Two sad souls find one another in this story of coming through grief. Lizzie's twin has died and she's stopped the world for a bit- and she's lost her phone. She gets a temporary replacement, which starts to get texts. Romantic and sad texts. Nick's wife Marissa has died and he's been struggling. When he meets Lizzie on the beach,. they find a common ground. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Canny readers know that those texts, sent from Nick to the phone which was once Marissa's, will endear him to Lizzie and they might guess where this ends. That said it's a gentle read with a bit of hope.

Lizzie has been traveling around, drifting from place to place, writing her travel blog. This was a promise she made to her brother Rob, before he died, that she'd follow her heart and do what made her happy. Her travels take her to Savage Cove, a small town in the upper Northwest, where she rents a house on the beach.

Nick has been a widower for 3 years, ever since his wife Marissa died. He's got a lot of mixed feelings about her death and their relationship that come out throughout the story. When he runs into Lizzie on the beach, and an attraction forms, both are hesitant. Then through a fluke, Lizzie gets a text message on a loaner phone meant for Marissa. She doesn't know who sent it, but eventually works out that it was Nick, but she keeps her knowledge of the message a secret from him.

Their story is one of secrets, emotional reactions based on past experiences and its also a mystery. What happened to Marissa, whose body was never found? Its an interesting story with a good premise, a bit slow at times, but good. I do wonder why no past relationships are mentioned for Lizzie, though, other than her brother. She clearly had some experience based on the slightly heated scenes, nothing graphic, though, don't worry!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

I really don’t like to leave lukewarm reviews, but this was a bit of a slog to read. A bit beige and slow at points? I liked the premise but it all got a bit cluttered. The mystery of the story had great potential but ended up being a bit farfetched. I’m also not sure what was gained from having Lizzie’s narrative as first person and Nick’s as third person? It left me feeling a bit discombobulated! I enjoyed the setting and Nicolas Sparks vibes of it, but I think it was too long!

The Last Message
By Catherine Hope

Publishing date: 4/11/2023

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5


After the death of her twin, Lizzie heads to a secluded beach town in an attempt to fulfill her promise to her brother: to explore the world and not let it pass her by.

She arrives at Savage Cove and has to purchase a replacement phone after dropping hers in the ocean. While she waits for her new phone, she purchases a temporary that is....well, old and outdated.

She receives a text message on the phone that was clearly not meant for her,  but she can't help but want to know more about the woman the text was meant for.

She meets Nick when walking on the beach, and they have an instant connection/attraction. Nick is grieving the loss of his wife and trying to deal with the guilt he is feeling regarding her passing. 

It's no secret that Lizzie and Nick like each other, but Lizzie is only in Savage Cove temporarily....and she's not sure how to feel when starts to learn that Nick may be the man behind the mystery texts.....


3 stars for me means it was an okay read, but you may love it! There were some slow spots in the middle that I think weren't needed for the story.  It was  confusing at times because the perspective would bounce around with no explanation. It was also unclear what genre this was.....thriller? Romance? It's almost as if the author wasn't sure what kind of book she wanted, so she said, "Let's do both in one!"

With that being said, the plot was interesting. I was intrigued by the mystery text aspect. And I love me a good romance!!! Overall, the last 25% was my favorite. It wrapped up nicely, and I was happy with the ending 😊

Thank you @netgalley @headlineeternal   and for the chance to read this one early! Always appreciative!

This started off as a cosy read and I thought it was ok. But then I felt the main characters became very flat with not much to them. And then the mystery element was introduced which was just a bit rubbish! The ending was totally rushed and I felt like I’d wasted my time reading that far! Disappointed ☹️

The blurb sounded so promising but unfortunately the book felt all over the place and at the same time nothing felt interesting enough.
Sorry but this wasn't for me.


Thank you NetGalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

It’s rare for me to not enjoy at least some part of a book. But for me, there were just too many frustrations with this one. I found the writing overly simplistic, I felt indifferent to the characters, the story was tedious (slow in parts and waffled between a romance and a mystery), and the “resolution” at the end left more indecision/confusion than clarity. I thought about bailing several times. It just wasn’t for me. Having said this, I’m sure there are other readers who will enjoy it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Headline Eternal for providing the free early arc of The Last Message for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I read this book in one sitting.

The mystery element was unexpected but made the story different.

Although the story was a bit long, it was interesting to see how the characters relationships developed.

This was a heart-warming, cosy read with a mix of mystery, which in my opinion made the story and added a layer of uniqueness. I do think the book was a bit long but I liked seeing their relationship develop into a cute relationship. I don't think it was the best book out there but I did enjoy it.

#TheLastMessage #NetGalley

#TheLastMessage #NetGalley









Lizzie has been grieving her brother's death for awhile. She made a promise to him to travel and live life fully.



She rents a lovely cottage and has to get a loaned cell phone since hers was destroyed. One night she wakes up to a strange message on it.
The message is not for her, but she is so intrigued that she decides to investigate further.

Nick is a widower with a fantastic dog. He is still grieving.


The dog helps them meet on the beach and they form a friendship but there is a strong attraction between them.

They both feel it but they are both stuck in grief so they take a small bit of time figuring out what to do about it.

I liked the characters, Lizzie was down to earth and real, Nick was a nice guy, the dog well loved the dog.

The story was really good however for me, the pacing of it was disjointed and choppy. At times it flew right along and other times it just dragged way out

Overall the book was good, not 5 star but enjoyable and good. One part for me was just odd but I won't say which part to avoid a spoiler.

So I would recommend the book for people who want a mostly feel good romance with other emotions mixed in.

4****

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to give my honest review.

Lizzie finds herself at a crossroads of excitement for the future and the pain of losing her twin brother. A travel blogger with pain doesn’t sound like something she can put to print but a mystery set in a small coastal town sure does.

This was a total blend of genres: romance and mystery with touching moments throughout. It was charming and light but a touch long for me. There was something that I was missing for it to be a 5 star although besides the abrupt ending, I’m not even sure what that is?! I enjoyed it and recommend for an audience who likes quieter reads
3.5 stars ⭐️

A delightful contemporary romance novel that will leave readers with a grin on their faces. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

Th premise of this story was very promising but ultimately the story just did not grab me. It was a little slow and despite a dual pov I was struggled to get into the story. 2.5 ⭐️

I thought the plot for ‘The Last Message’ was a good one and it quickly drew me in. Lizzie is an intriguing character and she meets Nick earlier in the story giving their relationship plenty of time to develop. The setting was described in a way that made me what to visit and I could imagine it in my head. Some parts of the story felt too slow and It felt like Lizzie over thought things that could have been simpler.

Sadly, this one was a bit of a miss for me.
The story is too slow and Lizzie is in her head too much that I skimmed a lot of her thoughts just out of boredom. The dual points of view narrative between Lizzie and Nick were extremely confusing, as they were sometimes switched multiple times within a chapter or even the same page. By the time I realized who I was reading, it would switch back again!
The conversations between the two were awkwardly formal and I actually gasped when I learned how young they both were. It just seemed out of place and strange, especially after hearing Lizzie call herself a dumbass, but then say "thank you kind sir" seriously.
The mystery around Marissa did not make the story any more intriguing and at some points I forgot it was even a plot line.
Perhaps I am just the wrong audience for this one and it will resonate with others who are less critical than I am.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review. This is an interesting story of love and grief but unfortunately I struggled to finish it. The narrative rambled quite a lot and switched from Lizzies voice to Nick’s which I struggled to keep up with sometimes particularly when it’s on the same page. Sadly this book was not for me.

I recieved an eACR copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this opportunity.

I like the premise of this story, and the characters were fine, however, it really fell short for me. I found it to be a bit repetitive, and confusing at times. It could have been condensed, in my opinion.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Headline for an advance read in exchange for this review.

Lizzie's twin brother passes away and makes her promise that she will live her life, travel, and write. She travels to a small island town close to Seattle to stay on the beach. She meets Nick, whose wife died three years ago.

I liked a lot of the book. I thought Lizzie was a great character. Nick seemed like a decent person too with a good dad. I loved the dogs. The small town setting was charming. However, this book could not decide if it wanted to be a mystery or a romance. I think it had all the things for a sweet romance involving two people learning to move on from their grief. I didn't think the mystery aspect that was introduced near the end was necessary at all. It was rushed. The ending did not feel like it was resolved, so I am not sure what to make of that. Also, the book would go from first person to third person. That was confusing. It's too bad because I liked 3/4 of the book. I did like the Marissa stuff in the beginning, but it really took over the book at the end.

After the death of her twin brother, Lizzie starts to fulfill a promise to travel and see the world. First stop, a small island town off the coast of Seattle. But after losing her phone and having to deal with a refurbished one, things don't seem to be going in her way. Then, things start looking up when she gets a message meant for someone else and begins a friendship with a man she keeps meeting on the beach.

This was a hard one for me. I liked the premise. I liked the characters. I loved the setting. But so much of the rest fell short. Lizzie and Nick were perfect for each other. They have a cute romance after some immediate attraction. The mystery of Marissa, the wife that disappeared three years ago, was also compelling. However, there were large chunks that were slow, too slow. I needed more action or suspense. It was almost as if the book didn't know what it wanted to be: a cozy romance or a mystery. The ending, being pretty abrupt, dropped me down a star. I was honestly surprised it ended when it did. I kept clicking to find more, but there wasn't anything.

All in all, an interesting read. I know it will find it's audience!

-mystery
-dealing with loss
-small town

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
The idea for this book showed great promise which was unfortunately not carried out very well. It was a rambling story with not much action and the same thoughts repeated over and over. It also kept switching between first person and third person narrative, sometimes on the same page, which was confusing. There was nothing surprising and it was a struggle to get through it. Can't recommend.