☕️BOOK REVIEW☕️

The Last First Date by Hayley Quinn
Release Date: May 20, 2022

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐

Meet Helen Pines, a 31 year old looking for her last first date. After her ex boyfriend gets engaged, Helen is determined to find her happy ending. Enter online dating. Also enter Brody, her gorgeous first match, and hopefully her last first date.

After hitting it off immediately, an error on the app wipes all traces of Brody and their date are wiped from existence.

Join the fun as Hellen and her friends try to track down Brody and get in some shenanigans a long the way and see if Helen truly did have her last first date.

✨Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this before it is published!✨

This book was super cute. I enjoyed reading it and I really enjoyed watching Helen’s evolution from insecure ex girlfriend to having some serious Main Character Energy. However, I wish we could have had just a little more time with the development of the love interests in the book. Some times it just seemed a little rushed. But, if you like a sweet quick romance to give your brain a break, this one is worth a read. Check it out later this month!


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Helen goes on a great first date with Brody, who she connected with on an app. She thinks he could be the ONE. Later, all of the data on the app is deleted and she has no way to contact him. She tries everything she can do to track him down. Along the way, she meets Ish, who becomes a really good friend and seems to really care about her. When she finally tracks down Brody, will he still be the one?

This book really makes you take a look at first impressions. Brody was way too perfect during that first date. Nobody is that perfect. Ish just strikes me as awkward but sweet and someone who would have made the date fun and comfortable. I love how Ish was there for her the whole time even though she just couldn't see it. Quinn took this couple and allowed them to develop naturally and Helen got there in time. She needed closure with Brody.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

The concept of this book was very good and intriguing but the execution of it wasn’t the best. It could do with a little tweaking here and there but other than that this book wasn’t that bad.

I was instantly attracted by the unique title and plot of the story. Author Hayley Quinn's debut book is a light-hearted, fun rom-com with elements like female friendships, self-love and eventual self-realization.

There were some parts of inner dialogue where I zoned out and disconnected but the overall story was interesting enough for me.
The best part of the story for me were these three characters and their equation with Helen - Helen's Nanny G, Her bestfriend Elle and Ish. I would definitely love to read a story based on Elle🔥

Thank you NetGalley for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

I was drawn by this cover and excited to dive in. In practice, though, I struggled with the writing style, as the story or chemistry felt forced and unrealistic. Despite a few attempts I did not finish the book. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am not sure how to feel about this one. For about 80% of the book, Helen was pining for someone and suddenly when there’s about 10% it’s someone else. A bit unusual but anyways.

The book felt like it went from one point to another without actually unfolding the plot and whatnot. I feel like the end was super rushed and it did not give readers enough time to actually process the entire thing. The first 75% of the book was a drag for nothing. The book had some great potential. I feel like if the ratio wasn’t 80-10 and more like 50-40 or something similar it could’ve been great. We wanted to see a relationship actually blossom.

Overall, it was okay, but I expected a bit more of Helen and Guy #2

I don’t even know where to start with this review. The plot was mildly interesting but the execution was awful.

Helen is a 30 year old who is trying to start dating. Her ex recently got engaged and she obsessively views their social media and engagement photos and compares herself. She meets a guy named Brody on a dating app and they really “hit it off” on their first date.

**By hit it off I mean she makes every decision based on how she thinks he’ll react. **

She then looses contact with Brody because the dating site crashes and she goes on a frenzy trying to find him again. She goes to parties, winds up stalking his friend’s social media, then follows him to a music festival. At the music festival when he SHOCKINGLY offers her drugs, she realizes he may not be the one for her.

She goes on one more date with him but ultimately realizes her friend Ish (who she met over the course of her man hunt for Brody) may be a better fit for her.

It’s so disheartening to read about a main character who’s entire life choices revolve around a man’s opinion. I get that she meets Ish and he likes her for herself, but honestly it’s just because she was so obsessed with Brody when they met. I can’t tell you one fact about Helen or her preferences other than that she bakes. And I honestly couldn’t even tell you if she enjoys baking. It’s not fun or interesting to read about a female main character whose life revolves around their relationship status. Her obsession with her ex and Brody were painful to read about.

I love romance books but this was just awful. Wouldn’t recommend.

A cute story that, while I felt could have had better pacing and through-line, I did enjoy! A fun light read.

This was a cute love story, but for me personally it was hard to follow and had quite a few scenes that I felt weren't necessary to the plot line. The main character is on a hunt for love, or at least a legit relationship and while I understand in real life it is a confusing time and things don't always line up, for a book I felt confused often. I think I also didn't like that the main character continued to pursue men who were red flags and she immediately got attached without knowing them. If you're someone who enjoys books that are set in London, and are romance novels I would still recommend trying this book! Just because it wasn't my favorite, doesn't mean it won't be yours. I'd try other books by this author for comparison and because I'm always willing to try new authors.

I haven't read many ARCs, so I don't have much reference - but this book still seems to be in the very early edit stages. The format made the book tough to read, but I can usually get through it with a strong plot and character personalities which isn't the case for this novel. It was tough trying to read and I personally couldn't finish it.

I'm hoping this still has a few revisions to go and would love to read it.

I loved the concept — it just felt very all over the place for me and at times lagged a bit. I feel like a singular focus would have helped and it got confusing on figuring out where she was and why. Etc. I didn’t feel much of the romance between her and ish either and wish they had more time to grow their relationship throughout the book.

A story of looking for love in all the wrong places only to have it sneak up on you.

Helen finally signs up for a dating app only to have one fabulous date followed by an epic technology malfunction that prevents a follow up meeting. So what’s a girl to do? Some low key internet stalking of course! What follows is a journey of pursuing love and ignoring what’s right in front of you.

While I’m always a fan of a rom-com, The Last First Date didn’t really do it for me. This is probably because I had a hard time imagining myself in the Helen’s shoes at all. I’d say to give this one a try if you enjoy the absurdities that can stem from online dating mishaps and complete relationship misunderstandings—both in friendship and in love.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital advance copy!

This ARC took me a week to get through for many reasons. I am very busy with school, coaching, and directing a play, I’m tired when I get home, and because it was not a good book. I didn’t like it at all.

Helen is looking for love. Her ex strung her along for two years, and she’s insecure about dating. She finally downloads a dating app (at the behest of her nan), and matched with a hottie named Brody. The date is magical, and they hit it off, but when she gets home, she finds all of her matches are gone, including Brody. She had no other way of contacting him, but she’s determined to make this her last first date. Shenanigans ensue as she tries to find him again in London.

Helen was unbearable, embarrassing, desperate, a terrible friend, and super whiney and annoying. She only ever cared about herself and dating, and when her best friend gets engaged, she has an anxiety attack over it. She essentially stalks this guy she has met once, and is so desperate to be in a relationship that it’s painful. If my friend were like this, I’d tell her to give it up and go to therapy, or I wouldn’t be able to be her friend anymore. The purpose of the book is to show her growth, I’m sure, but she was so unbearable in the first 70% of the book that I frankly could not give a flying fuck how she grows as a character. Also, the grammar bothered me a lot, especially the lack of quotation marks and the usage of apostrophes instead. Ew.

Sexy bitches don’t allow this behavior, so this is sexy bitch DENIED!

This was okay, but could have done with some of Helen's internal monologues being trimmed. I got bored with them - I found Helen immature for her age - and skim read some of them. Loved Nan and Ish. I liked Helen's eventual realisation that she was comfortable being single, and the way her self-confidence grew. I couldn't understand the amount of time she spent looking for Brody. I didn't think their first meeting came across as anything special. This could be a really good story with some more work. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first read by Haley Quinn.
The cover is so cute. The plot was interesting.
This is a quick funny and sweet story.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

This is my first read by Haley Quinn and while I loved the premise and potential, it was a bit hard for me to get through. Helen’s struggles with dating after finding out her ex got engaged is so relatable but fell a little flat and I found myself struggling to connect to Helen. I really liked her best friends and Nanny G and would have liked to see them more developed. The last bit of the story was good but it took a bit too long to get there and felt a bit unfinished.

3 stars

This is a first time read for me by this author so I didn't have any specific expectations going into it. The cover is cute and the blurb caught my attention so I decided to give it a try. Hayley is a 30 something, single woman trying to get back into the dating scene after watching her ex move on while she is still most definitely stuck. I think the author did a nice job of capturing the thoughts and feelings of the age group in Hayley's situation, trying to get back in the game using dating apps. Hayley was a realistic and relatable character and I enjoyed watching her personal growth throughout the story. It took me awhile to get into the story and it didn't flow quite as smoothly, but it was entertaining and enjoyable. The plot was interesting, and it definitely kept my interest. Overall, it was a quick and sweet story which definitely brought a lot of smiles as I read it.

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

The plot of this book went in a completely different direction than I expected, and I loved it! I think this book would have been cute had it been the straightforward plot I expected, but the unexpected plotline kept me on my toes, leading me to enjoy it even more.

I think the way Helen views dating and her singleness is probably relatable for many (myself included). I think Helen’s personal growth and relationship with herself were refreshing and lovely to read.

Nanny G was an incredible addition to this story, especially after reading the acknowledgments and finding out that she was based on the author’s actual grandma! She was funny and sweet, and I enjoyed her very much. I loved seeing Helen’s relationships with her friends Sophie and Elle, although I will admit I didn’t like Elle’s character at all when I first started this book. She grew on me with her ride or die attitude towards Helen as the plot progressed, but I found her to be rude and unsupportive at the beginning.

The dialogue sometimes felt forced and awkward in this book, but not enough so that it took the enjoyment out of it for me. I also noticed a handful of grammatical errors, but that can all be looked past considering this is an ARC.

Overall, this book was lovely. It was a super quick and easy read that made me smile. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a short and sweet rom-com with minimal spice.

I wanted to like this book so badly. The premise of the book is like when Prince Charming is trying to find Cinderella with only a glass slipper. The execution however did not work for me, I got 60% through before I dnf’d the book. It felt choppy and did not blend well. Helen is not a confident person and spends most of her time belittling herself and chasing relationships.

REVIEW: I have to say, Nanny G is the best! I liked the book, it was easy reading, funny, and kept me intrigued.
I really liked Ish character, nice and funny. Helen was ok for me. And it´s true that we (usually women) always get tangle up in so much drama over men, and do stupid things.
It was refreshing and very up to date for the characters to have jobs as vlogers, extra point for that.
What I didn´t like so much it is was the description of Elle, and the sentences in spanish, the translations weren´t the best.
It was a nice book!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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RESEÑA: ¡Tengo que decir que Nanny G es la mejor! Me ha gustado el libro, era divertido, fácil de leer y me ha tenido intrigada.
Me ha gustado el personaje de Ish, bueno y divertido. Helen ha sido ok para mí. Y es verdad que normalmente las mujeres siempre andamos liadas con dramas por los hombres, y hacemos tonterías por ello.
Ha sido diferente y muy actualizado el que los personajes trabajaran de vlogers, punto extra por eso.
Lo que no me ha gustado tanto ha sido la descripción de Elle, y las frases en español, que no tenían la mejor traducción.
¡Fue un buen libro!
Gracias a Netgalley y a la editorial por dejarme leerlo a cambio de una honesta reseña.