Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Press for the ARC of this beautiful, emotional read. I was drawn to this book after seeing author Jay Coles on TikTok, and it did not disappoint. Hakeem’s journey through grief, addiction, and the mysterious loss of his best friend Miles is raw and powerful. The supernatural twist adds depth without overshadowing the very real struggles he faces. This is a must-read for YA fans and beyond; haunting, heartfelt, and full of hope.

I am writing this review as I SOB on the subway like a lunatic…some lady handed me a tissue and I swear other people must think I got life altering news! Nope, just this gorgeous book about love, addiction, trauma, depression and so much more. The difficult things just keep coming in this books they are always written with care by this amazing author.

Our main character has just lost his best friend to suicide but when he starts getting phone calls from him it begins to seem like all is not what it seems. In the midst of this and dealing with being in recovery he also meets a girl who has a difficult past but a spirit that is infectious. To tell more would give too much away but this book will rip your heart out in the best possible way and make you want to hug your loved ones a little tighter.

My only reason for giving it four stars is that it’s just too long. Especially if it’s for ya audience. I just think kids would not stay with it as long as they need to to benefit from it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was really really good. The portrayal of grief and addiction and mental health struggles is just so raw and accurate. I cried real tears while I read; it was so emotional. The writing style was great and different from other things I've read. While this is a YA, it's a HEAVY HITTER MAN. It's not the fastest paced book which I didn't love, but there are fast paced parts that align with the slow narrative and it helps the reading experience. I really liked this book and can't wait to read more from this author!

This book deals with a lot of big issues such as drug use, suicide and teen death. It's apparent that the author really delved into the emotional toll of the characters. The writing was very realistic and stark. And there were many times that you are drawn into the highs and lows of the story.
There were some times where the story seemed disjointed and didn't seem to flow well. And there was also a leap of faith in the connection with the afterlife that I never got my head around.
Maybe if only one or two issues were focused on this would have worked better. It just seemed that there was a lot going on that maybe didn't need to be there.
It was still an interesting take on the afterlife and was informative about the steps of sobriety.
Enjoy!

Jay Cole’s is a favorite author that I have kept up with since he was one of the authors I helped bring in for a year of Diversity & Inclusion reads where I worked. He spoke at a local high school and was great. Your Final Moments is a young adult read (if you don’t read YA, you’re missing out) about Hakeem, a young man who is a recovering addict, LGBTQ, struggling a bit with his parents, struggling a bit in school, and struggling a lot with the death of his best friend Miles. He learns Miles death is not what it seems while at the same time he meets a young woman who is a “cutter” and attends his NA meetings; Hakeem and Eliza fall in love. Is it meant to be or another tragedy? While reading this story I thought a lot about how reads like this connect with young readers. Reflecting the world they live in and offering hope along with reality. Reads like this build empathy, unlike some of our current politicos that believe empathy is a hindrance I believe that “Great power without empathy leads is a sin.”