The Last Beginning

By (author) James Lauren
Short description/annotation
A mystery to be solved in the past. A love to be uncovered in the future. The thrilling follow-up to The Next Together.
Description

A mystery to be solved in the past. A love to be uncovered in the future. The thrilling follow-up to The Next Together.

The epic conclusion to Lauren James’ debut The Next Together about true love and reincarnation. Sixteen years ago, after a scandal that rocked the world, teenagers Katherine and Matthew vanished without a trace. Now Clove Sutcliffe is determined to find her long lost relatives… But where do you start looking for a couple who seem to have been reincarnated at every key moment in history? Who were Kate and Matt? Why were they born again and again? And who is the mysterious Ella, who keeps appearing at every turn in Clove''s investigation? For Clove, there is a mystery to solve in the past and a love to find in the future.

Review quote
Clove is determined to solve the mystery of her long-lost relatives in the sequel to time-travelling reincarnation romance The Next Together. I''m looking forward to this: I loved the energy of the first book.
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It continues the enigmatic tale of Katherine and Matthew, a mysterious couple doomed to cycles of reincarnation.
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The return of visual, often entertaining epistolary additions like letters, emails, articles, extracts, doodles, transcripts and powerpoints is particularly brilliant. The complexities of time travel are more than just navigated, they’re embraced: this is a book which throws its arms around things like anomalies and paradoxes and says, look, if there’s one there may as well be a hundred. More than anything, Lauren James has displayed a tremendous talent for concept and a willingness to add an unexpected twist or three to a familiar premise. I can’t wait to see where she goes with her writing next.
Review quote
“As in the first book, this installment is peppered with love notes, diagrams, and photos of future events, which cleverly foreshadows some of the plot twists. Teens will relate to Clove’s struggles with identity and sexuality.”
Biographical note
Lauren James was born in 1992, and graduated from the University of Nottingham, UK, in 2014, where she studied chemistry and physics. Her first novel, The Next Together, a YA reincarnation romance, has been translated into five languages worldwide. It was also longlisted for the Branford Boase Award, a prize given to recognize an outstanding novel by a first-time writer. Lauren is also an Arts Council grant recipient. She lives in the West Midlands. You can find her on Twitter at @Lauren_E_James or her website laurenejames.co.uk.