This was a heartfelt and romantic read, and I enjoyed the diverse cast of characters! Sammy, a music critic, destroys her credibility for her musician girlfriend, who still breaks up with her. To try to save her column, Sammy promises her boss that she'll get an exclusive listen to Max Ryan's new album. Max was a star who stepped back from the limelight years before, but rumors are swirling that he's been secretly recording a solo album in his hometown, which is also Sammy's hometown of sorts. The problem is that right before he made it big, Sammy and Max met one night and she fell in love with him instantly, only for him to break her heart. Now she has to return to the one of the few places that ever felt like home during her chaotic childhood with her flighty mother, and not only reckon with her unresolved past with Max, but also with her own upbringing and what it truly means to be family.

I think that returning to Ridley Falls causes Sammy to have to confront so many aspects of her life and her past all at once. Sammy wasn't necessarily a super likeable character - she makes poor career decisions, she lies to her friends and Max, she stands up for a mother who clearly won't stand up for her. But despite that, I felt like Sammy wanted to be a good person and goes through a lot of growth during the course of the book. She has people that are rooting for her and that want to help her grow. This was not only a romance but a story about finding your family and letting go of toxicity that is no longer serving you. This story definitely had a big heart and I was rooting for Sammy to figure things out. Max also had his own burdens and needed to grow so it was nice to see their journeys as individuals and together.

Sammy Espinoza is a music critic who's job is in the balance because of an entanglement with a music artist clouded her objective vision, and then she got left in the dark by said music artist. This forces Sammy to get out of her comfort zone and go to the only place she would consider home base, a small town in upstate Washington to spend time with her best friend Willa. The problem is, Sammy's had a memorable night with the towns most well known music artist Max Ryan when she was 18, and apparently he doesn't remember the life changing connection they had. In an effort to save her job, she convinces her boss that she can get an exclusive on Max's new album, but is that something that she can really do?

I found this book to be a charming look at chosen family and the importance of friends in peoples lives. Sammy's own mother seems to constantly run from her problems, which we learn from her lack of relationship with Sammy's fathers family. Sammy's mother might be one of the worse in book writing history, which definitely caused the reader to feel for Sammy. I appreciated the characterization of all the main characters, loved how I felt like I was a part of Ridley Falls myself. I found Sammy to be reasonable most of the time, but sometimes she seemed slightly immature. I did, however, appreciate her growth as a character at the end. Overall I found this book to be a fun, but charming look into how our parents choices can affect their children and how their children overcome such challenges.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

I really wanted to love this book, because I'm a sucker for romance and the premise was super adorable. However, I just didn't get the feeling that these characters belonged together. It was challenging for me to root for them with everything else going on in their lives taking center stage. I wonder if the focus of the book should have pointed elsewhere than the romance, to make it a more compelling narrative. However, the voice the book was written in was really engaging and charming at times.

This was a mix for me, I liked the present romance and the two leads but it was also sometimes hard to root for them and the author took their time getting me there

I liked this one, but it had a trope in it that I usually steer clear of, which is where one character knows something about the other character but pretends they don’t. In this instance, Sammy kept the fact that she not only knew Max but also that she was there in the town for the sole purpose of getting close to him and hearing his upcoming album to review for her article. I don’t like the power imbalance that this type of setup creates and the amount of lying that usually happens when it is involved in the plot. I wasn’t really rooting for the two of them to end up together.

Beyond that, I did enjoy some elements. I found the family aspect far more compelling, and Sammy’s journey to reconnect with her roots. I would have liked to see that area developed more and had less about Sammy and Max’s relationship, honestly.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine - Dell, and Tehlor Kay Mejia for an e-arc of Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at about 25%

I usually love contemporary romance, and the famous person/regular person dynamic is one that usually interests me.

In this case, I just couldn't get into the story, and the deception was making me nervous. Usually I can handle drama, but this was too much and it was making the reading experience not enjoyable.

I would read other books from this author though; I like their writing style.

I didn't know what to expect when going into this book, but I loved it!! Sammy Espinoza is a character that will stick with me for a long time! She's had a difficult life, but still manages to be strong. The relationship between her and Max hits you right in the feels! Ridley Falls is a dream, I would love living there! If you love second chance romance and found family, this is the story for you!

The romance in this book was fine: a celebrity second chance romance where trust is fragile.
, lost, re-earned and found again.

However, the family aspect of this book made me sob big, ugly tears. It truly pulled at my heart and sent me on a roller coaster of emotions.

Sammy has grown up outside of her culture without a father and with an absent mother who is fickle and immature. Seeing Sammy be able to grow roots into her own culture is such a beautiful thing.

At times Sammy does a bit too much rationalizing and doesn’t help in the miscommunication but seems honest from someone who has grown up with so much trauma and hasn’t dealt with it.

I really loved this one, some fine tuning and it’d be perfect!

4 glowing stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much! really felt for Sammy. She felt so untethered to any family or a place to call home. She did have friends who were like family, but no actual family that could make her feel like she had a home somewhere. She has a very complicated past with her father dying before she was born and never knowing her grandparents. I had a grandmother who I never met and only learned of her death after the fact, so I could relate to how Sammy felt upon learning that her grandfather had died.

This is a romance, but it’s also about Sammy finding her identity, and to deal with the way her mother chose to bring her up. She has a lot of past trauma to work through. This book really tugs at the heart strings and had me tearing up.

I did like the second chance romance between Sammy and Max. But for me it felt secondary to the rest of Sammy’s story. Overall a very emotional read about finding love in unexpected ways.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Sammy Espinoza's Last Review so much! I was expecting a typical romance trope of young person escapes to her small town hometown after troubles arise in his/her big city life. While, this book delivers on that, it does so much more! This book speaks to deep subjects while not feeling heavy overall including how trauma effects our relationships going forward and how our past relationships inform our future ones. It also speaks to each human's compelling need to know where she comes from and to learn her familial stories.

I especially appreciated that this novel explores more than just heterosexual relationships as it has a prominent gay women relationship as well as a lead pansexual character.

Sammy Espinoza spent her childhood with a mother searching for a great love with trying to maintain an apartment they would not get evicted from. As an adult, Sammy is a well-known music critic writing under the pen name Verity Page. She is successful, but in trouble with her boss when she breaks the rules about dating musician and lets it influence her reviews. Sammy goes home to Ridley Fall, Washington, a place she lived briefly with her best friend's Willa's family to interview reclusive music artist, Max Ryan. Max is overcoming his own past and trying to restart his musical career. Sammy gains more than just an interview in Ridley Falls!

Five stars! I cannot wait to read what Kay Mejia writes next. I received this book in an exchange for an honest review thanks to Net Galley and Random House. I will post this review on Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon.

When Sammy Espinoza returned to the only place she ever called home, she had hopes of figuring out a way to save her job and mend her heart. Staying with her best friend and her wife, Sammy began the long road to recovery from a bad breakup. Misunderstandings abound as she reconnects with people from her past and the reader can tell right away how things will end. However, Tehlor Kay Mejia wrote the missed connections and misunderstandings in such a way that the reader stays engaged throughout. The primary characters are so likable and the reader misses them once the story concludes. Ideal for romance fans who like spicy love affairs.

If you like a second chance romance, I’d definitely recommend Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review!

This book follows Sammy after a breakup leads her back to her hometown in the hopes of being able to talk her former crush Max Ryan into giving her the scoop on his latest album in order to save her job as a music reviewer. During this time, she connects to a grandmother she didn’t think wanted anything to do with her and deals with her abandonment issues.

I loved the side characters in this book- the friendship with Willa and Brook added a lot to the story. I also really enjoyed the main characters of Max and Sammy although Max did irritate me at times (how hard is it to send a text?!). I loved the relationship with Sammy and her grandma the very most.

Overall this was a cute story and I really enjoyed reading it! Thanks Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity to check out an ARC of this book through NetGalley!

Unfortunately this book was just not for me. I probably should have DNFed as I really did not feel any connection to the characters for a majority of the story. Towards the end of the book if started to pick up for me, but I just didn't really feel like I wanted to root for any character.

Cute book. Both main characters are running from traumas of their past. Sammy grew up never knowing when her mom would pick up and leave and wondering why her grandparents never wanted her. Max has suffered panic attacks and never knew if someone wanted him for him or to use him for his fame.

At the age of 18, Sammy meets this budding singer, Max, who promises her amazing things one magical night and then never speaks to her again. This was her first true heartbreak.

Ten or so years later, in order to save her career, Sammy promises to deliver a review of Max's secret album. Can she face the man who broke her heart?

We follow Sammy as she tries to navigate her fears, forgiveness, and love to come out braver on the other side.

"Sammy Espinoza's Last Review" by Tehlor Kay Mejia is a captivating romance novel that takes readers on an emotional journey of love and self-discovery. The book's heartfelt narrative and well-drawn characters create a genuine connection with the reader. Tehlor Kay Mejia's storytelling prowess shines through as they navigate the ups and downs of romance, leaving a lasting impact. "Sammy Espinoza's Last Review" is a beautiful exploration of human relationships and the power of connection, making it a must-read for those who enjoy stories that tug at the heartstrings.

A sweet read! I loved the cast of queer characters, the small town charm, and second chance romance.

It was a little hard to get past the differences in the characters and really see the chemistry, and for that reason I removed a star.

I had no idea what to expect from this book, but I definitely enjoyed it! It was definitely a chest-squeezer!

4.5 stars

This was a great read! Sammy Espinoza is a music writer whose career is on the skids. In order to keep her job, she promises her editor that she'll get an early review of Max Ryan's secret project. Max walked off stage at the Staples Center seven years ago and hasn't been heard from since. It just so happens he's from a town that Sammy considers home. And, he and Sammy have a history. - one that ended badly for Sammy.

Sammy has to balance her need to salvage her career with the feelings she's developing for Max, the person, not the rock star, all while protecting her heart from another Max Ryan crash and burn..

This book is fast-paced, with a great cast of supporting players. It also has lots of positive LGBTQIA+ representation.

thank you to Random House Ballantine Publishing for a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review is full of heaviness, humor, and heartbreak. Honestly, I wasn’t sure at first. The writing was fine, but I wasn’t sure about the story. And then it hit me like a gut punch. It was warm, it was sad, it was hopeful. My chest really ruptured wide open when Sammy finally connects with Paloma. She was probably my favorite character, which meant I basically cried the last hundred pages. Sure, the romance was lovely and redeeming (and just the right amount of spicy), but it is a story about family—biological and otherwise.

This book follows a music critic who is hoping to both launch a comeback and seek revenge against a musician launching their comeback. There are small town romance elements to this one that were great. I enjoyed the read!