Book Review - One Last Song By: S.K. Falls

Title: One Last Song
Author: S.K. Falls
Publisher: Forever/Grand Central Publishing, 336 Pages (January 13, 2015)
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult
From: the Publisher
Format: eARC
Add to: Goodreads
Order a copy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a "New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Synopsis: I was seven when I swallowed my first needle.

My mom freaked out and rushed me to the emergency room.

She stayed by my side all night.

I never wanted it to end.

When you spend your whole life feeling invisible—when your parents care more about deals and deadlines than they do about you—you find ways of making people take notice. Little things at first. Then bigger. It’s scary how fast it grows. Then one day something happens that makes you want to stop. To get better. To be better. And for the first time, you understand what it’s like to feel whole, happy . . . loved. For the first time, you love someone back.

For me, that someone was Drew.

Review: 3.5 Stars - One Last Song by S.K. Falls is the first title I’ve read by this author. It’s a contemporary “New Adult” story told from the point of view of a confused and hurting girl who wants nothing more than to be visible to her absent parents.

Saylor and her story had me gripped. She’s battling her own illness – Munchausen Syndrome – and has been since she was very young. Her story isn’t just about her and her journey it’s about the affects she has on the people around her and in turn the affect they’ve had on her and her mental condition.

This story is about the breakdown of a family and each of its members. It’s about painful pasts, secrets and lies told to not only other people but the characters themselves as well. It’s about actions and reactions and… so much more.

Falls has created a story that you have to peel back layer upon layer to get to the root of the issues within Sayor’s life and her family dynamic.

It’s about the secondary characters and how they played such a larger role in Saylor’s life and I found these characters had so much more meaning to her journey than at first meeting.

The book is filled with emotions that had me angry one moment and teary the next. And in the end neither went away. I had such anger for Saylor’s parents. As someone who’s had to deal with anxiety from a young age and has had it as such a large part of their life from that first panic attack, I understand that parents feel helpless to their child or children when they are sick or have some type of mental illness, however her parents really should have had some kind of punishment for how they treated their child. They were selfish and just didn’t care and I had a hard time reading that part of the story due to their lack of compassion. I mean come on! They could have TRIED to understand but I felt they had given up all hope and in a way I hated them.

Drew was a great character and love interest for Saylor and their part of the story was sweet and also heartbreaking. And while I loved Drew and the story wasn’t ultimately about him, it was about the impact of Saylor’s actions and while I loved him, he sometimes felt flat.

I wanted to give this book a higher rating than I did, but due to the flat bits with Drew and some of the more serious aspects of the story being glossed over – at least it felt so to me – I wanted things to be a bit more well rounded than what the end result was. The writing itself is easy to read and for the most part flows nicely; it’s just those issues that I’ve mentioned that had me questioning if I had missed something or not.

In the end, it was a great story and one I won’t forget anytime soon. Should you be on the lookout for a Contemporary ‘New Adult’ title with characters dealing with mental illness this title fits the bill perfectly. I know I’ll be on eager to see what this author writes next. Enjoy!

About the Author:

S.K. Falls likes to believe a degree in psychology qualifies her to emotionally torture her characters in an authentic fashion. Her books have won the gold medal in the 2014 IPPY awards, been featured on USA Today’s book blog, and regularly appear on Amazon’s various bestselling lists. When she isn’t writing her twisted love stories, she can be found gallivanting around Charleston, SC with her family.

Find S.K. Online:

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