It was always bros before hoes—except when Josephine Faulkner got involved. The saying had been obliterated for Maxwell Sheridan the moment he met her. His Josephine. She had become his everything without even trying. It’s too damn bad that Max broke her heart. Left her behind to seek redemption for his past mistakes. Life with Josie was perfect. He had found his La Vie En Rose … Or so he … he thought.
One moment outside her apartment building changed it all.
Josephine Faulkner’s world erupted with a single phone call. She became numb with a revelation, and her beliefs held no meaning the moment Maxwell Sheridan left her. Gone was the perfection she thought they had found together. All the good taken away by his decision.
But his goodbye wouldn’t destroy her.
Josie has more important things to worry about than the shattered pieces of her heart. Because not even Max can stop her from saying the one goodbye that means the very most.
The very last goodbye that will hurt her in ways Maxwell Sheridan couldn’t.
The final book in the Thirty-Eight series –Conclusion to Max’s story.
The Thirty-Eight Series reading order:
#1 Thirty-Eight Days
#2 Thirty-Eight Reasons
#2.5 What We’ll Leave Behind: A prequel
#3 What You Left Behind
#4 All We Have
#5 With the First Goodbye
#6: With the Last Goodbye
more
With the Last Goodbye is a head trip in the biggest way. Len Webster is determined to leave all her readers with the reminders of our pain:
*unending tear tracks
*puffy red eyes
*a relentless sniffle
*and the never going away a headache from crying.
My day was spent trying to hide from the feels (unsuccessfully, I might add). I tried to hide from the hurt, the ache, and the desperation pouring off me (to no avail).
I was late to the party with this series but in no way shape or form do I feel left out. I started with With the First Goodbye and I finished With the Last Goodbye but I am not done with this series. Max’s story was intense and a but on the “whaaaaaa?” side. It was a lot easier to fall for the hopeless best friend with some major questionable morals than I thought it would be. I fell and I fell hard. You will too.
There’s something extra special about the “screw up” getting theirs in the end. Max got exactly what he deserved. Life isn’t easy, it isn’t always fair, and it certainly isn’t always fun. Sometimes it only takes one person to change that…one La Vie En Rose to change everything.
reviewed for Naughty Book Blog
Needed: A box of tissues and a shoulder to cry on
“Because Josie was so tired.
So tired of life and its unfairness.
Tired of disappointment.
Tired of never being someone’s first choice.
Tired of knowing what pain felt like when it consumed you.
Josephine Faulkner was tired.”
O M G I’ve just finished Len Webster’s With the Last Goodbye and I don’t think I have ever cried so much in a book. And that is an absolute testament to Len’s talent – because every single tear I cried was due to the emotion that just poured out of this book. This is a tricky review to write as it’s the conclusion to Max and Josie’s story which began in With the First Goodbye, and so I don’t want to spoil that book by giving away any of the plot.
“She wanted him. She hated him.
She loved him. She wanted to rip his goddamn heart out.
She wanted his love. She didn’t need it.”
The quote above does a pretty good job of summing up the emotional rollercoaster that is Max and Josie’s relationship. Their love for one another is constantly fighting against their own needs for love – Josie wants to be someone’s first choice and Max wants atonement for his past sins. I felt like they both knew the other was right for them but bad, horrible, crummy timing was a massive player in their relationship. And what I loved about these two leads was that both Max and Josie had flaws – real, relatable flaws. And this made the whole story more realistic and what helped me really connect to these two wonderful characters.
With the Last Goodbye is an emotional, angst-filled story and I ugly cried harder than I ever have before. And I actually want to read the book again – and no, I’m not a sucker for tears – but the experience of Max and Josie’s relationship is one that’s worth reliving. Reading it the first time, I was so desperate to find out how it all ends and rereading it will allow me to enjoy the story telling even more, not just the end result. And those tears weren’t just sad tears – I cried happy tears, shocked tears and tears of heartbreak. But this book was worth every tear I shed.
Len Webster is a phenomenally talented author and if you haven’t read anything by her she’s definitely worth adding to your TBR list. And I’d even recommend starting with Max and Josie’s story like I did – because despite being a part of the 38 series I didn’t feel like I had missed out by reading their story first. In saying that, I’m going back to start this series from the beginning and I can’t wait!!