The Last Time We Say Goodbye

The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a 2015 young adult novel by American author Cynthia Hand. It focuses on a teenage girl named Lex, who is dealing with the dual traumas of her parents’ divorce and the recent, mysterious suicide of her younger brother Tyler. As she tries to keep her grief hidden and move on, she’s haunted by a secret text that Tyler sent, that could have possibly changed everything. Exploring themes of grief, regret, and family bonds, The Last Time We Say Goodbye received positive reviews for its detailed and accurate depiction of the aftermath of a traumatic death, and received a citation from the American Library Association's Booklist.

The Last Time We Say Goodbye focuses on Alexis “Lex” Riggs, who lives with her mother in Nebraska. Her family collapsed after her father moved out four years ago, and everyone involved was devastated when her sixteen-year-old brother Tyler committed suicide months ago. The book alternates between events in the present and past diary entries that explain some of the backstory of Tyler’s suicide. She begins the diary seven weeks after Tyler’s death, at the request of her therapist Dave. The diary entries cover events from shortly after their parents’ divorce, when it’s revealed that Tyler previously attempted suicide by taking an overdose of pills. He went on antidepressants and seemed to be doing better. Since then, their father remarried, their mother went back to college, and Tyler became a basketball player while Lex focused on college. At the same time, Lex began to develop a relationship with a fellow classmate named Steven. Ty began dating a cheerleader named Ashley, but their relationship ended in an ugly fashion and he wound up punching one of his friends, breaking the boy’s jaw. Lex’s final entry in her diary is December 20th, which was her six month anniversary with Steven, as well as the day Tyler killed himself.

In the present day, what’s left of Lex’s family continues to unravel. Her mother is convinced Ty is still around, haunting the house. At one point, Lex thinks she sees his ghost and throws her phone, which breaks. However, the phone thankfully still maintains its memory, including Ty’s last text. She doesn’t tell Dave about the vision because she’s worried he’ll think she’s crazy. Her relationships with her friends are suffering, as she suspects her best friend Jill only expresses sympathy to show what a good friend she is. Lex has broken up with Steven. After seeing another vision of Tyler, she finds a letter addressed to his ex-girlfriend Ashley. While searching for Ashley, she meets up with Tyler’s old friend Damian Whittaker. Damian and Tyler had drifted apart in recent years, but she learns things about Tyler’s past from him. At home, she finds a number of photographs of Ty at home aren’t where they should be, and she starts to think for the first time that Ty’s spirit may genuinely be still around. One day, Lex’s best friend from elementary school, Sadie, shows up at the house and asks her to hang out. Lex winds up confiding in Sadie about Tyler, and finds out that Sadie has an interest in spirits and mediums. Sadie is able to help Lex find Ashley, as well.



During a session with Dave, Lex says doesn’t want to keep her journal anymore, but Dave suggests she start writing it to someone, as if she was going to give it to them. After her car breaks down the next day, she calls Steven, whom she’s missed a lot but doesn’t know how to talk to anymore. He makes clear how much he misses her, but she pushes him away and refuses to open up to him. A few days later, she gets accepted to MIT, but she’s not capable of getting excited about it and doesn’t tell anyone. When she tries to tell her mother, her mother breaks down, thinking her own life is over now that her daughter is leaving the house and she no longer has a son. They find a collage Ty was putting together before his death. There’s isn't a single picture of Ty and his father, who he was angry at. However, there is a picture of Ashley, which indicates to Lex that Ty still did care about her. She goes and finds Ashley to give her the letter. A few days later, the high school is hit by another suicide, that of Ty and Damian’s former friend Patrick Murphy. At the funeral, Lex notices a collage similar to Ty’s and realizes that Patrick planned his suicide just like Ty did. She goes to the backyard fort that she and Ty used to play in as kids, and finds the missing picture of Ty and his father. Not able to talk to her father yet, she tries to get closer to Damian, wanting to make sure he doesn’t follow in the path of his dead friends. Ultimately, Lex decides to give her journal to Steven, hoping it’ll explain why she’s been acting so distant. She decides to try to move forward and forgive herself and the people around her for Ty’s suicide.