Thursday, June 5, 2014

Review: My Last Kiss

MY LAST KISS
Bethany Neal
Paranormal Young Adult
368 pages
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Available June 10th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
What if your last kiss was with the wrong boy?

Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss--the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died--is a blur. Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn't a suicide as everyone assumes. She can't remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she's worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend.

If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she'll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made--good and bad--that led to her last kiss.


MY THOUGHTS
My Last Kiss is a story that has those of us who abhor cheating in all its various forms nervous from the moment we crack the spine, wondering if we’ll be able to connect with Cassidy or understand the whys of her disloyalty enough to forgive her. Though her reasons for turning to someone other than Ethan in the weeks leading up to her death are perhaps not quite as strong as we might like, through the piecing together of her splintered memories it’s easy for us to see how what started out as simple comfort suddenly became quicksand, pulling her down and trapping her in a lie that forced her to become the type of young woman she never dreamed she’d be.

Aiding us in our mission to withhold judgment and attempt to get to know Cassidy through our anger at her unfaithfulness is the fact that Cassidy, post-death, is as disappointed in herself as we are. As she slowly relives small fragments both from when she was younger as well as just before her death, she sees herself from the very perspective we see her–as an outsider bearing witness to the heightened emotion of the moment rather than living it–and is therefore able to acknowledge the role she played in her untimely demise. She doesn’t make excuses for herself or rationalize her behavior, instead she recognizes her mistakes and the hurt she caused in a way she didn’t or couldn’t as it was actually happening. We then find our ire simply cannot maintain its strength in the face of her clear remorse and desire to fix as much as she can in the time she has left.

The mystery aspect of the story keeps us turning the pages with increasing speed, eager to see what bit of information the next chapter will provide for us that we can file away as a brushstroke on the canvas in our minds that holds the half-formed painting of Cassidy’s last moments. While the final reveal of who was with Cassidy seconds before her death doesn’t come as a jaw-dropping surprise given Cassidy from page one understands she knew her attacker even if the specifics are blurry, the thrill lies much more in all we learn about who she was along the way rather than who was responsible for giving her a helping hand over the bridge’s railing.

Though there’s certainly a romantic aspect to this story, those readers who typically shy away from ghost stories with prominent romances for their sheer lack of believability shouldn’t discount My Last Kiss. It’s more a tale of a young girl who held something solid in her palms one minute only to have it turn to sand and slip through her fingers the next, each chapter helping both her and us as readers understand the choices she made and how they led her to a place where the only person who can see her is the one she hurt the most. There are certainly moments where pre-death Cassidy and post-death Cassidy have us wanting to shake her until the whole truth spills from her lips, but overall My Last Kiss is a truly entertaining read with a beautifully bittersweet ending.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Bethany:

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

If you haven't had a chance yet, be sure and check out my character interview with Ethan!

23 comments:

  1. the way it was done is interesting I confess. Like you I would have been anxious about me relating with the character about what she did. But it looks like it was well done too. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. Cheating is a deal breaker for me in books so I was super nervous. But I really felt like I understood why Cassidy was torn and how she got to the place where she made that mistake, so I was still able to relate to her:)

      Delete
  2. You were late tonight Jenny! Your post showed up in my feed an hour later than usual. I was starting to wonder if you were sick.

    Interestingly, I don't usually find ghost stories to lack believability - although I don't believe in ghosts. As paranormals go, I find angel stories the least believably, which I find kind of ironic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I inadvertently scheduled the review for tonight at midnight rather than last night, and didn't catch it until later. Oops:)

      I think sometimes ghostly romances, rather than just ghosts themselves, lack in believability because one person is alive an the other dead. How would that ever work? But then again, I love vampire and werewolf romances so I don't really have room to nitpick:)

      Delete
  3. I have seen this one around lately, everyone likes it too it seems ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely review, Jenny. I like the sound of this one, but I hadn't read a review of it until now. It sounds like an interesting read. I like the sound of the mystery - and I know I would have fun trying to figure it out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved how everything was handled in this one Leanna, I hope you give it a try!

      Delete
  5. I'm usually one of those who does shy away from romantic love stories (I mean, come on. You can't even kiss. Where's the fun in that?!?) but this one sounds intriguing. I do like that there's a strong mystery running through the story, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, me too. But this was so much more about Cassi and how she got to where she ended up rather than her starting a romance after death. There was none of that:)

      Delete
  6. I can understand why readers might have some trepidation about this book's story, but it sounds like the author handled it very well. This topic hits a little too close to home, so I won't be reading this novel, but I'm glad that you enjoyed it and shared your thoughts. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought she did! I'm really hard on characters who cheat, and Cassi was able to win me over. I like that she was able to observer herself from the outside since that's how we see her, and she was able to recognize the mistakes she made along the way. If a character owns up to their mistakes, I'm much more forgiving!

      Delete
  7. I was nervous you weren't going to like this one Jenny so I am so happy that you did!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was nervous too and was so hoping I'd be pleasantly surprised. Mission accomplished!

      Delete
  8. Wonderful review, Jenny! You definitely tapped on the aspects that would have me worried about picking this one up but the concept of Cassidy going through a self discovery journey even in death makes this an intriguing read. I'll add it to my tbr pile.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I wasn't entirely sure about this book, cause for one it sounded a bit too much romance-y and the whole cheating thing is a big no-no for me too. But reading your review and seeing that you rated it 4 stars really makes me move it to the possible list to the wish list one!
    Fantastic review as always, Jenny!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am always turned off by cheating in novels, but I do like hearing that Cassidy is as disappointed in herself as I would be. It sounds like the mystery is captivating even if the end reveal wasn't a total surprise. I've got a review copy of this and can't wait to read it. Lovely review!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am reading this one right now and about a third of the way in, I am glad that all in all it ended up a good read,even with the cheating.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have read a couple of negative reviews for this one which is why I wasn't completely sure it was for me but now I so want to run in the other direction (I try not to be too predictable). You make it sounds like such a moving and emotionally draining book and I've had my emotionally draining quota for the month :P or perhaps for the year? I am usually vary about picking up books like these because we know from the get go that an HEA is unlikely so to have to sit through all that wondefulness knowing your heart is going to be ripped out in the end is hard.


    I am really glad to see you enjoyed this though Jenny!!!

    Lovely review! :)

    Rashika @ The Social Potato

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yes, I'm a little hesitant because of the cheating... but I just have a feeling I will love this one. :) I only skimmed your review because I hope to read it very soon. I'm so happy to see that you enjoyed it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love the cover of this one but haven't been too keen to pick up the novel, but, I looove this description of the novel: "It’s more a tale of a young girl who held something solid in her palms one minute only to have it turn to sand and slip through her fingers the next," since that sounds exactly like something I want to read, so I have a feeling I'll be adding this to my TBR after all! Wonderful review, Jenny! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. It sounds like its going to put me through the wringer with wanting to love and hate her. Ahh I must get to reading it or see if any of the other ladies on my blog wants to. Sometimes bittersweet endings are ok but don't know if I'm feeling up for that right now.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I didn't pick this up because of the cheating and also ghost aspect. I can't do living/dead relationships - they have nowhere to go. And I try to stay away from stories voiced by ghosts. I'm glad this story ended up working for you despite some similar hesitations, and that the mystery was strong!

    ReplyDelete