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A review by mousewitched
The Last Love Song by Kalie Holford
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC!
First things first: YA bi rep that has somewhat healthy wlw? Hell yeah.
The Last Love Song was sweet. I can definitely see the Mamma Mia! comps, but doesn't feel like I'm reading a rehash of that story. To me the most interesting parts were from Tori's point of view, too, which I think most Mamma Mia fans would say Donna is the draw over Sophie (they made a whole movie about teenage Donna, after all). I found myself wanting more of her chapters than Mia's, not because Mia was boring but because it felt like Mia's story completely revolved around Tori but we weren't getting enough. I just cared more about Tori's journey than Mia's.
I think in general I cared more about everyone than Mia except maybe Britt. These were truly fantastic side characters, including the town of Sunset Cove itself. I wanted to know more about them, too, and while I think this is a great stand alone I secretly hope Holford explores it further. It gives me such vivid, specific images of small coastal towns I've been to and love dearly. The details Mia's grandmothers, Linnea, and Edie provided drew me in and made me read a little more closely when I found myself skimming.
And I did skim. A lot. I think the one thing The Last Love Song suffers from, for me, is the song lyrics, because so much emphasis was put on chords and melodies that just having the lyrics there fell really flat. It wasn't clear to me what Mia's nor The Lost Girls' preferred genre was - should I be trying to come up with a more country sound in my head, like The Highwomen? Or are they kind of folksy rock, like Boygenius? Is Fate's Travelers a Fleetwood Mac allusion? I know there's no way to make the music sound like music in a book, but I really had a hard time with the long passages of lyrics. I think even additions like describing the tone of their voices or musical elements, like mentioning a heavy tambourine or a mournful piano solo, would make a huge difference. It's a book about songs with no sound to it.
Overall, I would recommend it, though! Especially for the rep. It's a quick read with a lot of heart even if it wasn't my favorite thing I've ever read.
First things first: YA bi rep that has somewhat healthy wlw? Hell yeah.
The Last Love Song was sweet. I can definitely see the Mamma Mia! comps, but doesn't feel like I'm reading a rehash of that story. To me the most interesting parts were from Tori's point of view, too, which I think most Mamma Mia fans would say Donna is the draw over Sophie (they made a whole movie about teenage Donna, after all). I found myself wanting more of her chapters than Mia's, not because Mia was boring but because it felt like Mia's story completely revolved around Tori but we weren't getting enough. I just cared more about Tori's journey than Mia's.
I think in general I cared more about everyone than Mia except maybe Britt. These were truly fantastic side characters, including the town of Sunset Cove itself. I wanted to know more about them, too, and while I think this is a great stand alone I secretly hope Holford explores it further. It gives me such vivid, specific images of small coastal towns I've been to and love dearly. The details Mia's grandmothers, Linnea, and Edie provided drew me in and made me read a little more closely when I found myself skimming.
And I did skim. A lot. I think the one thing The Last Love Song suffers from, for me, is the song lyrics, because so much emphasis was put on chords and melodies that just having the lyrics there fell really flat. It wasn't clear to me what Mia's nor The Lost Girls' preferred genre was - should I be trying to come up with a more country sound in my head, like The Highwomen? Or are they kind of folksy rock, like Boygenius? Is Fate's Travelers a Fleetwood Mac allusion? I know there's no way to make the music sound like music in a book, but I really had a hard time with the long passages of lyrics. I think even additions like describing the tone of their voices or musical elements, like mentioning a heavy tambourine or a mournful piano solo, would make a huge difference. It's a book about songs with no sound to it.
Overall, I would recommend it, though! Especially for the rep. It's a quick read with a lot of heart even if it wasn't my favorite thing I've ever read.