The Last Poem: A Novel

4.25⭐️ This was a gem of a book that I absolutely fell in love with! I do want to mention that it starts slooooow, and I think it could have moved along a bit quicker in the first 1/4 or so of the book, but when I was hooked, was I hooked! I promise it's worth it though! This is a beautiful and uplifting take on grief and life after loss. Resilience, and learning to let others in, even when your whole life is ripped from you and you feel like there is nothing left to live for. Sometimes you find an adorable little town with the best people you could imagine, who need you just as much as you need them. This is what has happened to Wren, after losing her fiance Lucy in a terrible car accident. The local librarian has started a grief group that Wren finds herself to be a part of, meeting a misfit cast of small town friends who are all battling their own, and very different, forms of grief. Ultimately, they are all just looking for connection and understanding. Wren is trying so hard to leave the past in the past, but sometimes you need to look back to move forward. And with a little help from her new found community, and possibly a little fate, Wren starts to find everything she didn't even know she was looking for. This is a truly special story, one that wraps up in the most heartfelt and magical feeling of ways. I still can't get over how incredibly the author manages to tie everything together! It was emotional and these are some of my favorite characters I have read in a…

If I could give this novel TEN stars, I would gladly do it! I know it's only January, but I already know that this is one of the top three favorite, most meaningful stories that I will read all year. The characters, each and every one, are etched in my heart forever. Their individual stories are full of heart and emotion. Each one is grieving something or someone. They come together in a grief support group and that is where their healing begins. I am in love with the aspect of the intersection of grief and creativity, specifically (as this book shows) the creative aspects of writing and poetry. There is so much wisdom about living with grief woven through the book that I've already pre-ordered the paperback so I can read it again and highlight/underline things and ideas that I want to remember. I think I'm also going to gift this book to any friend or loved one who is beginning a grief journey.

I am excited to read this book Courtney is my favorite poet. My book arrived and it was damaged pretty bad put still readable.

An absolutely gorgeous tale of grief, and the intertwining stories of those who come together to heal from it. I didn’t want to put this down, and if I wasn’t a Mom to 3 small kids, I wouldn’t have. But I thoroughly enjoyed the stolen moments I was able to get with this book. As a multiple grief survivor, this book was cathartic in so many ways for me. And I absolutely believe should be on every grieving person’s bookshelf along with any non-fiction book on the matter. I gained just as much as this from those, and it was utterly exquisite.

A poignant novel about loss, grief, and healing, set in a small Colorado mountain town. I love the characters, the story, and the spot-on depiction of how hard it is to grieve. A gem!