Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: The Last Text
AUTHOR: Alice Winters
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 119 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2019
BLURB:
Happy Birthday, Daniel. I was told not to send you another text, but I never was any good at listening. I love and miss you. I always will.
When I lost my partner of eight years, I felt like my world was crashing down around me. In order to feel some relief from the overwhelming emptiness, I’ve found myself sending him texts every year on his birthday, even though I know he will never answer. It makes me feel like there’s a piece of him still alive, at least in my heart.
I’m sorry, you must have the wrong number. I apologize for not responding sooner, but I was at work.
That is, until someone responds to my text. Jace is charming, sweet, and everything I could ever want. But how can I accept someone new in my life when Daniel’s only been gone two years? Even so, Jace starts to consume my world. It feels like I can finally breathe as he helps me understand that my life doesn’t have to revolve around my grief.
Soon, I find myself laughing again as he pulls me away from the hopeless cycle I’ve been caught in, and I love spending time with him, whether it’s playing video games together or discussing our comic book alter egos. But I still need to let go of this guilt and allow Jace to show me that I can love another without replacing what I’ve lost. Jace rewrites my entire world with every word and smile he gives me, and it’s becoming harder to not give in and hand him my heart. Maybe Daniel did respond after all.
REVIEW:
One of my favorite qualities in a love story is the idea of inevitability, because to me, it makes the love real as it quietly evolves naturally. Merrick and Jace are inevitable, from the serendipitous way in which they meet, to their tentative friendship, and how it morphs slowly – naturally – into more. You just know in your bones that these two men will have a happily ever after. This isn’t a book about death, and not so much about grief, either. It’s about living and healing and a special love. The Last Text is wonderful. So much swooning, so many feels.
The plot is unique. Merrick is mired in grief after the death of his boyfriend of eight years. He’s still unable to break free of the suffocating emotions after two years. He’s at the point he feels guilty if he has any fun or isn’t actively grieving Daniel. His family tries to help him, but handling him with kid gloves isn’t helping him heal. Then comes along Jace. He enters Merrick’s life when he answers a text Merrick sends to Daniel on Daniel’s old phone number, which now belongs to Jace. Jace is a ray of sunshine. There couldn’t be a more patient, understanding, generous-of-heart man and Merrick is so lucky to have found him. They become friends and Merrick is amusingly awkward, always getting caught out accidentally doing ridiculous things. He doesn’t know what he should feel for Jace and doesn’t want to betray Daniel.
“You haven’t replaced Daniel. Daniel’s here,” [Jace] says as he motions to the left. “I’m over here.” He motions to the right, a large space between them. “We’re not competing for the same spot. No one can ever replace Daniel.”
Jace teaches Merrick how to start living again rather than continuing to drown in grief. He assures Merrick that he can learn to live with the loss through good memories and still move on with someone new. Best of all, Jace has the patience to allow Merrick to move forward at his own pace. His compassion comes through clearly in the dialogue.
Merrick and Jace are beyond lovable. I love the flirting, their clever banter, their first platonic night in bed *sigh*, and the slow burn. There a few other memorable characters, including Merrick’s family who smoothly welcomes Jace without being weird about it, which provides Merrick with the support he needs. I love them for it. And then there’s Jace’s Gramps, who adds the perfect touch of hilarity and irreverence to the book. Merrick’s unusual pets are great, too.
I’m a huge fan of the In Darkness, The Hitman’s Guide, and Vampire Related Crimes series, but I have to say, this just might be my favorite Alice Winters book. Maybe because I love an emotional hurt/comfort trope. And it might be because it’s such a departure for the author and therefore so unexpected. Her humor is usually snarky and sometimes over-the-top – in a good way – in many of her suspense novels, but here the banter is witty and gentle; it’s completely in keeping with the light contemporary tone of the book. Short stories and novellas are sometimes underdeveloped, leaving me feeling underwhelmed and wanting more. That’s certainly not the case here. This book proves that a short book can pack a punch just as well as a full-length novel.
I adore The Last Text. It’s a true gem that shows Ms. Winters can cross subgenres with finesse. Her skill in balancing emotion and humor results in a light, no angst, uplifting novella. Add in fantastic characters – especially Jace – and a heartwarming epilogue, and this is a book I can strongly recommend.
RATING: 
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