The Last Poem

A Novel

Published by Andrews McMeel Publishing
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

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About The Book

From international bestselling author Courtney Peppernell comes The Last Poem, a heartfelt exploration of grief that follows celebrated poet Wren Paisley as she escapes to a new town where no one knows the life she is running from as she hopes to grieve the unexpected loss of her fiancée, find healing, and maybe even learn to love again.

Bestselling poet B.W. Paisley is grief-stricken and lost when her sun-kissed life is turned upside down by the unexpected loss of her fiancée Lucy, in a fatal car crash that left a young bystander paralyzed. Unable to escape the media frenzy that swarms the brownstone they once shared, she drives across the country until she hits Everston, Colorado, a town she's never visited but feels unexplainably pulled to. Everston is charming, the people are kind, and, most importantly, no one knows who she is. Deciding to start anew, she changes her name, cuts her hair, and takes up residence in a crumbling old Victorian house, determined to renovate both the house and herself from the ground up.

It feels fortuitous – and a little dangerous – when she learns that the local library holds a weekly grief support group that reads, of all things, poetry. Hesitantly, she joins and slowly begins to build community with the other members, including Henry, a librarian mourning the loss of his brother, Emerson; a young woman recovering from a traumatic accident; and Olivia, a grieving reporter who gives her butterflies. Finally, she can breathe again.

But not for long.
 
As she grows closer to new friends and a possible new love, her past comes barreling back into focus. How long can she keep her old life in the rearview? Will she be able to build a new life in Everston, or will it all come crashing down when the truth finally comes to light?

About The Author

Photograph © Sammy Graham

Series by the Author

Product Details

  • Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (March 3, 2026)
  • Length: 400 pages
  • ISBN13: 9798881605568

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Raves and Reviews

“A beautifully crafted novel about life, loss and finding love again, The Last Poem is the kind of book that both breaks your heart and heals it at the same time. I loved it!”
(Jess Kitching, author of The Life Experiment)

“Courtney Peppernell has crafted a truly poetic masterpiece that represents every shape and layer of grief. The Last Poem is a heartfelt, raw, and deeply moving story of finding strength, healing, and hope in unexpected places. A story I’ll never forget, with a message that is sure to resonate with everyone who has come face to face with grief in any of its many forms: that there is so much joy and beauty to be found in the life you create after. Whatever you do, do not miss this one”
(Becka Mack, USA Today bestselling author of Playing for Keeps series)

The Last Poem is a book with its heart cracked wide open, with all the riches of love and the steep cost of grief on display. Courtney Peppernell takes us on a journey from the darkest days of loss to the tender hope of new love and healing. Grab the tissue box and get ready to feel all the feels.”
(Amy Matthews, author of Someone Else’s Bucket List)

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