Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)
Steam Level: 🔥🔥 (2.5- fade to black sex scenes)

Helen is convinced that she's unlucky in love after years of bad luck on dates and now finding out her last boyfriend is engaged. So when she connects with Brody through a dating app and has a memorable first date, she holds tight to the belief that she's found The One. Unfortunately, she wakes up to find that the app has crashed, leaving her with no way to contact Brody. Now she's determined to use what she knows in order to find him again and live happily ever after. Can she find her dream man or is she destined to be alone forever?

This story had an intriguing plot that had some similarities to Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens. Unfortunately Helen's story isn't quite as loveable, but it does have some interesting moments. This would probably fit better in the women's fiction category since the main storyline is focused on Helen accepting herself and changing her outlook on love. There were a few times when her attempts to find Brody came off as a bit desperate, and I think it's obvious early on that Brody might not be the perfect man Helen thinks him to be. My absolute favorite character in the story was Ish! He was so sweet and genuine, and I really wish we got more of him throughout the book. If the author had leaned into his moments with Helen and expanded upon that a bit, then this would definitely have gotten a higher rating from me.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It was a cute plot (although predictable), our leading lady was relatable (sometimes annoying), our two male leads felt real, and I enjoyed the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the ARC.

I received an ebook of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

The novel is a nice time saver from which I expected a bit more than I got from it. The adventures of the main heroine are engaging, although after the first dozen or so pages the reader starts to feel bored. The story is quite predictable, and I missed a bit more chemistry between the characters here, or even more interesting, funnier dialogues that would make me keep reading just because of the characters themselves. Meanwhile, I kept stopping myself from looking at the last pages to confirm my assumptions and reach for something more engaging.

Nevertheless, it is an undemanding, relaxing read. A novel for an afternoon and for improving your mood.

2.5/5 Stars for me

Absolutely adored this book with everything it entailed. Initially, I had a difficult time connecting (and even liking) the main character but then I realized how relatable she is and her character development was truly so elegant. We all crave human connection and the various relationships in "The Last First Date" meets those needs. Like most rom-com books, you kind of know where the story is going, but the way Quinn presents it leaves the reader nose deep and curious on the route we are taking. Excellent read and I recommend it to all.

I was intrigued by the cute cartoon cover and description for this book: 31-year-old baking vlogger Helen is on the search for her last first date, possibly with entrepreneur Brody. Unfortunately, this book completely missed my expectations.

(There were some things I didn’t like that I won’t hold against “The Last First Date”; I wasn’t a huge fan of the names of the characters in this book (Brody?!), they felt very bland or out of place, and there were some things that went over my head as an American reader reading a British novel, such as lingo and location. These thoughts have no impact on my review.)

Overall, the writing felt very bland and basic in this novel; there was a lot of repetition in Helen’s inner monologue and for a 31 year old she felt very immature and insecure, constantly thinking about her former relationship and comparing herself to other women around her, which is a toxic behavior. The pacing of this book was very slow because of this style and it was hard for me to get through and ultimately I wasn’t able to form a connection with Helen to even care if she got her HEA.

Was there a clear beginning, middle, and end? Yes. From about 30% in I could see the direction the book was going in, if it did take some drastic adventure detours along the way. This made it feel very predictable and diminished the connection between Helen and her beau, which then confused me at the end when she analyzes in a fleeting moment of self-reflection where she is in life and if she is happy. Very odd. The reader is constantly ten steps ahead of Helen and that makes it difficult to get through. There is little to no character development and all of the characters feel very flat. This book does not breathe life off the page.

Here’s what I did like: the setting, occupation, and epilogue. I like that most of the novel took place in London, where most of the characters live, or back in Helen’s family’s hometown in the countryside to provide a breath of fresh air both for Helen and the reader. I liked seeing Helen’s journey as an internet baker and how she tried to reinvent herself/become more comfortable with her work throughout the book. Instead of a chapter, the epilogue was descriptions of Instagram posts of different characters in the book, which I thought was very clever and got the point across for different milestones of the side characters.

I understand the sentimental relevance of including snippets of a World War II romance, but it had no relevance to the plot whatsoever and clearly felt out of place. I encourage Quinn to make that its own novel or novella instead to explore personal history and possible romance there. It does not fit well with Helen’s story, in my opinion.

The glaring red flag for me was the POC side characters steeped in stereotype and serving no real purpose other than being POC for diversity’s sake. It is incredibly harmful to perpetuate stereotype in underdeveloped characters! Side characters in this novel are British-Asian, British-Chinese, and British-Latina, respectively, but fall into many stereotypes. The British-Southasian character, Ish, is constantly described as having “Rolo eyes,” and gains his dance ability from a history in Bollywood-style dance. What is this obsession with describing Black and Brown characters with having edible characteristics? Let’s not do that. (Rich, deep, thoughtful eyes would have been equally effective adjectives without evoking gastronomic undertones.) I did not realize the character Sophie was British-Chinese until deep into the book, which doesn’t really matter, but there is a large section in which a point is made to highlight her heritage and Sophie’s father, who only speaks Mandarin, supposedly tells a story about a phoenix and a dragon that Helen doesn’t understand. This physically made me cringe. Finally, the British-Latina character, Elle, is known for constantly blowing guys off, her amazing dance skills, and calling everyone (and I mean everyone) ‘amiga’. This is a direct quote: “Latins - they basically get dance moves as a birthright”. I can’t begin to explain how problematic this is.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for offering me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved how real and honest this book felt! I think so many of Quinn’s readers will really be able to relate to Helen and her dating experience. The pressures to find your person and to settle down ARE REAL and it was nice to have a character who truly represented that side of happily ever after; the jerks, the anxiety, the questions from family, the dreaded internal clock and the crazy lengths people will go to to find love!

I also really enjoyed how this book did not solely focus on Helen’s happily ever after, but also her personal growth - there was a real transformation in her self confidence and her approach to life and love and I think she had her sassy Nan (what a great character) and her fearless friends to to thank for that!

There was something about the timing that felt off while reading this one! There were parts of the story that dragged on a bit but there were also times when I wanted more hilarious adventures with Helen!

Overall, I quite enjoyed this read and think others will as well! A big thank you to HQ and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this fun, quirky love story in exchange for my honest review!

This book had a bit of a slow beginning but I have been in a bit of a reading slump so that could have just been a me problem. Helen should be super relatable to me as a 32 year old single gal but I was having a hard time connecting to the characters. Helen was obsessed with her ex. Once she learns he’s engaged, she tries to move on and starts online dating where she meets Brody. She goes on one date with him and he seems like the answer to her prayers. Skip to the next day, she learns that the dating app deleted all of her data and POOF Brody is gone. She then becomes obsessed with finding him and the idea that he’s the perfect guy for her. Along the way she meets Ish. He comes to her rescue and they begin to form a genuine friendship. Will she remain stuck on a fantasy or will what she’s looking for already be right in front of her? Overall this was a very cute story and I would definitely recommend if you love romcoms. Although be warned, if you’re looking for spice, this book is not for you.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!!

Thank you netgalley for ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
When I first saw this book I was excited to read it because of the cute cover. Than the description pulled me in completely, who doesn't want to read about finding your last first date.
As I started to read the book, it was hard for me to really get into it. The main character I felt was very immature for being in her 30s. Going on and on about her last ex really irritated me. Sometimes I felt like the focus of the writing went on to long to get to the point.
It was a cute story and cute cover, but with the writing and getting irritated with the character I wasn't drawn to the book enough to rate It more than 3/5.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

I gave this book 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4). I devoured this book as quickly as I could in between work and classes, and highly enjoyed it!

This book follows Helen, a 30-something-year-old who is chronically dating the wrong men. She decides to join a dating app and ends up meeting a seemingly perfect man. After their date, the dating app server loses all of its data, leaving her to have no way to get in contact with him. This book follows Helen’s journey to reconnect with her perfect date.

The plot of this book went in a completely different direction than I expected and I loved it! I think this book would have been cute had it been the straightforward plot I expected, but the unexpected plotline kept me on my toes, leading me to enjoy it even more.

I think the way Helen views dating and her singleness is probably relatable for many (myself included). I think Helen’s personal growth and relationship with herself were refreshing and lovely to read.

Nanny G was an incredible addition to this story, especially after reading the acknowledgments and finding out that she was based on the author’s actual grandma! She was funny and sweet and I enjoyed her very much. I loved seeing Helen’s relationships with her friends Sophie and Elle, although I will admit I didn’t like Elle’s character at all when I first started this book. She grew on me with her ride or die attitude towards Helen as the plot progressed, but I found her to be rude and unsupportive at the beginning.

The dialogue sometimes felt forced and awkward in this book, but not enough so that it took the enjoyment out of it for me. I also noticed a handful of grammatical errors, but that can all be looked past considering this is an ARC.

Overall, this book was lovely. It was a super quick and easy read that made me smile. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a short and sweet rom-com with minimal spice.

The Last First Date started off somewhat slow and cliche, but grew to be everything I love about British Chick Lit. Helen is a loveable main, who might make many questionable choices about love, you have to be on her side and rooting for her!

An ideal beach read!

The story is that of Helen, a recently single woman searching for a new love. As the usual story goes, there's a frog and a prince, she just has to work out which are which!

I enjoyed the developing relationships and really loved the comradeship between girlfriends within the story, the use of social media was really great and helped date the story.

The setting of both Cornwall and London kept it interesting and the pace moving well.

Overall an enjoyable read.

I’ve rated this book 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With a title like The Last First Date, I began reading with the idea that I knew how this story was going to go. I felt a connection to the main character and her friends straight away. Helen is in her early 30s, suffering from severe confidence issues brought on by a disappointing former relationship and never really feeling good enough. As she navigates a new prospective relationship with Brody, who is the opposite of her in almost every way, she struggles to be authentic because her desire for a relationship is prioritized over being herself. Her insecurities are obvious but not grating, and exacerbated by the world online: a blogging career, a tendency to stalk social medias to the detriment of her mental health, and online dating. The author did a great job of capturing all of the anxiety that exists for a millennial in this arena.

Without spoiling it, I’ll say I enjoyed and appreciated the conflict in this story because it felt genuine. It wasn’t just Helen’s struggle to fall into a relationship, but her maturation and realization that values and authenticity are priorities above burning passion/head games/thrill and adventure, which is often not reciprocated.

In the full version of this story, I hope the reader gets maybe a little more steam, or at least some expanded scenes with dialogue on what makes Helen feel most comfortable, secure, and loved in her new relationship. The pace of the story was great in the beginning but fell off a bit towards the end for me. I was hooked though, and read almost in one sitting, less than a day!

Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review. As requested, I will post this review on Amazon on publication day.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Hayley Quinn. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

This was a quick, cute read that I wished had slightly more depth. There were parts of Helen’s character that I could relate to and others I couldn’t, parts where I felt bad for her and others where I was proud of her. My problem with her is that she was very hard to get a read on. She seemed so desperate and almost stalkerish at times. I liked her best friends and thought the story could have used more of them. I liked Ish and loved that he wore his heart on his sleeve. Nanny G was a hoot. Brody was kind of a smoke show that distracted far too much from much more worthy parts of the story, though I understood why the author chose to use him and thoughts of him as much as she did. This is a story of growth more than a last first date. It’s just too bad it really did seem like Helen’s growth required a partner. There were lots of cute touches and scenes, including the ending, but it did make for a slightly choppy storyline.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. The writing was choppy and often jumped from topic to topic. This made it hard to follow what was happening in the story. When Helen finally connected with the love interest I did not feel any chemistry between them, and I was not invested in their storyline.

The language used to refer to Helen's best friend Elle was stereotypical and unnecessary. Elle is Lantina and is referred to as "spicy" and "fiery" repeatedly throughout the book. She says she can dance because it's in her blood, and people who she's just met call her Amiga. Stereotypes like this are harmful, and I can't support a book that perpetuate them. I am hopeful the author will change these in the final version.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital, and Hayley Quinn for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is so good!!!! I was hooked from the start. I love coming across new authors to me as it gets me excited about what’s to come!!

Helen feels like an old spinster after her ex-boyfriend gets engaged and she sees the post on instagram. She decides to try online dating and has an amazing first date with Brody while visiting her hometown. After that first date, the dating app has a data issue and all matches/information is gone. At this point in the book, Helen becomes very obsessive with trying to find Brody again. Along the way, she meets Ish, who protects her while she's walking home alone one night and they start a friendship. Ish helps Helen track down her grandma's past love. Is the last first date the amazing one with Brody or what is standing in front of Helen with Ish? I did like the overall story, but the neediness and the way Helen obsessed over a guy she went on one date with was a bit much for me. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Last First Date

Sweet, funny and extremely heartwarming, this book is sure to capture all the romantics at heart.

This book didn't go in the direction I thought it would, and I was totally ok with that!
I would have liked alittle more detail in the opening chapters regarding Helen and Brody as we had alot more telling of their connection than actually seeing, so it was alittle hard to feel it. They had this great first date but it was slightly brushed over!

I found Ish to be super adorable and I was secretly rooting for him as the book went on!
There was also some great female friendships in this book, and who can forget Nanny G?! Helen also goes through alot of personal growth which I always like to see in my stories!

This was an easy read that is perfect for them days you just want to relax and get lost in the story.
I really enjoyed it!

The Last First Date

Another ARC courtesy of NetGalley and HQ 💛

The Last First Date follows the life of Helen, a woman on a mission to find the love of her life and her last first date.

This book was a really sweet and easy read that was both endearing and fun at the same time. It had a real sense of a typical rom com to it and all the characters had a very cosy comforting vibe to them. I really enjoyed Helen’s relationship to her friends and family and found this book a very wholesome read.

The only issue I had was that I found myself cringing at many points in this book. I found Helen’s character to be quite immature at many points and I found it quite difficult to like her. I also felt she was a very needy person and that she used and relied very heavily on her friends.

As you probably know by now - I love a bit of angst and tension and that was somewhat lacking in this book. I wanted there to be a bit more drama and excitement so that I became fully invested in the characters and plot.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 from me! Def one to try if you want a quick easy fun rom com 💛

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcijzsGLzZ6/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Mein Leseerlebnis

Das Buchcover sah einladend und süß aus, dazu sprach mich der Klappentext direkt an, da habe ich mit Vorfreude zugegriffen.

Beim Lesen habe ich aber leider schnell gemerkt, dass die Geschichte nicht mein Fall ist. Der Humor der Autorin hat meinen zu selten getroffen und Helen fand ich als Heldin der Geschichte eher bemitleidenswert als faszinierend.

Zu Beginn des Romans trauert sie immer noch ihrem Ex hinterher, der vor einem Jahr mit ihr Schluss gemacht hat. Die Beziehung hörte sich alles andere als gut und gesund an, nur Helen kann das nicht sehen.

Darauf aufbauend entwickelt sich die Geschichte. Im Verlauf des Romans kam ich mit Helen zwar etwas besser zurecht, aber so richtig habe ich mich beim Lesen nie für sie interessiert.

Nicht funktioniert haben für mich auch die Passagen mit Textnachrichten oder Instagram-Posts. Beides hat mich eher verwirrt als amüsiert.

Alles in allem hatte ich ein eher mäßiges Leseerlebnis, immerhin gab es hier und da Szenen, die mich leicht lächeln ließen und mich einigermaßen gut unterhalten konnten. 🖤🖤1/2

Für wen?

Schaut euch den Klappentext an und lest bei Interesse unbedingt eine Leseprobe. Findet ihr Helen in dieser interessant und nicht nervig, könnte der Liebesroman etwas für euch sein.

A grand, zippy book that was enjoyable overall but some bits were hard to read – the protagonist's feelings of inadequacy are really strong and was pretty heavy for a zippy book.