ARC Book Review | The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

Format: e-ARC
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a gorgeous and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and letting go.

My Thoughts:

Have you ever gone into a book knowing the outcome, knowing that something horrible and irreversible has happened, but you keep hoping that you could change it? That maybe everything is a cruel dream and maybe, just maybe, things will end up okay?  Well, that was how I felt about this book.

Lex used to have everything together, she had friends, she had a boyfriend, she knew what she wanted to do with her life.  But her younger brother changed it all the moment he decided to take his own life.  Now, Lex is just trying to deal with the pain, and the guilt.

Lex was so easy to relate to as a character, her pain and her emotions were so raw and so real that I felt it with her.  Her situation and everything she was dealing with just broke my heart.  I wanted so bad to jump in and comfort her and tell her to let it all out, everything she was holding back, just let it out.

I just knew that it would be a beautifully written, heartbreaking story and let me tell you, that description is spot on.  This book has the perfect blend of flash backs that bring so much more to the story.  And what a gut-wrenching, emotional journey! I seriously spent the last 10% bawling my eyes out and I'm not talking about a few tears, I'm talking about the red eyes, snot faced, ugly crying.  So be warned, when you pick this one up, make sure you have some tissues handy.