldn't have taken this long. At first I didn't mind, world building is important (even if it's our own world) and backstories are important too, but eventually it became ridiculous.
Two things I did like though, were the Trixies, which were stories about Trixie and Lucille that would appear at the beginning of certain chapters, and that every couple of chapters were given a timespan. The book takes place over the summer, so each chapter is a month. It was a good way to give everything a time frame.

Would I Recommend The Last Thing You Said? I'm afraid not. I just could not enjoy it considering all of the things I felt were negative about it.

*things marked Spoiler will be hidden in the actual post

This book made me cry - and I HATE crying, especially when I am reading.

Sad, uplifting, deep and did I mention brave? Biren's book (I believe it is her first) takes an honest look at how the death of a loved one (especially one so young) affects everyone on so many different levels and even when you think you are getting through it - unexpected things can both be good and bad at the same time.

The tentative romantic connection of these two characters is so well done. Love, but how can I love someone when there is so much guilt? how can I love when someone else will never love? Deep writing, giving me lots of things to think about.

Lovely.