The Last Thing She Told Me by Linda Green is not the first book by her I have reviewed.

The atmosphere hit me straight away, and the bond between the daughter and granddaughter.

It was immediately immersive. Details of her grandmother's house are well described, especially the wedding photo.

It's heartfelt in some parts despite the theme of the grandmother's death. Estranged family coming together, great backstory and the writing flows so well. It's emotionally raw and incredibly gripping.

Thanks to Linda Green and Quercus Books for my eARC in eachange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars.

It is not very often a book makes me feel emotional but boy oh boy this one sure did. I actually cried big ugly tears which is not a pretty sight but this book really got to me. A emotional and utterly heart breaking read at times.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This books deals with very sensitive subjects in a sweet way and made for good reading. Recommended.

I have just finished reading this with tears streaming down my face blobbing on my pillow as I lay reading it.
Several times I had a lump in my throat but the ending surely tipped the scales in my emotions.

Linda Green can surely take you over with her writing. I dare anyone to read this book and scoff because it’s so beautifully agonisingly well written.

It’s raw, so raw it hurts.

Generations of hurt, unrest, secrets hidden because of shame, embarrassment or blaming oneself.

Parts of this go back to a Grandmothers time in the 1940s, then her daughter, then her daughter to her daughters daughter.
How continuingly hiding things can mar and scar the next generation.

Remembering the 1940s when pregnancy was shameful when out of wedlock.

There is rape and abuse. But don’t worry it’s not over dramatised as rape and abuse is so shocking in itself we don’t need written diagrams right?!

When Betty’s mother is dying it’s her own daughter that cares for her Grandmother. Before she passes she asks her granddaughter to look after the babies. What babies?

Even her own mother has secrets. Why the rift between her Gran and her Mother?

We get glimpses and hi lights from letters that were written from a William whilst in the war written to Betty. That is revealed more at the end which made me weep. Yes call me an old softie I can live with it.

It seemed that the entire women from each generation had secrets and stories to tell which they covered up. Mostly not to hurt others. But by doing this, they hurt themselves.

I loved how the author at the back of the book gave some revelations that enlightens how she came to write this powerful story. Don’t read it until you’ve read the book as it contains spoilers.

Nicola was a tower of strength in a job that needed to be done. But was she as strong as we think?

This is a thought provoking, powerful book that puts the strength back in women’s possession. To stand up, stand firm, even when it causes you pain.

My thanks to the Publicity dept of Querus and to net Galley for my copy. A book I will never forget.

Firstly a huge thank you to @netgalley for sending me a copy of this book.

There are a few formatting errors in this such as <line space> and words joined together where there should be a space in between. However I assume that is only because this is an ARC and that they will have been corrected for publication.

This story focuses mainly on the present day, with a few pages at the end of each chapter which are letters or thoughts written from 2 different perspectives - one whose identity is not revealed until later on in the book and who I can't say as it is a massive spoiler! and also letters from William to Betty from the war days. 

I actually want to give this book more than 5 stars it was so good - compelling and fast paced, and when it was called for, very emotional. Don't read this book wearing makeup as in the last quarter of the book it will be running down your face! I feel sorry for whichever author's work I read next as it has a lot to live up to!!

It is definitely one of the best books I have read this year and the story will remain with me for a long time I think. Very well told - I was in tears near the end. Will be looking for other books by this author immediately.

This has to be one of my favourite books of the year so far. When i first started reading it, i thought oh no this is going to make me cry all the way through. It brought back some tearful memories for myself, when we lost my grandma. However, i soon realised that this wasn’t going to be one of those soppy novels and the physclogical thriller began! I found this book so hard to put down and even though i guessed some of the plot and the storyline, i was still so shocked at the ending. I was annoyed when Nicola’s mum wasn’t talking to her but the. I understood why!

This was a beautifully written novel with all the necessary components that make up a psychological thriller. I think this novel will stay with me for a long time. Excellent book. I look forward to reading more by the same author!

Wow omg .... . This book has got to be the most heart breaking book I've ever read I literally cried so many Times poor family and poor woman taking that to her grave it had me In floods of tears all the way threw 3 generations of heart break and pain even though this story hit a nerve and brought me to tears I'm still glad I read it because it was so beautifully written this book will stay with me for years some books leave imprints on your heart and this is one of them wow just wow if you get the chance to read this dont hesitate but get the tissues ready you've been warned

This is story of women from multiple generations of the same family living in West Yorkshire (in fact, the setting is very close to my own home - Halifax, Hebden Bridge and Pecket Well are all within a few miles) and the book opens with Nicola sitting with her dying grandmother. Betty is 90 so her death is sad, but not a surprise, the shock comes from her final words - 'There are babies'...'At bottom of garden'...'Look after my babies for me'. Nicola tries to dismiss her fears but, when her little girl finds a tiny, human bone near fairy statues in the garden it becomes apparent that the old woman was telling the truth. As we discover the truth about these babies we also find out about the terrible things young women have suffered through the generations. The present day narrative is alternated with letters sent to Betty during her wartime girlhood and first hand memories of a young girl gradually realising that her emerging attraction to men is a horror rather than a joy.

Such a well written, emotional read. This book held me captivated throughout. Stunningly told and heartbreakingly poignant. Loved it!

A chilling read that kept me guessing until the end. I've recommended it to my book club. Thanks for the advanced copy.

4.5 Stars

What starts off as a simple enough request on a deathbed, turns into a rather fraught suspenseful book, with some huge family secrets to unravel.

Taking in 3 generations of the family, with some of the past revealed at the end of each chapter, this is an epic story.

It was also a book that was close to impossible to put down.

At times it is dealing with uncomfortable topics that may upset some people. I won't say what they are as it does give an element of spoiler.

Maisie was perhaps my favourite character, as she could be counted upon to relive the tension in any scene she was in. She is very funny and cute as an 8 year old can be.

Loved the storytelling of this book, and it is another great story from Linda Green.

Thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I found this book a little slow at the start and found Ruby and Maisie quite annoying for different reasons. It was definitely a tear-jerker and the story was interesting. A definite moral to this story that secrets are not always best kept and that honesty within families is always for the best. Interesting to read (at the end) what inspired this story. Sorry I don't find this tale as good as 'While my eyes were closed' and 'And Then it Happened', still readable nevertheless.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Linda Green/Quercus Books for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A real action packed family drama full of intrigue. The main character, Nicola, cares deeply for her grandmother who is coming to the end of her life. However, her mother and grandmother have a difficult relationship and refuse to see each other even though the end is near.
On her deathbed Nicola’s grandmother makes a statement about babies at the bottom of garden. Is she referring to the statutes? Is she hallucinating? Or is there a more sinister meaning?
Nicola’s mother tells her to leave well alone. But Nicola cannot do so. What hidden truths will she uncover?
Another brilliant novel by Ruth Ware.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very emotional story covering three generations of women, each with their own secrets. The story begins with a deathbed conversation and the secrets unfold from there. A real page turner. Highly recommended

When Nicola's Grandmother is dying she tells Nicola about babies buried at the bottom of the garden. At first Nicola thinks it is a dying woman's ramblings until curiosity gets the better of her.

This is a tough story which centres around difficult subjects including abuse and the loss of a baby. It is good that these topics are being bought out into the open and talked about. Fiction is a good way to do this.

As a story I did find it generally good. It is written in more than one time period with the thread in the past being taken from diaries and letters. I am a fan of this type of story, aprticularly the use of medium such as diaries and letters but would appreciate slightly better labelling in this book. I know in some areas the author was being deliberately vague in order to lead up to a great reveal however better labelling of times and dates would still have helped in other places.

This story runs over several generations of a family. I do wonder if perhaps this book would have been stronger had the author put less events of abuse. This would have enabled the book to look in more detail at less and allow the reader to better absorb the details. Towards the end of the book I just felt a little bombarded with negativity. There are glimmers of positivity with the ongoing story of Nicola and her daughter, Ruby, but would have liked a bit more evidence of people rising from the past & making good things from bad.

On the whole this was a book that I was glad that I read though I do have a few reservations. I would certainly try another book by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley

'Even the deepest buried secrets can find their way to the surface...
Moments before she dies, Nicola's grandmother Betty whispers to her that there are babies at the bottom of the garden.
Nicola's mother claims she was talking nonsense. However, when Nicola's daughter finds a bone while playing in Betty's garden, it's clear something sinister has taken place.
But will unearthing painful family secrets end up tearing Nicola's family apart?'
.
This book was brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed it, I loved that Nicola is an independant woman who won't be bullied by anyone. I love that her daughters are totally different but are both strong and feisty. I love that she has a man who adores her. I love the family dynamic and the twists and turns that reading this book brings the reader. I went through so many emotions reading this, it's part mystery, part tear jerker and has storylines which are tough to talk about. Throughout the story there is a strong sense of family and how important it is to be honest, how much damage secrets can do. I was gripped from start to finish so I think everyone should give this a go!

I have loved every book from this author and this one didn’t leave me disappointed.....would absolutely recommend.

The book starts with the death of Nicolas much loved grandmother Betty. Her final words to Nicola are to tell her there are babies at the bottom of the garden and to look after them for her. When Nicola mentions the comment to her mum she was told to take no notice. Nicolas daughter unearths a bone and in doing so opens up the secrets the family had kept hidden.

The book goes back to wartime letters to Betty and also dips in and out of memories but it isn't clear whose the memories are until later in the story when everything pulls together.

A beautiful read of suspense, mystery and emotion.

OMG, what an emotional read. By the time I had finished this book I was a blubbering mess! It was a book that once I had started I couldn’t put down. The Last Thing She Told Me is the story of hidden secrets within a family. Betty, Nicola’s grandmother, as she is dying asks her to look after the babies at the bottom of the garden. When Nicola questions her mother, Irene, who was Betty’s only child, she dismisses it and and tells Nicola to forget it. Nicola takes her two young daughters to her grandmother’s cottage and whilst playing at the bottom of the garden near the two stone angels that were there, they discover two small bones. Irene is horrified when Nicola informs the police and tells her she should have left it alone and that she doesn’t want to see her again. The bones turn out to be the bones of two dead babies and then the journey of solving this mystery begins.
This is a tale of the tragedies of three generations of a family and the upset and hurt when the truth is revealed rocks them all. A compelling and touching read that will have you reaching for the tissues. Definitely a book not to be missed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.