Review: 'This Last Kiss' by Madeleine Reiss (2016)

Rora Raine is finally coming home to Hastings, twelve years after she left her grief-stricken father, and fled the love of her life, Carl.
Struggling to support her bright but troubled daughter, Rora has convinced herself she'll never love again.
When she meets a bumblingly charming stranger, Rora's heart begins to thaw. 
But, try as she might, she can't run from true love forever.
Author Madeleine Reiss' latest novel, 'This Last Kiss' was released by Bonnier Publishing Fiction on June 30 and I am delighted to share my review of the book with all of you today. This is the author's second novel and my first experience with her writing, which I was curious to check out after having read numerous positive reviews by other book bloggers and readers of Madeleine Reiss' debut. 'This Last Kiss' promised to be an emotional and gripping women's fiction read and I was curious to check it out and see whether it would indeed match my expectations!
Rora Raine has had a difficult relationship with her father ever since the unexpected death of her mother when she was just a girl. Different circumstances contributed to Rora leaving Hastings, but now the imminent passing of her father has brought her back to town. This time she's bringing her daughter Ursula, who has some trouble fitting in at school. Rora wants to open her heart to both her family and perhaps a new love as well, but when she bumps into her ex-boyfriend Carl she realises she never quite got over him and Rora is forced to make some important decisions about not just Ursula's life, but also her own.
Madeleine Reiss has written an emotional and captivating read in the form of 'This Last Kiss'; a read that has definitely made an impression on me. The book is basically about two star-crossed lovers; Rora and Carl got together when they were teenagers, but a lot happened and now they meet again after years of being apart. However, circumstances have changed and so have Rora and Carl. The book consists of scenes set in the here and now and flashbacks to how Rora and Carl got together when they were younger. I loved this look into the past, seeing how it all started, and also the character development that came with it. 
The book is divided into 22 chapters which each stand for a particular kiss in Rora's life. I really loved this idea and it definitely add a special touch to the story for me. For me personally, the book was perhaps a bit too slow-paced and there were a lot of descriptions and not much dialogue. This didn't necessarily ruin the reading experience for me, because it doesn't change the beautiful story at the core of the novel, but I did notice it. As a whole, I found 'This Last Kiss' to be an emotional, romantic and gentle read about love and family; I'm glad I got the chance to be introduced to author Madeleine Reiss and I can definitely recommend this book to women's fiction fans looking for their next read.

Rating:8,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.