This book will be in my heart for a long time to come.

I loved EVERYTHING about this book. This is the story of two very broken people who are putting themselves back together without even realizing it.

The story was well told, and all of the characters, even the smaller supporting ones, were so well developed.

Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Writing, The words, the feelings coming from the author through these characters was so great! It is Such a heartbreaking story. I will say that anyone who has suffered an intimate loss with a spouse, may be triggered, and to read with some sort of caution. I actually enjoyed the narrator with her different voices and moods in her tone. I know others may not technically like that aspect and prefer the book to be read. I enjoy that little "extra". It did get a bit slow at times, but over all a great book.

Thank you Harper Audio, William Morrow and NetGalley for The Last Goodbye.

Thank you NetGalley, for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of this story!

Wow, Fiona Lucas does an amazing job with this one. You can feel the depths of grief that the main character has experienced after the loss of her husband. At some points, I had to give myself a breather. The emotions are so raw and real. Fiona Lucas paints a real picture of the grieving process- it is not a linear experience with a perfect happy ending. It is a painful space to be in and oftentimes, very lonely. Some days, you feel like you're okay..like you've made some good progress. But, all it takes is one second to bring you right back to the beginning.

My only point of criticism is that I didn't love the narrator for this book. I found the different voices distracting. I will read the physical book once it comes out.

This book description really well sets up the story - its a very slow burning tale of how two people can find a way to help each other overcome grief. Its a story that requires patience because nothing happens quickly when a spouse is working on coming out of her shell and figuring out both who she is and how to live in a world where her soul-mate dies in a tragic accident. I was really moved by Anna and her desire to be brave but found her incredibly sympathetic - just don't expect anything to happy in a hurry here.

The narrator for the audio book does a great job with all the different character voices. She really brought me right into the story and wasn't distracting at all for even this heavy novel.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an audio ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of The Last Goodbye. I loved this one! #tearjerker!! This is a beautiful story about Anna and her grief process and the man that saved her. Beautiful!

The author sends the reader on a journey of recovering from grief, but not the typical immediately after grief journey. We follow Anna several years after the loss of her husband, we feel the sting of emotion while the world tries to help Anna get over her pain when she’s not quite ready. It was a refreshing journey that changed view points at just the right times. Brody is a different from other male characters in the romantic genre. To the reader, his struggle with mental health is an open and honest element.
This book is worth a read even if you’ve never experienced great loss. It can teach you lessons in being a better friend for those who have.

A young widow called her husband’s cell phone number just to hear his voice and someone answered. This was a touching, lovely book that described how a person can move on after tragedy. The narration was wonderful. Thanks @netgalley for the ARC!

4.5 ⭐️ story about a woman coming to terms with loss. I will preface by saying that if you have experienced a loss and are still struggling with the emotions of it, read with caution.

Anna lost her husband tragically three years ago, and now she is just going through the motions of having a life. She is trying not to worry those around her some of whom, like her best friend Gabi, are pushing her to move on and fall in love again and feel things that she is clearly not ready for. Her parents have moved to another country and she doesn’t want to worry them either. On the opposite spectrum, her mother-in-law Gayle is still mourning her son’s loss in such a way that she seems to be trying to compete with Anna’s feelings of loss. But most importantly in all of those relationships is Anna’s with herself, she is not coping and it’s heartbreaking. He was the love of her life and without him, she has shut down.

One New Years, she calls his phone to hear his voice on the voicemail and is surprised when someone answers, only to find that her husbands phone has been reassigned. She soon begins a friendship with the new owner Brody, who although he can relate to her loss and is so helpful to her psyche, is not forthcoming with the details of his own loss.

This is a lovely story and I really felt the reality of all of the characters although I have to say Brody was a bit underdeveloped to me, I wanted to know him a bit more. The audiobook was really great, even though there was only one narrator, Antonia Beamish did a really bang up job of bringing life to all of the voices. I found myself eager to get time for a walk and allow myself to continue the story and got to the point where I was just sitting listening to it at length.

I loved that Fiona Lucas really addressed that grief is different for everyone and gave value to that and showed how that realization occurred to each character in the book 👏. Although heart-wrenching to hear their stories and not frothy and light, it wasn’t all serious all the time and I really enjoyed listening to it and loved Anna’s character and felt like she was a friend and I was happy to follow along on her journey!

I +++ recommend you give this audiobook or the physical copy a try when it publishes on June 8th 2021, to see if you could say goodbye ❤️

**Thank-you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the advance reader copy of this lovely audiobook**

This is a story of love, loss, and healing.

I listened to the audio version of the book. I was overall pleased with the narration. I do feel like it could have been improved by using two narrators (a male for Brody's POV).

The pace was good. The narration was clear and easy to understand.

The story begins on New Year's Eve. Anna is still grieving for her husband, Spencer, even though he died tragically nearly three years ago. To feel closer to him, she calls his phone number to hear his voice (voicemail greeting). But someone answers.

Brody knows what it is like to grieve. He helps Anna through her feelings. And he discovers Anna is helping him as well.

Anna wants to meet, but Brody is afraid of ruining what they have. Anna starts to plan a meeting, hoping Brody will show up. The day she is planning the meet-up for? New Year's Eve.

I received a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book "The Last Goodbye" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. This book was okay. This was only my second audio book that I have listened to. The first one was terrible. So anyway, I wish the narrator would just read the story. I am not liking voices and whispering which is hard to hear. For the story part I thought it was an okay story, not very exciting and a bit slow for me.

What a beautiful story about overcoming loss and giving your heart a chance to be happy again.

There is so much pain surrounding Anna and Brody and you can't help but feel for them as well. With something as innocent as a phone call, a phone number being reassigned bringing 2 people together, assisting each other in getting past the pain, there is so much want and hope for a happy ending for the pair. SPOILER ALERT!!! I'm glad they get their happy ending!
MIL needs to chill out, though. I understand that she is grieving too, but she honestly needs to get a grip. Her actions were inexcusable, apology or not.

This was a lovely story, truly. I listened to it as an audiobook and it grabbed me from the beginning.

Beautiful!!

Anna lost her husband to a car accident three years ago and she cannot move on. She calls him on her phone sometimes just to hear his voice. One night she is pouring out her soul to his number only to find out the number was given out to someone new. Anna calls Brody often because she believes he has suffered as well and can understand how she feels. This is a great book about loss and how to overcome feelings of anger, regret, and love for something that will never be again. Brody has secrets and problems of his own but through his talks with Anna he is progressing. Facing true feelings will go a long way to healing. Loved the characters and the story.

This book broke my heart, repaired it, and then broke it again. Anna lost her husband in a freak accident, several years later she is still grieving over it. In times of weakness, she would call her husband’s old phone number… only this time… someone answers…. And it wasn’t Spencer. How could that be? He’s gone. Brody though, is grieving himself and over time, him and Anna develop a friendship through phone calls.

I love stories like this… two people developing a relationship without photos and interactions. All through phone conversations. I like the characters in this story a lot! The grief was far beyond any I have ever felt, but my heart broke with them and their struggles. The audiobook had a nice narrator. She captured all the characters voices well with accents and scruffiness. I couldn’t stop listening to it. The story and narrator were captivating. I will say though, the last few chapters really frustrated me. After all each of them went through… grrr…

Overall though, great story! Great narrator! Would gladly add the book to my library.

Thanks HarperAudio and Netgalley for giving the opportunity to access this advance access to this audiobook. I really enjoyed it!

I heard so many terrific things about this book so was so excited to have the chance with the advanced Audio to The Last Goodbye. I had no idea what the story was about as I began listening. I found the reader to be annoying as I do prefer to read books myself, since the story dragged on in some parts and words were so difficult to understand that on two occasions I heard Anna ask Brodie “Are you gay?” “when it was, “Are you okay?”
I honestly think I would have enjoyed the story more if I read it myself without the distractions of how the reader read it and creating a different image in my mind. I also had difficulty picking up the transition from one scene to the next. I liked the storyline as it was unique although unbelievable that it took so long for her to get over her spouse but the fact that she can relate to another individual who also suffered a loss was interesting. My imagination took me places as to her spouse coming back from the dead and discovered some technological way to communicate with her since there were some similarities between Brodie and spouse. The scenes with the mother-in-law were real and heartfelt that I cannot imagine in real life having honest dialogue and rebuilding a relationship in the way they did. I don’t know if it was listening to the audio, but felt there were some missing components that could have been explored more and that was what Anna was going to be doing with her helping others. I wish they delved into it more. All in all the characters are like able and the storyline is excellent.

Lucas is a great author and the writing is great. However, I just could not get into this book. The narrator couldn’t hold my attention as it was a little slow in my opinion. But this is also out of my typical genres I read, so that plays a factor too.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to borrow this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review .

A heart warming story of grief, love, friendship, and time, The Last Goodbye sucked me in and held me tight. Fiona Lucas captivated the main characters and with so much depth and realism I felt as though I truly knew these people. The story over all was a beautifully written, though it was more character driven than plot driven as not much ever “happens”, but the beauty of the writing is it doesn’t need a thick plot to hold it up.

The narrator was very good and I appreciated her change in tone for different characters. Flowed well even at 1.5x speed.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

This book is a captivating and beautifully written piece of literature. It deals with loss, grief, and even delves into mental health in a way that really clearly illustrates the problems one might go through when experiencing life-altering and traumatizing events. I was hooked on reading this from the very first chapter and had such difficulty putting it down that I finished the book in two days. There were parts that made me laugh, parts that made me cry, and parts that made me really think. If a book can make you do all three while being thoroughly entertaining and attention-grabbing, then it is surely a recipe for success. I haven't read any book like this recently and would definitely recommend picking up a copy once it comes out.

Nearly three years ago Anna’s life was shattered when her husband Spencer was killed in a tragic accident. Anna has spent every day since then wrapped in the numb embrace of her grief. On New Years Eve while in the depths of despair, Anna dials Spencer’s phone number, desperate to hear his voice on his message. Instead, as Anna sobs and proclaims “I love you,” she hears another voice. “I beg your pardon?”
Brody has a new number, Spencer’s, and is surprised by the voice on the other end of the line. But these two strangers discover they have more in common than they would have imagined.
Soon, they are talking regularly, supporting each other as they deal with their own losses and their aftermath.

The Last Goodbye is an achingly poignant story about love, loss, and finding your way back when everything in you refuses to go on.
Fiona Lucas has done a stellar job in balancing the grief and growth of both Anna and Brody. The storyline is engaging and the resolution completely satisfying.

I received an audiobook copy of The Last Goodbye for my review. The performance was well-done and sustained the voice of the characters while perfectly reflecting the mood of the story throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the chance to review this book.

*I received an ARC of The Last Goodbye from NetGalley and Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review.*

I'll be honest that when I started this book, it felt familiar - like a book I'd read before. It's reminiscent of books like P.S. I Love You with the theme of grieving widow, but Lucas's writing drew me in.

This is a book about what happens after the "happily ever after." Anna and Spencer were soul mates, but after he dies in an accident, Anna is left to pick up the pieces. It's a book about loss and moving on. The character development keep me engaged and wanting to read more from Lucas.
Antonia Beamish narrates the audiobook, and the run time is 11 hours and 28 minutes.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

The Last Goodbye by Fiona Luca is an emotional story about overcoming grief.

Three years after Anna’s husband and the love of her life died she is finally trying to move on. Anna’s mother in law is making things difficult for her. Anna feels guilty about dating but doesn’t want to be alone all forever. Anna doesn’t have anyone she can talk to that understands until one day she calls her late husband’s cell to listen to his voicemail and Brody answers. An unlikely friendship develops. How will this friendship change Anna and Brody and impact their lives? Will Anna move on with her life and find happiness?

I really enjoyed The Last Goodbye. The story is very interesting and kept me invested the whole time. I was invested in Anna’s life from the beginning. It is tragic that Anna lost her husband, but I enjoyed how she is working to figure out how to move on and be happy without forgetting him. She is trying not to hurt anyone’s feelings or lose anyone in her life. Anna is struggling with what to do and doesn’t feel like her friends and family understands. When Brody answers Spencer’s old number, Anna now has someone that understands her. Brody has experienced a loss in his life but also has secrets. I enjoyed Anna and Brody’s friendship developing even when they didn’t know each other’s last names or what they looked like. Brody is a very interesting character, so I enjoyed learning about his life too. The Last Goodbye is emotional and a great story.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Antonia Beamish and thought she did a great job. The narration added fit well with the story, and I’m glad I listened to the audiobook.

I recommend The Last Goodbye for fans of Jojo Moyes and Josie Silver.

Thank you Harper Audio, William Morrow and NetGalley for The Last Goodbye.