Sunday Synopsis (The Last One Home)

 

The Last One Home by Victoria Helen Stone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I believe I got this book through a good deal on Book Bub. It is the genre I like best... suspense and crime. The book is told from mother's and daughter's points-of-view; however, the mother, Donna, is telling her story of becoming pregnant with her daughter and finding out that, not only was her lover married, he also had a cushy upbringing, whereas Donna was "wrong side of the tracks."

While Donna is telling the story of her past, daughter Lauren is telling her story in the present. She has a rough relationship with her mother due to her mom's testimony having sent Lauren's dad to prison. But when a serial killer claimed credit for the crime her dad was found guilty of, Lauren realized her mom had lied to have him arrested. Lauren's dad was released, and from the age of ten, she was able to have a relationship with her dad and his family.

Lauren has taken the last name Abrams, her father's, and has a close relationship with her grandmother. So close in fact that when Grandma has a stroke, she goes into an assisted living facility and deeds the ranch house to Lauren. As Lauren works to update the house, she also discovers secrets her father and grandmother never wanted her to learn.

Getting into the book was a little difficult until I could figure out the rhythm of the change in setting and time period from chapter to chapter. The story unfolded somewhat slowly. Character development of the two leading ladies is good, especially the character of Donna. Both characters are sympathetic, so you're rooting for them. The male characters in the book are rather one-dimensional, and I didn't identify with them at all.

The author creates suspenseful situations, but I was rarely truly surprised, so it is somewhat predictable. But the descriptions are well-written, and the secrets come out in the end. And speaking of the end, it was cliche'. Overall, I liked it. Like. No more. No less. An average read.

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