Review: The Last Time I Saw Her – Kathleen Knowles
The Last Time I Saw Herby Kathleen Knowles
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Publication Date: June 12, 2018
Genres: Romance
Pages: 254
Source: NetGalley
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My rating:
At seventeen Lane Hudson had her heart broken by the first woman she ever loved. Fifteen years later Alison Bickford is back and they’re working the same music festival in rural Georgia. Her feelings are complicated and regrets weigh her down. When the line between past and present, memory and reality starts to blur, Lane knows the spark hasn’t died.
She only has twelve days to win back Alison’s heart. That is if she can gather the courage to try.
Oh goodness, where to start with this? Sometimes books just aren’t your cup of tea, and this is one of those times.
This of the story of one woman, Lane, reconnecting with her first love, Allison, at a lesbian music festival in the 80s. It’s told entirely in Lane’s first-person POV, but despite that, I never really clicked with either woman. I also felt the connection and chemistry between the two was lacking, and for the life of me I don’t understand why Lane was so desparately in love with Allison, despite the flashbacks and endless rehashings of what happened in girl scout camp 15 years prior. It honestly made Lane feel more like she was still stuck in teenager-mode in her relationship with Allison, and it wasn’t a pretty thing. I think their relationship was better established at the end of the book, but it felt like too little too late. Honestly, the whole thing was a bit of a slog for me, with a very slow pace. I did like the music festival setting (that, and the fact that it was set in the 80s, was what made me pick up the book), but it felt underutilized.
Overall, I’m really struggling to find anything positive to say about the book, so I’ll leave it there. I’ll give it two stars as I thought it picked up towards the end, and I liked learning about the music festival.
