Saying Goodbye

Passports and Promises #0.5

by Abigail Drake

Part One

Against her better judgment, Samantha Barnes decides to have a harmless fling with fraternity boy Dylan Hunter before she leaves for a semester abroad. She wants to keep things casual, but when she finds out he's been hiding a dark secret, she realizes breaking up with him will be harder than she ever anticipated. Can she follow her dreams, or will leaving Dylan destroy him completely?

Part Two

With her ex-boyfriend in the midst of a mental health crisis back home, Sam has been forced to make some difficult choices. Meeting Scottish rugby player Thomas MacGregor just as she arrives in Japan makes things even more complicated. Will she allow herself to have the chance of a future with Thomas, or will she be forever plagued by regret? Forgiveness is a tricky thing, especially when the person you need to forgive most is yourself.

389 pages, ebook

First published December 10, 2017

About the author

Abigail Drake is the award-winning author of twenty-one novels, but she didn’t start her career in writing. She majored in Japanese and economics in college, and spent years traveling the world, collecting stories wherever she visited. She collected a husband from Istanbul on her travels, too, and he is her favorite souvenir.

Abigail is a coffee addict, a puppy wrangler, and the mother of three adult sons. She writes contemporary romance, women’s fiction, and young adult fiction, and has taught workshops for many different writing organizations. In her spare time, she blogs about her dog, Capone, and teaches writing classes for children at her local library.

In 2019, Abigail was awarded an honorable mention for her book "Love, Chocolate, and a Dog Named Al Capone" in the Writer's Digest Self-Published E-book Awards. She is the winner of the 2017 Prism Award for her book "Traveller", the International Digital Award for her young adult novel, "Tiger Lily", and the Stiletto Contest for "Love, Chocolate, and a Dog Named Al Capone." In addition, she was named a finalist in the Golden Pen, the Golden Leaf, the Dante Rossetti Book Award, and the Cygnus Award for Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction.

Abigail is represented by Lauren Bieker of FinePrint Literary Management. For more information, visit her website at www.abigaildrake.net.

Reviews

[Angelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This special combined edition is of Saying Goodbye: Part One and Saying Goodbye: Part Two, which together are book 1 of the Passports and Promises series by Abigail Drake.


SAYING GOODBYE: PART ONE

Saying Goodbye: Part One is the first book in Abigail Drake’s Passports and Promises series. The story continues in Saying Goodbye: Part Two.

“The craziest people are usually the ones who seem sane.” - Max

I've struggled to write this review as I wasn't sure how to put into words the journey Saying Goodbye: Part One took me on or the emotions I was left feeling. I was so involved in this amazing book from start to finish and loved that it showed the realities of life, especially when mental health is involved. Whilst I enjoy fairy-tale like romance books, my favourite books are those that leave you thinking for days after about the characters and the battles they faced. Abigail Drake takes such care when tackling real life subjects and describes perfectly the battle some people face daily. I have a lot of admiration for authors who don't shy away from difficult and sensitive subjects.

Abigail is a new author to me but I'm already hooked from this one book and I'm looking forward to seeing what she has planned next for Sam in Saying Goodbye: Part Two. I'm also curious to know what happens to Dylan.


SAYING GOODBYE: PART TWO

Saying Goodbye: Part Two is the continuation of Samantha’s story from Saying Goodbye: Part One. I recommend that you read Part One first to fully understand Samantha’s story.

“Pretending the darkness isn’t there doesn’t make it go away. It makes it stronger.” - Samantha

Saying Goodbye: Part Two was just as amazing as the first book and I fell in love with Japan from Abigail Drake’s beautiful descriptions of a country I've never had the luck of visiting. It really felt like I was there and was seeing what Samantha was experiencing. I loved learning about the culture and joining Samantha as she travelled the path of self-discovery in the most perfect place to do it. Samantha gained so much more than she expected from her time in Japan.

Whilst this book shows the consequences of what happened in Part One, the story felt ‘lighter' this time and there were parts that had me laughing out loud; usually when Thomas and Samantha were involved. Abigail Drake takes the reader on an unexpected journey as she throws in surprises and keeps you guessing until the end if Thomas is ‘lucky number five’ for Samantha.

Next up is book 2 of the Passports and Promises series, Delayed Departure, which is Bethany’s story.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super quick read and a cute story. I needed closure though - so I will be moving on to the next part of this book or Book 2. :)