I enjoyed this book and liked that it was a quick read but personally something just didn’t click for me. I felt like it had a lot of potential but it fell a little short. I did love some aspects of the story line and some of the characters. I have read some great reviews about this book and recommend checking it out for yourselves!

I've enjoyed Renee Carlino's books in the past, but The Last Post was disappointing. I didn't enjoy most elements of Laya and Micah's relationship - the instalove from Micah's side, Laya's flip-flopping, the random accidents. I spent most of the book disliking the both of them.

The Last Post was my first book by Renee Carlino, and it will not be my last. It was not my favorite romance, but I am intrigued to read more by this author.

What I Liked:
I absolutely loved the relationship between Micah and his twin sister Melissa. Their banter was fun, their relationship was believable, and it lightened the tone of the book. I liked the incorporation of Laya's grief through phone messages and facebook posts - something I have done when grieving a loved one. The dog being named Pretzel really made me laugh.

What I Didn't Like:
Overall, I didn't believe the love story between Laya and Micah - it seemed that he went all in too quickly in a way that was not believable for me based on their interactions. While they took things slow(ish), he was infatuated from the time he met her, which is never my favorite in romances.

Overall, it was a quick, light romance read that I would recommend to people who love romance or as a palate cleanser for anyone who has been reading heavier books.

~dnf @35%~

This was my first Renee Carlino book and whilst I will try reading another one of her novels in the future, this one just was NOT for me. I felt the characters to be very unrealistic and two-dimensional, it was something I just couldn't get past. The style of writing was also something that didn't bode well with me, I found it to be very narrative (instead of descriptive) and it tended to lack emotion. The romance was cringey, at best and lacked a lot of substance that I kept looking for. I was really excited for this one and unfortunately, it just didn't hit the mark.

I had just come to terms with Renee Carlino not being for me when last year's Blind Kiss came out and I fell in love with it so thoroughly that when I got The Last Post I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I think Blind Kiss was a one-hit wonder for me, because Last Post just...didn't work. I just wasn't invested in Laya and Micah at all, the friends were one-dimensional, and it was really hard to connect to the story because Laya kept going back and forth on her feelings.

Renee Carlino has written some of my favorite books (Before We Were Strangers, Wish You Were Here, Swear on This Life) and some that were more "meh" for me (Blind Kiss). The Last Post falls somewhere closer to middle of the road this time for me.

What I Liked:
- Story about moving on after terrible loss at a young age
- Learning if it's possible to make room again in your heart without dishonoring a spouse who has died
- Fun family dynamics (bantering siblings always make me laugh, especially when it's a brother and sister - probably because this is very true to my own life)

What Didn't Work For Me:
- Micah is utterly relentless in his pursuit of Laya who repeatedly tells him she is not done grieving her dead husband, Cameron. This was to the point of stalkerish tendencies to me (sending her a concert ticket anonymously because he read on facebook she liked the band with her husband and then showing up with a beard and sitting next to her?) this is really not okay in real life and shouldn't be romanticized in literature
- we get it, you had a character go to Harvard. If I had to read the word Harvard more than one time, this book was going sailing across the room at warp speed
- The Smithsonian is located in Washington D.C. - the ARC has it as Virginia - this is a large national reference and should be correct - hopefully the final version gets corrected! (not deducting from my stars for this - but it's a simple google search to find this out...)

All in all: this ended up somewhere around a 3.5 for me. I really don't want to round up or down because 3.5 just feels so accurate - but of course, Goodreads/Amazon don't offer that option. So, for those purposes, 4 it is. But it's a 3.5!!!

After reading Renee Carlino's Swear on This Life earlier this summer, I could not wait to get my hands on her new novel. After reading the synopsis, I knew I would be in for something that would pull the heart stings- I was only 6 % in before I was crying.

This story is pretty predictable and cliche but I still really enjoyed it. I loved the characters- I thought they were interesting and brought life to his story. I adored the relationship between Micah and his twin Melissa. They are there for each other through everything but cant seem to get along- their constant banter was a great comic relief.

Grief was a main theme throughout the whole book and I believe it was handled well. Laya is trying to piece herself together after the death of her husband by posting on his Facebook wall. For her this is healing- for those around her, it is like salt in a wound. They want her to move on, but she is moving on the only way she knows how. Micah meets Laya when he is at an odd time in his life. He is ready to move on with his career and grow up but he cant seem to find a way to do that. His answer is to hide away and sulk.

The romantic relationship between Micah and Laya was so complicated. They both wanted more but were not sure how to really connect.Their relationship seemed believable to me- things didn't just fall into place easily. They were both going through things that others couldn't relate to but found comfort in each other.

Although I didn't enjoy this one as much as Swear on This Life, I really liked it and plan to read more Carlino.

Look for this one out Aug 20th.

Laya Bennett is understandably devastated when her husband dies doing a stunt--his profession. She attempts to keep him alive by continuing to have conversations with him on voice mail and posting updates o his Facebook page as though she expects him to come home.
Micah Evans is an architect who works at Laya's father's firm. He is drawn to her after meeting her in the office and grows fascinated by her Facebook posts. He tries to fulfill the wishes she expresses in her posts, which leaves him in the position of something of a stalker.
While I was eager to read this book to find out the resolution of their relationship, I felt the motivation behind Micah's character was somewhat weak. He was really down on himself for no apparent reason and very insecure about relationships.

When a grieving widow has a hard saying goodbye she turns to social media for closure. Laya is a lost after losing her husband. She is in search of answers as to how to progress forward without him while also trying to find herself. Micah has hit a roadblock in life needing some clarity as to where to find his happy place.

Overall:
The opening few scenes were exciting. I felt it was a strong beginning, but Renee lost me in the middle and end.
The FB posts weren’t quite what I envisioned. I thought the idea of posting on his page was an interesting concept it just wasn’t delivered in a way that drew me in. Micah’s character and his actions in regards to those posts wasn’t what I was expecting.
Micah’s character was difficult to connect with. The funk he was in was so out of left field. I know Renee designed this tactic as a means to reach Laya, but it came across as creepy.
I was drawn in by Cameron’s character immediately although I thought as a reader I would get to spend a little more time with him. I wanted to understand their dynamic better from the beginning.

The club scene threw me off. It was unexpected and careless. I knew where her mind was at, I just thought Micah was going to help Laya move forward in a healthy way not support her destructive careless behavior.
Laya’s character is a hit and miss for me. It’s difficult to find an emotional attachment to her.

The story felt idle with very little progress. The characters kept regressing over the same issues and concerns.

Once Laya had to ponder her relationship with Cameron I felt the emotional turmoil, but it was gone just as quickly as it was received, after that scene. The concept of this story was good but I struggled with the delivery. Micah’s character had well measured intentions, yet the creep factor never diminished. The limited time spent developing Cameron and Laya’s character was too brief to gauge a connection for the way she grieved.
I liked the dual point of view switching back and forth between Micah and Laya.
However, I wasn’t too crazy about the circumstances Renee chose to use to bring Micah and Laya together. It seemed too cliche.
For me I truly never felt the connection. Too many barriers and misunderstandings got in the way of the storyline.

I really thought that this book was and enjoyable read. The author tackles a somewhat difficult subject of grief and how one handles their grief. In this book you meet Laya who tragically becomes a widow when her dare devil husband, Cameron dies with a stunt that went wrong. Laya then moves back home to New York where her father owns an architecture firm. When visiting her dad she meets Micah, this quirky bird of a man that is instantly attracted to Laya and sort obsessively follows her on social media and wants to try to help her in her grief of losing Cameron. He definitely goes about it the wrong way in the beginning and gives off major stalker vibes in my opinion however, his heart is in the right place. Laya is struggling to find herself after Cameron's death and continues to leave messages and memories on his social media account as if he was alive. These messages bring these two together and a relationship starts to form between these two that is a bit unconventional in the start. I thought it was a great story and the author did a good job on how differently everyone handles grief. There really is no wrong or right way and I think that is the important message at the end.
3...2...1.... See ya.

'"I have been a fan of Renée Carlino since reading "Before We Were Strangers" in 2015. I was instantly intrigued after reading the blurb for The Last Post. I'm not one to shy away from books with heavy subject matter, grief, or controversial topics.

I found "The Last Post" to be a fairly fast and easy read. I couldn't put it down! I know a lot of people won't like Micah due to his actions, but I found him easy to relate to in terms of feeling lost and hopeless while finding your place in the world after college. I didn't relate as much to Laya, finding her a bit intimidating in terms of intelligence and ambition, but I loved that she fell in love with someone fearless and let her heart soar with Cameron.

One thing that didn't sit well with me was Laya's unsupportive friends and family members. Everybody grieves differently, so I thought it was wrong of them to be so hard on her for making the posts. I would have also liked to see more of the Epilogue, as the ending felt just a bit too rushed.

Micah's hilariously crass sister, Melissa, stole the show as my favorite character. I would love to see a spin-off featuring her story in the future!

*3 Stars*

ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not really sure what to say about this book. The writing style was fine, and the story did make me want to know what would happen, and so I did want to see it through to the end. BUT, it was weird. Just plain old weird.

I understand that Laya is grieving in her own way. Micah though, he was just an odd duck. It felt stalkerish to start with, even though he did realise that. But also, it just felt over the top. Like, there was nothing to base anything on between he and Laya and their weird friendship/relationship/whatever it was.

I just didn't connect with these characters, so I didn't feel too invested in either them. That said though, I was still determined to see what would happen, and if these characters would find themselves and their places in life.

The Last Post grabbed me right from the very first page and I quickly finished it in 24 hours. It has been a little bit since I've read a book so feverishly but I just felt increasingly connected to the characters and the emotional upheaval they were experiencing. At times, it was a bit much, as I am sure was the intent considering the topic. There is quite a bot of back and forth and grieving. Although this is what grieving realistically looks like, I'm not sure thats what people want to read about when they pick up contemporary romances. I wasn't as drawn to Leya, but a big standout for me was Micah, who was truly my version of the perfect man. He was smart, emotionally present, and he was forthright in his love for Leya. This book was the kind of book you finish and you have a book hangover; where can I go after reading something that had me so invested? For that, I am appreciative. Its been a long time since a book made me feel #allthefeelings. I will be avidly looking for the next release from Carlino, who has proven to me to be a beautifully talented author even when her premise can be depressing.

Thank you to net galley and Simon and schuster for the galley.

Post will go in instagram today.

I've loved several books by this author, this one was not my favorite. I had a really hard time getting into Laya and Micah's relationship but I couldn't. This is just me thought I could totally see other enjoying this.

Im going to be honest, this book was incredibly hard to read. I had to keep putting it down and read something else as it didn’t hold my attention at all. I trudged through albeit begrudgingly as I just wanted to get it read. I didn’t connect with the characters at all.
This was a sad story and not enjoyable at all. I usually like books Renee writes but this one just wasn’t for me.

Hmm this is a tough one to review. This book is about a woman, Laya, that lost her husband right from the beginning of the story (not a spoiler—it’s in the description). Micah, the other main character, was determined to save her. I was pretty hooked by page 5 because the writing is so easy and the chapters are so short but for a book about grieving, it really lacked emotion for me. One of the main characters started out borderline stalkerish and I had a hard time believing the chemistry between them. If you are looking for a romantic love story, this is not it.

I'd like to think that this book was an epic romance or beautiful. And it was. The characters themselves had some magic to them...but I couldn't get past the way they met. Not only the ethics but the sheer creepiness of what is, essentially, a stalker who becomes obsessed. Whether the love story is genuine or not, the acceptance of this still made me uncomfortable.

Don't get me wrong. The writing is wonderful. The characters come alive--you can see the story play out in front of your very eyes. But is that enough to make up for the way it started? I'm not completely sure.

3.5 STARS

I ADORE Renee Carlino's books and will read anything she writes. ('Swear on This Life' is a must-read, by the way.) With that said, I found 'The Last Post' to be a little confusing in its tone and characterizations. Although I was drawn into the story of Laya and Micah and their modern romance, I did not feel that this book reached its potential. Laya is recently widowed and cannot move on from her beloved husband Cameron's tragic death. She leaves public posts on his Facebook page which are tender, sweet and very sad. Once a medical resident with a promising career, she is too grief-stricken to move on with her life.

Micah is an architect at Laya's father's firm. Both Micah and Laya are very vulnerable but Micah pursues Laya intensely. I often didn't feel much of a difference in their POV's but yet I did like the story enough to finish.

The writing is solid but the endless grief was somewhat exhausting. I did love the New York City setting and description of the perils of modern dating. If you are a fan of Renee Carlino's writing, then definitely give this book a try! Michah was a sweet and soulful hero that many will connect with. And the conclusion was a beautiful, hopeful end to this story.

Laya is a doctor in training to become an orthopedic surgeon. She met her future husband Cameron when he was in the hospital getting treated for broken arm. Cameron is a professional daredevil and an adrenaline junky. They had a whirlwind romance, married but a year later Cameron died in a tragic accident during one of his stunt for Red bull commercial. The awful part was that Laya witnessed the whole incident. Never in a million years Laya would expect to become a widow at the age of 24. Her life shattered. She fell into a dark place. The pain is too unbearable. She quit her job and went back to NYC to be near her dad. What is in the future for Laya? How will she moves on? That is when she met Micah – an architecture who work at her father’s firm.

At first, I was a bit confuse what the story was mainly focusing on. For the most part it is about Laya ‘s journey to overcome grief of losing her husband and learning to move on. At one point I thought there is something going on with Cameron too? He has some quirks and also some relationship issues. I like the concept of Laya leaving phone calls and FB messages to Cameron (everyone grief differently) but for some reason I was expecting more emotional posts and a crescendo final farewell that evoke a whole lot of feels … that is just me though… I also love the concept of Micah fulfilling Laya’ wishes on those FB messages it shows how much Micah try to put a smile on Laya’s face. He is truly a caring guy. I feel Micah fell in love quickly but it wasn’t reciprocated. I understand grieving can be extremely difficult and confusing though. Individually, I adore Micah. He is hardworking, loyal, persistent, and extremely patience. Laya had been through a lot and I totally feel for her. She deserves love and happiness in her life. Last but not least, I love Micah’s twin sister – super protective, funny, and sassy. She has a no nonsense and don’t mess with me attitude. I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side The banters and interactions between Micah and his twin is just hilarious.

Over all, this was a great read – an emotional story about love, lost, grief, healing and finding second chance. Fascinating plot and complex characters. I always love the author’s writing – emotional, captivating, flawless.

🌟🌟3.5🌟🌟

When I read the synopsis, I figured this would be an emotionally charged read....sadly, for me, it wasn’t. I was disappointed in the hero. He seemed a little on the non-ALPHA side (I gravitate to and prefer reading ALPHA hero’s).

Although, I felt Layla’s pain and loneliness and my heart did break for her. She was what kept me reading the book.

Even though the story didn’t hit me like I wanted it to, it was still very well written.