The Last Romatics by Tara Conklin Published by William Morrow/HarperCollins on February 5, 2019
Genres/Lists: Fiction
Pages: 368
Read synopsis on Goodreads
Buy the book: Amazon/Audible (this post includes affiliate links)
I’m a sucker for family dramas. There’s something about flawed characters with complex relationships that pulls me in every single time. The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin was no different and I raced through the book in three days. I found myself reaching for it when I couldn’t sleep at 3 a.m., and again when I woke up in the morning.
The Last Romantics is about the four Skinner siblings and how their childhood shaped who they became as adults and how they interacted with life and each other. Following a devastating loss at a young age, the Skinner children further endured a time they dubbed The Pause. The Pause was a time when the world seemed to stop and all that mattered was each other and their survival. It was during this time that they forged their places in the world and within their family, setting them on a lifelong trajectory of choices that the reader watches unfold.
I think hope, even if premised on a falsehood, can be a thing of great power.
As each character fulfills their role in the family dynamic – the family-driven Caroline, career-driven Renee, and the creative Fiona – it was Joe, the only son, who became the centrifugal force by which the family revolved. A talented and successful charmer, the sisters fluctuated between protecting Joe and being drawn in by his allure. They were all, however, unaware of the events that would ultimately lead to all of their unraveling. Because at its core, The Last Romantics is about coming undone. It’s about lost dreams, failed endeavors, fractured relationships, and self-sabotage. It’s about the could’ves, would’ves, and should’ves we all have in life and the pain of promises unfulfilled. Ultimately, however, it’s about finding yourself and your place in the world.
Looking for your next book about flawed characters and complex familial relationships? The Last Romantics by @teconklin has you covered. #bookreview Click To TweetI will admit, there was a moment about 80% in that I started to worry the story was petering out. I thought that perhaps it was time to wrap up instead of keeping going, but that feeling was short lived. Instead, the story picked right back up and ended just as it should have. At times, I wanted to scream at the characters, but there were also times when my heart ached for them. It’s this swing in emotions that compelled me to pick up the book at all hours. In the end, it was a captivating story that I couldn’t put down. So, if you’re looking for a good family drama with flawed characters and complex relationships, then The Last Romantics needs to be next on your list.
Recommended for: Fans of family dramas with flawed characters and complex relationships.
