Read Your Writes Book Reviews: THE GOODBYES by Helen Gillespie ~ Guest Post & Giveaway

The Goodbyes
by: Helen Gillespie
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Release Date: August 1, 2025
Publisher: Audecyn Books

Struggling with becoming an adult in a small mid-western town, Dianne must 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. Realizing that she is responsible for her own destiny, she learns that to say hello to a new life, she must first say goodbye.

I’ve known Dianne England for over 20 years, as she has tried to tell me her story and encouraged me to write it. I embraced her friendship, not only because of her innocence, but because she has a drive for learning. And she carries many admirable traits.

If Dianne were here now, she would greet you with a firm handshake and lock eyes with you, letting her green-brown eyes and smile envelop you before a word was spoken. She would ask about you in charming ways that would disarm any apprehension you may have about meeting new people. If you didn’t return the courtesy by asking about her, she would gently mention one or two things about herself before engaging in small talk about the weather.

Since Dianne and I first became friends, I’ve wanted to share her story, mostly because I like her. She’s a woman of smarts and resilience who didn’t let a mildly privileged upbringing prevent her from developing empathy for others while giving herself a pass from expecting her own success at every turn, no matter how difficult. She sometimes falls short because she tends to daydream about possibilities and how things could be, rather than how they are now, and how she could improve them. I must confess, this sometimes drives me a bit batty.

As I shared Dianne’s story of life in Marshfield, Missouri, in The Goodbyes, I tried to lead her from her dream world and into the adult world with its secrets, challenges, and deceit. As much as she loves books and research, I, along with new friends she met in Marshfield, tried to educate Dianne in life skills gently. I firmly believe that our collective friendship helped her endure loss, transition into adulthood, and chase after her dreams.

By getting to know Dianne and hearing her story, I’ve learned patience and a general sense that things aren’t always as they seem. For example, Dianne appeared to have it all: a doting mother, good looks, intelligence, and she caught the attention of more than one anxious male. She knew how to manipulate her suitors, not to serve herself, but to earnestly work in one of her political rallies. If I were one of Dianne’s classmates, I would have been jealous, that is, until I learned that she had lost her father and was navigating through her last semester of school while caring for her mother.

While exploring Dianne’s persona, I learned about her inner struggles and surprised myself when I recognized that Dianne’s spirit often comes out in my everyday life.

In my follow-up novel, I’ll continue to guide Dianne into a new life of responsibilities, love, and the real world of adulthood.

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 of 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.

Purchase The Goodbyes from:

Amazon | Paperback | Goodreads

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Throughout grammar school and college, Helen Gillespie loved developing story sketches or full stories but kept them hidden within herself. That creative spark proved valuable in unexpected places, first on assignment as a musician in the US Army, and after leaving the Army, when she earned a degree in elementary education. After reentering the Army in 1981, she put pen to paper, or rather, “fingers to an Olivetti.” She officially learned the art of journalism to serve the Army, but it quickly became a personal passion. Interviewing fellow soldiers, exploring their jobs and personalities, and publishing useful information for the military community formed the basis of her skill and enjoyment. Those years of thought, training, education, and experience laid the foundation for crafting her first novel, The Goodbyes.

Places to find Helen Gillespie:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

You can follow The Goodbyes Book Tour here.