This book takes you on a captivating journey through Ireland, immersing you in the charming settings and introducing you to endearing characters dealing with mental health issues. The allure of friends-to-lovers romance adds to the appeal, making it a must-read with its layered storytelling and relatable struggles.

Raine Hart, a free-spirited American musician, sets off on a European adventure to explore and escape the challenges of her ADHD condition. However, her journey starts on a rocky note when her belongings, including her guitar, are stolen. Seeking solace, she finds herself at a pub in a small town in Ireland.

Sparks fly when Raine meets Jack Dunne, the tattooed bartender and owner of the pub, who offers her lodging and a job as an event organizer. As they spend time together, their attraction grows, but both are wary of the limited time they have before Raine returns to the States.

Jack, too, battles his own mental health issues, including OCD, which hinders his dream of becoming a tattoo artist and running the bar. His painful past with an abusive father adds to his struggles with self-esteem and confidence.

I love the gradual and reliable development of Raine and Jack's romance, their endearing banters, and the way they support each other through their challenges. This novel is not only a sweet and swoon-worthy romance but also thought-provoking and informative, tugging at your heartstrings throughout.

As with her previous works, Sarah Grunder Ruiz has crafted a wonderful tale that engages the emotions and takes readers on an unforgettable journey. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and eagerly look forward to more of her stories, whether set on fancy yachts or in pastoral Irish small towns.

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I am a HUGE Sarah Gunder Ruiz fan and so I dropped everything to read Last Call at the Local and I loved it.
Sarah has talked about how this book was a little more personal and this book was worth the wait!

Set in an Irish pub in Cobh, Ireland this is a story about Raine, a free-spirited American singer-songwriter with ADHD, and Jack a charming Irishman as they revitalize his family's pub. Raine has just arrived to busk in Cobh and found herself in a situation where she's without her guitar and all her things. She walks inside a pub and meets Jack who hires her to help out at the pub, and sparks start to fly. They both have doubts about starting anything since she'll only be in Cobh for 12 weeks and Jack worries about being in a relationship with his intrusive thoughts associated with his OCD but there is something between them.

SGR's books are always a lot more than a romance with deeper topics, but Jack's OCD and Raine's ADHD are major aspects of this book and it's done SO well. It isn't done as part of a plot point, but more as an extension of the characters and it flows so seamlessly into the book and storylines. The banter and romance between these two was wonderful. I loved how they supported each other, were open and vulnerable and able to share what they needed in a relationship. Their main relationship struggle are their own internal ones and I loved the depth of the characters in this book.

I loved that he calls her ciaróg and she calls him Keurig as a joke. The Irish setting (especially in Cobh) is wonderful, you see lots of Nina & Ollie! and all of the other wonderful characters too. I absolutely loved this book and I would recommend reading both of her other books first.

Definitely read this when it comes out January 2, 2024!

This book was just ok for me. I found myself getting frustrated with the characters which I know was kind of the point since it was exploring their ADD and OCD. It was just ok for me out I did love the Irish setting.

When wandering American musician with ADHD Raine Hart gets her guitar stolen while exploring Europe she ends up in a Irish pub in Cobh where she meets the handsome tattooed bar owner Jack Dunne who not only offers her free lodgings but offers her a job as the new events organizer for his bar! Raine has always felt like she messes up, her ADHD making her life difficult and she just wants to pursue her goal of making it as a musician. Yet the moment she lands in Europe from Boston, her guitar is stolen and so she ends up in a bar reevaluating her life... and then a very handsome and charming tattooed stranger comes sits next to her and next thing she knows she is being offered a job (of which she has no experience) but she can't help but want to make it work. Jack Dunne is owner of the Local, a pub that he wants to make his own. He has crippling OCD and family trauma from an abusive dad that has left him trying to just find a way to live a normal life. Jack was a tattoo artist but gave it up when his OCD got so bad. He's been trying to find ways to make the bar better but with OCD that has him barely even able to visit the bar, it makes it hard. Yet the moment he meets Raine he knows he'll do anything to have her working there. Yet the more time they spend together the harder it becomes to maintain the line between professional coworkers and two people who are perfect for each other. This was such a charming and sweet story and I adored the progression of the relationship between Raine and Jack as they both had a lot of baggage but were working to help each other. This was definitely a great read.

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Short synopsis: Raine (a traveling performer) ends up taking a 12 week job at a pub in Cobh Ireland after her guitar gets stolen. Making quick friends with the bar owner Jack.

My thoughts: I absolutely adored the first 2 books in this series and when I found out we get more Irish men (Ollie’s brother from Luck and Last Resorts) I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this!

I absolutely adored the mental health rep in this. The adhd and ocd were both so well told, and explained that I could completely understand a sympathize with both Raine and Jack. I love how they pushed each other, but also knew the other persons limits.

I really enjoyed the little glimpses into Ollie and Nina’s life now since Luck and Last resorts and really likes how the author intertwined them in with Ollie and Raine.

The ending was perfection, the banter was cute and adorable and a little bit all over the place but totally fitting for the characters.

Read if you love:
- Love, Lists and Fancy Ships and Luck and Last Resorts (but read those first)
- Irish men
- Mental Health Rep
- Guitars and Pubs
- No 3rd act breakup
- Workplace romance

All this executive dysfunction is giving me anxiety...
I liked it overall-- I'll listen to the audio when it's released to hear the final product, as I did with Luck and Last Resorts. Love, Lists and Fancy Ships is definitely a re-read for me-- I was SO absorbed in Jo's family and story. But I found both Luck and Last Resorts and Last Call at the Local hard to connect with and lacking the magic of Fancy Ships. I think Jo's grief and family are so believable, where as Nina's and Raine's issues feel overwrought and falsly manufactured. Would recommend to reader's of the series, but not likely to win Ruiz new fans.

Light-hearted but raw, real, and moving; Last Call at the Local serves as a love note to learning how to be yourself and be in love. This book is a great take on opposites attract, with carefully handled OCD/ADHD representation This book was one of the first times that I saw a character with OCD be treated as a whole character and not a facet of a trope. (Incredibly handled! These characters turned their diagnoses into jokes, but they themselves were not deduced into the jokes.) And it felt like the warmest hug!
Reading this made me feel seen and cared for and I can see the love that was put into writing it! I loved every moment of it, it is a perfect read for fall and a great read if you loved the movie Leap Year!

Raine is living her dream of being a traveling musician across Europe when she is a victim of theft. She stumbles into a local pub and unknowingly meets the owner, Jack. She tells him all the ways he can grow business, and he hires her to help. Both Raine and Jack try to fight their growing attraction and focus on business, but they can’t ignore the sparks flying.

This was an adorably fun rom com! I loved the Ireland pub setting, the cat, and the main characters. I really appreciated the author’s attention to detail with mental health representation. Both characters struggle with their mental health (with ADHD and OCD) and it was refreshing and enlightening to read about imperfect main characters. Although these are not conditions I personally understand or struggle with, I am sure those who do would appreciate the honest and empathetic portrayal here. This was my first book by this author, but won’t be my last!

Thank you to Sarah Grunder Ruiz, Berkley Romance, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Raine is living a nomadic life after dropping out of med school and suddenly finds herself stranded in a small town in Ireland after having her beloved guitar and her backpack stolen. She ends up in a pub where she needs Jack who gives her away to make money so she can go back to her nomadic life.

As the two spend time together, they really start to form a very close bond. But they are very polar opposite individuals. Raine has ADHD and Jack suffers from OCD. Both of them have learned how to take these diagnoses and still carry on with life.

I really enjoyed the representation of both of these disorders and how much they affect an individual and those around them.

This book also had an incredible cast of characters outside of the main two. Being a small town it was full of hilarious nosy and just all around great people.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing was great. The setting was really well done and you truly fall in with the characters.

Thank you to netgalley and Berkley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked it for what it was, but I"m not sure it's a reread for me.

I liked Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, but didn't read Luck and Last Resorts. I know there were character cameos and while I didn't need to read LLR to understand this one, I feel like I did miss *something* by skipping it.

I liked the idea of someone abandoning their life to bum and busk around Europe since I"m in a similar phase of wanting to do the same. Alas, I have no guitar or musical talent to do so.

Thanks, Net Galley!

Thank you to #NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for the eArc!

I came across this title as I was doing purchasing for our library, which led to me devouring Sarah Grunder Ruiz's Luck and Last Resorts. Raine and Jack, while wildly different, also have similarities that draw them together. Jack has OCD and runs the LOCAL pub. Raine has ADHD and travels the world playing music. I don't know anyone with diagnosed OCD but the author's writing led me to a greater understanding of what a person's day to day may be. Full of loveable characters, readers will breeze through this novel and feel full-hearted after. #LastCallAtTheLocal

Perfect. This book was perfect. Loved the adhd and ocd rep, it was handled so well. I felt see. The romance was soft and pure. Loved it

When I found out this bool had tons of cameos from Nina/ Ollie, I couldn’t have been more excited!

Synopsis: Post dropping out of med school, Raine Hart ends up in a small Irish town with nothing to her name after losing her backpack and beloved guitar. When she stumbles in a pub, she meets Jack, and it is not before long that he gives her a way to put a pause to her nomadic lifestyle and make some money, so she can continue her dream as a traveling musician. However, it is not before long that sparks fly between the two… but can they make it work having such opposite lifestyles

Thoughts: While all of Sarah’s books are so much more than a romance and always include emotional, deeper topics, I found this one to be the least lighthearted of the bunch. There was still amazing banter, laugh out loud humor and an adorable swoony romance, but the story had me thinking and feeling throughout. I found the ADHD and OCD representation to be really well depicted, but at the same time was surprised by how prevalent the hero’s OCD and inner intrusive thoughts played in the story. This by all means did not take away from my enjoyment in the book! I loved Raine and Jack’s love story and how they supported, accepted and understood each other, despite each of their own challenges. They knew how to turn their diagnoses and “flaws” into jokes, which I appreciated. Plus, there was an amazing cast of side characters that made the small town setting come to life.

Read if you like:
-Ireland setting
-Travel romance
-Opposites attract
-Forced proximity
-Workplace romance
-ADHD/ OCD representation

Thank you Berkley for the ARC. Pub 1.2.24

I am a huge fan of the author’s other books and was really looking forward to reading this, especially when I learned it was about characters with adhd and ocd. I have experiences with both, and I think they were represented very respectfully and accurately. I wish the love story had been a bit more developed or maybe more suspenseful… but I think that’s just a personal preference. All in all, this was a great book. Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the e-arc.