Book Review: The Last to Let Go by Amber Smith

Author: Amber Smith

Series: Stand Alone 

Cover: I love how the title of this book covers the entire cover. The ball of tangled wires/string is a perfect representation of what this book is about. 

Rating: 3/5 The book was "mehhhh" from beginning to end. The entire book was very simple and just too plain(?). It is missing something to give it an extra boost to a 4 or 5 rating. 

Trigger Warning: Just a minor warning that this book covers topics of physical and emotional abuse.

Review: Like always, my reviews will be done in two parts. The first part will be spoiler free and the second part will be me ranting about events that happened in the book. So, The Last to Let Go was not what I was expecting. For some reason, I thought this book would be more on the True Crime genre, but it was mostly just Drama. I'm not saying that this is a bad book, but it isn't something that I normally pick up and read. Overall, I give this book a 3/5 because it was just okay.

The Last to Let Go covers the story of Brooke's life through high school after a traumatic event. Everything was going her way until the start of her summer where her abusive father was killed by her mother. Now Brooke has to deal with school, romance, family, and her personal demons. Everything that she thought she knew about her life and what she thought was right has changed. This book is a journey of her finding who she is and learning how to let go.

Although it is nice to take a break from all the fantasy books I've been reading, I now remember why I prefer the fantasy genre over contemporary. This book was very dramatic in every sense that was possible. I guess a reason why I don't like contemporary as much is because it is so... normal? Like, Brooke is dealing with an "every day" type of problem. Of course, everyone's situation is different in life, but I felt as if this book was just too plain. I like fantasy because I can jump out of this world and onto the next. That is just my personal taste though.

There are a lot of characters for you to know in this book. We have Brooke, the main character who is very very emotional about everything. Aaron, the older brother who isn't much of an older brother. Callie, the younger sister who is way too young to be dealing with all of this crap. Dani, the love interest and Tyler the best friend. There are other characters, but these guys are the main crew. 

So, what did I like about this book? Honestly, I liked how it portrayed something that could have happened to anyone. I'm sure somewhere in this world, there is a Brooke who is going through exactly what this Brooke is going through. I don't read many books about abuse, but it is good to always acknowledge it. Abuse is a serious problem in many households and sometimes people don't do anything until it is too late. I also appreciate how non-perfect every character in this book is, although it gets annoying later on. 

What I didn't enjoy about this book is Brooke (hehe it rhymed). It is really hard to enjoy a book when you're not into the main character. Besides that, I also didn't enjoy the writing style of Smith. It felt too... dramatic? That is just my taste on it. I know some people love the insanely detailed writing. 

Overall, would I recommend this book? Umm.... sure, if you're bored and have nothing else to read. I'd put this in your TBR list, but I wouldn't be excited to read it. I feel like there are other books similar to this book that would be a better read. Again, not an expert in Non-Fantasy books! 

!!!!!!!!!! MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD !!!!!!!!!!

Alright, let's get down and dirty. I really did not enjoy Brooke's character. Her whole personality reminds me of a teenager being a smart ass. I do not understand her way of thinking. There are SO MANY people who are trying to help her, but she pushes them all away. Then, she wonders why she is alone in this world. Um... excuse me? She had all the help for her to get better but she declines them all. I just don't understand that mentality especially in a crucial time as this. 

Another thing that annoys me is that we never get to know the exact reason why Mother murdered Father. I know it sounds like self-defense, but she was charged as guilty for murder in the book. I looked up a couple of laws when it comes to situations like this and it is interesting how gray the decision is in stories like this. If you murder your abuser while he is in the act of abusing you/threatening to kill you, you can call it self-defense. If you kill your abuser while he was sleeping, it is considered murder. DISCLAIMER: * this is just a general assumption that I got while reading a couple of articles. Every county, state, country, etc. has different laws and such. I'm not a lawyer so please don't take what I just said above as the 100% truth * Now, we don't know the entire story of the Mom, but still :/ that stuff sucks. 

Onto another character that I didn't enjoy, Aaron. Okay, I get it that your life was literal hell, but it is kind of messed up that you left your two younger sisters behind. I mean, I get it, you need the time and space to grieve too. I still think Aaron should have tried and help his own family. In the book, it felt as if he really just cared for himself. 

What I wish Smith could have done is maybe split this book into three POV's. I'd love to see it from each sibling's perspective. It seems as if all of them were dealing with this traumatic event differently. I understand that no one's life is perfect, especially after a situation like this, but it doesn't look good for any of the siblings in the future. But what do I know? I've never dealt with something like this, so who am I to really judge who people should act. 

Lastly, I just didn't enjoy the romance. I guess this book wasn't supposed to be focused on romance, but it was still there. I'm glad that Brooke and Dani didn't get back together yet. Personally, Dani pushed the relationship too fast and Brooke is too broken to be focusing on other things other than herself. You need to love yourself first girl.

Audiobook Rating: 

This book was narrated by Stephanie Einstein (cool last name) and I give her a 2/5 rating. When listening to audiobooks, it helps if all the characters have distinct voices from one another. Einstein made a great Brooke, but the Brooke started to sound exactly like Dani, Jackie, Mother, etc. All of her male voices sound the same as well. When it comes to the dialogue, it just got confusing to know who is talking :/

Top 3 Favorite Characters:

Callie - She is my favorite character in this entire book. I think I like her the most because she felt so... normal? She just wants to live her life to the best and knows what she has to do. It takes a lot of maturity which her older sister does not have.

Jackie - Bless this woman and her husband for taking in three kids. Especially when two of them are emotional teenagers. Not to mention how much money if would cost to have three extra mouths to feed, clothe, and care for. 

Tyler - I love best friends that gives 0 shit when it comes to drama that doesn't involve them. I enjoyed how he gives straight and truthful advice. I don't like seeing a friend pick sides between two friends. 

Welp, that is all everyone! This review was an interesting one to write. I think I wrote a lot more than I usually do, so props to you if you read it all. The next book I'll be reading is To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo. I'm excited and nervous to read this book. There has been so much hype to read it that I'm afraid to be let down. Let me know if you've read The Last to Let Go and your thoughts on it in the comments below! Or if you liked To Kill a Kingdom and want to link me to your review on it! Until next time~