REVIEW OF GOODBYE FOR NOW BY LAURIE FRANKEL.

In the spirit of ONE DAY, comes a fresh and warmhearted love story for the 21st century. Sometimes the end is just the beginning . . .

Sam Elling works for an internet dating company, but he still can't get a date. So he creates an algorithm that will match you with your soul mate. Sam meets the love of his life, a coworker named Meredith, but he also gets fired when the company starts losing all their customers to Mr. and Ms. Right.

When Meredith's grandmother, Livvie, dies suddenly, Sam uses his ample free time to create a computer program that will allow Meredith to have one last conversation with her grandmother. Mining from all her correspondence—email, Facebook, Skype, texts—Sam constructs a computer simulation of Livvie who can respond to email or video chat just as if she were still alive. It's not supernatural, it's computer science.

My Thoughts

The novel combines romance, technology, a bit of science fiction, humor and tears. I started to read the book while lounging near the pool on a cruise to the Bahamas and I could not put it down. All the characters and storyline was developed fully and was a page turner. While reading the novel, I asked myself numerous times if the use of technology to interact with the dead is ethical but I did enjoy the novel. I have to admit that I predicted the ending and it definitely fit the storyline. I wonder what the author is working on now?

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the book for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review.