Book Review: The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand/YA/Published in 2015

Hello dear Readers,

Below, my thoughts on The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand.

Title: The Last Time We Say Goodbye

Genre: YA

Author: Cynthia Hand 

Publisher: Harper Teen

Language: English

Paperback: 390 pages

Book Description

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 Ty 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

*I gave 3/5 stars on Goodreads

After reading the description above, I was very excited to get my hands on this book. I had the chance to go to a Reading the Author did at a local bookstore and my excitement was higher at that point. Got me more interested. Adding to that all the good reviews I read. However, it was a complete disappointment. My expectations were too high. Even though, part of me wanted to stop reading, but I was hoping it was just a slow start and the story was going to really take off at some point but it didn't happen.

One thing I did like was the Author’s writing style, for most part. The structure of the story, I didn't get lost, it was easy to go through and follow what was going on with the characters.

That being said, I had a hard time with the main character, the narrator, Alexis. There was a lack of credibility. There were several parts during the story where she would say: “I don’t remember much of this, or I don’t remember much of that.” I understand because of what happened, her brother killed himself, she wanted to block out all what happened after that event, however, for me as a reader, I couldn't trust her. I felt I just knew parts of the story. I couldn't connect with her feelings and the other character's situations.

Given the subject on this book, suicide, I was expecting a more powerful story. At the end, I wished there was more about the story behind Ty, Alexi's brother, decision to take his own life, about the relationship with his father and his mother. 

Overall, I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. For me, there wasn't that "wow" factor. I couldn't completely connect with the characters and the story.

My Favorite Quote

"Forgiveness is tricky, Alexis, because at the end it's more about you than it is about the person who's being forgiven".

Wen