‘Absolutely fabulous… Had me hooked from the very first page… Took me on a rollercoaster of emotions and had me in tears by the end of the book.’ Stardust Book Reviews, 5 starsA heart-wrenching, poignant and totally unforgettable tale of a young woman who must finally face up to the secret she has hidden for a lifetime. A beautiful World War Two novel for fans of Wives of War, Lisa Wingate and … War, Lisa Wingate and Diney Costeloe, that will have you reaching for the Kleenex.
1943, England: On a foggy night during the blackout, twenty-five-year-old May Robinson’s mother is tragically killed. Heartbroken, May isn’t sure she has the strength to harbour the secret she has kept for so many years – a secret her mother devoted her life to hiding, that would tear their broken family even further apart.
Vowing to make her mother proud, May trains to be a nurse at Edgemoor General hospital in South Shields, against a backdrop of wailing air-raid sirens and the eternal drone of enemy planes. Tending to wounded, ashen-faced soldiers, fighting to save lives, May is immediately drawn to kind-hearted Richard Bentley, who works tirelessly alongside her. He has sparkling brown eyes, and makes her laugh.
In the darkest of days, amongst death and despair, May and Richard are beacons of hope for one another. But why isn’t he fighting in the war like thousands of other brave young men?
May knows how she longs to escape her own past, and her mother’s. In this perilous time of such uncertainty, she finds herself asking – how well do they really know each other? And when the shocking truth of May’s secret comes to light, just as the war comes too close to home, can their love survive the impossible?
Readers are absolutely loving Our Last Goodbye:
‘What an emotional journey… Had me spellbound… A truly emotional read that had me shed tears of happiness and sadness… May’s story is one that will certainly pull on the heart strings and I loved every minute of it.’ By The Letter Book Reviews, 5 stars
‘This book is an absolute treasure beyond words! From page one I couldn’t put it down! May’s story of true sadness and loss during World War Two brought me to tears!… Anyone that loves a great historical read will fall in love with this book immediately as I did!’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘I absolutely loved it!… An emotional, heart-wrenching story of love and loss amidst the horror of war… Will tug at your heartstrings… Will have you reaching for the tissues… Wonderful.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Oh boy, I have to say that Our Last Goodbye was one seriously awesome read. I absolutely loved it… Is exceedingly well written… Unputdownable… Oh my word… Will tug on even the toughest of heartstrings… My eyes welled up and I definitely needed a box of tissues.’ Ginger Book Geek, 5 stars
‘Fantastic… Loved this beautiful story… Fabulous… Have tissues handy.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Absolutely fabulous!… The writing was absolutely wonderful and had me hooked from the very first page. I loved the characters and really connected with them all… The story took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, and had me in tears.’ Stardust Book Reviews, 5 stars
‘I’ll say no more except Our Last Goodbye by Shirley Dickson is a must-read for everyone.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Wonderful… Your heart will just ache.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Superb and beautifully written… Will completely draw you in and not let go.’ Sibzzreads, 5 stars
‘Unputdownable… Has captured my heart… Will pull every emotion out of you… Another top book of the year. Sinfully Wicked Book Reviews, 5 stars
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Our Last Goodbye by Shirley Dickson is a wonderful historical novel set in Northeastern England during 1943-1944. It revolves mainly around May and her surrounding friends and family. It describes the trials, heartbreak, and happiness that surround her as she discovers herself, what she wants out of life, and how she can be a better person to her friends and family and coworkers/fellow students (while she is training to be a nurse).
I will not spoil any more of the story, but I feel as if I could empathize and relate to May, therefore enjoying the evolution of her maturing, growing up, and learning through her mistakes.
This book had a great ending, however I would love to have another installment so that I can see where this goes and the next stages of her life.
4/5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC and in return is my voluntary and honest opinion and review.
May decides to pursue nursing, something she has always wanted to do but never believed she could. After her mother dies, she makes a promise to make a go of it and try to be something and nursing will also do good for the war. She can help others, while finding herself. Hardly believing she passes the entrance exams May heads off to nursing school in the midst of war. It is quick learning, and trying times but she feels good about all she is accomplishing.
However, the secret she has kept still harbors in the back of her mind and the burden of another secret she recently found out has May questioning life in general. She doesn’t have much family left, yet she is realizing that is all that matters as she gets herself into a situation she never thought she’d be in again.
This was another great WWII novel, and this one had a focus on the nursing side as well as how those who refused to go off to fight were looked at. It was a very interesting read, as I had not thought of those who had refused to fight and had to try and find elsewhere that would take them and not look at them as a coward, while every other male that was able bodied was gone.
Thank you to Forever & Grand Central Publishing for the free book. I love my WWII novels, and was excited to read this one, as I LOVED The Orphan Sisters. I highly recommend both of these books!
Love Endures
Wow! This is a powerful love story set in WWII. It will keep you reading and once you start you will not want to stop until the last page is read. There are not many loves that can overcome the obstacles of what May and Richard go through.
May’s mother is ran over by a trolley car when they are coming home from the cinema. May’s father finds someone new and puts May out. Luckily May had applied to be a nurse at the hospital and is accepted. There she meets a porter named Richard and falls in love. But can her secret from her past keep her and Richard from being happy? Is there a future ahead or heartbreak?
This is a very moving and lovely story of a young woman with a life of problems to sort out and in the middle she falls in love. Can she find her way forward to a bright future as a nurse or are there other roads she will follow.
This story is a tearjerker at times, but it is a really good story and the ending is fantastic. I loved that is had some of the same characters from ‘The Orphan Sisters”. While that book was about Etty and Dorothy ,this book is about Etty’s best friend May. I am so glad I read it and I would recommend it.
A big thank you to Shirley Dickson, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of the book for an honest review.
A wonderful follow-up to The Orphan Sisters. I loved the characters, they were so thoughtful and inspirational.
Quality read
A good WWII read.
Loved the book. It was a real page-turner. You always wanted to know what was happening next to May. It was definitely tough for her going through war-times and it was so typical for many of the women left home to care for their families & themselves.
Loved it.
I loved this book. It took me through a plethora of emotions, dealing with some tough decisions that we all must understand.
A very moving and heart wrenching World War 2 saga set in Northern England.
May suffers a loss, decides to take a change of direction, and takes on a new career in nursing. She is also harbouring a secret which could mean risking mis-understandings between friends and family.
The author has described vividly the hardships that the people of this era had to endure, but most of all the power of old friendships always came through.
An enjoyable read.