The Last Love Note

The Last Love Note

Emma Grey

Published November 28, 2023


A December Indie Next Pick
The Target December Book Club Pick

A Book of the Month Selection
A Washington Post Noteworthy Book

 

You may never stop loving the one you lost. But you can still find love again. 

 

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Kate is a bit of a mess. Two years after losing her young husband Cameron, she’s grieving, solo parenting, working like mad at her university fundraising job, always dropping the balls—and yet clinging to her sense of humor.

 

Lurching from one comedic crisis to the next, she also navigates an overbearing mom and a Tinder-obsessed best friend who's determined to matchmake Kate with her hot new neighbor.

 

When an in-flight problem leaves Kate and her boss, Hugh, stranded for a weekend on the east coast of Australia, she finally has a chance, away from her son, to really process her grief and see what’s right in front of her. Can she let go of the love of her life and risk her heart a second time?

 

When it becomes clear that Hugh is hiding a secret, Kate turns to the trail of scribbled notes she once used to hold her life together. The first note captured her heart. Will the last note set it free?

 

The Last Love Note will make readers laugh, cry, and renew their faith in the resilience of the human heart—and in love itself.

 

Featured Press

Funny, heart-breaking and life-affirming
It is a romcom, even though there's darkness and sadness. It's a lovely, wonderful read, with an incredible resolve. I was unable to put it down.
From the opening scene I knew this book would be amazing ...Put this on your absolutely-must-read list.
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 loved at all.
Grey's debut adult novel will break readers' hearts, taking them on an emotional ride but leaving them feeling hopeful. Grey's eloquent writing about the loss of a partner will create an ache in readers' hearts. This tearjerker will make readers cheer for the joyful ending.
If you are looking for a book that will have you feeling every single one of your feelings and leave you full of hope, The Last Love Note is the perfect read for you.
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What people are saying...

"Why do I feel like I’ve been waiting all my life to read this book? What a gorgeous, charming, funny, heart-rending, longing-filled triumph of a read."

Katherine Center

author of Hello Stranger

“Emma Grey weaves riotous romantic comedy through a journey from love to loss and back again with a raw honesty and intensity that is equalled only by her capacity to find humour and light in the darkest of moments.”

Nina Campbell

author of Daughters of Eve

“An exquisitely heartbreaking emotional love story, packed with light, tender touches. I will be recommending this to everyone.”

Paige Toon

author of Only Love Can Hurt Like This

"Laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreakingly affecting. Such a great book."

Lisa McLaughlin

owner of The Bookshelf, Irvine

“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 loved at all.”

Bodhi Byles

Books & Publishing

"A moving portrait of love, loss and the messy emotions that live in between. And while Emma captures heart-wrenching scenes, the intimate prose is relatable, revealing and simply human. Yes, you will need tissues on hand - as well as a cuppa."

HerCanberra

“The Last Love Note is a romcom both sparkling and heartbreaking in equal measure - we're invited into the story of Kate, grieving single parent, finds herself stranded with her boss in a sleepy hamlet, with only a trail of scribbled love notes to hold a secret from her past - that he's hiding.”

Dymocks Books

“This book looks and sounds like a typical rom-com… But then it takes an unexpected left turn that elevates it to another level. To put it simply, this book was heartbreakingly beautiful and unexpectedly funny all at once and such a fantastic surprise. Grey does a fantastic job of telling a heartbreaking story with a blend of warmth and humour that is difficult to nail. Just be warned, you will laugh out loud and you will cry.”

Mercedes Maguire

Sydney Daily & Sunday Telegraphs

“The Last Love Note is a beautifully blindsiding sort of book. A funny, touching page-turner, which I’ve no doubt will touch the heart of many readers.”

Hazel Hayes

author of Out of Love

“So much more than a romcom—beautifully written, both funny and heartbreaking and ultimately filled with hope.”

Alexandra Potter

author of Confessions of a Forty-Something F*ck-Up

Why Zibby Loves It…

I am obsessed with this book. It has everything a book needs, in my opinion: humor, wit, something to overcome, friendships, unexpected endings, secrets, loyalties, a strong sense of voice and place, and excellent, excellent writing. I literally laughed out loud and cried. Both. I couldn’t put it down. Emma Grey is the next Helen Fielding, Sophie Kinsella or Jojo Moyes.

Readers in Australia have already fallen in love with this book, posting, gushing, writing articles about it. The book has true staying power. It’s a vehicle for emotional recognition, entertainment, and escape, all mixed together. It’s just what I look for in a novel—and what makes me want to shout from the rooftops about a book.

Emma is just witty. Her own loss of her husband informs the narrative, grief seeping in between the lines. You can almost tell how much writing it helped her, the author, as it helps us, the readers. The perfect contract. It is so, so, SO good and you will all love it. I’m honored to be publishing this fantastic work by a brilliant talent from Australia. It’s not where we live or our backgrounds that unites us; it’s the underlying feelings, on display here, waving like a flag.