Wow this is a fabulous novel. It is a really lovingly told story of young widow Anna, struggling to cope with the loss of her husband and three years later still counting the days weeks months and years. Anna reflects on her life and her guilt that husband Spencer was killed by a drink driver while grabbing some milk she had asked him to get. Racked with guilt she decides to call and listen to his voicemail, something she hasn’t done for a while and to her surprise instead of hearing his voice it is answered by another man.
The story unfolds and Anna and the new phone number owner, Brody, find that they enjoy their talks, with neither thinking they are giving too much of themselves away while at the same time discussing loss and dealing with that. In truth both are finding they are keeping things secret from each other and their families.
A strong friendship develops and as they individually deal with their demons the faceless voice provides a crutch for both of them.
The characters are loveable in the main, the mother in law is depicted well as a jealous and spiteful lady, who we see develop as she too deals with her grief at losing her son.
I would strongly recommend this book and having dealt with loss I understood the intense feelings and felt they were written about well and with care.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautifully heart-rending story!
Anna is struggling. It's been a couple of years since she lost the love of her life, Spencer. She's cocooned herself away from the most of reality, preferring to wallow in her memories.
A New Years Eve midnight phonecall to Spencer's old number, just so she can hear his voice on the answering machine, turns into something different, when, instead of a message, someone answers.
On the other end of the line is Brody, who has also suffered a huge loss.
Together, two strangers come to terms with their grief and heal more than each other's hurt.
I really loved this story, and finished it in one day, unable to put it down.
Both Anna and Brody are deep, wonderfully pained characters, and the portrayal of how grief can affect you is insightful.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book really pulls on your heart strings. I think I had worked out the twist in the tale really early on, but it didn’t ruin this book for me. The raw emotions linked with losing a loved one and trying to start again were so well written. Very moving, but the twist in the tale may shock some.

Released 20/12/2020

Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The main premise of this book is grief. And how grief can change people, affect behaviour, and ultimately bring people together.

Anna is grieving her late husband (who died two years before the events of the book start) and the book takes on her journey from New Years Eve two years after, all the way to the following year. Her emotions felt extremely real- I really felt for her.

Grief is dealt with extremely well. Sensitively and carefully as if the character is fragile- which she is.

It’s beautifully written and I found myself getting lost in Anna’s story- and then Brody’s.

I didn’t quite get the flip between the two characters but it definitely help as it also meant we could read about his anxiety.

Also written really well.

It’s not surprising that this book bought out many emotions, it’s covering a very emotional topic.

I really enjoyed this book, and I went it not knowing what it was about but I’m really glad I read it because it’s going to sit with me for a long time.

4/5 stars.

I nearly gave up on this book early on, but with a comparison with Jo Jo Moyes, I continued. With similaries to Sleepless in Seattle,it's a love story that should be a tear jerker. However, it didn't reach the heights of Sleepless...(pun intended). The outcome was predictable,and drawn out,and I couldn't connect with Anna and the behaviour of Spencer's family was sometimes bewildering.
A good idea but unfortunately,not executed well.

First off, this isn’t the type of book I would normally read. I read and loved Jojo Moyes back in the day, crying buckets over Me Before You etc, but since that time have moved more into the thriller territory or travel based books. But the description of The Last Goodbye peaked my interest.

Essentially a love story, but on oh so many levels, the author weaves the tale around two central characters. Both of them have lost people they loved deeply, and can’t move forward in life several years on, each struggling with their grief in their own unique ways. But a chance phone call between them sparks a friendship. Yes you’ve guessed where this is going, and you wouldn’t be wrong, but the writing is beautiful, and the journey to both of their recoveries is both frustrating and satisfying. The shadow characters and their linking stories along the way also work very well, and it would suit anyone who loved and cried at Me Before You and similar books.

A curl up in front of the fire book. But get the tissues ready - it’ll chew you up, but spit you out the other side with a warm hug.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t hook me in and I felt a disconnect from it. There was a lot to like - the premise, the characters and the progression they both made but I found it quite slow paced and at times I was a bit bored. I loved to see how far Anna had came and how this inspired Brody but it felt like a non-event for the reason they stopped speaking. There is definitely a lot of promise here and it wouldn’t put me off reading more from this author I’m just sorry I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of the other readers. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and HQ for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A sensitively written story about love and loss. The author touches on several aspects of bereavement and how different people deal with their loss so expect an emotional read at time as there is quite a bit of bleakness in dark places. However, hope is found in an unexpected way as Anna dials her deceased husband's mobile number hoping to hear his voice on his answerphone message and a stranger picks up the phone as the number had been reallocated. The journey then begins as demons need to be fought and conquered in more ways than one. Heartbreaking in places but with unexpected joy in others with some uplifting hope for a way forward.

A lovely story of loss and finding yourself again, this was an enjoyable read that had me wanting to keep reading on.

I really enjoyed this novel - I predicted the ending but this did not take away from its emotional power. An uplifting story about two individuals who learn to love again after suffering unbearable losses. Anna’s husband Spencer was killed in an accident 3 years ago and she is struggling to put her life together again. She rings his number and speaks to Brody who understands her. Through their phone calls both learn to laugh again and begin to make positive choices about their futures. However Brody has a secret which could potentially derail all that they have built. Anna is left to decide whether or not she can trust in a relationship again.

A lovely heartwarming story - well worth reading.

Such an amazing story that is so real for some people. This has been written well to be enjoyable and filled to the brim with emotion.

4*
Anna has felt so lost and alone since the death of her husband Spencer. Dialing his mobile phone to listen to his greeting she's shocked when its answered by a man.
Brody isn't expecting to answer the phone to a woman telling him she loves him.
Both have gone through a loss but are in different stages of managing their own grief.
A story of love & loss with true feelings and emotions

Grieving Anna can't see how anything will ever be good again after her husband died in an accident. Her happy place is under the duvet and nothing anyone says can make her feel anything can improve. Spencer was the love of her life, and how do you move on from that?

What certainly isn't helping is her mother-in-law, always aloof, she's turned grieving into an art form. New Year's Eve doesn't go well, and Anna fleas back to her house and her duvet, and to the habit she's fallen into that she can't admit to, especially not her best friend Gabi because she knows it's not at all helpful - she rings Spencer's mobile, to hear his voice on his voice mail. Except, this time, someone answers.

Brody lives in elective isolation with Lewis his dog in the bleakness of the moors of Devon. He's existing rather than living following a tragedy of his own and his anger and guilt have morphed into crippling agoraphobia and panic attacks. He buys a phone, gets a randomly allocated number, intending it to be a channel to the outside, but he doesn't want to contact anyone, and no one has the number. So, when it rings and a voice on the end says 'I love you,' he's astonished and totally thrown.

If you like Sleepless in Seattle, this will become your favourite book. The plot is straight from that film and even references it, but the story is very different and more harrowing. If you have had a bereavement, beware, this may be too much for you, but, then, it may help because it shows that there are ways out of the blackness of grieving, that it is allowed to wallow, if you want to,; that 'getting over it isn't a goal, but beginning to live again and be happy is not only allowed, but will happen when it happens.

I really enjoyed this, romantic as Sleepless is, can't be too soppy because the protagonists don't meet face to face. and their lives continue independently and in parallel. Lots of emotion, a little bit of wallowing, but overall a satisfying read.

I'm afraid I didnt love this, I feel like the themes of this story have been done before and im kind of over it now. However the writing was strong, and I will read from this author again. Its just my personal preference, there wasn't anything especially wrong with the book

I loved this book by Fiona Lucas. An wonderfully beautiful story about loss, friendship and family whilst reminding you to enjoy every day. I liked that the story was written in both Anna and Brody's points of view and I loved how the two characters' relationship developed. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely loved this book! A lovely story of lost love and learning to trust and fall in love again after heartbreak. Really enjoyable read.

Wow what a book absolutely brilliant from beginning to end and just loved reading about Anna and Brody's story, such a fantastic well written book that I found hard to put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for giving me the opportunity to read this brilliant book which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Okay. This is a clear the day, get a cosy spot and make sure you have plenty of chocolate and tissues kind of book. Don't argue, you'll thank me later.

Anna is widowed, but it's been three years and her friends are thinking that maybe it's time she moved on. But how can Anna move on when she had the perfect guy, the perfect life, when the grief still fills her, defines her? From the wardrobes full of her husband's suits, to the fortnightly Sunday lunches with her inlaws, Anna clings onto the memories. So when her best friend tries to set her up on New Year, Anna breaks. She calls Spencer's phone, to tell him she loves him.
And someone answers...

Anna doesn't believe in ghosts, much as she wants to, and is convinced she hallucinated the call. But another lost day she succumbs again and realises that it's not her dead husband on the end of the line but a stranger. Somehow it's easier to talk to him than any of her concerned friends and relatives and its not long before Anna is telling him everything. Meanwhile, in a cottage in the middle of a Devon moor, Brody has barely spoken to another human being in months, until his new phone unexpectedly rings. Soon talking to Anna is the only time he feels like a normal person, but even as she confides in him and he starts to help her through her grief, Brody knows that some secrets are too painful to share.

This is a gorgeous novel about grief, moving on and coming to terms with tragedy. It's funny, heartbreaking and oh so human. The Last Goodbye deserves to be on everyone's reading list this new year. Just gorgeous.

This was so heart wrenching! This is a beautiful story surrounding grief and anxiety. The story follows widow Anna who lost her husband Spencer over 2 years ago. One New Year’s Eve, she calls Spencer, to listen to his voicemail again, but this time someone answers the call. Brody and Anna start a friendship, connecting over their grief. I won’t go into the full story, I don’t want to spoil it but you should read it to find out!
There were a couple of moments that didn’t sit well with me. The first being Anna best friend Gabi pushing her so much to move on, kind of forcing her into various activities like salsa dancing, and trying to set her up with men. I really felt for Anna in these moments. It shows how everyone grieves differently and you cannot rush it. Gabi does realise this by the end though, and apologises for pushing her, which I liked. The other thing being Spencer’s mother Gayle. I understand she is overcome with grief but the way she treated Anna was appalling. But like i said, grief makes people act in completely irrational ways. Some of the things Gayle does is just awful, my heart was constantly breaking for Anna. She was caught between two worlds, people telling her to move on, and others saying she’s moving too fast.
I really loved the character of Brody. He is trapped in his remote cottage, struggling severely with anxiety, panic and agoraphobia. We don’t know until the end of the book what happened to him, and neither does Anna. It wasn’t what she, or I, were expecting. I feel the author represents anxiety and panic well, and there are a few times when Brody tries to conquer his fears and ends up having a panic attack. This was described accurately (in my personal opinion and experience) but with sensitivity. I think it’s so important that mental health problems are mentioned in books, as so so many people struggle.
I can’t even explain how much this broke my heart, but also made me heart feel joyful and uplifted. I just adored the characters of Anna and Brody and their relationship, and I was rooting for them both the whole way through. They felt so real to me, probably because they were such real emotions and issues they were facing.
I feel like everyone needs to read this book, I think there’s a moment that everyone can relate to in some way. Highly recommend!
Thank you for allowing me to read this!!

Goodbye tells the story of Anna and Brody. Anna is a widow who can’t find a way through her overwhelming grief. By chance, and I won’t spoil how, she finds herself talking to a complete stranger - Brody. Brody is hiding a huge secret of his own and connects with Anna through their grief.
I loved this book and read it quickly. The characters are believable and their grief real. The supporting cast of characters are great too and have their own stories and heartaches. Although this is romantic fiction, it’s not contrived or fluffy. A real page turner and highly recommended.