'The Last Time We Say Goodbye' by Cynthia Hand

Amazon / Goodreads

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

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 Tyler 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.

I'm not sure I can rationally write this review.

Why? 

It's because a friend of mine is named Tyler. I kept comparing him to Ty. And it was terrible of me. And I didn't like it. I hated the comparisons. Even if there were none. 

There was such an interesting backstory for each character. 

Alexis had an interesting story. She had interesting reasons to do certain things. Avoiding her father and friends. Dumping poor Steven. She had convinced herself she had done something to urge Tyler to commit suicide. She wasn't a bad character either. A geeky nerd-type? Cool. Smart too? And she was kind. Even if she shoved people away. Even with that. She was an interesting character. She also changed. It was quite amazing. Realizing the truth. And saying it, writing it. She accepted it. 

And the father-son part with Tyler. There was something with that. Having a father leave is terrible. I've never experienced it. But it must be hard. I can't imagine it. Being left. Alone... This was part of the story. An important part. He is dead. But Tyler, though dead, is still a character. 

I liked how Sadie was woven back into Alexis's life. It was great. It emphasized friendship. It shows that friends are important in times of darkness. Sadie was a good friend. She understood Alexis's situation. Her father died. She was younger than Alexis, though. She understood.

Sadie was a good character. She was quirky. And interesting. She had a backstory. She was a tanned girl Alexis knew before. And then...the pierced, smoke-smelling girl of now. She had a deceased father. And a bit of a bad attitude. And she had a past with Alexis. 

It was great that Sadie was brought back. She was important to Alexis before. And she was supporting Alexis as she accepted her new life. 

The romance was mildly cute. Especially Steven and Alexis. That was adorable. They were good for each other. They complimented each other. Alexis and Steven were both nerdy. They really were meant for each other. 

Alexis could have relied on Steven more, though. He didn't do anything wrong. At all. He was just being him. Geeky and sweet. They really suited each other. 

It was sweet how they met. Really. I liked it. Their relationship can be summed up into one word. Adorkable. I don't like using those terms. So this relationship was pretty good. Even for a non-romantic like me. 

I did have problems... But they can be ignored for now. 

We still didn't get the why. I wanted to know why. I liked that we got Alexis healing. We had hints. But we can't assume blame can be placed on just depression's shoulders. You have external forces as well. Their dad's leaving? Thinking he isn't good for Ashley? You don't know.

I want to know. It was part of the story. Something it was hinted at. I wished we got the truth. I wish Alexis searched for a reason. You can't get the truth. Unless they wrote it out. Or something. But. Still. She didn't seem to care too much for the why. The author didn't add in that. I get it, though. It's the After story. Alexis's story of healing. But. The why... It's something I really want. 

The plot wasn't that exciting. It was pretty dull. Not that much drama. I wanted more. Maybe the truth? (Seriously...) I thought the plot was kinda...slow. We didn't get too much build-up. It was too long really. I felt like the story was just pulling itself along. We could have gotten a more conclusive story. Something that revealed her acceptance earlier on. 

There could have been a fight. Ooh. A fight would have been cool. Or maybe Damian coming into the picture earlier. Or something like that. That would have been amazing. 

I know the fact that my friend is named Tyler is affecting my judgment. I apologize. I hope that isn't changing it too much. 

Weather:

Sunny with a 20% chance of rain

4/5