Loved this one so much.  It is romantic and melancholy at the same time.  Well done, highly recommended.

* I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion. *

This book is powerful. And from the title and description alone, I had a feeling I'd love it. 

I was right. 

Lucy's best friend died nearly a year ago. Her death occurred right on the cusp of Lucy getting what she'd always wanted—Trixie's brother, Ben. But as is the case with death, everything screeches to a halt. Things change, people change. And, <i>The Last Thing You Said</i> is a brilliant portrayal of death, grief, and first love. 

Now, this isn't the first time I've said this, nor will it be the last, but I adore the best friends to lovers trope. It never gets old regardless of how many stories I read. So that was my first pull/draw to this book. The second? The death of a loved one. Maybe I'm morbid, but I find myself enjoying the stories of those dealing with grief while in the midst of love. What sets this apart from others I've read, though, is that the "couple" have both been affected by the same death. Both are grieving, but unfortunately, separate instead of together. And really, this is where 90% of the angst in this book stems from. 

I won't even lie—I'm about to be a hypocrite. In my past review, I claimed to hate the brooding hero trope. And while it's still true, this time, it has merit. I loved Ben. I understood why he was moody and damaged. However, I also hated him for what he'd done to Lucy; how he was still treating her. I lost count of all the times I wanted to punch him for doing stupid things. I did give him a pass (somewhat) because both were stubborn. And, Lucy... I felt her pain. I can't imagine losing not only a best friend, but a second family as well. Or, potentially the love of my life. All in one swoop. And I'm in no way saying her actions weren't stupid at times, because they were. I did understand her reasoning, though, with how the distance came into play. Both characters were extremely well-developed, but more importantly, had their own voices. It actually felt as though I were in the heads of two separate people. And since this isn't always the case, I appreciated it. 

Thankfully, we do get both points of view. Witnessing the damage the tragic death of Trixie caused was devastating. My heart broke for both. But again, all I wanted was them to get their heads out of their asses and TALK. The angst factor in this book is out of control. So much tension! And this doesn't go away... not until nearly the end. But it's not just about them. We see how it affected their families. Their other relationships, too. It's honest and real. 

Hannah is a joy. As is Guthrie. Those two made for great background characters. And Emily. Through Lucy's storytelling to the little girl, we get to know Trixie a little better. We, too, get to mourn her loss. 

This is one of the best contemporary stories I've read in a while. Maybe since 2015, even. I haven't been this invested in one in nearly as long. From Simon to Dana to Lucy to Ben... it's a tale that isn't always easy. But it's an honest, brilliant, realistic story. One that will stay with me for a long time.

This book is a heart-wrenching tale of loss, grief, love, and moving on after tragedy.  A general purchase for all teen collections.

Loved this book!  It was beautifully written and really examined the feelings of having lost someone.  I enjoyed reading the two different perspectives and ways of dealing.  I also adored the sweet love story.  Well done!

I REALLY thought I was going to enjoy this book. I thought it was going to be heartfelt and truly show how grief affects people. The foreword Biren wrote made it seem even more likely. But I was let down and left sorely disappointed.

The beginning was nice. I met the characters, Ben, Trixie, Lucille (Lucy/Lulu), and the rest, and they were real. There was no issue with plot pushing characters or annoying flimsy cardboard cutouts. I guess what bothered me the most was the fact that this whole book is based on a MASSIVE amount of miscommunication.

Ben scares me. I didn't like that he had a drinking problem and that sometimes he leans towards a possessive side and gets really angry and violent. I get that grief is very difficult for people, but I needed to see a side of him that convinced me that before Trixie's death, he was a great guy worth being around. 

I admittedly have negative feelings towards Lucille. I didn't like the fact that she lied to and disrespected her parents and then later, (SPOILER) cheated on her boyfriend and didn't even THINK to feel guilty about it. It was never mentioned "I just cheated on my boyfriend. Oh no." Instead she just kept thinking about herself and how Ben made her feel. (spoiler)And I KNEW she was going to hurt her boyfriend the minute he was introduced. I really can't stand her for that. Which is another thing: I feel as if Lucille is really selfish. Throughout the entire book, she's always thinking about herself. She's always worried about how no one calls her Lulu anymore and how SHE feels and how much SHES hurting and it drove me NUTS. I wanted to scream WHAT ABOUT ALL OF THE OTHER PEOPLE AFFECTED BY TRIXIE'S DEATH?! Even when she FINALLY thought about Trixie's parents, she managed to turn it into "I feel so guilty about this. I feel terrible. Wah." It just drove me crazy. Also??? Can I just say?? The whole "I FEEL SO BAD MY BEST FRIEND DIED WAH WAH. oh and I'm in love with her brother and he'll make everything right." makes me want to DIE.

I don't like this one other character, but they would be a spoiler I guess so I will keep it vague. But I didn't like that he spoke for Lucille to someone else, especially something that was a lie. I also didn't like that he was spreading her personal information to hurt someone else. I hate that. 

Like I said, the plot drove me crazy. If Ben and Lucille had just TALKED to each other, this book would've been over in half an hour or less. Instead it drags on with nonsense and mistakes and angst-filled thoughts and looks and wailing and yelling. This book shouldn't have taken this long. At first I didn't mind, world building is important (even if it's our own world) and backstories are important too, but eventually it became ridiculous.
Two things I did like though, were the Trixies, which were stories about Trixie and Lucille that would appear at the beginning of certain chapters, and that every couple of chapters were given a timespan. The book takes place over the summer, so each chapter is a month. It was a good way to give everything a time frame.

Would I Recommend The Last Thing You Said? I'm afraid not. I just could not enjoy it considering all of the things I felt were negative about it.

*things marked Spoiler will be hidden in the actual post

This book made me cry - and I HATE crying, especially when I am reading.

Sad, uplifting, deep and did I mention brave?  Biren's book (I believe it is her first) takes an honest look at how the death of a loved one (especially one so young) affects everyone on so many different levels and even when you think you are getting through it - unexpected things can both be good and bad at the same time.

The tentative romantic connection of these two characters is so well done.  Love, but how can I love someone when there is so much guilt? how can I love when someone else will never love?  Deep writing, giving me lots of things to think about.

Lovely.

Winter is winter, even where I live in the South of Spain.  It’s scarves and cold floors and lighting the woodstove and dark mornings.  Which is why an escape into a balmy midsummer in Minnesota lake country was exactly what I was looking for when I picked up The Last Thing You Said.  

A year after the heartbreaking tragedy that drove them apart, Ben and Lucy are working summer jobs and hanging with friends and trying to move on.  The only problem is that every time they look at each other it all comes flooding back.  Told in a dual narrative, we are drawn into every detail of the protagonists’ lives - their jobs, their families, their romances, their friendships, the constant struggle to move on and put the pain of the past behind them.

Aside from the intensely evocative setting which leaps off every page and surrounds you with starry skies and sun-drenched lakeshores as you read, one of the great strengths of TLTYS has to be its cast of supporting characters.  Friends, family members and love interests are so well drawn and defined that you become almost as invested in them as in the two leads.  And while there was much that was idyllic about these summer days, the life portrayed was grounded in responsibility, tainted by doubt and pain, shadowed by guilt.

There was much to like about the deeply flawed Ben, and this was where the dual narrative really came into its own.  While his behaviour, from the outside, had Lucy’s friend Hannah declaring him a “moody little prick”, getting to see things from his perspective made it clear how deeply his actions were rooted in his pain.  Intimate touches like his collecting and polishing of rocks and the building of the inuksuit (I loved learning about these) added depth and sensitivity.  I’m not a fan of dual narratives when it seems like there’s no real point to them, but in this case the narrative was largely driven by the gap between the perception of behaviours and the truth of them, which was also completely appropriate within the context of looking at the different ways people deal with grief.

Flawed but likeable characters, a rich and unusual setting, emotional honesty - TLTYS is an atmospheric, absorbing and touching read.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.