I was given the opportunity to read this as an ARC and y'all this is going to be a book you will want to read this year.

I read quite a lot of books, and this book is in my top 5 read from the books I have read since 2022. I would recommend this to literally anyone because I think there is something for every reader in this book.

This book was fun, quick, tore my soul out, made me swoon, and laugh, all at the same time. This book is not super "spicy" so if you are used to reading more smut in books, this will be a breath of fresh air and different for you.

I loved how this author tackled parental death (TW) and the overall mental health representation.

This book does have a "3rd act breakup" and there is some miscommunication, which typically is my least favorite trope...BUT I loved this book so much that I overlooked that.

This book was what I needed to read this year and it will be hard to beat as far as Contemporary Romances go.

5 out of 5 stars
1 out of 5 Spicy Pepper rating
10 out 10 would recommend

i read this arc through netgalley. i really wanted to like this book because the premise sounded adorable, but i found myself just wishing for it to be over. i do not think this should be labeled in the teen section due to it being so explicit. i have nothing against explicit content, but i was not expecting it, or think there's a space for it in YA. there was also a roofie joke about 20% in, which is not something i can get behind joking about so carelessly (almost made me DNF). there was constantly so much going on and switching pov's but staying in third person felt odd. the rivalry never made sense to me so i never understood it being the main point of tourist attraction. so many aspects felt too made-up so it was hard to have any real connection to the story.

positives: i really liked hugh as a character and the epilogue format, but that's honestly about it

Last Call for Love by Rebekah Crane
I recieved an ebook ARC to review and give my honest opionion.

I had hoped I'd enjoy this romance but...God, I hated it.

It's written in essentially what I'd call passive third voice. It kept you onside of the romance, never feeling like you're reading a romance. It was...just words.

I never felt a connection with ANY of the character's, let alone the main one's we're supposed to be invested in.

I DO NOT recommend this book for reading

I will start with I honestly did not finish reading this book. I requested it because it was in one of the genre's that I follow- YA since I am a middle school librarian. This book does not belong in a school library. It is not written for Young Adults. It is adult in its content. So please be aware that this book is about two main characters who are in their mid to late 20s. There are sexual references and innuendos from the very beginning. I stopped reading when I got to the very explicit sex scene.
While there were endearing things about some of the characters, I felt like the overly sexualized banter took away from seeing them as human. It is sad to think that this might be how people think normal conversations should be between two adults. There is so much more to life than lust...
Once again... I do not recommend this for school libraries. I am at a loss as to how it is being labeled YA.

Maeve has never known her biological father, but when he dies, she finds out that he left her an inheritance, a pub located on a remote island in Ireland. When Maeve goes to check out the pub she learns there is a history and an ongoing friendly rivalry between the pub she just inherited and the other local pub on the island. Briggs is the owner of the rival pub and when he meets Maeve he falls for her fast. The more time Maeve and Briggs spend together the more they wonder if the ongoing rivalry will last.

Maeve likes to have everything planned out and be in control of any situation, when she inherits this pub she finds herself in uncertain situations. She is not sure she even wants to keep the pub, she has an initial plan to sell, but the more time she spends on the island and makes friends with the local residents the more she wants to learn about her estranged father and the pub her left her. Meanwhile, Briggs has a health condition that is essentially a broken heart and as a result he has no intention of falling in love and does not want to make a commitment. When Briggs meets Maeve he starts to question his plan.

I enjoyed seeing Maeve and Briggs interactions and liked seeing the rivalry between the pubs play out. The little pranks they played on the pubs was amusing. I also enjoyed the friendships that Maeve made with fellow residents on the island. It was nice to see how much the town embraced Maeve. The relationship between Maeve and Briggs was a bit instalove and moved pretty fast, but it had its cute moments.

This was a cute read, given the length of the book the plot moved pretty quickly, but overall, this was a fun read.

This one worked for me! I was into the story and invested pretty quickly in the characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I liked the cover and the setting so much.

The book was set in Ireland, need I say more? The main characters own their respective pubs and is each other’s “competitions”. A small town romance about a girl starting anew at a whole new country after getting conned by her long term boyfriend.

I loved the romantic progression of our main characters. The book also focuses on a lot on insightful topics which I found to be refreshing. Overall, last call for love was a wonderful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and skyscape for providing me an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Last Call for Love is a charming romantic story set on a quaint Irish island. I loved the setting the most about this book! The characters and storyline were very intriguing I gotta admit. The story revolves around Briggs, the owner of a renowned pub, and Maeve, the daughter of a deceased rival pub owner. Their meeting and the historical rivalry between their families form the backdrop of the plot. The romance in this book was very cute. Maeve unexpectedly inherits a property and travels to Ireland to sell it, but fate has other plans in store for her.

The book concludes with a satisfying epilogue that answers lingering questions and provides reflection. Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley and Skyscape for the arc!

Last Call for Love is a captivating story set on a quaint Irish island. The protagonists, Briggs and Maeve, are caught in a historic rivalry between their families' pubs. When Maeve unexpectedly inherits a property, she is compelled to journey to Ireland and sell it, but fate intervenes. The book includes insightful moments and a satisfying epilogue that answers lingering questions. Overall, it is a highly recommended read, and the reviewer expresses gratitude for receiving an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF, unfortunately. It was not what I expected. I hate mentioning negative comments about the writjng, but I just found this to be a little too simply-written.
Additionally, I found this book under Teens & YA, and while I get that age 25 is considered a young adult by most people, this book won't be purchased for our library solely because our library is in a high school. This book isn't quite appropriate for that. Thank you for giving me a copy, NetGalley.

She’s a control freak whose life is currently out of control. Her ex boyfriend played the long con and left her with tens of thousands of dollars in debt and disappeared.

He’s a commitment phobe with an actual heart problem trying to protect himself from real attachment to anyone.

Meet Maeve and Briggs.

Maeve finds herself on a remote island off the coast of Ireland via Chicago, poised to inherit — and quickly sell — the pub her dead father left to her. And why not? She needs the money (see: debt) and feels no fondness for the Moorings because she’s never even met her late father.

But something surprising happens to our control freak, color coded, never late heroine: she lets herself be a bit of a mess and finds she doesn’t hate it.

And with a hundreds years friendly rivalry between her pub and the Thatch, Briggs’ pub, what harm can come of a few pranks and jokes to keep the tourists happy?

Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan, but might be just what each needs to fix what’s broken.

This was a pitch perfect romcom for me. He falls first, she’s messy with a heart of gold. Throw in the quintessential best friend, Hugh — who I would gladly read a whole book about; that man is funny — a cast of island locals who brighten the landscape, and an evil lawyer from the past who manufactures the third act break up.

Add in competitive kickball, a little karaoke, and some real feelings and voila! Perfection!

Thanks to @netgalley and Skyscape for the ARC to read and review. Available August 6, 2024.

Ah, to have an estranged father leave you a pub as an inheritance on a picturesque island in Ireland... Sounds like a dream, right? Unfortunately, I couldn't suspend my disbelief for long enough to stop rolling my eyes at every page. Maybe I'm just a cynical hater, but I just couldn't fully get into this.

First off, the third-person dual POV, cringy conversations, and the narration in general didn't work for me. Then, we have the issue of the most stereotypical romance characters ever: her, a clumsy control freak, and him, a playboy sex god. It's a no from me.

Maybe I'm too quick to judge. Maybe I read one book too many with a similar plot and tropes. Or maybe this just isn't the original, enticing romance I was looking for.

“Last call for love” is a lovely story full of insightful moments that will make you experience different emotions with every chapter. Expect to be charmed not only by the protagonists but also the other characters around them.

This romantic story is about two people who met in the middle of a quaint little island in Ireland. Briggs is the owner of a famous pub and Maeve is the stranded daughter of the deceased owner of the rival pub in this small island. The historic rivalry of the two families that own each pub is what sustains the island and the rest of the businesses. So, when Maeve out of nowhere inherits a property from a father she never met, she’s forced to travel to Ireland in order to sell the place and continue with her life. Destiny however has something else plan for her.

I always love books with epilogues but this particular one was perfect. The best end for a lovely story. It sums every question you may have at the end of the last chapter plus a very insightful note to reflect upon. 100% recommended!

Thanks for allowing to have an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.