From Amazon:
A twisted tragedy leaves Brooke and her siblings on their own in this provocative new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used To Be.
How do you let go of something you’ve never had?
Junior year for Brooke Winters is supposed to be about change. She’s transferring schools, starting fresh, and making plans for college so she can finally leave her hometown, her family, and her past behind.
But all of her dreams are shattered one hot summer afternoon when her mother is arrested for killing Brooke’s abusive father. No one really knows what happened that day, if it was premeditated or self-defense, whether it was right or wrong. And now Brooke and her siblings are on their own.
In a year of firsts—the first year without parents, first love, first heartbreak, and her first taste of freedom—Brooke must confront the shadow of her family’s violence and dysfunction, as she struggles to embrace her identity, finds her true place in the world, and learns how to let go.
Baer’s Commentary:
Amber Smith tackles the effects of abuse on a family in her latest novel, THE LAST TO LET GO. The effects of abuse on people in a family differ greatly, and we see this in the behaviors of Brooke and her siblings, Aaron and Callie, and their mother. Brooke finds comfort in fresh relationships in her new school, and she is forced to acknowledge some tough feelings about her new friend Dani. Sadly, Brooke feels very much alone in her struggles as her mom is in prison and the chasm between her and her siblings grows ever wider. Smith does well at depicting the emotional baggage carried by all involved in the situation in a realistic and raw manner. Her descriptions of Brooke’s feelings about the upheaval suffered by her family are particularly on point. Overall, this is a solid read.
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