The Last Post by Renee Carlino –> Review

The Last Post by Renee Carlino
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
Published by Atria Books
on August 20, 2019
Pages: 304
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Review Copy Provided By: Atria


Goodreads

See you on the other side.

Laya Marston’s husband, Cameron, a daredevil enthusiast, always said this before heading off on his next adventure. He was the complete opposite of her, ready and willing to dive off a cliff-face, or parachute across a canyon—and Laya loved him for it. But she was different: pragmatic, regimented, devoted to her career and to supporting Cameron from the sidelines of his death-defying feats.

Opposites attract, right?

But when Cameron dies suddenly and tragically, all the stages of grief go out the window. Laya becomes lost in denial, living in the delusion that Cameron will come back to her. She begins posting on his Facebook page, reminiscing about their life together, and imagining new adventures for the two of them.

Micah Evans, a young and handsome architect at Laya’s father’s firm, is also stuck––paralyzed by the banal details of his career, his friendships, and his love life. He doesn’t know what he’s looking for, only that there is someone out there who can bring energy and spirit to the humdrum of his life.

When Micah discovers Laya’s tragic and bizarre Facebook posts, he’s determined to show Laya her life is still worth living. Leaving her anonymous gifts and notes, trying to recreate the sense of adventure she once shared with her late husband, Micah finds a new passion watching Laya come out of the darkness. And Laya finds a new joy in the experiences Micah has created for her.

But for Laya, letting another man in still feels like a betrayal to her late husband. Even though Micah may be everything she could wish for, she wonders if she deserves to find happiness again.

I was provided a review copy; this did not influence my opinion of the book.

THE LAST POST is a story about a woman drowned in the grief of the loss of her husband and the man who was determined to save her.

Micha wanted to be the reason Laya smiled, he wanted to be the one she thought about and loved, and he wanted her in his life.

Micah started as a stalker. There really isn’t any other way for me to describe his character. It was difficult for me to like him or view him as a love interest. He was oddly obsessed with his boss’s daughter, Laya (who is deep in grief over the death of her husband — the death which she witnessed). He had a strange need to try and make her feel better. He would read her posts on Facebook she made to her dead husband, and then try to recreate for her those experiences she wrote about, in the hope that it will make her feel better …

“I looked at Laya’s last post from six weeks ago about the movie. I wanted to have that moment with her. Instead of creeping her out by hiding tickets under her mat, I decided to ask her properly.”

For the most part, I liked Layla. I was glad we were able to watch her work her way through the grieving process and come out at the end, a stronger person. There were times, however, when she would lash out at people, that I found it difficult to like her. But everyone grieves differently, so I had to accept her angry and often nasty behavior as a result of her grief.

I loved the first 30% and thought for sure this was going to be another winner for me by this author. But, sadly, by 53% I contemplated not finishing. I put the story away and went on with my day. The next morning, I picked it back up again and decided to give it another try. I am glad that I did. The last 20% or so of the book, the story turned around for me. And, therein lies the problem. The middle of the book was slow. It was heavy. The focus became on Laya’s loss and her anguish, and on Micah’s odd, obsessive tendencies toward her, rather than focusing on the characters themselves. And those things made me not interested in the characters or their story.

While this may not have been a winner for me, I have loved every other book I’ve read from this author. Her writing is emotional, and her characters are intriguing. I look forward to reading more from her.

Related Posts