April 13, 2017

The Last Thing You Said - Sara Biren



Title: The Last Thing You Said
Author: Sara Biren
Pages: 320
Publisher: Amulet Books
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads rating:

About: Last summer, Lucy’s and Ben’s lives changed in an instant. One moment, they were shyly flirting on a lake raft, finally about to admit their feelings to each other after years of yearning. In the next, Trixie—Lucy’s best friend and Ben’s sister—was gone, her heart giving out during a routine swim. And just like that, the idyllic world they knew turned upside down, and the would-be couple drifted apart, swallowed up by their grief. Now it’s a year later in their small lake town, and as the anniversary of Trixie’s death looms, Lucy and Ben’s undeniable connection pulls them back together. They can’t change what happened the day they lost Trixie, but the summer might finally bring them closer to healing—and to each other.
This story was, eh, fine.  Lucy is still reeling from the death of her best friend, Trixie.  She's picked up a new best friend, but distanced herself from Ben, Trixie's brother, who she was almost dating before Trixie died.  She starts dating a summer boy and, if you know anything about vacation towns, you know it isn't going to last.  She also starts rebelling a little bit against her parents.  Meanwhile, the whole summer keeps throwing Lucy and Ben together while all they want to do is avoid each other.

See, that all sounds find.  But listen y'all, I am so tired of bad-boy characters ruining books for me.


Not that kind of bad boy.

I almost feel like I should make a list.  Hey, why not?

Things I hate about Ben
  • Grief excuses a lot in my book.  You never know how people will react in these situations.  Ben's, "I hate that you're here and she isn't," is not acceptable.  It's not like they were in a car accident and Lucy survived while Trixie didn't.  Lucy had literally nothing to do with her death.  She should have told him to eff right the hell off.
  • "Lucy's ponytails are usually crooked or she'll miss a few strands that curl around her neck or one side will be bumpy.  And if you look closely, you can see that one of Lucy's blue eyes is narrower at the outside corner than the other."  Dude, you're a creep.
  • This should really be attached to the last bullet point, but it's getting its own.  I just don't buy Ben describing Lucy the way he does.  It feels very much like a woman writing a boy's voice (which I hate tbh).  He's grieving his dead sister, but makes sure to note that Lucy's hair is caramel colored.  No.  I would accept it more from Simon, who is supposed to be an artist, but still, no.
  • I fucking hate when boys call girls 'my girl' when they're not together.  It's gross and weird.  Whitehouse.org petition to end that shit.
Sadly The Last Thing You Said wasn't a winner for me.  I just couldn't get over Ben's obnoxiousness.  What could have been a fine story about grieving was otherwise ruined by a boy who was kind of possessive for being the one that ruined their whole would-be relationship to start with.  

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