The Last Goodbye

A fateful phone call connects two mourning individuals seeking companionship in this bumpy contemporary romance from Lucas (The Memory Collectors, written as Fiona Harper). Anna Barry has struggled to move on following the death of her husband, Spencer, almost two years ago. She finds comfort in calling Spencer’s old phone number to listen to his voicemail message—and is shocked when one time, someone answers. Turns out, the number was recently transferred to a new owner: reclusive, enigmatic Brody Smith. Brody understands how Anna feels due to his own loss, so she continues to call him whenever she needs to talk through her heartache. Their growing connection helps Brody fight the agoraphobia that’s gripped him during his bereavement and inspires Anna to devote her life to helping connect other grieving people. Anna lives in London, Brody in the countryside, and though they’ve never met, both feel a powerful bond that slowly deepens into love—if only they could move on from the past. Lucas’s complex, unflinching portrayal of Anna and Brody’s grief is commendable, but there are some questionable narrative decisions, as when Lucas backs off from character-defining moments or cuts away from necessary conversations instead of tackling them. This middle-of-the-road romance falls just short of satisfying. [em](June) [/em]