The Last Post: A Novel Paperback – August 20, 2019

Every time Renee Carlino releases a new novel, she challenges her readers thought process by taking them on an emotional journey in a very different way. She takes a different approach of demonstrating the validity of every human emotion and how each individual copes with the emotions they are experiencing. Not only does she deliver eye opening situations that are emotionally challenging but also presents unique solutions that take her readers on a heartfelt, emotional journey. The one thing that is present throughout each novel is the power of HOPE and healing through LOVE.The Last Post by Renee Carlino is by far one of her best works to date. Two very different people are dealing with paralyzing emotions caused by events in their lives. Laya Marston is dealing with paralyzing grief after watching her husband die in a tragic accident. Their marriage was based on a passionate whirlwind romance that was still in the newlywed stages. Their relationship was fueled by their passion which made their love burn hotter. Laya is having a hard time letting go and is emotionally paralyzed by her grief. She can’t move beyond the immense sense of loss and heartbreak. Her grief has taken over her ability to rationalize and process her loss. She deals with her grief by posting on his Facebook page and leaving messages in his voicemail. While she knows it’s not rational or realistic, in her mind it keeps her husband alive. It gives her moments of hope until it doesn’t. Her family and friends are afraid she’s gone off the deep end and don’t know how to help her move forward in life.Micah Evans is a smart, young architect who is stuck in his life. He works at a highly respected architect firm but is still in the level entry job he started after college. He still has the same college roommate and makes the rounds at the clubs on the weekends. Rather than growing up and making an adult life, he is stuck. He is suffering from depression and a sense of hopelessness until he meets his boss’s daughter, Laya. He sees her despair and hopelessness. I makes him realize he wants to help her. By helping her it gives him a sense of purpose and hope.What starts out as a misguided and really weird kind of relationship evolves into something neither one knew they desperately needed. Finding your soul mate isn’t always about red- hot passion and whirlwind love affairs. It’s finding the person who sees exactly who you are and understands you completely without judgement. A person who gives their complete acceptance. A person who shares your pain and your joy. A person who defines your soul and cherishes it. Although Laya and Micah are complete opposites they are true soulmates.The Last Post by Renee Carlino is a journey of love, friendship, and hope.

Laya is a young doctor who navigates her way through loss and heartache with the help of social media and a sexy bearded acquaintance. She learns to heal but will she find peace and be brave enough to love again. This book has everything, loss, love, banter, laughs, a bearded man, and a dog!! I really enjoyed reading this book by Renee but it was not my most favorite. Swear on this Life is still my all time favorite. I thought this book was still a very worthy read. I just love her writing and her stories. Her books are always so deep and written with so many emotions. I loved the chemistry between Micah and Laya, even though they did not have tons of love scenes together. I liked that this book was not over the top with unnecessary sex scenes but I needed a few more especially with the off the charts chemistry. What was really amazing is the book had a lot of hilariousness with many smart ass lines mixed in with all the heaviness. The subject matter is heavy but not so heavy that I did not finish reading the book. I love books that have a deep subject matter, I feel those are the books that I get the most out of and remember years later. The best part of reading is being forever changed by a beautiful story. I feel like this was one book I will think about after and has left me changed. There was not very much I did not like about this book, what was my most favorite is that it had a dog. All books are better with a dog in them! The Last Post had the right amount of sad, happy, funny, and sexy. It was a worthy read with great characters and a cute dog!

One word: DEPRESSING! I love Renee Carlino and her books but this book was so somber and sad. I hated Laya for almost the entire book. She was such a B. The last 3/4 was much better than the beginning.

Grab your tissues, dear readers, because Renée Carlino is going to smack your heart around like a cat with a toy as she depicts the different ways we grieve.Laya’s grief consumes her. She locks herself away in her apartment, having moved from the home she shared in California with her risk-taker-for-hire husband Cameron. Newly widowed, Laya tries to understand what happened. She tries to figure out whether she bears guilt (should she have tried to stop him?), whether her marriage deserves the depth of grief she feels (did Cameron love her the way she wanted and needed?), and whether she can rebuild. An orthopedic surgeon, Laya knows how to rebuild other people; it’s her own rebuild that makes her retreat.To cope, she begins leaving messages on Cameron’s cell phone and his Facebook page. These aren’t messages of bereavement, however. They are messages that read as if she believes Cameron is alive.Micah, an architect at Laya’s father’s firm, reads the Facebook messages and decides he will help Laya feel better by trying to give her what she reminisces about. For instance, she mentions a concert she and Cameron wanted to see, and Micah gives her a ticket to one. He means well, this quiet, humble, loving man, but he fails to see how unnerved his gifts make Laya.Yes, there is a romance. It begins with a hot flame but follows with a long, slow burn. Renée Carlino respects Laya’s grief and does not try to minimize nor shortchange it. Much like Laya, Micah, too, is someone who builds things for other people. When his own life crashes, he retreats, redesigns, and reemerges.I loved that Renée Carlino takes no shortcuts. She does not spare you the depth and breadth of Laya’s loss. She infuses you with Laya’s desperation to remain connected to Cameron, even as she struggles with the ever-present fear that he will disappear completely from her memory.For me, though, Micah is the heart of this story. Lest I make The Last Post sound heavy, rest assured that Micah’s merry band of friends and family provide belly laughs. As Laya recognizes, Micah is surrounded by people who love and support him. Even so, he needs Laya. He wants to be the man she needs, so even with his missteps, she knows his heart is pure.Get that box of tissues, immerse yourself in this beautiful story, and please let me know what you think of it.

There is a romantic aspect, but it is mainly about loss. Five stars for being real. It is a refresing change from the empty commercial romances that abound.

I was curious as to the 3,2,1, seeya. What it signified, and I was not disappointed. The stalker bit made me uncomfortable (but he isn't really a stalker) such a sweet book with so many feels. This author is so good that i had to go and buy all the books by her. Not disappointed in anything so far. I loved the ending as well and everything leading up to it.