Review: The Goodbyes by Helen Gillespie – Family Drama & Women’s Fiction

“Caring for her terminally ill mother while navigating friendship, first love, and a deadly mystery, Dianne discovers that sometimes the hardest goodbyes open the door to a brand-new life.”

👋Hello!

Welcome to my stop on the Goddess Fish Promotions Virtual Book Tour for
The Goodbyes by Helen Gillespie.

This poignant family drama blends small-town secrets, grief, and a gripping mystery as college senior Dianne faces her mother’s terminal illness, a shocking murder, and the realization that to embrace a new life, she must first let go of the past.

Fans of character-driven women’s fiction and emotionally charged suspense will find themselves drawn into Dianne’s journey of love, loss, and self-discovery.

🔻 Keep scrolling to enter the giveaway! 🔻

📝 All About the Book

The Goodbyes
By Helen Gillespie
Published by Audecyn Books on August 2025
Genres: Family Drama, Women's Fiction
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 272

Struggling with becoming an adult in a small mid-western town, Dianne has to confront family secrets, deception, and discovery during her last year of college. As she cares for her ailing mother, her world begins to unravel and she is challenged to navigate through lies, friendships, love...and murder.

Meeting the wrong person makes it possible for her to recognize the right ones and to find the strength she needs to survive. Suddenly realizing that she is responsible for her own destiny, she learns that to say hello to a new life, she must first say goodbye.

This is a family drama that follows a woman's struggles with her mother's death, a murder and how she deals with all of this and learns how to say goodbye to all that she has known in her life.

 📜 Excerpt from The Goodbyes

Here’s a peek inside The Goodbyes, where family secrets and a mother’s hidden truth set the stage for Dianne’s journey.

All living creatures hold secrets for basic survival. Humans keep secrets to preserve their image,
hide their misjudgments, or protect those they care about. Only in the safest conditions,
absolute trust or vulnerability, can humans feel safe divulging their secrets, laying bare their
hidden selves.

Katrina England and her husband did not keep secrets from Dianne or indulge in the usual
childhood fantasies of princesses or fairy godmothers with her daughter. Even Santa Claus was
introduced from a historical perspective rather than as a magical elf. The Englands were doting
parents who disciplined their daughter when necessary and answered her questions honestly,
only withholding information that surpassed Dianne’s maturity. Yet, despite this philosophy,
Katrina did hold a few secrets, one very close.

As Dianne approached adulthood, Katrina began to share these secrets. By then, Dianne’s
father had died, leaving the two women to navigate life together as a family with no other
relatives living close by. Katrina often grappled with the lifelong weight of a childhood secret and her secret of late, a terminal cancer diagnosis. Both became weightier as her cancer took hold. When Dianne began dating the MegaMart store manager, Katrina’s concern for her daughter’s future turned to worry.

Dianne, nearing graduation while dealing with her mother’s illness, found herself facing
unexpected challenges. When Michael D. Glossen entered her life, her challenges became
problems. Oddly, she met “Michael D” when a cream rinse emergency arose.

📚 Where to Find The Goodbyes

Available on Amazon

🛒 KINDLE  |  PAPERBACK  

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Do you prefer to shop locally?
🛍️ You can also purchase The Goodbyes from your favorite indie bookstore online.

Bookshop.org is an excellent option that supports indie authors—and book bloggers like me—while avoiding the big-box route.

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💭 My Thoughts on The Goodbyes

Helen Gillespie’s debut unfolds at a gentle pace, letting readers settle into small-town Midwestern life and truly get to know every character. That slower rhythm works beautifully here because The Goodbyes is all about the people and the quiet moments that shape them.

Dianne faces more than most young adults could imagine: an elementary-school teaching internship, the heartbreak of a terminally ill mother, and the push-pull of returning home after college. Add in a relationship with the wrong man—the kind of “really bad boyfriend” who makes you finally recognize a good one when he appears—and the emotional stakes rise even higher.

Gillespie layers the story with secrets and small-town gossip, but also with deep currents of kindness and community. Lies and love coexist here, reminding us that even in the hardest seasons, compassion can surprise you.

 🌟Review at a Glance

My Rating: ★★★½ (3.5 of 5)

Pace & Style
A slower, character-driven novel that invites you to meet the people of this Midwestern town.

What Stood Out

• Dianne juggles a teaching internship, the heartache of a terminally ill mother, and the challenges of moving back home after college.

• A “really bad boyfriend” highlights what a good relationship should look like.

• Lies and long-held family secrets mingle with genuine small-town caring and quiet acts of kindness.

Bottom Line
The Goodbyes is a gentle, reflective read where secrets, love, and loss intertwine—perfect for fans of measured-pace women’s fiction with a touch of mystery.

I received a copy of the book as part of this tour. This review reflects my honest, unbiased opinion.

✍️ Meet the Author: Helen Gillespie

Throughout grammar school and college, Helen Gillespie loved developing story sketches and full stories but kept them hidden within herself. That creative spark proved valuable in unexpected places—first as a musician in the U.S. Army, and later, after earning a degree in elementary education.

When she reentered the Army in 1981, Helen “put fingers to an Olivetti,” officially learning the art of journalism to serve the military community. Interviewing fellow soldiers, exploring their jobs and personalities, and publishing useful information became both her profession and passion.

Years of thought, training, and experience laid the foundation for her debut novel, The Goodbyes.

Connect with Helen:
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook Author Page | Personal Facebook

Amazon | Goodreads

🌟 Closing Notes

Many thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions for including me on this tour and to the author
Helen Gillespie for sharing her debut novel. If you enjoy heartfelt women’s fiction layered with mystery and family secrets, The Goodbyes deserves a spot on your TBR.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card, and be sure to visit the other tour stops to read more reviews and features.

Good luck, and happy reading! 💛

🎁 Giveaway!

Enter below for your chance to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card—courtesy of the author.

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