The Last Dance

Aimee
Brown
Genre: 
Contemporary

Ambri and Henry are friends—best friends. Almost like close siblings, they talk nearly every day. Their friendship endures even when Henry falls in love with and marries Ambri’s older sister, Rory. Then tragically, cancer claims Rory’s life. Turning to each other for comfort, Ambri and Henry become lovers. But afterward, Henry shuts her out, claims their liaison was a big mistake, and takes off. Two years pass, and Ambri has moved on. She is happy with Noah, who’s a really nice guy. But Henry shows up again with Karmen, a Rory-clone, on his arm. It’s plain this is the kind of woman the guy likes, yet he still pursues Ambri. She fears her short, brunette self can’t ever measure up to his ideal female.

This friends-to-lovers story really delves deep inside the heads of the main characters, letting us feel their emotions. The problem is that the reader has a hard time getting on Henry’s team. He comes across as shallow and selfish. It appears he uses Ambri when Rory dies, although Ambri’s feelings for him are real. Then he comes back and decides to use her some more. The writing style leans more toward journal entries and less like storytelling. There is, however, delightful banter between the characters, and a very real portrayal of how grief, loss, and forgiveness can affect two people’s feelings for each other. 

FS Brown