Last Wish - Erin Butler (Remembering Kyle #2)

There's just something about New Adult that makes it my favorite genre, maybe it's because I'm still in that age group for a little while longer or it's that I relate to it so easily. The stories are real, oftentimes raw and heartbreaking, and you are never promised an HEA. Sometimes authors take it over the top and sometimes authors give you just enough drama and conclusion to write a beautiful story. I love the love, I sometimes even love the smut, and I almost always love the characters. Erin Butler is one of those authors that has the magic touch for writing NA. Not only do the characters come to life, but your heart hurts when the character's hearts hurt and you'll find yourself holding onto your book so tightly in hopes of happiness for the characters. Last Wish is one of those books, it deals with situations that are all too real, but gives you the kind of hope that makes you love a book so much. Remembering Kyle is a great NA series and book two, Last Wish, released December 28, 2015, so you can finally own it for yourself. The first book, How We Lived, is on Amazon right now for just $0.99!

Rating: 4 Stars
Published: December 2015
Many thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Embrace for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amazon Goodreads

Ronan has avoided everything related to his old life, ever since his best friend died he can't forgive his friends, he can't move on, and he certainly doesn't want a girl around. Everything reminds him of Kyle and the promise he broke and Kelsey and the ultimatum she gave him. After  a chance encounter with his old friends, it seems there's not much he can do to avoid them. After a rough encounter with her ex-boyfriend, Em is shaken and a flat tire isn't doing her any more favors either. After Kelsey convinces her that Ronan is the best solution to help her, a trip to rescue her and her car becomes a road trip. Old memories and new feelings arise between the two as Ronan finally considers living again.

This one is will leave your heart aching, but in the good kind of way. The two main characters are both going through some extremely hard things in their individual lives, but together they find happiness. Last Wish is told from the dual POV's are Ronan and Em, Erin Butler does a great job of distinguishing between the two voices and pulling you into their story. I really enjoyed reading from the dual perspectives, as Em's story and her character development is really strong and Ronan's history brings everything into this story that you may be missing if you skipped book 1 or just can't remember things. I liked reading their interactions with friends and their interactions with one another, they had some of the sweetest dialogue. There's some amazing chemistry here and while it feels a bit like insta-love, it works for these two.

The book reads really slowly at first and the first half of the book has a lot of mystery to it, you're not given a whole lot of information. However, as the story continues to develop all of the loose strings are tied up. The history between Em and Ronan is a bit hard to figure out, in fact their connection doesn't make sense for quite a while in the book. I wish some of the information we get in the second half was given earlier. I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending of this book, it was anticlimactic for me and for the growth of the relationship between Ronan and Em. The good news is, the ending isn't a cliffhanger and it wraps up the past story of Kelsey and Chase.

With enough angst, drama, and romance to make any romance reader happy, Last Wish is a great NA novel that could easily be read by anyone. Erin's writing and the characters will draw you in and keep you hanging onto every word. Though Last Wish can be read as a standalone, it is the second book in the Remember Kyle series and I highly recommend you read How We Lived first. The details of the first book are shared in Last Wish, but you'll find yourself wanting to know Chase and Kelsey's story when you meet them. It's a quick read, so I suggest you pick both up!