The Last Love Note

September 18, 2023
Australian writer Grey makes her U.S. debut with a clever if underwhelming story about a young widow who considers a new love. Aspiring novelist Kate Whittaker, 40, juggles her responsibilities as a single mother with her fund-raising job at a university. She attempts to handle her burdens with humor (her phone’s ringtone for her intrusive mother is the “Imperial March” from Star Wars), and receives support from her bachelor boss, Hugh, a family friend (Kate’s young son calls him “Uncle Hugh”) who has accommodated her rocky performance since her husband, Cam, died two years earlier from early-onset Alzheimer’s. She begins to develop romantic feelings for Hugh, but wonders if she can have a future with him after discovering he kept a secret from her about Cam’s wishes for Kate after his death. Grey, who writes in an author’s note about losing her husband to a heart attack at a similar age, convincingly portrays a sense of loss. After a while, however, Kate’s grief begins to feel disharmonious with the otherwise fast-paced rom-com plot, and it’s obvious from the get-go where her relationship with Hugh is headed. The writing is crisp, though, and there’s a smart metafictional element involving Kate deciding to give up her lofty literary ambitions and write what matters most to her. This has its charms.

October 19, 2022
Recently widowed, Kate Whittaker is trying her hardest to navigate the grief of losing her husband, Cam, while also being a single mother to their young son. That’s not to mention trying to balance her overbearing mother, university fundraising job, imposter syndrome as a writer and a best friend who is eager for Kate to finally move on. When bad weather lands Kate and her boss, Hugh, on an impromptu coastal weekend away from everything, past and future begin to collide as she ponders whether she can open her heart again. With several young adult romance novels under her belt, Emma Grey’s first venture into writing for adults is a brilliant start. Grey delivers engaging prose along with unexpected twists and turns, set against a backdrop of beautiful Australian towns and featuring a cast of believable characters you just want to fight for. Although the end of the story feels a bit rushed, which is jarring, at its core The Last Love Note is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking. With vulnerability and honesty, Grey takes us through the entire spectrum of love. The novel is passionate and soulful, terrifying and devastating. The Last Love Note serves as a reminder that it really is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Bohdi Byles is a freelance reviewer with a background in bookselling, publishing and writing.