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mari1532's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I would like to thank Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
Brief Summary: Mia Peters is stuck. She can feel the pull of a bigger life as she writes songs in secret, but she is also the daughter of Tori Rose, a famous country singer tragically taken at the height of her fame. As Mia prepares to start her life after graduation she looks around the town that has raised her and immortalized her mother wondering what her next move should be. Luckily she has a rainbow of clues pointing her in the right direction.
Thoughts: This book is a slow burn. It took at least five chapters before this book really hooked me.
How Holford was able to not only write a book, but all of the songs included in this book is impressive. Although it was a bit of a slow start, the way that Holford was able to integrate two coming-of-age stories, two love stories, and two musical worlds ended up bringing me to tears.
This is a love story, but I would not call it a romance novel. Mia and Britt do have friends to maybe lovers vibe throughout the endearing book, but the real focus of this book is Mia and Tori and their relationship as mother and daughter. The way that Holford writes Mia as a confused teenager trying to grapple with her grief is breathtaking. So many times throughout the book I just wanted to hug Mia and tell her it would be okay and I felt joy at her every success and sadness at every failure.
Tori was a little more difficult to read throughout the book. We only catch glimpses of her from the stories people share with Mia and letters, but I could never really say I understood her...at least the younger version of her. Tori chases her dreams and finds herself in a love triangle. The mystery surrounding her drives the narrative of the story. I did wish that there was a little more explanation of Tori's relationships with the women she was friends with throughout her life. I feel like with her bandmates and classmates we just see snippets of Tori's relationships with her friends. The love triangle had me hooked and I had a favourite, but her friends made such big sacrifices for her and it was a little hard to understand why.
Holford's writing made me feel and I truly did cry at the end of the book. I found Mia to be such a dynamic character even though she was a teenager. I read somewhere that this book is similar to Mamma Mia. In many ways, I agree with that description, but it feels more like the sequel rather than the original because Mia is just surrounded by a shrine of her mother. I do wish that we had been able to see any part of the town that was not some roadside attraction to draw fans of Tori Rose. It felt a little weird that this was all the town offered, but maybe that is supposed to make us feel the oppressive weight that Mia must feel having grown up there.
I would recommend this book, but I do think that you should go into it understanding two things. First, this is a book about a mother-daughter relationship. Other relationships are described in its pages, but this is the central focus of the book. Second, the music is going to guide you through the book. If you are a fan of puzzles and how song lyrics help you answer those puzzles this is the perfect book for you. I would also recommend having a tissue handy for the tears at the end.
Brief Summary: Mia Peters is stuck. She can feel the pull of a bigger life as she writes songs in secret, but she is also the daughter of Tori Rose, a famous country singer tragically taken at the height of her fame. As Mia prepares to start her life after graduation she looks around the town that has raised her and immortalized her mother wondering what her next move should be. Luckily she has a rainbow of clues pointing her in the right direction.
Thoughts: This book is a slow burn. It took at least five chapters before this book really hooked me.
How Holford was able to not only write a book, but all of the songs included in this book is impressive. Although it was a bit of a slow start, the way that Holford was able to integrate two coming-of-age stories, two love stories, and two musical worlds ended up bringing me to tears.
This is a love story, but I would not call it a romance novel. Mia and Britt do have friends to maybe lovers vibe throughout the endearing book, but the real focus of this book is Mia and Tori and their relationship as mother and daughter. The way that Holford writes Mia as a confused teenager trying to grapple with her grief is breathtaking. So many times throughout the book I just wanted to hug Mia and tell her it would be okay and I felt joy at her every success and sadness at every failure.
Tori was a little more difficult to read throughout the book. We only catch glimpses of her from the stories people share with Mia and letters, but I could never really say I understood her...at least the younger version of her. Tori chases her dreams and finds herself in a love triangle. The mystery surrounding her drives the narrative of the story. I did wish that there was a little more explanation of Tori's relationships with the women she was friends with throughout her life. I feel like with her bandmates and classmates we just see snippets of Tori's relationships with her friends. The love triangle had me hooked and I had a favourite, but her friends made such big sacrifices for her and it was a little hard to understand why.
Holford's writing made me feel and I truly did cry at the end of the book. I found Mia to be such a dynamic character even though she was a teenager. I read somewhere that this book is similar to Mamma Mia. In many ways, I agree with that description, but it feels more like the sequel rather than the original because Mia is just surrounded by a shrine of her mother. I do wish that we had been able to see any part of the town that was not some roadside attraction to draw fans of Tori Rose. It felt a little weird that this was all the town offered, but maybe that is supposed to make us feel the oppressive weight that Mia must feel having grown up there.
I would recommend this book, but I do think that you should go into it understanding two things. First, this is a book about a mother-daughter relationship. Other relationships are described in its pages, but this is the central focus of the book. Second, the music is going to guide you through the book. If you are a fan of puzzles and how song lyrics help you answer those puzzles this is the perfect book for you. I would also recommend having a tissue handy for the tears at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Cursing and Gaslighting
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
mel_muses's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
2.0
Whelp, this was underwhelming.
The Last Love Song follows Mia Peters, daughter of the the late sensation Tori Rose, as she prepares for a summer of endings. Her best friend is leaving their small town of Sunset Cove to pursue her dream of music, and Mia is absolutely certain she can't join — no matter how much she wants to — because she doesn't want to end up like her mom. Dead, a mystery no one can solve, and a person no one really knows. But then Mia receives the graduation present her mom made her right before she died. There she finds a scavenger hunt: the promise of answers.
First off, I don't think this book is accurately described by how it's pitched (i.e. bisexual Mamma Mia). The whole "who's my dad" plotline felt ineloquently thrown in there, and didn't have any real bearing on the plot. It's more giving I Kissed Shara Wheeler, but make it friends-to-lovers and centered around stardom, with a touch of the movie The Half of It.
I felt for Mia, and I really did like seeing her start to understand herself and her mother. I also really liked the way music was used in this book. The lyrics of all the songs embedded tell vivid stories. They're powerful and beautiful and I could almost hear them off the page. I also loved the alternating timelines. Rather than describe Mia reading her mom's letters, we saw the world from Tori Rose's perspective. It was immersive and really made the mother's story shine.
However, my biggest problems stem from the writing. Not only was it written so simply that each point seemed to depend on a cliche, it also just did not make sense. In one sentence*, Mia notes that the "coldness has faded from her [best friend's] eyes" and the next sentence claims that her face is "completely unreadable"? Or in another, Tori Rose describes the stage lights glinting off a tattoo on her collarbone — and WHAT? Is she giving herself a double chin staring at her COLLARBONE right before she performs in front of a massive audience?
In both these instances (and many others), I see the intended impact. But the contradictions in the language indicate that these moments were not clearly thought out beyond the drama. And that's frustrating as a reader! I want to feel these things, but you have to earn the impact — not with flowery words, but by painting a powerful story that works in the world you have created. *just a disclaimer that these quotes are from a review copy and may not be the final version.
I also found the scavenger hunt Mia's mother leaves her very random. For me, I felt like the foundations of the clues were not established enough to make it a fun mystery. Especially as the clues got more creative and complex, there was no way Mia could have figured them out. And yet, even though the hunt was random, the plot itself was predictable. I guessed the big reveal a couple chapters in.
Mia's thought cycles were also endlessly frustrating. She just kept repeating the same thoughts (and actions!) throughout. There's only so much self-degradation and self-pity I can read in place of a real plot (I'm telling you, nothing substantial really happens between 5% and 40%).
I did like the Tori Rose romance timeline. I enjoyed how messy and honest it felt. Even if I am not and will never be a music star like her, I connected to the feelings of having to decide which sacrifice would be worth it. Mia's romance, on the other hand, felt strangely forced? I just didn't get the sense that she really wanted it to turn out well. It felt less nuanced than her mother's narrative.
ALSO: Why does no one in this book ever have to warm up?? Not once does Mia or literally any other character mention warming up, or practicing, or being anything less than perfect at music. It just felt really odd.
This book would make a good Netflix movie, honestly, but I struggle to recommend it. It is a short read, but I don't feel it really adds anything new or exceptionally executed to the genre of queer YA.
Trigger Warnings: terminal illness, death of parent (off page, central to the plot), absentee father
I received an eARC via NetGalley from Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
The Last Love Song follows Mia Peters, daughter of the the late sensation Tori Rose, as she prepares for a summer of endings. Her best friend is leaving their small town of Sunset Cove to pursue her dream of music, and Mia is absolutely certain she can't join — no matter how much she wants to — because she doesn't want to end up like her mom. Dead, a mystery no one can solve, and a person no one really knows. But then Mia receives the graduation present her mom made her right before she died. There she finds a scavenger hunt: the promise of answers.
First off, I don't think this book is accurately described by how it's pitched (i.e. bisexual Mamma Mia). The whole "who's my dad" plotline felt ineloquently thrown in there, and didn't have any real bearing on the plot. It's more giving I Kissed Shara Wheeler, but make it friends-to-lovers and centered around stardom, with a touch of the movie The Half of It.
I felt for Mia, and I really did like seeing her start to understand herself and her mother. I also really liked the way music was used in this book. The lyrics of all the songs embedded tell vivid stories. They're powerful and beautiful and I could almost hear them off the page. I also loved the alternating timelines. Rather than describe Mia reading her mom's letters, we saw the world from Tori Rose's perspective. It was immersive and really made the mother's story shine.
However, my biggest problems stem from the writing. Not only was it written so simply that each point seemed to depend on a cliche, it also just did not make sense. In one sentence*, Mia notes that the "coldness has faded from her [best friend's] eyes" and the next sentence claims that her face is "completely unreadable"? Or in another, Tori Rose describes the stage lights glinting off a tattoo on her collarbone — and WHAT? Is she giving herself a double chin staring at her COLLARBONE right before she performs in front of a massive audience?
In both these instances (and many others), I see the intended impact. But the contradictions in the language indicate that these moments were not clearly thought out beyond the drama. And that's frustrating as a reader! I want to feel these things, but you have to earn the impact — not with flowery words, but by painting a powerful story that works in the world you have created. *just a disclaimer that these quotes are from a review copy and may not be the final version.
I also found the scavenger hunt Mia's mother leaves her very random. For me, I felt like the foundations of the clues were not established enough to make it a fun mystery. Especially as the clues got more creative and complex, there was no way Mia could have figured them out. And yet, even though the hunt was random, the plot itself was predictable. I guessed the big reveal a couple chapters in.
Mia's thought cycles were also endlessly frustrating. She just kept repeating the same thoughts (and actions!) throughout. There's only so much self-degradation and self-pity I can read in place of a real plot (I'm telling you, nothing substantial really happens between 5% and 40%).
I did like the Tori Rose romance timeline. I enjoyed how messy and honest it felt. Even if I am not and will never be a music star like her, I connected to the feelings of having to decide which sacrifice would be worth it. Mia's romance, on the other hand, felt strangely forced? I just didn't get the sense that she really wanted it to turn out well. It felt less nuanced than her mother's narrative.
ALSO: Why does no one in this book ever have to warm up?? Not once does Mia or literally any other character mention warming up, or practicing, or being anything less than perfect at music. It just felt really odd.
This book would make a good Netflix movie, honestly, but I struggle to recommend it. It is a short read, but I don't feel it really adds anything new or exceptionally executed to the genre of queer YA.
Trigger Warnings: terminal illness, death of parent (off page, central to the plot), absentee father
I received an eARC via NetGalley from Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Abandonment
More...