Thankyou to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book! I fun read, very YA with Mamma Mia vibes. Loved the song lyrics throughout but my only gripe were the characters seemed very immature. I know it was YA but sometime it can just feel too young and I don’t think I was the right audience for this one. All in all a light and easy read that was a solid 3 star for me.

"**The Last Love Song**" by Kalie Holford is a heartfelt and moving novel that masterfully captures the complexities of love and loss. Holford’s emotionally resonant storytelling and well-crafted characters create a deeply engaging and poignant narrative. The book’s exploration of personal growth and romantic relationships is both touching and thought-provoking. Overall, it is a beautifully written and memorable read that leaves a lasting impact.

I just found this book to be boring. It was hard to get through, but I can see why people like like it. It was an easy read but I really didn't love the characters or the plot.

I found this book charming, even as an older reader. The mystery of the hunt and the connection to her mother’s music while trying to make her own way have the story and the MC so much depth. At times it felt a little repetitive but overall a cosy, easy read.

𝟑.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 .𐦍༘⋆

A solid 3.5 stars. The premise of this book was so intriguing going into it. Unfortunately I feel like it set my expectations way too high.

𐙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙:
The writing in this book is really lovely and I really liked the addition of the lyrics scattered throughout the book. I love the idea of Mia going around her home town to learn more about her mom from her mom’s perspective in these letters. I think I would have liked the story more if the letters cleared up any misconceptions of her. Like if the media used to say one thing about her but her letters explained that that wasn’t who she was. I also really loved how real of a character, Mia felt. She had her own hopes and dreams but didn’t want to have regrets or burn bridges at home and I loved that she still wanted to make her family proud but not knowing what to do in order to make that happen.

𐙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
I’m a bit confused as to how Mia knows next to nothing about her mother even though her mom was a mega star and the entire town loved her. I feel like she would have grown up hearing up nothing but stories of her mom. I feel out of curiosity Mia also would have done a lot of online research especially before the hunt even began, just o know more about her. Idk. I didn’t understand why no one spoke of her dad, clearly she didn’t assume he had passed away so why hide his identity from her?

This book also just felt pretty long in most places, which is why it’s taken me a bit to read. I found myself reading one chapter at a time because it just started getting a bit boring to sit in longer periods to read. I really loved Tori’s chapters and everything that was talked about there.

As much as the hunt was a great way for Mia to get to know her mom in the way that she wanted I feel like it didn’t really have to be a hunt at all. She could have inherited the journal and still go around town to see all the sites but not necessarily in the form of a hunt.

Really loved this book! Such an original concept while still borrowing from familiar stories. Loved!

This was SOOO good. i unfortunately never got to read it until it was out and i wish i did, had i read it before i would have oushed it on my friends before the release. Thank you netgalley for the arc

Let me start by saying this book was a DNF for me. At about 35% in I gave up. So perhaps some of my issues with this book would have been resolved if I had continued, but I just couldn't connect with the characters.

Mia seemed very immature for a recent high school graduate. She breaks up with her boyfriend on the first page and he's never mentioned again.

The writing seemed choppy and disjointed. There were times when a question was asked and it wasn't until 4-5 chapters later that it was answered. At that point, I'd have to go back to figure out what they were even talking about.

The diary/treasure hunt part was weird also. How would her mother have known to create this whole thing and have it ready for Mia's graduation if she didn't know she was dying??? And what's with the grandmothers not telling Mia how her mom died. That is so weird.

Sweet coming of age story! I can tell the author really loves this book and I'm looking forward to seeing more from her in the future.

While reading The Last Love Song, I found myself dragging through the story. There were many parts that felt very slow and forced. The story felt really blocky and I just couldn’t get into it. I found some small parts sweet & enjoyable but unfortunately the bad parts outweighed the good. All of the song lyric parts felt so unnatural, they never flowed as a song actually would. I couldn’t seem to understand why so much was kept from Mia about her mother to the point where she didn’t even know basic things about her life or death. I wish I liked it more but I just couldn’t.

I was very excited to start “The Last Love Song” because it sounded like everything I like to read about in my books. Mamma Mia vibes, music, two POVs in different time-lines, a grief rep, a scavenger hunt with a mystery element and a sapphic romance. I mean, what’s not to love? I was so ready to dive into this story and once I did, I had a really good time. I think for a debut this was great and despite a couple of little issues I had with the storyline I was still happy to tag along Mia’s scavenger hunt and to find out more about her mother’s mysterious past.

So what exactly is the book about? Well, we follow Mia Peters who lives in a small town and is the daughter of former country music star Tori Rose. Apparently, Tori’s death was kept quiet and no one wants to talk about what happened in the past. After graduation, her grandmothers give her letters in her mother’s handwriting, though and so an unexpected scavenger hunt for the whole truth and Tori’s past ensues. I’ve to admit that the premise of the story was very intriguing and I enjoyed to follow all those little hints alongside Mia. With every new letter, there comes another clue and the pages of Tori’s diary don’t only reveal how her career started but also hint at the identity of Mia’s father. I personally love scavenger hunts and the way it was done in here was a lot of fun and kept me guessing until the very end.

Another thing that was done well, was Mia’s anxiety and her fear of always being compared to her mother. Mia was a great musician in her own right, but if you’re the daughter of one of the brightest country stars that ever shone, some people will always draw comparisons and see you as some sort of legacy. All of Mia’s insecurities stemmed from that and I think her character arc was very relatable and comprehensible.

It’s not easy to deal with all of those expectations and the added pressure of Britt – her best friend and soulmate – leaving soon to follow her own dreams, certainly didn’t help. Still, at times I couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated with Mia because it was so obvious that she wanted to be with Britt, yet it seemed like she didn’t want to face that truth and conditioned it on how her mother’s scavenger hunt would end instead. Mia wanted someone else to make that choice for her and yes, that was extremely frustrating. Then again, she was still a teen and I guess if you’re that young and never knew your mom, you might crave some sort of guidance.

As we follow Tori Rose’s diary entries and her story unfolds, we discover that she didn’t always have an answer for everything, though. The reader gets to see a young Tori Rose at the beginning of her career, torn between adventurous life on the road and the quiet safety of the small town she grew up in. Her inner struggle reflected in the two boys that accompany her on her journey while she follows her dreams. And let me tell you this, those two boys couldn’t have been any more different even if they tried.

On the one hand, we had Patrick Rose, the mysterious boy with the rose tattoo who connected to Tori through their mutual love for music. And on the other hand we had David Summers, Tori’s childhood best friend who supported her no matter what and knew her better than anyone else. I loved how those two boys stood for different things in Tori’s life and the fact that one of them could be Mia’s father only made to read her POV even more intriguing. The only thing Tori Rose always knew was that she wanted to make music, but in order to do that she also had to make a choice.

So in the end both, Mia as well as Tori Rose, had to decide what they wanted and it was no easy choice for either of them. I think what Patrick and David represented for Tori Rose was exactly what Britt and Mia’s grandmothers represented for her. Choices, different paths with a million of possibilities and yes, this can be quite scary. Still, despite it all, I could always feel how much Mia loved her grandmothers and Britt. Both girls, Mia and Tori, felt torn inside and both had to find their own way.

Even though Mia’s POV wasn’t as interesting as Tori Rose’s, I still loved her relationship with Britt and those two had a lot of chemistry and sweet moments that instantly caused me to pull for them. In addition, I’m such a sucker for the best friends-to-lovers trope and Britt and Mia definitely delivered on that front. What I really loved about this book were the beautiful lyrics, though. They made everything feel even more real and I could totally imagine them singing those songs on a stage together. Meaningful lyrics that rhyme are my kryptonite in books that feature music so this was amazing!

Finally yet importantly, before I end this review I’ve to mention a couple of things: Firstly: The fact that we got an elderly lesbian couple in the form of Mia’s grandmothers was awesome. I honestly need more representation like this in my books! For obvious reasons we so rarely get older LGBTQIA+ couples in stories, but I think representation like that is so important. Secondly: Kalie Holford nailed the grief representation for me. It ran like a common thread through the entire book and was palpable in many different ways. No matter if it was through Mia’s grandmothers that didn’t want to talk about Tori Rose, Tori’s old friends, people that knew her and spoke about her with Mia or even Mia herself who never got to know her mother and held on to her letters so tightly it hurt. Grief can have many forms and this was shown so nicely throughout the story.

Despite all my enjoyment there were some things that didn’t make a lot of sense though and of course I want to address them in my review as well. For instance, I couldn’t understand why Mia’s grandmothers never spoke about Tori Rose. I mean she was their daughter and no matter how much it hurt, for the sake of their grandchild’s sanity alone they should have told her about her mother. And if we’re already talking about flaws in the story: I didn’t get how Mia was able to live in Sunset Cove all her life without finding out about her mother’s death. You would think that it’s impossible not to know everything about your famous country star mother in a city that is so clearly dedicated to her life and work. Not to mention that the press would have had a field day finding out who Mia’s father was. Under normal circumstances, Mia could have easily read about Tori Rose’s love life in all the tabloids and newspapers of that time. Especially in times like now in which all those things are archived online and you just have to follow the right link. So that part of the story felt a little unrealistic and I’m sure the author could have found a different way to keep the mystery alive than just not allowing the characters to talk about Tori Rose.

All told, “The Last Love Song” was a great debut novel that lived from its beautiful lyrics and intriguing storyline. The scavenger hunt element and the mystery around Tori Rose’s death and Mia’s father kept me invested and I really wanted to know how the story would end for both of those girls. I loved how the grief representation was handled and the fact we got a queer rep as well was the icing on the cake. So despite of some things not making a lot of sense I was still happy to follow Mia’s journey. 3,5 stars rounded up to 4, because at the end of the day this was a very enjoyable read and I had a good time reading it.

Updating my review since the last one didn't fully capture how much I loved this book. From the almost-perfect, beautiful, and lyrical prose to the characters that rose from the pages, and the lyrics!!! Phenomenal. I mean, it's based on Mamma Mia so honestly, that should be reason enough to read this fantastic book. Plus gay people let's go! Also, mother-daughter relationships explored in books are always something that I look forward to. I just found some loopholes in the plot: like how does Mia know close to nothing about her mother? That was the only thing that slightly deterred my amazing reading experience.
Mia and Britt's relationship had me swooning, and the way the author writes about romance is nothing short of magic. It was truly heartwarming, and I was close to shedding a tear or two by the end!

The main character in this book needed therapy. For some reason, this story BUGGED me. It felt very "go to therapy and get over it" but I did get emotional toward the end. I felt the second half really turned it around as far as personal development. The messages of not letting fear stop you and giving love your all were very well executed in the end as well.

This book was cute! Unfortunately, I thought it was only ok, but it wasn't bad at all! I enjoyed the prose. It told the story well and the coastal town vibes were on point,

I liked Mia and thought she was a believable and developed character, however, the romance was not anything special. That was the main thing about the book I didn't like. While I liked the characers individually, the romance didn't feel believable. I just needed more. I also felt like there wasn't enough backstory about Mia's family and past. There were a lot of questions there.

Thanks netgalley for the copy of this book.

A blessing in disguise. Katie? I don't know what you put into this book, but I love you for it. And not to mention, the coverrrr. I love this book so much and everything about it. I'm so grateful I got to read it!!!!

My main issue with this book is easily explainable: I am not the target audience for it, both age-wise and the fact that I never went to an American High School and therefore could not relate to the main character at all. The writing did feel quite juvenile, but still accessible and I have absolutely come across worse YA books. Its a sweet, lighthearted story with all the right times and vibes for a Summer reading.

I really wanted to love this one, but it was just okay. I loved the songwriting aspect and I loved the characters, but I felt like it was not as genuine as it could have been. I had fun with this, but wanted it to be just a bit more than it was. I will read this author again in the future.

What are you reading this week? Thanks to Partners @bibliolifestyle and @blackstonepublishing, I am getting ready to start reading The Last Love Song by Kallie Holford. It just came out yesterday, on April 9th, so you can grab a copy and start reading too! It’s a sapphic YA debut novel, telling a coming-of-age story, and I can’t wait to start reading it!

Here’s a Synopsis of The Last Love Song:
“A lyrical and moving debut…A magical book that feels like your favorite song playing on the radio.” --Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Feet Apart

A queer YA Mamma Mia! with a dash of Maureen Johnson, The Last Love Song celebrates the music of an uncertain heart—perfect for fans of Nina LaCour, Laura Taylor Namey, and Emma Lord.

After high school graduation, Mia Peters faces a summer full of painful goodbyes. Songwriting is her only solace. Everyone she knows is moving on, including Britt, her biggest supporter … and kind-of-sort-of girlfriend. Britt keeps pushing Mia to go bigger and do better than their small town, but Mia can’t imagine a life beyond Sunset Cove. Besides, she refuses to follow in the footsteps of her late mother—country music star Tori Rose—who abandoned her family to pursue her dream, leaving Mia and her two grandmothers alone.

Desperate for a sign of what might lie ahead, Mia finds the opposite—a mysterious letter from the past, addressed to her in her mother’s handwriting. It turns out to be the first of many. One by one they lead Mia on a wild scavenger hunt through a Sunset Cove she never knew, buried under the memorializing that has frozen her mother in time. Each new discovery brings Mia closer to the real Tori Rose, but with the clock ticking on Britt’s departure, Mia knows she is running out of time.

With the summer winding down, Mia must decide if she is ready to face the present, confront her feelings, and forge the destiny she truly wants. A dazzlingly soulful debut, The Last Love Song is perfect for anyone who’s ever tried to decode the clues in the lead-up to a new Taylor Swift album.

Doesn’t it sound like the perfect spring read?

Super cute and easy to read! It's Mamma Mia inspired, which I thought meant it would be more emotional than I found it to be; there were definitely moments where I could feel that, but largely, with Mia being very disconnected from her mother (to the point of not even having any memories of her really), the emotion didn't come through. I just couldn't work out how Mia knew absolutely NOTHING about her mother, who was supposedly a very famous singer - like she didn't even know how her mum had died - did she not think to Google her once in eighteen years?? Just a bit unbelievable to me. I do think the author has a lot of talent though, and I did like the main character and the love interest's relationship, and the scavenger hunt was such a fun concept!

A little juvenile for me but otherwise a sweet story I managed to get into fast and enjoy a lot!
Thank you for providing me with the arc. Think I’ll check out more from the author!