SYNOPSIS

In this evocative and poignant novel from the USA TODAYbestselling author of Blind Kiss and Wish You Were Here, a young widow in the midst of grieving her late husband through Facebook posts learns to heal and fall in love again. 

“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.

Written with Renée Carlino’s signature “tender and satisfying” (Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Maybe in Another Life) prose, this warm and compassionate novel shows us how powerful the courage to love and live again truly is.

*****Patty’s Review*****

*****3.5 STARS*****
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}

There are times in life when the pendulum swinging between happiness and sadness begins to slow. The powerful force of emotions goes dormant, we pause, look up, and realize we are finally content. 

This story was equally depressing as it was bizarre. At times I wondered what path the author was trying to pave for the main characters. I struggled with my feelings for this book for almost 70% of it. I didn’t empathize or even like the heroine, Laya, and I thought Micah was a deranged stalker. The only character that I liked was Cameron, the dead husband, whom we only get to meet during the first chapter of the book. I idealized him along with Laya, and that’s because, in her point of view, he was the perfect version of himself.

I was worried that this was going to be the first book by Renee Carlino that would be a disappointment, but the writing is good. I couldn’t help but laugh at the snarky and quick-witted banter between Micah and his twin sister Melissa. Those two cracked me up more times than I could count. Somehow the author managed to turn things around but it took almost three-quarters of the story for her to pull off what I considered to be an impossible feat. I couldn’t fathom that Laya and Micah could have believable chemistry but then the author throws in a plot twist to shake things up and it was then that I felt a connection to the story and characters. I only wish it didn’t take so long to finally click. I will say that the author has a great sense of humor and it made for some terrific comedic banter and I’m happy that I got the chance to read this one.

Here are my overall ratings:

Hero: 4
Heroine: 3
Plot: 3.5
Angst: 4
Steam: 3
Chemistry Between Hero & Heroine: 4

”THE LAST POST” is currently available.

AMAZON: https://amzn.to/2MFqODQ
B&N: https://bit.ly/2TmRMTg
APPLE BOOKS: https://apple.co/2RlA2Ws
KOBO: https://bit.ly/2sTfgnb
Simon&Schuster: https://bit.ly/2S9d89j