A review by maryquitecontrary_22
The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

4.0

A high school senior struggles with guilt and grief after her younger brother commits suicide.

Yes, it's another teen book about suicide. Yes, the protagonist is abnormally intellectual and likeable. Yes, the protagonist's dad left the family which triggered the emotional turmoil. BUT, I appreciated the absence of so many more clichéd characters and plot lines that we've been reading in YA lit. lately. I also liked that the author didn't try to explain the "why" of Steven's suicide because we all know that in real life, it's never that simple. And Cynthia Hand must know first-hand because her own brother took his life when he was in high school. This must have been a really difficult book for her write.

Not for teens who need a fast-moving plot, but for those who like books with raw emotion and maybe even those who have lost a friend or family member to suicide.