Wow, does Hayley Quinn have a window into my diary / texts with the girls? She captured all of the anxious thoughts we have as single 30-something women forced to engage in the online dating scene. I can think of multiple texts I have with my bestie building someone up in our heads only to be let down by reality. In the end, I really appreciated the message of the book—we do need to try to find peace in being single and appreciate what we have while we have it. We need to strive to avoid allowing others / society to make us feel like we are doing something wrong. I only give it 3 stars for two main reasons: the pacing and the characters. For a short book,it took me awhile to get through because I kept getting bored with the internal dialogue. Additionally, although the the themes were relatable, the characters were not. So much else about the book felt normal—can we please stop with making characters successful influencers? That’s not the only thing millennials relate to—in fact, most of us don’t relate to them! And if we gave our protagonist a run-of-the-mill job, then her feelings of being average or ordinary would feel like they came straight from my diary that I write after a long day in front of my computer in the office. Which is what she achieves with every other part of the book.

I ended up having to put this book down before finishing, unfortunately. The main character Helen, came across as incredibly desperate and naïve throughout and it made continuing a struggle.

I believe it also only needed to be mentioned once that she had a Latina friend. Maybe not every time she came up in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars for this romantic comedy!

I was debating the half star because, though I enjoyed the overall story, the writing felt rushed. I didn't connect with the characters that much because of it. I don't mind books being short and sweet, but in this case I felt like I was missing something by the end.

Apart from that, the book is easy to read, sweet and a lot of us can probably relate a bit with Helen (though at times I wanted to scream at her or something).

A cozy Sunday read for sure!

This book is so funny, it is the perfect book for a light read that put you in a good mood. I fell in love with the characters and what they went through to find love. This is a must read especially if you want to laugh! This book is well written. Would definitely recommend to anyone.

Charming characters and a wholesome plot!! I really enjoyed the development of Helen, our lead, and her journey in overcoming bad relationships. It was light and refreshing and the perfect book to end a long day with! Really lovey and cute read and would recommend!!

This was a story of a girl who was dependent on others. She was a mediocre food blogger who rarely baked. She was constantly doing things that she didn’t want to do to be liked others and to feel accepted in their lives. There were a lot of twists in this book and I was irritated with the main character most of the story (she definitely did not act like a person in her 30’s whom was actually concerned with her career, which she should have been! 30?! You have bills to pay at this point not just search for months for a guy you had one date with.) I was really happy with the ending however!

The Last First Date
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️💫

Release date: May 20, 2022

3.5 stars.

☕️ Summary:

When Helen matches with Brodie on Connex - an online dating app- they meet up and have the best last first date they have ever had. They have a great time and both promise to reach out for a second date. Big problem? The servers at Connex, the dating app (and Brodie and Helen’s only means of communication), crash and all user data is lost. Helen feels devastated by this and begins a search for Brodie - desperate to find her true love.


☕️ My thoughts:
This book is so hard to discuss without revealing spoilers- so I’ll have to keep it very general here. I loved how the begining just jumped right in. I was so invested that I was practically yelling at my kindle “why didn’t you exchange phone numbers, Helen!!!!!!”

Helen gives me major vibes similar to Iris from the Holiday when she is infatuated with Jasper in the beginning of the movie. The lengths she goes to to find Brodie definitely hits cringe level and made me uncomfortable. It’s all a part of Helen’s journey though, and I feel like this book is about Helen finding herself - rather than Helen finding a man. I read that this book has similar vibes as Mhairi McFarlane books- and I do find that to feel true for me.

This book was advertised as a “laugh out loud romance”- and I feel like it’s so important for readers to know that I think this book is significantly miscategorized based on that label alone. I would never consider this as a rom com. I also wouldn’t consider romance as it’s primary genre. This felt very chick lit or women’s fiction for me. Yes- there’s an underlying theme of romance, but it’s not enough for this to fall into a rom com genre for me.

With that said- it was an easy read and an overall enjoyable experience to read.


Thank you so much NetGalley and Hayley Quinn for providing me with an ARC to read and review.

#thelastfirstdate #netgalley

Thank you so much to @netgalley for sending me a digital version of "The Last First Date" by Hayley Quinn, set to be released May 20th, 2022. I truly appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC!

What it's about: Helen is devastated to discover that her most recent ex, Jonathan is engaged to another woman via social media. She is extremely hung up on him. After some deliberation, she signs up for the fictional equivalent of Tinder, known in the novel as "Connex", an online dating app. There, she matches with a man named Brody, and goes on one date with him before the app crashes, losing all of it's previous matching data when it reboots.

What I liked: I liked that Helen had best friends from different cultures. Sophie is Asian, and Elle is Latina. I related more closely with Elle in this novel than the main character, mostly because I don't have time for other peoples' mind games and bullsh!t. I don't waste my time on people who don't have the decency to give me the time of day. I like that this storyline had so much potential, though I feel as though some parts of it fell short somehow, somewhere. I can't quite put my finger on it.

What I wasn't a fan of: Helen is portrayed as an immature main character, despite the fact that she is actually around 30 in this novel. Every time she talked about her breasts, she referred to them as "bobs" as if she were some sort of middle schooler. It kind of made me want to punch her in the face. Also, she is a high-key stalker, looking not only for Brody in order to reconnect with him, but also for an old lover of her grandmother's. The plot twist involving Brody seemed to come out of left field as well when they met each other over again, though I know the idea was to show the reader that he wasn't who Helen originally thought he was.

Overall, I would rate this novel a 3/5 stars. It was alright, but definitely not one of my favorites.

Thank you Netgalley for the Arc !!
Overall i rate this book a 4/5. I was super excited to read this book. It did feel slow at some points during the beginning but it got better during the middle. This book was a combination of cute, funny and charming. Although the main character did get me frustrated at some moments it was still 100% worth it. Quick and easy read.

If you are looking for a book which is easy to pick up and put down, then this one could be for you - I personally didn't find anything compelling about this story at all. I liked the premise of the book, but the delivery was sadly lacking. Helen spends about 75% of the book hung up on Brody unnecessarily and not enough time spent on development of her relationship with Ish; which also felt a little clunky - the story didn't flow well at all. Overall, I didn't feel invested in either the characters or the relationships; plus the plot felt pretty weak and the writing didn't flow. I wish I could report that I liked this book more, but I really found it all a bit boring. Thanks anyway to NetGallery and HQ Publishing for allowing me to get an early copy of the book.

When Helen finds out her ex-boyfriend is engaged, she gets on a dating app in hopes of having her last first date. She matches with a hot guy, Brody, who she thinks is exactly what she has been looking for, but the dating app has a world-wide crash and all previous matches are gone. Helen attempts to track Brody down, but she cant seem to find him. When she does find him, things are not as she remembers and she is questioning how much she really knows about him. Overall, a really cute story where Helen finds herself and learns about what she likes.

This was a quick and easy read and I really enjoyed the premise. I found the ending a little predictable - it seemed to be set up from quite early on, but that didn't stop me reading on and from enjoying the book as a whole. I thought all the characters were well written, too.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Very much enjoyed it. Great book.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for giving me an opportunity to review the ARC for this book! The Last First Date by Hayley Quinn was a cute, easy read. The plot was a really fun idea and it turned out so much differently than I expected, which was a nice surprise. After the main character Helen meets a man on a dating website, they go on one date and then the dating app crashes and all data is lost. Helen can no longer get in contact with him so she goes searching for him since they hit it off so well during the date, and she's desperate to continue their relationship.
I found the middle of the book much stronger and more exciting to read than the beginning and end, which did a lot more telling than showing, so those parts dragged a bit for me. The reader really gets to know all the characters and feel the chemistry between them in the middle portion of the book, but it's a bit lacking in the beginning and end.
Overall it was a cute book with a refreshingly different plot. This was a nice palate cleanser for me after reading a heavy fantasy series!

for fans of romantic comedies with heart and fun this is definitely for you.

it’s cute and it’s a quick read! the characters felt fairly fleshed out and it was very easy to digest and enjoy!

3.5 stars
I’d forgotten the premise of this book between the time that I requested and was awarded it from NetGalley. So, I was wondering what the rest of the book was going to be about after our main characters went on their last first date together. Cue the dating app crash, with all their info lost, leaving Helen and Brody to find their way back to each other from Cornwall to London. But sometimes, the person you connected with in the moment isn’t always the person you’ll connect with for a lifetime. “The Last First Date” was cute, funny, and poignant from start to finish.
*Thanks to the author, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for this advance reader copy.

4/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was such a cute and quick read! The online dating part and feeling hopeless about dating was so relatable. I’m glad the main character got her happy ending. I really thought Brody was “the one”after that first date!🤣Looking forward to reading more from the author.
Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

3.5 stars (rounded to 4)

The Last First Date was a lovely book!

Helen is one of those loveable, slightly tragic, but has lots of potential women that I can 100% relate to and love reading about, her friends Elle and Sophie are the perfect accompaniment.

Helen is someone who believes in love so deeply, that it makes her a little crazy and put up with crap she shouldn't. But I found it humorous and engaging, as opposed to suffering from secondhand embarrassment.

Ish is a National treasure and should have his picture framed and hanging everywhere as an example of a great freaking guy.

The only reason I didn't rate it higher is I like my romance with a little spice (this one wasn't even closed-door, just a few kisses) and I think the epilogue lost a bit of the magic being via an ebook lending itself to more of a paperback aesthetic (you'll get that when you've read it)

I could really see this being made into a movie. It's the perfect HEA with a little bit of steam leading to a fade to black.

It starts with Helen, a 30-something thinking she should be a lot further in life than she is. I can relate as I had to come to terms with a lot of the same things she did. Helen is dating all of the wrong guys, doing all of the wrong things. When she goes on a date with Brody, who she matched through an online dating app, she thought she met the perfect guy. He was driven, he made her have butterflies, he was adventurous and he was looking for the same things she was. They both wanted a "last first date". The story goes from there and any more would be a spoiler.

Honestly, I enjoyed the book. Was it the best I've ever read? No. Was it entertaining? Absolutely. There were a few words in parenthesis that really threw off the word flow for me - but I understand what the author was trying to portray. Helen is straight laced, and pretty square up to a point (like me) and those were to make a point. I think an italicized word would suffice.

Ish, however, was probably my favorite character. He was sweet, patient. I wish I had a little more of him in the book and less pining for Brody; have Helen and Ish have a little more chemistry, a little more longing for that satisfying climax. That's my opinion, however!

I would definitely read more from the author and I can't wait to see what changes are made when the final script is wrote!

DISCLAIMER: I'd like to thank HarperCollins & Hayley Quinn for allowing me an Advance Readers Copy of The Last First Date. This was not a paid review, but I was allowed this book in exchange for a sneak peek at a book that's not quite read to release.

I first want to thank HQ Stories, NetGalley and Hayley Quinn for allowing me to review this book.

I really, really wanted to like this book & it was the second ARC I've ever been approved for, but the whole thing really fell short. I didn't and couldn't relate to the main character Helen Pines at all. I felt like we listened to her whine about a guy for the entire book. I understand we were going for a self-deprecating main character but for the most I felt bad for it. Most of this book was about her trying to find the man she went on a first date, a first date that didn't seem monumental from the writing. They had coffee, went on a long walk & you really don't learn much else about them. I also really didn't like her friends--- my least favorite characters of the book. Elle, who was called Latin the entire book over and over really bothered me from the beginning. I thought there were parts of this that were a bit funny, but overall I wasn't impressed with the humor.

My absolute favorite character was with her Nan. It was the beginning of the book that really roped me in with their relationship and I wish we could have seen/read more of it.