I’m so lucky to have Samantha as one of our locals here in Salt Lake City! She was so kind to let me read an early copy of The Last Word before passing it on to another reader!

One of my favorite places to visit is London and getting to immerse myself in this historical setting was so nostalgic for me. I loved getting to picture the carriages and cobblestones that roamed around in 1861 London!

This book was so lovely! Lucinda’s spunky personality mixed with her independent nature made her one of my favorite female MC’s! She is not afraid to stand up for what she believes and what she wants. I enjoyed getting to know her!

David! He is so adorable & the banter he has with Lucinda makes for some of the best flirting in a YA Historical I’ve ever read! He is so loyal to her and always supporting her in all her crazy endeavors. He is not afraid to adventure with her while she chases down the ending of her favorite novel. They are so much fun together!

If you love historical romance than you’ll definitely love this one!!

The Last Word was a swoony romance with a strong, witty heroine that went beyond my expectations. I loved the witty banter between Lucinda and David. Both main characters (just like the secondary characters in this book) were fully fleshed out to the point where I find myself missing them now that I'm done reading. I LOVE the setting and the fact that Hastings made this a historical fiction book. Being a Bronte and Austin fan (both of whom are mentioned in this book), I was thrilled to have that literary feel mixed with page-turning anticipation. This book, with its clever plot, its characters that pop off the page, and its sweet, gripping romance, makes for an unforgettable read.

It wasn't easy being a young woman in 1861. All Lucinda wanted to do was contribute to her father's business, but society dictated that she belonged in the home, bored to tears. When one of her favorite authors died before finishing their book, Lucinda was determined to get those last pages. This search for the "ending" resulted in more than Lucinda had ever anticipated.

• Pro: I rarely read historicals, but for some reason, the majority seem to be set during this time period, and I always enjoy it. I am always amused by how prim and proper everyone was, and love seeing characters toppling that barrier.

• Pro: Her father tried his hardest to turn Lucinda into a proper lady, but she could not keep that much spirit under wraps. It was fun seeing all the little ways she pushed the boundaries, and David's reactions to her shenanigans were priceless.

• Pro: Speaking of David, he was a great match for Lucinda. Unlike most men of that time period, he delighted in Lucinda's mathematical brilliance, curiosity, and desire to do more than write letters and work on her needlepoint.

• Pro: Lucinda won my heart. She was fierce, determined, and very much an independent thinker. That girl had moxie, and I loved the way she challenged people and their ideas of who she should be.

• Pro: It was wonderful watching the spark between spark ignite between these two former friends. The interactions between David and Lucinda were sweet and fun and packed with snappy banter. There were these seriously swoony parts too, that just melted my heart. The romance between these two was absolutely precious, and I was shipping them the whole time.

• Pro: I think readers will appreciate the feminist messages permeating the story. Lucinda was definitely a woman ahead of her time.

Overall: A fun and charming romance between a lovely hero and a spirited heroine, which was filled with a little action, a bit of mystery, witty banter, and lots of swoons.

Oh this was such a delight to read! I absolutely loved it! Lucinda and David are such wonderful main characters! It was quite a swoon read as well with those two! I love the concept of the story and setting! Everything fits so well together!

Lucinda is so independent and knows what she wants. I liked her character this was because she clearly would’ve been considered a rebel back in that time period. She never gave up on finding the ending to her favorite story. She would get a lead and immediately want to chase it to where it leads. I really enjoyed her personality.

David is so lovely! I liked that he saw Lucinda as his equal. He always was by her side encouraging her to pursue what she wanted. He knew she was amazing with numbers and always let her know that. He followed her on her journey for the truth and stood by her side all the way. He is quite the gentleman for sure!

The love between Lucinda and David is so cute. I liked that it slowly was building through the entire novel. It was there as an underlining plot that did come out occasionally. When it came out we got some hilarious lines and funny flirty banter.

The Last Word is a cute fun and quick read. It follows the story of finding out the truth, but also discovering who you want to be and what in society. Breaking the norms and boundaries of the time period and never apologizing for doing it.

The relationship, the banter, the setting--it's all the perfect read for fans of historical romance. It's a super fast read and I loved the characters.

Samantha Hastings's debut novel, THE LAST WORD is a wonderful read. Loved the dynamics between the characters. Finished the book in one sitting -- had to see if Lucinda found out the ending to the story she was seeking!

I really enjoyed Samantha Hastings's debut novel, THE LAST WORD!! It's totally my type of book since I'm a sucker for historicals and anything inspired by British literature. So, without further ado, here are my top 5 favorite things about THE LAST WORD:
The main character, Lucinda, is gifted at doing figures and calculations (a historical girl in STEM!).
The male protagonist, Daniel, isn't threatened by the fact that Lucinda happens to be better at math than he is, despite his patriarchal Victorian upbringing.
Lucinda's love of books!
Lucinda as a character--she's stubborn and spunky and a go-getter who knows what she wants and how to get it, but she isn't so headstrong that she can't learn from her experience.
All the allusions to 19th century literature.
Bonus fun: Lucinda's companion Mrs. Patton and her snoring.
Bottom line:
If you're looking for a fun, cute historical YA with a swoon-worthy romance, you need to pick up THE LAST WORD!!

"It's not about the story. It's about unfinished business."

Fresh out of finishing school, Lucinda "Lucy" Leavitt quickly finds some unfinished business that she wants to seen taken care of.

Lucy has been following a serialized novel for years now, and it seems to be getting towards the all important climax. But then--to her horror--she learns that the author died without finishing the story. She recruits her childhood friend and her father's business partner, David Randall, into helping her track down the author's last known whereabouts. But, along the way, she and David find so much more.

As an English Major who spent a good portion of her degree on British literature classes, I loved the premise of the aspect of a serialized story, and the execution of this plot, with all of the small and subtle references to some of the greatest female authors of the Regency and Victorian eras that came with it. Lucy and David are both fantastic characters and one cannot help but fall in love with them as they fall in love with each other. This is a brilliant piece of storytelling, and I cannot wait to see what Ms. Hastings will write next.

The banter! The swooning! I loved this fun story. And I loved what Samantha Hastings did to push gender norms. Thank you for the opportunity to read.

Reminiscent of a Jane Austen romance!

A sweet story that’ll keep a smile on your face throughout, that is, when you’re not laughing... Lucinda’s chaperone cracked me up. 💕

I am the author and I just wanted to make sure the link worked. I wanted to see if the eARC had a paragraph on page 6 which was missing from the pass pages. Unfortunately, it doesn't. Luckily enough, the printed ARCs do have the missing paragraph on page 6. Thank you for your help.