I loved this book!!! It wasn't just a book about her love life, but finding love within her family that she didn't have much time with. Its like a coming of age. I loved Sammy Espinoza and she deserves the world, I know how hard it can be with moms. I cried, I smiled, and loved every ounce of this book.

Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review is a knockout debut novel, a master class in the definition of family, and an absolute tear jerker.

Sammy is facing a career crisis - after her girlfriend dumps her, her career details as her latest music reviews were about the girlfriend, causing her to lose her credibility with her readers. So Sammy heads to the one place on Earth that ever felt like home, to recover from the heartbreak and savage her career with a new scoop. That scoop? An article on Max Ryan - who’s working on a solo album, and who years ago broke Sammy’s heart.

There are so many layers to Sammy’s story - and as the story develops, I kept being pulled in. Sammy has a complicated relationship with the word family, and abandonment issues that leave her playing defense. Her issues, paired with a budding romance, made this book into so much more than a love story, and I was not expecting to read something so poignant and deep. (There were multiple times where I teared up!). Sammy’s growth at the end of the story is absolutely beautiful, and characters like Maeve and Paloma are going to stay with me long after the minute details of the story have faded.

I cannot wait to see what this author writes next - I absolutely loved Sammy.

I picked this book up on a whim and am so glad that I did. Sammy Espinoza has had a rough couple of weeks. Publicly dumped by her musician girlfriend, Sammy compromises her career as a music reviewer in trying to make amends. Now she has one chance to keep her job and she knows just what to do - go back to her small hometown and Max Ryan, the rock star musician who disappeared without a trace. If Sammy can get an exclusive interview it may just be enough to save her career. And hey - it doesn't hurt that the pair hooked up years before.

While I did enjoy the romance between Sammy and Max I think my favorite part of Sammy's relationship with her newfound grandmother. I loved seeing Sammy getting to spend time with Paloma and especially loved Paloma's first instinct was to teach Sammy how to make Mexican food. It reminded me of my childhood spent in the kitchen with my own grandmother. Sammy's best friend and her wife, Willa and Brooke, were also lovely characters. The secondary characters are really what made this book stand out.

You may love this if you like:
-Seattle/ish setting
-Small town
-Found family
-Second Chance Romance
-Celebrity Musician Love Interest

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for a review copy. I can't wait to read more from this author!

it always hits different when you relate so much to the main character of a book. sammy was such a lovely person to read about with her own deep rooted troubles and watching her face her problems and move pass them with her chosen family was so nice.

I really love what this book seemed to be reaching towards and how it met those goals. It really committed itself to discussing difficult topics and doing it VERY well. Although Sammy is 29, this book really feels like a coming of age book in its own right. It's always very exciting to me when there is a storyline beyond the romance, and seeing Sammy's relationship with her grandmother bloom and her interactions with her found family really made this story what it is. The only thing I wasn't crazy about is that the ghosting trope infuriates me, but that's a me thing and not anything to do with the writer. This was a wonderful read.

I really enjoyed Sammy Espinoza's Last Review by Tehlor Kay Mejia. I haven't read anything by this author before and after reading this book I am surprised that I haven't heard of her before. This is a found family, small town set, and second chance romance novel. I really liked the ending and how the various plot points are wrapped up. The story is heart warming and includes lots of important life lessons.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read Sammy Espinoza's Last Review.

4.5 stars rounded to 5

I’m happy that I gave this book a chance. I didn’t hear too much about it, so I was going in with open eyes. And I have so much to say. Like so much. I need you to read about how much I love this book, but also kind of why I got annoyed with it. I still enjoyed it. I just have some points that I want to address.


Let’s get a start on why I love this book:

-messy main characters are my favorite read. why? they are the most flawed yet relatable characters to read about. no one is perfect in life.

-loving how vengeful the main character, sammy, gets when her ex bails on her. i’m all about the female rage no matter what.

-comforting your past takes guts and courage. and the main characters do it flawlessly and messily throughout the book.

-i love the endless music references that are mentioned throughout the book. i always enjoy listening to music, and discovering new musics

-my girl, sammy, finally learning to forgive herself and setting boundaries. it takes a lot of courage to learn how to forgive yourself, and setting boundaries.


And now, we have to get down on why I got annoyed with this book:

-the love interest wasn’t my favorite choice for my girl, sammy. why? he literally doesn’t communicate about his issues or past until the very end. and don’t get me started on his ghosting behave

-sammy giving the love interest too much leeway. i understand why she has problems with setting boundaries and deserving better from people, but she needs to get a grip.

-that mother is just terrible. there are no excuses for her behavior or why she lied. no forgiveness for her at all.

-i didn’t want sammy with the love interest. wanted her to be with someone else. she deserves way better


I think overall, I truly enjoyed reading this book. Yes, I got annoyed at some parts of the book. But I loved a lot of them so much that it outweighed my annoyances with the love interest and the mother.

This was a fun one! It took me a little bit to get into it, and the premise is a little far-fetched as romances tend to be, but eventually I became really attached to both Sammy and Max and I was on the edge of my seat to see how everything would be resolved! While I did have to suspend my disbelief at the convenient plotlines, this book tackled a lot of issues well - Latinx identity, abandonment issues, mom issues, friendship fights, etc. Besides the great romance, I liked the queer representation and the exploration of dealing with family you’re born into and the one that often finds you along the way.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This one is for all the music lovers. Sammy's life starts as a bit of a wreck with her losing her romance and then her career all at once. She has one last chance to save her career writing reviews of musicians: return to Ridley Falls, Washington and preview Max Ryan's rumored new album. The former rock star has been reclusive for years, but he is supposedly working on a comeback solo album.

Strangely, I loved this book despite not especially loving the main characters. Sammy brought most of her problems on herself and keeps digging the hole deeper. And, in part because we only see him through her perspective, Max comes off as rather obnoxious and self-centered.

But there's so much about how they come together and learn to trust and love that is simply gorgeous. And I also really enjoyed the queer representation and the hint of magic in the form of Maeve's tarot readings for Sammy. This book really shows a love of music that even imbues the metaphors and prose. And the themes around found family and how we come to understand love and trust are so powerful.

Victoria Villarreal narrated beautifully. I especially appreciated an audio format for this book.

Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review was cuuute! This is my favorite kind of rom-com. I loved the characters, their chemistry and witty banter. The setting of the book was also amazing. I love when an author just describes a charming little town so well that you can see it all in your head. While I loved the romance side of it, this book also had some heavier topics mixed in there and I think it all tied together wonderfully. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author!

4 stars!

I thoroughly enjoyed the queer, second-chance romance with a hefty dose of family drama that is "Sammy Espinoza's Last Review" by Tehlor Kay Mejia (in her adult romance debut). I found this book to be unputdownable. Stories about music are right up my alley, and this one did not disappoint. This book is refreshing, engaging, compelling, and at times, heartbreaking. Mejia takes quality time building up here characters and the relationships between them so they feel realistic and natural. I loved the chemistry between main characters Sammy and former rock star Max Ryan, who spent one fleeting evening together when she was 18. What started out as a night full of truthtelling, intense connection, and massive promises quickly turned into shattered dreams and resentment for Sammy, and she has been bitter about it and flailing in life ever since. When she returns to his (and her parents') small hometown of Ridley Falls, Washington, she may get the opportunity to confront Max Ryan about their one night together 'lo those many years ago. Sammy falls back into old habits when she finds that it is easier to reestablish her and Max's bond because their fierce connection is still there. I felt so deeply for both Sammy AND Max while I was reading this book. They have both known trauma in their lives, which has shaped who they have become as adults. Sammy's mother is a total flake who only cares about herself, and Sammy's father died before she was born. She has serious abandonment issues, which were not helped by the fact that Max, well, abandoned her when they were younger. Still, they have found their way back to each other, but what will become of their reunion? There is also a found family aspect to Sammy's story that I loved. Her best friend Willa and her wife Brooke are Sammy's chosen family since she doesn't have/hasn't had anybody solid to rely on in her life. All that may change when she meets her grandmother Paloma, who up until this point has wanted nothing to do with her. This book is bursting at the seams with emotions, and I loved every minute of it. It is touching, it will make you think and feel and want and love and appreciate music and unabashed queer joy and life and connection. Please take a chance on "Sammy Espinoza's Last Review." I promise you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Sammy Espinoza's Last Review is Tehlor Kay Mejia's adult contemporary debut. It features a small town setting, a second chance romance, a cast of queer characters, a Latinx lead, and witty banter.

I went into this book with no expectations. I read Tehlor's previous book, Lucha of the Night Forest, and did not really like it. I'm so happy I gave this author a second chance because I ended up ADORING Sammy Ezpinoza's Last Review.

Sammy's life is being held together at the seams. She's a people pleaser with a complicated relationship with her mom. Her girlfriend recently broke up with her and she is on the verge of losing her job. As a last ditch effort to save her job, Sammy returns to the small town in Washington where her parents fell in love to interview an ex-flame now rockstar. Here Sammy is thrown into an emotional rollercoaster as she learns how to navigate new and old relationships while finding answers to questions she's held all her life.

Sammy is at times unlikeable. She is flawed and continues to make mistakes throughout the book.

I personally really connected with Sammy's character specially with her complicated relationship with her mother and her attempt to have a deeper connection with her Mexican heritage. She's also learning how to live her life how she wants rather than by what is expected of her.

The tone of the book ranges from light-hearted and witty to emotional and sad.

TW: death of a loved one

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House/Ballantine for an eARC of this book.

While it did take me a while to get into this book, it was an enjoyable read. Broken and at the brink of losing her job, she is forced to go back to her home town in one last, come to Jesus chance of saving her career. Turns out the only possible savior is the man she fell in love with years ago but abandoned her without warning. I think there was great growth between who the characters were when they first met, when they reunited, and during the book as they figured out where it all went wrong. There was also a great amount of action outside of the romance, making this a well rounded book that doesn't completely depend on how two characters fall in love, and could have stood on it's own without the romance.

When Sammy Espinoza‘s girlfriend breaks up with her publicly on stage she decides to go spend time with old friends because it isn’t just her break up and her sanity on the line her job is as well. When she runs into her ex Max Ryan who has a new album coming out she isn’t prepared for it and almost decides to leave but her friend convinces her to stay when she heard about his new album she was hoping he turned into an ogre or at the very least an unlikable narcissist but unfortunately he’s the same old lovable guy she knew can her review of his album save her job and ken his attention save her sanity? It seems right when Sammy thinks she has lost everything she will get more than she ever dreamed of! I don’t know how I didn’t know this was a rockstar romance because I am not a big fan of those but OMG if I am not a fan of Max I know now why people say blank is my book boyfriend because Max is definitely mine. I love the ending of this book I love home Sammy not only got control of her life but her decisions will direct the lives of others and I can’t say much more than that just now this is a great book and when I definitely recommend it a sweet bunny and everything you read good romance is four. I want to thank Net Galley and random house publishing for my free Ark review please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Sammy Espinoza's life has basically fallen apart. She just broke up with her rockstar girlfriend and she is about to get fired from your music review magazine. She goes in search of Max Ryan, the famed musician, who has been on hiatus but is rumored to be working on a solo album. I enjoyed this book's pacing and the predictable but satisfying story.

I am going to round up from 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley & Penguin RandomHouse for the advanced reader copy.

Nice



Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review is a beautiful story of family—chosen and biological, finding where you belong, and making up for lost time, all wrapped up into a romance novel. But it’s so so much more than a romance. It’s heart wrenching in all the right ways as Sammy and Max both learn that loving people must come with understanding the parts of themselves that they want to hide, and the power of transparency and healthy communication, especially in regards to how previous relationship traumas impact new ones. With vivid characters and an idyllic setting, the story is quick to draw you in, easy to keep you hooked, and sure to break your heart, but also help you stitch it back together.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Dell for inviting me to read an ARC of this title.

This was a great book that caused me to sit up way too late and finish it. I loved Sammy's decision to finally accept those who truly loved her as her family of choice. It was also a wonderfully heartfelt relationship between Sammy and Max and the way they could learn to accept each other flaws and all! Thanks #NetGalley #RandomHouse

After her girlfriend dumped her publicly and her credibility as a Music Critic has been hit very hard, putting her job in jeopardy, Samantha “Sammy” Espinosa returns to Ridley Falls, the small town she spent most of her childhood, with a mission: to find former Rockstar Max Ryan and convince him to give her an exclusive interview—including hearing his new album, as some forums have been insisting he’s supposedly recording, so she can review it as a way to save her career.

Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review is a story about second chances, knowing yourself, conquering your demons and yes, forgiveness. This is the first time I read one of Mejía’s books, and I really liked it. This book’s writing is witty and made me laugh a lot. The reading has a perfect pace and the transitions between scenes are fantastic. Also, kudos for the natural way the LGBTQ+ aspects of the book—starting with a queer heroine—which I LOVE, are added to the story, without effort nor being forced to the plot. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the ending much. It’s not a bad one, to be clear. It’s just Sammy and Max deserved better, in my humble opinion. After all, a second chance romance should always be better.

FULL REVIEW HERE:
https://aishasbookworld.wordpress.com/2023/07/28/review-sammy-espinozas-last-review-by-tehlor-kay-mejia/

• ARC given by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via Netgalley. Thanks for your trust.

Sammy Espinoza’s life is spiraling out of control. While trying to win back her singer ex-girlfriend, she also lands on her last leg at work as a music critic. The only way she thinks she can win back her boss is providing an inside scoop review on former rock star Max Ryan’s new upcoming solo album. Sammy has never forgotten the one night she and Max spent together and feels that this scoop is going to secure her everything she wants. However, as she heads back to Ridley Falls, Washington, things between Max and Sammy heat up in an unexpected way. She also begins to face the unknown with her family head on and realizes that there might be more for her to tackle during this trip to Ridley Falls than she initially expected.

One of things that captured me about this book was the music. As someone who lives life events by songs, this one really hit home for me. I loved how Sammy used music in her life and that any given day it would vary all of the time. The adored all of the characters. There were lots of little subplots throughout this one and while it focused on the romantic plots, I appreciated the plot between Sammy and her grandmother. There is definitely more to this one and it unfolds so well page by page.

Thank you Net Galley, Random House and Tehlor Kay Meijia for the advanced copy for my honest review. This one is out now!