‘The Last Days Of Us’ by Caroline Finnerty is a fiction story that will tear your heart apart while reading it. This is my first book by Caroline Finnerty and one thing I do know is- she can create a novel that you can’t stop reading.
Sarah McIntyre has everything she has ever wanted and needed, two children and an adoring husband. That is until Christmas Day when all the family have left to return home and JP tells her he is moving out and he doesn’t love her anymore. Sarah feels life can’t get any worse until the day Robyn their four-year-old daughter becomes ill and the diagnosis is a very aggressive and untreatable form of brain cancer. She is given up to 9-12 months left to live. Sarah does her best to keep everything as close to normal as possible but struggles, especially when she is at odds with what JP wants for Robyn. Will they be able to work together as a family to get through this or will it be arguments all the way?
As you can imagine this is an emotional and heartbreaking story of every parent’s nightmare. The decisions that need to be made could cause more suffering. We even have chapters written by Harry Robyn’s elder brother and these are very moving. As a child himself he has no grey areas in life, all he knows is his little sister looks different now. My heart went out to this boy.
A subject that you immediately connect with due to the raw emotion and everyone’s fear of the illness. I was invested straight away and had to choke back my tears most of the way through (didn’t always succeed). I literally wanted to scoop up the full family and hold them close. The range of emotions that I felt throughout this book made me feel drained by the time I was done.
Caroline Finnerty has skillfully woven a tale that touches your very core and makes you think even after you have finished it. A really well written and immersive story that will have me checking out her work in the future.
Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the copy of the book.
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