I was lucky enough to read Jo Leevers' The Last Time I Saw You as an advanced reader copy (it comes out in July 2024) and I loved the fresh take on what could have been a cliche or trope of a mother leaving her young family. Thanks to dual points of view, the character of Nancy remained as nuanced as that of her daughter, Georgie, and I loved this family drama turned mystery as Georgie, now an adult on the brink of motherhood herself, follows fresh leads to find her mother. Pick this one up for sure!4 s Jane CrittendenAuthor 4 books28

Jo Leevers has a superbly simple tone to her writing that hits all the right notes and reminds me of Maggie O'Farrell. I was completely drawn in and invested in Georgie and her missing mother, Nancy. I loved that we got both sides of their story in the dual timeline and dual narrative. This is a journey in the literal and metaphorical sense as Georgie and her brother search for answers about loss and abandonment, of what family means and how their childhood shaped who they became as adults. It is a layered and utterly compelling read.3 s Books By Your Bedside621 21

Thanks to Jo, NetGalley, and Lake Union for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I cannot fully explain just how much I loved Jo's previous book, Tell Me How This Ends. It was heart-breaking and beautiful and tender and sympathetic and just gorgeous. And so when she got in touch asking if I wanted to read her new book, I practically screamed at the chance! I knew that if it was anything the first one, it would be sublime.

Each chapter is from the point-of-view of either Nancy (the Mum) or Georgie (the daughter), covering from 1984 to 2015. I blow hot and cold with multiple POVs, as they can get too complicated, but she's done well to just use the two main players. It gives us different views to the events but makes the reading seamless.

I d Georgie. She is heavily pregnant when we meet her, and she's often thinking about whether it was becoming mother that made her mum walk out, so she's worried she will be the same. But I d her. She felt very normal, just trying to get through life whilst battling a lot of problematic memories. We also meet her brother Dan in her chapters, and he was also a problematic soul, and I really felt sorry for him, almost as if he was my younger brother.

Nancy...what did I think of Nancy? At first I wanted to dis her. I mean, what mother walks out on her young children? What reason could she possibly have that makes that the only decision? But the more I read about her and her upbringing and whatnot, the more layered she became and the more I started to see things from her sie. She was endlessly fascinating, and so was the comparison made between her and Georgie, especially now Georgie was about the become a mother.

There are 55 chapters, which might seem a lot but for me who s a shorter chapter, I d it. 320 pages in 55 chapters makes for quick reading.

Much Jo's first book, this had me hooked instantly. She has such a talent for writing very real and vulnerable people. I devoured it in a matter of ours. I sat down to start it and didn't move until I'd finished.

It's so moving, in a variety of ways. In sad ways, yes, but in angry ways, despair, wonderful, happy, joyful, hopeful, and loving ways too.

It's so heart-breaking but heart-warming. It's about family, blood and otherwise. It's about making your own family and letting go. But it's also about the importance of forgiveness and moving forward.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to say it does deal with some difficult topics, including relationship problems, emotional abuse, stalking, drinking problems, coercive control, manipulation, abandonment, separation, loneliness, death, grief etc.

I don't think Jo realises the hold she has over me with these books. Every sentence is exquisite. This is just Jo's second book and it, and she, is exceptional. One of the most talented writers of raw emotion, and I would implore everyone to red at least one because she is an absolute master storyteller.2 s Gill260 7

This is an absorbing tale, the further into it I read, the harder it was to put down. It is quite a dark story, but at the same time full of characters who you easily warm to and can completely empathise with the situations they have found themselves in.

Georgie has recently moved to Devon where she lives with her husband and she’s looking forward to the birth of her baby which is only a couple of weeks away when the book begins. Yes Georgie is excited at the prospect of becoming a mother, but at the same time she worries, and hopes that she’ll make a better job of motherhood than her own mum. Georgie last saw her mum 20 years ago and hasn’t heard a word from her since. How could she just abandon both her and her brother all those years ago. She can’t help feeling at times that it’s something Georgie did wrong, perhaps it was her fault that her mum went.

When she sees a news article of a woman who rescues a young missing child, she recognises the woman to be her mother. Feeling desperate to get some answers she contacts her brother who turned his back on her a few years ago, but he wants answers as much as Georgie and agrees to drive them both to Scotland in the hope they’ll find her before she disappears again.

Through the long road journey we find out what happened all those years ago when their mother left. We learn that Dan has his own personal problems to deal with and from here we watch them on a cat and mouse mission to catch up with their mother.

It’s a sad story for all involved, covering coercion, abandonment and the lasting effects that a family break up handled badly can have on children right up into adulthood. This is an excellent book which will have you on the edge of your seat one minute and feeling great empathy the next, hoping that things will turn out OK for everyone. It has very believable characters and I’m sure different aspects of the storyline have probably touched on many families lives in one way or another. This is the second novel I’ve read from this author and enjoyed them both equally. Hopefully there will be more to come.1 Lucy Crook71 6

Firstly I’d to say thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Jo Leevers for the advanced copy of The Last Time I Saw You.

The Last Time I Saw You is a fantastic novel about motherhood, family and secrets. I enjoyed the time hop chapters from present day to 1980s, 90s and 00s. The story was gripping. It was tugging at my heart strings in places and making me shout with rage in others.

I was hooked. From start to finish, I adored it. Easy five stars! 1 Emma Russell3 1 follower

Really lovely heart warming story1 Colleen515 26

?? 3.5 ??

This was a random Amazon First Reads pick, but i actually d it more than I expected! While this novel wasn’t earth shattering, it was a beautiful story about a complicated family. Georgie, who is pregnant with her first child, comes together with her estranged brother Dan to find their mother, who left the family when they were kids.

Through the journey to find Nancy, the siblings rekindle their connection, and secrets they have each held for years come to light. I loved the flashback chapters told from Nancy and Georgie’s perspectives throughout the years, and I think the author handled some sensitive topics (emotional and physical abuse, abandonment) really tastefully and realistically.

I don’t necessarily think this knocked it out of the park, but reading this book while pregnant certainly hit me in the feels, especially at the end.
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