A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be able to meet Liv Constantine, which is the pen name for sisters Valerie and Lynne Constantine, and get an autographed copy of their latest book, The Last Time I Saw You. I was already a fan of the authors after reading their previous novel, The Last Mrs. Parrish.
Just in time for Memorial Day, I was able to read the novel to review it (see disclaimer here), and loved it. Read on for my review:
Summary:
The novel begins at the funeral of Lily, the mother of Dr. Kate English. Lily was murdered, and police are investigating the crime. Adding to the drama, Kate’s estranged best friend Blaire appears — to pay her respects, naturally. However, the two have not spoken in about 15 years — the night before Kate’s wedding.
Talk about awkward.
However, the drama and suspense are just beginning. Soon after the funeral, Kate begins to receive cryptic messages from an unknown sender. These messages were just downright horrific — with death threats and dead animals. Over time, Kate realizes that the person sending the messages may be closer than she thinks — which makes her soon realize that there is no one that she can trust.
Meanwhile, Kate and Blaire begin to rekindle their friendship. But soon, Kate realizes that there may be more to Blaire than just wishes than just reconnecting.
Review:
What I loved about The Last Mrs. Parrish was the twists and turns the story took. Just when you think the novel is going one way, it takes you in a completely different direction. The Last Time I Saw You was similar. If you choose to read this, I will say this: you will not see the end coming.
However, I will say that for almost 75 percent of The Last Time I Saw You, you really begin to believe that the story is going in a certain direction. Then, it swerves off of the road and goes somewhere where readers do not see coming.
Now, does that make the story mundane or boring? Absolutely not.
I was engrossed with this novel from page one, and could not put it down up until the last page. Part of the reason why was because I just needed to find out what was going to happen next.
With that being said, let’s talk about the relationship between Blaire and Kate. Blaire immersed herself into the crime investigation. At first, a part of me wondered why that was. Was she devastated at the loss of her friend’s mom, someone who was like a mom to herself? Or, was there more to her motives?
Furthermore, I was happy though, that the two were able to reconnect. However, I did think that it was unrealistic that Kate let Blaire right back into her life so quickly. Maybe it was the need for comfort during a traumatic time in her life? I don’t know.
Finally, let’s talk about Simon’s and Sabrina’s relationship. He can deny it all that he wants, I still think that there was something going on there. Even though it’s innocent, it’s still fishy how she latches herself onto him — and how Simon tells so much of Kate’s personal business. To me, that’s a little wrong.
Even though I noticed that one little flaw, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely loved the book. So, if you are looking for a good mystery thriller, I definitely recommend it for this Memorial Day weekend. And, judging by the fact that I didn’t want to put it down, I’m sure you’ll be able to finish it this weekend too.
thenutmegmillennial.com 