Last Time We Say Goodbye (Hand)

The Last Time We Say Goodbye 
Cynthia Hand, 2015
HarperCollins Teen
400 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062318473


Summary
A gorgeous and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and letting go.

Since her brother, Tyler, committed suicide, Lex has been trying to keep her grief locked away, and to forget about what happened that night.

But as she starts putting her life, her family, and her friendships back together, Lex is haunted by a secret she hasn't told anyone—a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

In the tradition of Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why, Gayle Forman's If I Stay, and Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a thoughtful and deeply affecting novel that will change the way you look at life and death. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—June 30, 1978
• Raised—near Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA
• Education—B.A., College of Idaho; M.F.A., Boise State University; Ph.D., University
  of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Currently—lives in Boise, Idaho


Cynthia Hand is the New York Times bestselling author of the Unearthly trilogy. A native of southeastern Idaho, she has graduate degrees in creative writing from Boise State University and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. For the past seven years she has taught writing at Pepperdine University in Southern California. She and her family have recently moved back to Idaho, where they are enjoying the fresh air. (From the publisher.)

Visit the author's website.

Book Reviews
Even if you think you have a high tolerance for gut-wrenching fiction, the tragedy may knock you flat. Still, reading The Last Time We Say Goodbye feels like exploring a forest after it's been decimated by wildfire. You will see new shoots sprouting where you least expect them…Hand spin[s] heartbreak into [a mystery] that remain[s] realistically, uncomfortably unsolved. Readers requiring total resolution may want to steer clear. But braver souls, teenagers and adults alike, will be rewarded…The payoff may not be particularly sweet…but it is hard-earned and life affirming, which is infinitely more rewarding
Elisabeth Egan - New York Times Book Review


Hand’s writing can be stiff...but she persuasively conveys the aftermath of suicide and the ways those left behind struggle with grief, anger, and guilt. Although Lexie’s movement from paralysis to possibility is a little quick, her range of emotions is believable, and Hand is effective at showing how guilt can impede one’s ability to move through tragedy (Ages 13–up).
Publishers Weekly


For Lex, since her brother committed suicide, questions about their last goodbye have haunted her.... The narrative unravels in perfect pacing, drawing readers into this emotional story.... [A]n excellent and thoughtful exploration of grief (Gr 8 & up). —Stephanie Charlefour, Wixom Public Library, MI
School Library Journal


(Starred review.) A quietly powerful, emotionally complex novel that will echo with readers long after it is finished. Both shatteringly painful and bright with life and hope.
Booklist


After her younger brother's suicide, ordinarily rational Alexis starts seeing her younger brother's ghost.... Details of Ty's last days, Alexis' sense of guilt and the incident itself are revealed slowly and are often unexpected but always believable. Evocative and insightful (Ages 14-18).
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
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