Book Review: "The Last Love Note" by Emma Grey

I held onto this book for a while because so many friends talked about how sad this was. I knew I needed to be in a place where a book like this wouldn’t leave me utterly bereft. And while this is certainly an emotional read, it’s full of beauty and hope all the same.

“How long is it reasonable to drag out your recovery from grief until you’re expected to get your act together again? Or maybe that’s where I’m going wrong. You don’t recover from it. There is no ‘healed’ moment. You just absorb it into your new life, somehow, and go from there.”

Cam was Kate’s first and only love. They’ve been together for years, sharing adventures and memories, and are the parents of a young son, Charlie. But shockingly, Cam became ill and died, leaving Kate to raise Charlie, and alone, navigate the future they were supposed to share.

Two years later, Kate is still dealing with her grief, which surfaces in the strangest of ways and situations. She’s working again and doing a stellar job, at least when she can fully pull herself together. She’s only 40; is this the life she has to look forward to?

When her first work trip is diverted by a storm, she’s left spending a few days in an Australian beach town. It’s there she realizes that her life doesn’t have to be defined by her grief, and if a second chance at happiness comes her way, it’s okay to pursue it.

There certainly are a good number of sad moments in this book, but also funny, sweet, and romantic ones, too. I really couldn’t get enough of this beautiful, moving story.