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The Last Goodbye (Going Back #30)

by Sarah Mayberry (Goodreads Author)

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 267 ratings · 44 reviews

Ally Bishop knows the settling kind when she sees one. And Tyler Adamson is definitely one. Ordinarily this never-in-one-place-long girl would stay far, far away. Maybe it's the way he looks in jeans, or the way he looks at her, but suddenly Ally is breaking her own rules with dizzying speed. All that Australian temptation right next door...well, there's only so much resis...more

Paperback, Harlequin SuperRomance #1686, 283 pages

Published February 2011 by Harlequin

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Apr 11, 2011 Rane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, keeper

Many events affect us as we grow into adults, from the people we meet, the paths we’ve taken, and our childhood that shapes us as adults. Tyler and Ally are two people whose childhood has affected them deeply making them into the adults, shaping their outlook in the world. While both carry and drag chains and shadows from when they were children, we all have to come face to face with our demons and finally lay our pains, and fears to rest.

For Tyler Adamson, becoming a successful craftsman, crea...more Many events affect us as we grow into adults, from the people we meet, the paths we’ve taken, and our childhood that shapes us as adults. Tyler and Ally are two people whose childhood has affected them deeply making them into the adults, shaping their outlook in the world. While both carry and drag chains and shadows from when they were children, we all have to come face to face with our demons and finally lay our pains, and fears to rest.

For Tyler Adamson, becoming a successful craftsman, creating arts of work out of wood that will last years, his past has pushed him to do better. His demons finally catch up with him, when a feisty Ally Bishop shows up at his shop’s doorstep, saying his father is very ill. Tyler has no love lost for his father, but something deep inside of him brings him back to finally release the demons that have haunted him all his life with the help of Ally the his own inner strength.
Ally is a true gypsy, never setting down, never getting close to anyone. Ally lives as a house setter and writing for the newspaper. When finds an old man next door collapsed, Ally is thrown into Tyler and his Father’s lives and past. While her views change, and as she start to help Tyler with his father, her own demons rear their own ugly heads. Even as she starts to lose her heart to Tyler, she knows she’s finally against the wall in order to run away or finally fight her demons and make her stand and maybe finally stay…

I can honestly say that when it comes to Sarah Mayberry, she is my favorite contemporary author. She knows just how to pull my heartstrings and have me reaching for the tissues. Her stories are an escape, but are genuine. With people and situations that you may know it real life that just gets me on a different level that other contemporary authors have yet to reach me. The Last Goodbye is another gem with two people whose childhood really molded them.

Tyler comes from an abusive childhood, his father was a bully that put a deep fear and mistrust in Tyler. Instead of breaking him Tyler rose beyond that and pushed himself to be better then his father. He proves this when he finally comes home to help his father whose living his last days. The crap his father put Tyler and his brother through, I wasn’t surprised that Tyler didn’t do his first thought and tell Ally to shove off, he’s not coming back to help his father. Instead Tyler has something his father couldn’t beat or rob him of- true compassion. Tyler may have trouble showing his emotions to others, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel deeply. Tyler after years takes a deep breath and takes the plunge in going back to a home haunted by pain and sadness. I loved Tyler all around, from the tips to his toes and back and mostly that huge heart that not only showed compassion but understanding and belief for Ally.

Ally is a true gypsy, never setting down, putting down roots. Making a living as a house sitter and newspaper advice columnist. When Ally is thrown into the lives of Tyler and his father, she feels she’s over-stepped her borders at first- being to-goody two shoes. Until more is reveled making a lot of assumptions she first made go upside down. Ally though sees beyond very quickly to the heart of the matter, and she’s thrown for a loop when she’s forced to take a step back her self and examine her own life. Ally was a heroine, offering support and silence understanding to Tyler. Scared of the past, Ally runs when things he hot between her and Tyler. Because of her childhood, many things start to make sense as to why Ally does the things she does. From her house sitting job, saying to all how she loves it, but hides, hoards and loves Home and Garden magazines. There’s many contradictions to Ally from her lack of success in her relationships that always go back to how she was raised and grew. Ally was just as real and just in need of that bit of understanding to be able to finally face her demons and take a chance to have a home.

Tyler and Ally are that voice of reason in one another’s head and that shoulder to cry on. They nurture and support one another, giving second chances..no..that chance and reason to finally let the past go and enjoy the present and look toward the future.

SM gives the reader a true HEA, does Tyler’s father finally fess up to the abusive? Does everyone have a huge family reunion at his bed side with the demons finally slay? No.
Life sadly doesn’t work that way, but SM shows something more. The power of oneself, the deep belief in you. Tyler doesn’t need his father to finally find that inner peace he’s always long and looked for, his brother still have lot of problems, but it’s a slow process, a one step at a time. Ally still has a few demons, but has finally stop running. The epilogue is perfect with finally the trust and love that Ally and Tyler strived for all they’re lives are found with one another and inside themselves- finally slaying their childhood dragons - together. (less)

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Apr 11, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

I started off this book with a strange sense of Deja Vu. A hot guy who makes furniture whose father used to beat him? I know I’ve read this before. But actually I hadn’t. A year ago, I’d read One Good Reason, a sequel to this one. I liked that book. I liked this one but I am glad I did not read them close to each other because of the common threads that run through them.

Our heroine, Ally, is a nomad. She grew up with an artist-mother who never wanted to settle down and dragged Ally around the w...more I started off this book with a strange sense of Deja Vu. A hot guy who makes furniture whose father used to beat him? I know I’ve read this before. But actually I hadn’t. A year ago, I’d read One Good Reason, a sequel to this one. I liked that book. I liked this one but I am glad I did not read them close to each other because of the common threads that run through them.

Our heroine, Ally, is a nomad. She grew up with an artist-mother who never wanted to settle down and dragged Ally around the world with her. Ally believes she’s inherited that nomad gene from her mother and doesn’t maintain a permanent residence. She writes an advice column for a newspaper from wherever she lives and moves from locaton to location housesitting for people.

Our heroine Tyler runs a successful custom furniture making business that he founded in Melbourne Australia. One day a woman, Ally, appears to inform him that his dad, her neighbor, had been hospitalized. Because she’d just moved in, Ally did not realize the two were estranged.

Tyler was torn. He’d ceased all contact with his father when his mom died because his dad had been so abusive when he was growing up. Despite those terrifying memories, after visiting his father at the hospital he somehow finds himself still emotionally tied to his father.

Tyler’s father has terminal cancer and for reasons Tyler doesn’t quite understand, he takes a partial leave of absence of work to care for his father. This means he’s living right next to Ally. The attraction between them is instant and combustible, but Ally tries to put an immediate stop to it because she doesn’t want to be attached. She’s a nomad.

** Spoiler ahead - Consider yourself warned**

As the book unfolds, we see their relationship unfold as well as seeing Tyler’s coming to grips with his father. As in One Good Reason, Ms. Mayberry seemed to capture the tenuous relationship between an abusive parent and the adult child. The relationship between Tyler and his father was as interesting or more than his relationship with Ally. What I appreciate is that Ms. Mayberry didn’t try to force a reconciliation or happy ending between the two of them.

The slight disappointment with the book is that Ally’s character and her emotional hurdles didn’t seem to be as well developed. We know early on she’s a nomad because her mother was, but it’s not until the very end of the book that we get a better understanding of where she was coming from. It felt a little like Ms. Mayberry realized all of a sudden she needed to wrap up that aspect of the story.

That’s just a small criticism. This is another well done romance by Sarah Mayberry.
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May 20, 2012 Ami rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I think I have a new favorite romance author, and her name is Sarah Mayberry. This is the fourth title I read from hers (third in a row) and she's four for four -- she hasn't let me down.

This story, about a woman who thinks she has a gypsy blood, who never lets herself put down roots because she fears of abandonment, and a man who slowly becomes her home, is definitely one of the better romances I read from Harlequin. And I stopped reading Harlequin stories years ago. Go figure!!

I love Ms. Mayb...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Sheila rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 16, 2011 Saly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harlequin-silhouette, category-romance, harlequin-super-romance

The Last Goodbye was a pretty good read.
Tyler Adamson is a pretty successful man, he runs a furniture company when one morning Ally confronts him telling him that his father is dying of cancer and kind of berating him. Tyler thanks her and doesn't do anything. Might seem cold but it is not. Tyler's father was verbally and physically abusive who thrived on terrorizing his children(Jon and Tyler), so they left as soon as they could and only remained in contact as long as their mother was alive(she...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Maldivianbookreviewer rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of contemporary romances!

Shelves: sarah-mayberry, contemporary-romance, harlequin-romances, brooding-hero, commitment-phobic-heroine, endearing-hero, emotional-wrangler, endearing-heroine, explosive-passion, favorites, haunted-by-the-past-hero, haunted-by-the-past-heroine, hottest-first-kiss, loner-heroine, neighbor-hottie, tortured-heroine, tortured-hero, tattoed-hero

4.5 Stars Harlequin Super Romance

Sarah Mayberry delivers on all accounts once again with this Harlequin Super Romance letting faithful readers of her delightful stories know that she definitely is an author that should remain on your auto-buy list when it comes to a good dose of contemporary romance, which just happens to be my favorite genre of romance. I have been keeping a close eye on the release date of this book since Harlequin always tends to release its books much earlier than the desi...more 4.5 Stars Harlequin Super Romance

Sarah Mayberry delivers on all accounts once again with this Harlequin Super Romance letting faithful readers of her delightful stories know that she definitely is an author that should remain on your auto-buy list when it comes to a good dose of contemporary romance, which just happens to be my favorite genre of romance. I have been keeping a close eye on the release date of this book since Harlequin always tends to release its books much earlier than the designated release date and it was just by chance that I happened to stumble upon this book, ready for download on the Harlequin website yesterday. Needless to say, 7 pages in, I was hooked line and sinker and nearly snarled in frustration every time something or the other took me away from the magic that Sarah Mayberry has woven with this beautiful story.

37 year old Tyler Adamson, owner of the largely successful T. A. Furniture Designs is a man haunted and tortured by the unpleasant memories of his childhood at the hands of his emotionally and physically abusive father Robert Adamson (Bob). Tyler and his elder brother Jon had never had a happy moment to reflect back upon and Tyler had followed in Jon’s footsteps and left home when he had barely turned 17 years old. It had only been a sense of guilt and obligation that had made Tyler visit his home in Woodend, a small Victorian town when his mother was alive. The day she had died, Tyler had said goodbye to his father as well and never looked back, until Ally walks into his life, all rightful indignation forcing Tyler to face the demons of his past.

33 year old Ally Bishop is a nomad at heart. Commitment phobic to the extreme, Ally is the unwanted child of an artist who had always been free spirited and flitted from one place to the other. Ally’s mother had discovered the fact that she was pregnant with Ally when it had been too late to do anything about the unwanted pregnancy. Ally had grown up, never having known her father with a mother who had been really too selfish to stop and think about the needs of a child and it had been up to Ally to mold herself even as a child into her mother’s lifestyle which has left its own sort of emotional scars on Ally. The author of the Dear Gertude column in the Melbourne Herald, Ally is a house sitter who occupies one home after the other, looking after other people’s homes for them which gives her free accommodation all over the country which suites her needs pretty well. Haunted by the thought that she is just like her mother, Ally shies away from relationships that makes her feel too much and which requires a commitment from her part until silver-eyed Tyler Adamson changes how she views the world once and for all.

For the full review with quotes head on to http://bit.ly/gEaeSG (less)

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Jan 30, 2013 Kay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks

4 Stars ~ Following his brother's lead, Tyler bailed on school and home when he was barely seventeen. He left with only some clothes and his father's ridicule and he'd never looked back. Sure, he'd stopped to see his mother once a year, but she'd died ten years ago. Ally's a self-proclaimed gypsy; never sticking to one place for very long. She house sits for her roof over her head and as she's an advice columnist, she can do that anywhere. When she became a new neighbour for elderly Bob, she had...more 4 Stars ~ Following his brother's lead, Tyler bailed on school and home when he was barely seventeen. He left with only some clothes and his father's ridicule and he'd never looked back. Sure, he'd stopped to see his mother once a year, but she'd died ten years ago. Ally's a self-proclaimed gypsy; never sticking to one place for very long. She house sits for her roof over her head and as she's an advice columnist, she can do that anywhere. When she became a new neighbour for elderly Bob, she hadn't bargained she'd be calling out for an ambulance, or that she'd have to let his estranged son know that his father was dying of cancer. Tyler doesn't know what to do with the news Ally brings him. The last thing he wants to do is see that old angry bastard who used to beat him and his brother but this would be his last chance to confront him. Seeing the withered shrunken man on the hospital bed, Tyler suddenly can't bring himself to mention the past and he finds himself taking over his father's care. After all it's only for a couple of months, and then when he buries his father he can bury the nightmares too. Ally can tell from Tyler's tension when's he's around, Bob, that something horrible happened to create the rift between them. So when he confides about the beatings, Ally's filled with pain for the young boy he'd been. There's something wonderful about Tyler, but Ally can't let herself get too close, after all she's a gypsy and she won't be around for very long.

I loved Tyler and Ally, they have such great chemistry. While this story is pretty heavy on the emotional scale, Ms. Mayberry balances the more intense emotions with some fun and uplifting scenes. Tyler is a hero any woman would love to call their own. Ally is a caring woman who doesn't see how her own childhood emotional scars are shaping her today and her future. I'm glad Tyler was able to convince her to set some roots. I enjoyed their journey to HEA very much and look forward to reading brother Jon's story next.(less)

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Aug 27, 2011 Janusz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Not what I expected from a book under the Harlequin imprint.

Many a talented author has run aground describing a relationship with an emotionally traumatised partner. It's not easy to present a credible account of the trauma; even more difficult to weave it into a happy-ending romance.

Ms. Mayberry accomplishes both with a smooth, easy-to-read story that covers some very, very heavy emotional ground. A victim of child abuse attempts a courageous reconciliation with his dying father. No heartwarmin...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Both the hero and the heroine have to deal with family issues. Ally's mother was a wanderer who lived constantly moving from place to place, from lover to lover. Meanwhile, Ally got left at various relative's homes. It gave her an abandonment complex. And a restlessness that has her leaving from good relationships before they leave her. Tyler's father is dying of cancer, but that doesn't change the fact that his father, Bob was a physically abusive dung pile when he and his brother, Jon, were gr...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Jan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: category-romance, romance

This was sooooo good. I cried. And can't stop thinking about them.

Sarah Mayberry is a wizard of the category romance. She's just so terribly good at letting characters shine on such limited page counts. Her characters are always so real and realistic and likeable and you really feel like they could be your neighbors. I still can't believe I waited this long to read Mayberry's books, because they are so delicious, and I want to go Pokémon on them and get them all.

It's not really a happy book, sin...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Jess rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-all, 2012-new, romance-contemporary, library-book, romance, romance-category

The one star rating probably isn't fair, but this book left me more unsettled than hopeful and that's pretty much the opposite of what a romance is supposed to do. I'm not opposed to stories about profoundly damaged people coming together, but I didn't think this did a good job of actually addressing their damage (and in particular, the forgiveness of abusers is a thing that bothers me tremendously), much less addressing how their damage would complicate being in a relationship. The tacked on ep...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Nas Dean rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THE LAST GOODBYE by author Sarah Mayberry is an enjoyable, entertaining story.

I loved both Tyler and Ally and think they're just perfect for each other. Ally is the flighty kind who craves a home of her own without even knowing about it.

Tyler is the man who is ready to provide all of this for her and is understanding, sensitive and caring. And he finds his own home & ultimate happiness in Ally's welcoming arms.

It just made this story a wonderful and a fantastic read.

But a warning, once I...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Ridley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, 4-star, contemporary, read-2012, category-romance, hqn-superromance

Just when I thought I was burnt out on romance novels, I reacquainted myself with the joy that is a Sarah Mayberry Superromance. This one was no exception. It pairs a hero reluctantly caring for his terminally ill father and the advice columnist heroine house-sitting next door and is positively drenched in emotion. The hero is at odds with himself over how to handle his father, who had physically and verbally abused him and his brother until they ran away at 17, and the book pulls no punches wit...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-harlequin, 2011-reads

The more books I read by Sarah Mayberry the more I think she just simply gets it. Her books are so well written and flow so naturally you feel like you are watching two actual people meet and fall in love. In the meantime their life happens around them. That life is rarely whiz-bangy -- no Navy SEALS rappeling out of helicopters, no billionaires sweeping some sweet young thing off her feet, no crazed stalkers with a big wall of crazy out to get the heroine -- just regular people who are navigati...more The more books I read by Sarah Mayberry the more I think she just simply gets it. Her books are so well written and flow so naturally you feel like you are watching two actual people meet and fall in love. In the meantime their life happens around them. That life is rarely whiz-bangy -- no Navy SEALS rappeling out of helicopters, no billionaires sweeping some sweet young thing off her feet, no crazed stalkers with a big wall of crazy out to get the heroine -- just regular people who are navigating uncharted territory for the most part.

That is not to say that life is boring either. In the books by her that I've read so far, she's created complex, emotional situations that require the characters to work through them and draws the reader in as well.

In this book we meet Tyler Adamson, a master carpenter who has crafted a pretty good life for himself. He has a thriving business and a comfortable home. Into that life bursts Ally Bishop who house-sits at the house next door to where Tyler's father, Bob, lives. The senior Adamson is on his death bed and Ally has tracked down his son so that he can come be with him.

But Tyler has no interest in re-connecting with his father who had been a cruel emotional and physical abuser to Tyler and his older brother Jon when they were growing up. At first Ally is disdainful of the man who clearly has no time for his dying father. Ally, of course, is not privy to private family history and Bob Adamson has been nothing but a sweet, charming old man to her.

This being a romance we can expect that Tyler and Ally will get together. But that is only part of how affecting this story is. Mayberry does not stint in making Bob a monster. Tyler has a lot of internal recollections of how horrible his childhood was. The genius of it is that when we meet Bob he is a frail old man, all alone, dying of cancer. I should have probably been very sympathetic to poor old Bob as he is suffering from his stage 4 cancer. But frankly I couldn't. Mayberry gives us way to much information about how Tyler grew up so I was very unsympathetic and wished she'd simply consigned him to die alone and miserable like he deserved. (view spoiler)
But she does a better thing. She makes Tyler very conflicted about his feelings for his father and that makes the story much, much richer.

Tyler is a wonderful character. He is strong, handsome and well liked and respected but he is also has some very unresolved issues with his father. In trying to make his father's last days more comfortable he is trying to do the right thing and be a dutiful son. And he wants to be able to get closure on his raw memories before his father dies. I actually respected how the author handled the scenes leading up to and including Bob's death. (view spoiler). It all felt very real-life and authentic.

I also enjoyed the slow reveal of the Ally character. At first she comes off as a do-gooder busy body, but we get to know her as well and realize that in her own way she was just as screwed up by her absentee mother and Tyler was by his abusive father. She has her own issues to work through and when she does she has Tyler with her.

Their romance was great. There was no immediate lust, none of that "I can't concentrate on breathing because this guy I just saw for the first time is so HOT" crap I hate. They butt heads a little at first, but then they talk, they commiserate, they bond over ice cream (a super cute scene) -- and then they realize they like each other. And then they realize they are falling in love with each other. It was sweet. I also loved how Ally reacted when she learns about Tyler's abusive childhood. She doesn't try to get him to reconcile, she doesn't give him dime-store psychology advice. Her view of the kindly old man in irrevocably changed. I love how Mayberry showed that. Ally is a good, decent person and she would never be deliberately cruel to anyone, especially not a dying old man. But neither can she she be sweet and affectionate with him any longer either. It isn't done in words or anything but rather in body language and demeanor. Well conveyed.

The way the story ended it cried out for an epilogue. And we got one! Loved the epilogue wrapped the story perfectly.(less)

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Jul 16, 2011 Leslie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, contemporary, category, reviewed

This has been in the TBR pile for a few months and while I love Sarah Mayberry, I didn't pick it up until I requested One Good Reason from NetGalley and realized the hero was the brother of the hero in The Last Goodbye. So of course I had to read this before I read that. Makes sense, no?

This story had a lot of emotional baggage. It was a boatload full for both the hero and heroine. Different, but similar. He's from an abusive home, she's never really had a permanent home. Both are still working...more This has been in the TBR pile for a few months and while I love Sarah Mayberry, I didn't pick it up until I requested One Good Reason from NetGalley and realized the hero was the brother of the hero in The Last Goodbye. So of course I had to read this before I read that. Makes sense, no?

This story had a lot of emotional baggage. It was a boatload full for both the hero and heroine. Different, but similar. He's from an abusive home, she's never really had a permanent home. Both are still working through it in their own way. For Ally, it means not putting down roots but staying mobile by house sitting. A few months here, a few months there. Her job as a advice columnist allows her to work from anywhere, so she does. She meets Tyler when she searchers him out to let him know that his father, her neighbor, is ill. Ally is a very positive person - upbeat and kind. She's one of those people that's easy to like. The only thing that really bugged me about her was her insistence in her "gypsy" heritage. Not that her family were gypsies but that her mom traveled/roamed a lot. Never staying in one place. Ally uses that as an excuse to continuing moving. It's an excuse to not form ties with anyone, keeping her chances of pain and disappointment at a minimum. She's a smart woman, so why doesn't she realize she's not her mother?

Tyler is a successful designer of custom furniture. He has a thriving business. The one thing he doesn't have is a family. He was never really close to his older brother who lives in Canada and hasn't talked to his father in ten years. All that changes when Ally shows up and brings Tyler's past to the present. He doesn't make a very good first impression on Ally, telling her that he doesn't want anything to do with his father. Wow. But she leaves an impression on him. Tyler is a hero that doesn't like the spotlight and has is conflicted when it comes to helping his father. Mayberry does a good job showing how Tyler wants to just walk away from his father, who would try the patience of a saint, but Tyler is a decent person and can't walk away. Tyler puts up with a lot while taking care of his father and it helps that Ally's there to ease the way.

Ally and Tyler's relationship gets off to a rocky start. There is something there but Mayberry doesn't make it easy for them. Both have issues to work through before they can have a healthy relationship. Tyler's issues made more sense than Ally's. Her's didn't seem so hard to overcome and I felt like she used them more as an excuse than any great fear of commitment. I did like how she helped Tyler break down that wall of silence. He really didn't like talking about his feelings and his past.

The Last Goodbye isn't one of my favorites from Mayberry. It's a little too dark with not enough lighter moments to balance it out. The romance wasn't the main focus, instead, Tyler's messed up relationship and unresolved issues with his father took center stage. (less)

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Jun 26, 2011 Carrie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: category-romance, contemporary, read-2011, beta-hero

Sarah Mayberry is a consistently good writer. She has a knack for expressing a lot in relatively few pages. All the books I've read by Mayberry have had a serious subject as the background for the love story. Various books have dealt with PTSD (Hot Island Nights), a woman's desire for a child as she nears forty (The Best Laid Plans), and a woman who's been in love with her best friend since they were kids, but lost him to a mutual friend (Her Best Friend). The emotions are complex and realistic,...more

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May 05, 2013 Velocity rated it 3 of 5 stars

A solid romance, dealing with a tough subject (how to face the reality of having to care for an abusive parent) and -THANK DAWG- managing to completely avoid the nauseating trope of "happily ever after because he's your paaaaarent". No, abuse it abuse and I'm glad Ms. Mayberry had the maturity to present it as it should be.

The romance itself had me from the get go, both leads were well fleshed-out and interesting, and the sex scenes were more than satisfying. All in all, smart and entertaining,...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Cecilia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like well-written romances

Another great Sarah Mayberry book. Lots of really believable situations, emotions, reactions. Some fairly heart-wrenching details; things aren't glossed over, but neither is there wallowing, or a feeling of relish in the horrible bits of the hero's past (some authors, when they're including abuse, it's almost gross how much they dwell on it). This book, in development of the romance, of the characters, of the build-up to the resolution, was well-balanced, well-paced and satisfying.

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Jan 11, 2011 Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

This is technically out in Feb, but eHarlequin will sell it to me early, so win. This was very good. When he discovers that his abusive father is dying, a cabinetmaker has to make a choice at how involved he'll get--and also how he's going to deal with the cute neighboring house-sitter/advice columnist who has befriended his dad. This went into some deep emotional waters for a category romance, and I think Mayberry chose the realistic rather than easy route.

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Mar 17, 2011 Nas Dean rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Jun 05, 2012 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, read-2012

Another lovely read by Sarah Mayberry. I will definitely be exploring more of her back list.

This book was about two people that had to overcome painful childhoods. It was really touching seeing Tyler open up about the abuse he suffered when he was a kid. I was truly impressed by how he went back and took care of his father despite what his father had put him through. Just a wonderful romance between real people with real problems.

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Oct 23, 2012 Atunah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, hq, library-kindle-book-bpl, read-2012

Not quite a 4 star for me. It was pretty nice but I did have a few issues with the heroine, especially at the end. The waffling did get to me. I was just missing something here I can't put my finger on it.

My first by this author and won't be my last. I do like the way it read. I already checked out "One Good Reason", which I believe is about the brother.

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Aug 11, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

A poignant story of son, Tyler Adamson, coming home to care for his estranged father during his last dying days of cancer. There is a lot of baggage to deal with which makes the story bittersweet. Lots of emotion and realistic issues to deal with, I really felt this was Tyler's story more than Ally's. Although it might not sound romantic, it was. The relationship the develops when Tyler meets Ally, the next door neighbor who manages to capture his heart, is a nice foil to what is going on with h...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Donna Alward rated it 5 of 5 stars

The hero's backstory is soooo painful that I cried in the first chapter and sniffled often during the entire book. But it was never depressing! Within the pain was so much goodness and compassion and hope that it was simply a brave and beautiful book. One of my favourite reads of the year.

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Aug 23, 2011 RedBecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's a shame that such heartfelt stories full of raw emotion are hiding behind such cheesy-ass book covers!! Don't let the covers fool you. Sarah Mayberry writes such honest and heart-breakingly beautiful stories and is now way up at the top of my favorite romance authors.

Read this book!

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May 05, 2011 Mombo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, harlequin-superromance, read-in-may-2011, read-in-2011, adamson-brothers, going-back, sarah-mayberry, 2011, 02-february

Unforgettable! Tyler is one of the best heroes in the Harlequin series titles this year. He overcomes the horrific events of his childhood, has to live with his tormentor, and try to convince the girl he loves she deserves to be loved.

The Last Goodbye was a terrific book and reminds me why the SuperR line, when done well, is well worth the greater price. The heroine, Ally has her own issues, too, but with her humour and kindness we easily see she is also a wonderful person in her own right.

I ca...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Brianne rated it 4 of 5 stars

i think i read this book in about a day because of how I was sucked into Tyler and Ally's story. There is a lot going on, a lot of history in both their lives that has a huge impact on their present. they both work through issues and grow throughout the book.

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Apr 08, 2011 Jaci Burton rated it 4 of 5 stars

The hero and heroine both had emotional issues from their pasts to deal with, and I enjoyed the way Sarah brought these two together and allowed them to grow together and confront their pasts with each other. Great romance!

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Jan 07, 2012 Jorrie Spencer rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really admire Mayberry's writing, both in terms of storytelling and prose. Smooth writing, sensitive observations, just really well done. I'd like to read the follow-up to this one.

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Jun 06, 2012 Cátia Santos rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

Uma boa surpresa, não estava a espera que o livro fosse tão bom. Apesar de ser um livro pequeno, a história encontra-se bem construída, com personagens credíveis e reais em todos os aspectos desde a forma como se comportam na relação até a problemas/traumas de infância.
Gostei muito do casal protagonista e da forma como a relação entre os dois foi desenvolvida, primeiro conheceram-se e só depois envolveram-se. Fiquei surpreendida com isso, pois estava a espera do contrário dada a dimensão do liv...more

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About Sarah Mayberry

Sarah Mayberry was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is the middle of three children. From the time that she first “stole” paper from kindergarten and stapled it together to make “books,” Sarah has always wanted to be a writer. In line with this ambition, on graduation from high school she completed a bachelor of arts degree majoring in professional writing, then sat down to write a book. When ins...more Sarah Mayberry was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is the middle of three children. From the time that she first “stole” paper from kindergarten and stapled it together to make “books,” Sarah has always wanted to be a writer. In line with this ambition, on graduation from high school she completed a bachelor of arts degree majoring in professional writing, then sat down to write a book. When inspiration didn’t strike, she began to wonder if, perhaps, she needed to live some life first before writing about it.

This still left the burning question of how to pay the rent. She found her way into trade journalism, working off the principle that it was better to write anything for a living than nothing at all. Her time there lead to the opportunity to launch a new decorator magazine for one of Australia’s major retailers, an invaluable and grueling experience that she found very rewarding.

But the opportunity to write fiction for a living soon lured Sarah away. She took up a post as storyliner on Australia’s longest running soap, Neighbours. Over two years she helped plot more than 240 hours of television, as well as writing freelance scripts. She remembers her time with the show very fondly — especially the dirty jokes and laughter around the story table — and still writes scripts on a freelance basis.

In 2003 she relocated to New Zealand for her partner’s work. There Sarah served as storyliner and story editor on the country’s top-rating drama, Shortland Street, before quitting to pursue writing full time.

Sarah picked up a love of romance novels from both her grandmothers, and has submitted manuscripts to Harlequin many times over the years. She credits the invaluable story structuring experience she learned on Neighbours as the key to her eventual success — along with the patience of her fantastic editor, Wanda.

Sarah is revoltingly happy with her partner of twelve years, Chris, who is a talented scriptwriter. Not only does he offer fantastic advice and solutions to writing problems, but he’s also handsome, funny and sexy. When she’s not gushing over him, she loves to read romance and fantasy novels, go to the movies, sew and cook for her friends. She has also become a recent convert to Pilates, which she knows she should do more often. (less)

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“Put me down, I’m too heavy.”
“You’re small enough to fit in my pocket.” — 14 people liked it

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The Last Goodbye (Going Back #30)

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