kian_a's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
Tissues! The Last Time We Say Goodbye is one of those books... and I just can't stop crying right now.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
irrelahvant's review against another edition
5.0
I actually wrote a(n extensively long) review on my blog
In short, this book was great beyond words. The ending had me sobbing like a baby. Good book if you want to cry alone in your room at 2am. HAHA but in all seriousness, check out this book! Yes, it is painful but the pain is worth the read.
In short, this book was great beyond words. The ending had me sobbing like a baby. Good book if you want to cry alone in your room at 2am. HAHA but in all seriousness, check out this book! Yes, it is painful but the pain is worth the read.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
So that just happened.
The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand was one of those books that I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it. It definitely has a sad topic (suicide) and for whatever reason, I have read a number of sad topic books already this year (I’m not sure why) and haven’t been super impressed with them but I admit, this story grabbed me and there may have been a few tears by the end. I will most likely not do this story a lot of justice with my review – sorry, that is usually what happens when I read something that really gets me, but take my word for it. This book is one you should definitely check out.
Lex is a senior in high school and up until about 18 months ago, the biggest thing on her mind was whether she was going to get into MIT. That isn’t to say she has things easy. As the story opens, we actually find out that she is trying to cope with the fact that her brother committed suicide and although there was a history of issues with him, she can’t really figure out what happened to trigger it. On top of all of that, she feels guilty because the night he killed himself, he sent her a text that she never responded to. As part of her therapy, she is given a notebook to write notes to someone (anyone) which is supposed to help her come to terms with what happened.
I like Lex. She obviously is smart and everything she has, she has had to work for. She isn’t necessarily popular but she also isn’t unpopular…she just kind of floats along the fringes at school and has her own group of friends but we find out that she has decided to distance herself from them after Ty’s death. It has a lot to do with how she copes with the grief and their responses to what happened but there is also another reason. Don’t hate me, but I can’t say what it is as it is a pivotal piece of why she feels so guilty throughout the story.
I thought all of the secondary characters were well done. As I mentioned, Lex has really pulled away from her friends and that includes breaking up with her boyfriend Steven. Despite that, Steven tried to be supportive – however he could…even if Lex didn’t want him to be. Sadie was an old friend who drifted away and now they have a common experience to discuss. Lex’s parents – it was interesting to see the difference in Lex’s relationships with her mother and father. And Ty – he obviously wasn’t alive but I thought Hand did a wonderful job of building his character out through flashbacks and things that Lex remembered about him.
As Lex comes to term with her feelings about what Ty did and what happened the night he committed suicide, she also starts to figure out her relationship with her father, her mother, and Steven. Her lack of communication with everyone was what was creating the distance and as she starts to tell them what is really going on in her head, things start to come together. There is still this huge tragedy that everyone has to deal with but they also slowly come to realize that they have to continue to live. All the things Lex couldn’t say out loud are documented in the notebook and this is what she uses to really let Steven know what happened and why she did what she did.
I thought Hand did a wonderful job of showing just how painful it is to go through something like this and although there is definitely sadness, there is also hope. By the time the story ends, she has clearly turned a corner and I felt optimistic that she would be ok. If you are looking for a moving story about family, love, and dealing with loss; consider checking this one out. Having read the book, the cover (a post-it note on the mirror) makes a lot of sense and I love it even more than I already did.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen for the review copy.
The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand was one of those books that I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it. It definitely has a sad topic (suicide) and for whatever reason, I have read a number of sad topic books already this year (I’m not sure why) and haven’t been super impressed with them but I admit, this story grabbed me and there may have been a few tears by the end. I will most likely not do this story a lot of justice with my review – sorry, that is usually what happens when I read something that really gets me, but take my word for it. This book is one you should definitely check out.
Lex is a senior in high school and up until about 18 months ago, the biggest thing on her mind was whether she was going to get into MIT. That isn’t to say she has things easy. As the story opens, we actually find out that she is trying to cope with the fact that her brother committed suicide and although there was a history of issues with him, she can’t really figure out what happened to trigger it. On top of all of that, she feels guilty because the night he killed himself, he sent her a text that she never responded to. As part of her therapy, she is given a notebook to write notes to someone (anyone) which is supposed to help her come to terms with what happened.
I like Lex. She obviously is smart and everything she has, she has had to work for. She isn’t necessarily popular but she also isn’t unpopular…she just kind of floats along the fringes at school and has her own group of friends but we find out that she has decided to distance herself from them after Ty’s death. It has a lot to do with how she copes with the grief and their responses to what happened but there is also another reason. Don’t hate me, but I can’t say what it is as it is a pivotal piece of why she feels so guilty throughout the story.
I thought all of the secondary characters were well done. As I mentioned, Lex has really pulled away from her friends and that includes breaking up with her boyfriend Steven. Despite that, Steven tried to be supportive – however he could…even if Lex didn’t want him to be. Sadie was an old friend who drifted away and now they have a common experience to discuss. Lex’s parents – it was interesting to see the difference in Lex’s relationships with her mother and father. And Ty – he obviously wasn’t alive but I thought Hand did a wonderful job of building his character out through flashbacks and things that Lex remembered about him.
As Lex comes to term with her feelings about what Ty did and what happened the night he committed suicide, she also starts to figure out her relationship with her father, her mother, and Steven. Her lack of communication with everyone was what was creating the distance and as she starts to tell them what is really going on in her head, things start to come together. There is still this huge tragedy that everyone has to deal with but they also slowly come to realize that they have to continue to live. All the things Lex couldn’t say out loud are documented in the notebook and this is what she uses to really let Steven know what happened and why she did what she did.
I thought Hand did a wonderful job of showing just how painful it is to go through something like this and although there is definitely sadness, there is also hope. By the time the story ends, she has clearly turned a corner and I felt optimistic that she would be ok. If you are looking for a moving story about family, love, and dealing with loss; consider checking this one out. Having read the book, the cover (a post-it note on the mirror) makes a lot of sense and I love it even more than I already did.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen for the review copy.
ohkaykayreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Loved this one! This story was fantastic. It tugged so hard on my heartstrings. I actually found some details of Lexie's life were quite similar to mine, right down to the names of some of the characters so, I related and connected to it on another level. It was heartbreaking at times but It made me think and reminded me to try and appreciate certain little things.
hereistheend's review against another edition
5.0
this one hit so hard in so many ways. i discovered a lot about myself.
OH THE FEELS. w0w. 0kay !!!
OH THE FEELS. w0w. 0kay !!!
khairun_atika's review against another edition
4.0
The death of a loved one is never an easy topic to write, or read about. This story was particularly hard to read from the beginning, and as the story progresses, I can almost feel the pain seeping through the pages, as Lex slowly recounts the events that lead up to her younger brother's suicide. Her grief and pain are so raw, that you almost feel like you are intruding in one's privacy when reading her journal entries. Cynthia Hand writes wonderfully, and Lex is such a well-developed character. From her quiet grief, aloof attitude towards her therapist and ultimately, the way she helped other people, she was not your typical angsty teenager. She was mature and altruistic, and admits to her mistake and finally learns to move on. The book sort of reminded me of All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, and true enough, I found out why in the last few pages of the novel. The authors of both books both lost people in their lives quite like their protagonists. That explains the raw grief.
cs_the_librarian's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5