Last Time We Say Goodbye (Hand)

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