DNF @ 54%.

I just…what?? This book was all over the place. The main character was all over the place. I don’t think the author really understood what was so beloved about You’ve Got Mail.

Thanks. I hate it.

The problems that exist with Kelsey Rodkey’s Last Chance Books can almost entirely be summed up with one phrase: the main character.

I don’t know what Rodkey was thinking when she decided to write Madeline as so immature and unlivable, but my word did she achieve impressive heights with this. Enemies to lovers is definitely a difficult trope to get right, but it’s truly important to make sure that you don’t push it too far or, if you d0, that you dedicate genuine effort and time into some serious character development. Now, a lot of people have a tendency to come to the defense of immature characters in YA by referencing the fact that these are, in fact, teenagers. But I do think that there is truly a right way to write teen immaturity—see Marissa Meyers’ Instant Karma, for example—and a wrong way. Unfortunately, Madeline veers way too far into the wrong end of the spectrum.

It’s difficult, as a result, to even give any credence to the so called relationship that develops between her and Jasper. And since we’re so heavily in Madeline’s head, it feels like a genuine shock when their relationship actually begins as you don’t truly feel that the change in the two characters’ opinion and behavior toward each other is earned. Jasper’s long-time liking of Madeline feels significantly underdeveloped because we never truly got to understand where it came from—this certainly isn’t helped by how unlikeable Madeline is as a character, in general.

Then there’s the lack of serious commitment to the enemies first, then lovers development. Rather we’re forced to experience a ridiculous back and forth that is filled with pointless misunderstandings and an almost willful lack of critical thinking skills. Suffice to say: thanks, I hate it.

Now, I have to make this next point because the truth is that this book was at least compared to You’ve Got Mail at best and inspired by it at worst—the core of why You’ve Got Mail worked is because the characters had genuine time to develop their in-person relationship. The conflict that arises feels genuine all the way through, from their initial distaste for each other and finally to the eventual revelations that the characters have regarding their online pen pals. No one watching feels like they’ve been tricked or as though they’re getting whiplash from the characters’ having an all over the place back and forth about their feelings. Everything has a natural progression and the characters have to come to terms with the multitude of feelings they experience over a significant period of time.

The love, as a result, feels earned.

Madeline and Jasper simply feel like characters experiencing either immature or manufactured conflict.

I value the opportunity I was given to read this in advance, but it has been four years and I still haven't read this. With so many books ahead of me, I cannot return to this title.

This book is laugh out loud funny, sharp, and absolutely adorable! I can’t wait for more from Kelsey!

It was a cute read. Not you’ve got mail cute but cute. Idk I think it’s because enemies to lovers isn’t my favorite trope that this wasn’t more for me. It was weird how Madeline was the only one hell bent on saving a family business. Like everyone else just appeasing her. Ehh maybe I’m just too old for this one.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

This book was cute but I almost gave up multiple times. I felt like the internal monologue of Madeline got redundant. The prank war was a lot of the same. I did enjoy the variety of characters. They had a happy ending but their relationship wasn’t really believable to go from bad to fixed so quickly.

An absolute delight and a surprise one-sitting read for me! An enemies-to-lovers romance featuring booksellers at rival bookstores, an actual book influencer, all the nerding out that comes with fandom, it was all here and I ate it up.

I wasn't as sold on the absent mother storyline -- I was more than happy to escape in a YA romcom! -- and the third act break-up wasn't my favorite (though these are 17-year-olds, drama's the name of the game), but overall, I was so pleasantly surprised by this one and truly enjoyed it to the point where I set aside the other book I was already halfway through because I was so engrossed in this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This was such a cute little book. I really enjoyed getting to meet each of the characters and loved the tricks that each one played in the other. The banter between the characters was great.

To me as a reader this was You’ve Got mail for teens. Two rival book stores. Madeline is determined to save her families bookstore. She doesn’t want to like Jasper. So ensue two teens and the bookstore battle that follows adds aspects of Romeo and Juliet without all the death. And gives the reader a humorous teen rom com.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey. All opinions are my own.

This was delightfully adorable.

The bookish prank battle was truly epic, and the protagonists' emotional journey was very believable and realistic.

It was not really my cup of tea for a romance, but I read this one for my high school library, and I can definitely think of some students that would enjoy this one.

It took me a while to get into this book but once I did my heart and brain were fully invested. I have never read such a hard yet eventually heartwarming YA. The family topics were rough but well written. I can’t wait to read what the author writes next.

I thought this was going to be a cute story like Tweet Cute but sadly this just wasn't that. This was a all red flags romance that I ended up DNFing about 75 or so pages in.

I will always, ALWAYS read a retelling of You've Got Mail. Always. And this didn't disappoint, especially written from a YA perspective for a YA audience! I found this absolutely delightful and cozy and fun.

This was a really cute premise.. think "you've got mail".. but the main character was so annoying it fell a little flat. There were some heartwarming and funny moments. I would have given more stars, but the main character was really just too obnoxious for my taste.

I really wanted to like this one because of its cute cover, enemies-to-romance trope, and bookstore setting. Really, it seemed like an adorable YA version on You've Got Mail. However, the language is too much for me. In all honesty, I didn't read a single page, but opened to the middle out of curiosity and the language pretty much assaulted me on that one page alone. A quick skim proved the language was pretty heavy throughout the book and therefore, not for me.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't want to review a book that I didn't finish.

As a librarian, this title warmed my little bookish heart. I'm a sucker for a good romance, and one that revolves around books is just like my own personal dreamscape. It was adorable and could be a cheesy Hallmark movie (who doesn't love those??)

I was excited to dig in to this enemies-to-lovers YA romance about employees at rival book stores. It sounded as if it was inspired by You've Got Mail! But unfortunately, I could not connect with this book. I found the main character very irritating, and the plot never seemed to solidify in a way that kept me wanting to turn the page. The enemies-to-lovers trope was was one-sided, since Madeline was pretty oblivious that Jasper was into her, and the potential chemistry fizzled pretty quickly. Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me.