A book about a heavy subject, but well written. There was quite a bit of mystery in this book which I really enjoyed.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Julia Bodwell and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Mystery, wrapped with emotion that’s not easy to capture in the written world.

. . . ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒
This was a decent little read. Fast in page count and in plot progression, it did the trick for a quick gulp read.

This definitely is a YA novel, both in content and in writing style, and while I’m not quite to the target audience of this one, it can be enjoyed by an older audience. The main character is seventeen, and I appreciated that the behaviours, attitudes, outlooks, and actions were very age-appropriate, and therefore believable - I don’t often read this genre, but when I do, I get frustrated if the plot betrays the age of the characters. With that being said, there is still mature content in here, but it’s tackled in a fitting way.

Perhaps because it’s a YA novel, the plot moved extremely efficiently, which left me feeling a bit like things escalated rapidly, but not in a particularly thrilling way, more so in a “let’s wrap this up” way. In that regard this felt like it wasn’t enough for me at times, and I wanted more from the book.

All things considered, this certainly served its purpose, and if you’re looking for a quick little dabble into YA, this would do the trick.

~👩🏻‍🦰

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

I thought this was a pretty solid read. Moved at a good place and was pleasantly surprised that there was a bit more of a mystery than I originally expected.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Didn't know where it was going or what sort of genre it was. The characters were lovely and it told a great story. I read it in a couple of hours so guessing it wasn't a very long book but will definitely be buying the author's first book. Thank you for the advance copy :-)

Thrilling read! I was able to connect with all of the characters and throughly enjoyed the story the author painted.

This is a really great book touching on grief, sibling relationships and even a tinge of mystery. It’s a little on the short side and I consumed it within a day. It touches on suicide which is a topic I’m very familiar with and really made me think. Excellent book for young adults.

He wasn't able to accept the death of his sister. He never admitted but he always needed a reason. Why does she leave? What they hadn't noticed? Could he have been more attentive and saved her?

The book started with an intriguing slope but by the end, I felt like I needed more. Though it was a quick and short story, there was space for more engaging content. The title and cover was apt for the story and I am gonna check more books by this author.

First, can we talk about how stunning this cover is??? It drew me in even before I read the summary of the novel. The Last Think She Wrote was a heart wrenching story about a brother reeling from the death of his sister. Even after six months he cannot let it go.
Freddie has survivor's guilt; he keeps beating himself up about not being there for his sister the night she died. At the recommendation of his therapist, he finally brings himself to go through Kaylee's room. What he discovers could shake up the very core of his family.
This story reminded me of a lifetime movie, I was absolutely engrossed from the beginning. Following Freddie on his journey to find out what his sister was going through right before she died was an emotional rollercoaster.
Julia Bodwell wrote an amazing story of love and loss and the things we will do for family.
Special thanks to netgalley and Julia Bodwell for providing me with this amazing book.

The Last Thing She Wrote is a first time read by the author for me. I love a good YA book and this one ticked a few boxes. A good mystery/thriller about losing a sibling, dealing with loss/grief but also about friendship and seeking help from others.

Freddie is a lost soul after losing his sister to suicide six months before. He's working through the grief with a therapist as he experiences rage (Due to not processing his feelings and anger about not being there or understanding why Kaylee took her life). After a deep session with his therapist and some sound advice, she tells him to connect with his sister by spending time in her room with her things. In doing so, he opens up a whole can of worms and finds out some interesting things about Kaylee and what she was going through before her death.

This book was a nice quick read, as a YA it's perfect for those who don't want the hassle of thousands of pages and losing interest. Obviously it does cover some tough subjects (I'm not going to give spoilers) including suicide, sex (Mild mentioning not the actual act), drinking and drugs (Mild mentioning). The mystery element is dealt with really well and although the outcome is a little too clean cut for me and 'slightly out there' I enjoyed the process and journey with Freddie. I really felt the love he had for his sister but also his parents and friends in this book. Nothing was 'too heavy' in The Last Thing She Wrote, but those dealing with loss of a sibling may be best to steer clear until time has passed and they are dealing better with it.

A solid 4 star read, this book surprised me in a good way as usually I don't love male leading characters, but Freddie's voice was just write. I read this in one sitting, highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Julia (Author) for a ARC of The Last Thing She Wrote in exchange of an honest review.

The Last Thing She Wrote was a well written book. It had a very good storyline and was easy to follow. I felt so much empathy for Freddie throughout. The story dealt with very deep and intense topics but it was done very delicately.

Wow! I read this in a day as it is the kind of book that you can't stop reading. You feel the anticipation as you turn the pages and it is quite fast paced with each chapter blending into the next. It's extremely well written with interesting characters. It keeps you guessing with a MAJOR twist that you don't see coming.

The plot is interesting with Freddie trying to come to terms with his sister's suicide and the book highlights the grief that the family experiences in parallel with the thriller. Freddie comes across his sister's diary and slowly understands that things aren't as they seem. Definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Julia Bodwell for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Six months after his sister's death, seventeen-year-old Freddie Monroe is still reeling from the loss as if it were yesterday. More than anything, Freddie hasn't been able to forgive himself for not being there the night Kaylee took her own life. He remains consumed by the notion that he failed to protect his younger sister.
At his therapist's recommendation, Freddie finds himself going through Kaylee's bedroom, sifting through her things and clinging to her memory.
Searching for answers.
When Freddie first stumbles across Kaylee's diary, he hesitates to open it, unwilling to break the sibling code of privacy, even in death. But once he finds the courage to delve into its pages, he realizes he didn't know his younger sister as well as he thought.
What secrets was Kaylee hiding? If she had confided in Freddie, could he have saved her?
The more Freddie uncovers, the more he realizes the truth is nothing like it seems.
Really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Julia Bodwell
I just reviewed The Last Thing She Wrote by Julia Bodwell. #TheLastThingSheWrote #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley and Julia Bodwell for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I read this story in one sitting, and I enjoyed it greatly. Although it is on the shorter side, the impact it will leave will haunt you for a while.

Freddie is a 17 year old teenage boy who is grieving the loss of his younger sister to suicide.
He harbors the guilt of not being there the night his sister passed. His therapist suggests he goes through his sisters items to help him heal and grieve. He falls across her diary and starts to read it. Will he able to understand why she did it? Could he have saved her?

Why I enjoyed this book:
- Even though this is a dark and triggering plot, I enjoyed how well the story was fleshed out. I really liked Freddie’s character as well. He was a really honest portrayal of a teenage boy
- Once I started, I couldn’t put this one down. The story really sucks you into it. You feel like you are also searching for the answer that Freddie is looking for
- Beautiful and excellent writing.

This book was a hard subject but I did enjoy it. The author did a fantastic job and I like their writing style! Four stars out of five.

Loved everything about this book. It was such a GREAT and fast paced read. Definitely a book with a trigger so fair warning if you aren't very susceptible to suicide. Freddie is junior high school who comes home one night after partying wit his friends to an extremely disturbing discovery. His sister, face down in a pool. Quick to jump to action he tries to resuscitate his sister but unfortunately it's too late.

Months later Freddie is still grieving from the loss, and is having a hard time just accepting that his sister would kill herself. She was 13 with so much more life to live. After speaking to his therapist about how to cope and move forward with his life he decides to spend some time in his sister Kaylee's room. It's there that he discovers her diary, he takes it, in hopes that he may be able to find some answers as to why she took her life.

I was gripped to the very end and read this story in one sitting. I totally empathized with Freddie and waned to know the truth about his sister. This was a great refreshing read between my generally massive fantasy series.

Teenager freddy wakes up every morning feeling like his sister just died yesterday. The pain is so big and it doesn't seem to be getting any smaller.
This book is on the shorter side and is a very quick read.
This book is very emotional and deals with survivors guilt.

This was such a quick, fast paced YA read! I’m definitely not the target audience for this, but I can appreciate a YA book every now and then.

As someone with an amazing older brother, I appreciated how Freddie was written. He was still a horny, impulsive 17-18 year old boy (he really loved Becca’s lips!!), but you could tell he was a sweetheart who had so much love for his sister—Julia really made that come through in her words.

Because it was such a short book (less than 150 pages I believe), everything happened very quickly and it all fell together nicely despite being SUCH a crazy conclusion. I feel like that’s pretty typical of YA books though, haha.

This won’t be for everyone, but if you’re in the mood for a quick YA fictional mystery, pick this one up!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

This was a quick easy read that kept me hooked. I definitely did not expect it to end the way it did. Very well written.

3.5 stars

This book was so easy to read. It dealt with a thought issue in such a sensitive, delicate way. It was so easy to relate to Freedy and to feel all his emotions - the grief, the self-doubt, the anger, the inability to find peace without understanding why his lively, little sister decided to take her life.

It was fast-paced and the mystery behind Kaylee's death was well-written. I only wished it would have been more developed: barely more than one hundred pages cannot do justice to this story.

Interesting and engaging read that keeps you guessing. I read this in one sitting wanting to know what happens next! Great read! I’ll be looking for more by this author for sure. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read an advanced copy.