A beautiful YA/Coming of age novel that maturely and eloquently deals with topics such as grief, belonging and finding yourself.
The romance in this was minimal but always lingering beneath the surface. I appreciated this as it made the novel feel so much more like Mia’s. Her story.
I usually dislike time jumps/flashbacks in books but the way this was written just flowed, it felt right and it didn’t feel as though I was jumping between two stories.

I wish I could have read this at 16


thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I heard this was a country music, mamma Mia inspired story for fans of Taylor Swift & Kelsea Ballerini and I said “say less 😍” I really enjoyed this one! It hooked me from the start and I honestly could’ve read it in one sitting if I had time to! The mystery was intriguing and kept me turning the pages, the love and tension between Mia & Britt was so messy and so real, and the emotion at the heart is what I really loved! I loved how each of the pieces of Tori’s story was unraveled and how everything lead to the ending that wrapped everything up very beautifully and realistically. I loved how lyrical the writing was and how easy it was to read! My only complaints were that I wish certain aspects were fleshed out more so that when Mia figured out the clues, it would’ve made a little more sense and just that I think it was super insane that no one would really talk to her about her mom her entire life and expected her to not to feel like she wasn’t enough or deserving of her dreams 🤔 But besides that I think this was really great!! 🥰

Eeeeeeh? This one wasn't for me.

We embark on a journey with young Mia Peters as she delves into the life of her mother, the country music sensation Tori Rose, who passed away years ago. Tori's parting gift to Mia is a graduation surprise—a scavenger hunt comprised of letters. With only five days until her closest friend and love interest, Britt, departs for a Nashville performance, Mia races against time to complete the scavenger hunt before Britt's departure.

The narrative unfolds through alternating perspectives, with Mia navigating her present-day struggles while uncovering revelations about Tori through her past letters. As Mia grapples with her identity and the self-imposed pressure of meeting expectations, she discovers that her mother faced similar insecurities.

I found it disconcerting that anytime Mia or Tori engaged in anything musical, it was described as following or going with the music—an expression that felt awkward and out of place throughout the book.

I was puzzled by the lack of information Mia received from the townsfolk, who supposedly revered her mother. The secrecy surrounding crucial details, such as Tori's illness and the circumstances of her departure, left Mia feeling abandoned and betrayed seemed weird.

The breakneck pace at which events unfolded left little room for reflection on Mia's decisions. The rapid progression, coupled with the abrupt unraveling of Mia and Britt's relationship, required multiple re-readings to fully comprehend.

Lastly, as a personal preference, I tend to skip over extensive lyrics in books, regardless of their significance to the story.

This one was a mixed bag for me. There were definitely things I enjoyed: the dual points of view, the idea of searching for your mother through clues, and the character of Britt was a great one. There were things I didn’t enjoy: the pacing was off, I don’t understand why no one would talk to a daughter about her mother, and Mia was too indecisive. All that said, I didn’t hate the book, but I don’t think I’d recommend it either.

This review is posted on Goodreads and Storygraph.

In this heartfelt young adult novel, Mia Peters grapples with the bittersweet transitions of life post-high school graduation, finding solace in her passion for songwriting amidst a summer filled with uncertainty and potential goodbyes. Encouraged by her best friend Britt to dream bigger than what their small town holds, Mia’s world is turned upside down when she uncovers a series of mysterious letters written to her by her late mother, the famous Tori Rose. Tori, who passed away when Mia was still just a baby, was a country music star who not only left a lasting mark on the world of music, but also left Mia with more questions than answers growing up without Tori's presence in her life. As Mia embarks on a touching scavenger hunt throughout the history of Sunset Cove, the town where her mother grew up and Mia has lived with her grandmothers, she unravels the truth about her mother and confronts her own fears about the future. With time quickly slipping away before Britt’s departure to pursue her own music career and the summer coming to an end, Mia must navigate her feelings for Britt, find her destiny, and confront the legacy she’s inherited. The Last Love Song is a captivating journey of self-discovery, love, and a coming-of-age story that pulls at all the heartstrings.

I truly adored this book. Being able to read the points of view of Mia in the present and Tori in the past was a beautiful journey. This book is full of so many important themes about what it means to grow and discover oneself, including finding hope, confronting grief, chasing dreams, understanding regrets, and living the life you are destined to live. I loved all of the characters in this book, and they were all written really well, each playing a very important part in Mia’s journey. This book made me nostalgic for those teenage summer days when you would drive around with the windows down, music playing, and all the possibilities of the open road ahead of you. Mia’s story is sad and beautiful, but most of all, it's filled with love and hope.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC of The Last Love Song in return for my honest review.

Here is my review for the last love song by kalie holford. Thank you for letting me read this arc in exchange for an honest review

I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and there was very little character development. The plot was promising but it fell flat and the reasoning behind the story wasn’t worth it in the end.

3.5

I was so excited when I got accepted for this ARC, but sadly, it left me a little disappointed.

This book is pitched as a "queer mamma mia," but I don't see a lot of similarities between this book and mamma mia. There were definitely some, but not enough to label it like that. Even though it's quite a short book, it felt like a long read.

Now, what I did love was the relationship between Mia and Britt. I have a soft spot for friends to lovers, so how could I not like it. The other thing I liked was Mia's scavenger hunt. It was easy to follow and thankfully I didn't have to figure things out myself. Getting to know her mom better every chapter and learning her backstory was really interesting.

Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was a sweet queer love story, but it was more than that. There was mystery and grief and heartbreak and regrets and learning how to move on. I loved the writing and the overall plot line of the story, I just think it might not have been for me, which is okay because it is still an amazing story that I know many people will love. In my opinion, it was a bit frustrating for Mia to be so back and forth and the miscommunication between characters was too much for me. But I did love Mia and Britt’s love and how queerness is represented in many different ways in this book and the overall country star vibes and atmosphere.

A heartfelt, queer YA summer romance that sees one young teen about to graduate embarking on a scavenger hunt in order to get to know her absentee (now deceased) famous singer mother better. This was full of heart and a great dual timeline romance between two aspiring singers. There was great bisexual rep and lots of family secrets and drama. Perfect for fans of Jennifer Duggan, Dahila Adler or Emma Lord. and good on audio too Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book has been described with a very Mamma Mia vibe, but with the LGBTQ concept.
We find ourselves with a short but funny story where we accompany Mia a girl who is at a climax of her life, she is graduating from high school, and as such has a thousand decisions to make which will change her life in one way or another.
But it is at this stage where she receives messages left by her mother, who had passed away several years ago, so that Mia could get to know her a little better; so we are sent on a treasure hunt.
It was very cool all the mystery of the search, Mia's thoughts about her future and relationships, the double POV she shares with her deceased mother (great touch, it hurt a lot), so as Mia discovers more things about who her mother is, she discovers herself and that accompanied with that musical atsmosphere, because I didn't mention it, but her mother is, was, Tori Rose a superstar in the Country world.
Do I recommend it? Yes, it's short and easy to read, you have a great time on a country style treasure hunt.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the pleasure of being able to read this amazing story.

#TheLastLoveSong #NetGalle

The Last Love Song by Kalie Holford was a phenomenal debut!
A ravishing YA queer romance inspired by Mamma Mia…… I mean who wouldn’t enjoy this story?
This book had drama, angst and a captivating love story.
I loved everything about this story… from the amazing writing to the endearing characters.
I can’t wait to see what Holford creates next time!

Thank You NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I lived and loved the Mama Mia vibes sprinkled throughout the story. These characters made my heart happy. The dual points of view between Mia and her mother Tori are written well and brought nuances to Mia growing past grief.

The Last Love Song is a sweet book about discovering who you are and the struggle of separating yourself from someone else’s spotlight. Mia is a bi 18-year-old who always runs away from love because she doesn’t want to be hurt by someone leaving. Her mom was a big time music star before she passed when Mia was a baby and Mia has never been able to know her. No one in her life wants to talk about her mom to her because it’s too painful so Mia feels like she can’t know who she is without knowing who her mom really was, outside of being a music star. For her graduation gift, her mom left her a gift. This gift leads her on a hunt to discover who her mom was and she also discovers herself along the way. It was well-written and give me all the feels. I loved it!

This is one of those books that sits with you. It makes you think about your choices, your regrets, your dreams.

Mia is forever second guessing her choices. Are they her own? Or are they the ones that her mother would make? I can't imaging living with that kind of doubt.

It was a joy watching Mia on her journey of discovering her mum, and herself. It was a wonderful glimpse into the world of music and the level of passion those in the industry have for it.

Easy to read, character driven and mid paced.

I liked this book, it was short but enthralling & easy to read. I liked the mystery and friendship and the inclusivity it relays. The dual POV between daughter and her dead mother makes it more interesting and it’s kind of heartbreaking at the same time. A great short read, however if it was a little longer with a deeper romance I would have felt more connected to the characters.

I was originally drawn to this book because it was advertised as a queer Mamma Mia romance and it fully lived up to that hype! It is told in dual POV and dual timelines as Mia is set on a scavenger hunt to learn more about her mom. There is so much in this book that made me love it. I loved the journey Mia goes on as she tries to find herself, figure out what she wants, figure out more about the person she came from, and who she wants to be with. The dual POV from her mom's perspective are so fun. This book was charming, cute, and makes me excited for Kalie Holford's next book!

I enjoyed this book but it wasn't my favorite. I guess I was expecting more after hearing that is has Mamma Mia vibes and it fell a bit short for me. However, I do think some of the high school and middle school students will enjoy this book so it will definitely be on our shelf!

Story about mother, Torí Rose, and daughter, Mia Peters, interaction. Possible through a scavenger hunt arranged by the mother she arranged before she died when Mia was just a baby and now available when she has graduated. Good intentions with the story for the daughter to finally get to know her mother and her story and giving her a possibility to finally get free from her restraints to not leave like her mother.

However, I had a problem with the back and fort and you never really get into the main characters as I prefer. Their love stories also just touched on a very high level which is unfortunate.

I received this copy of the book via NetGalley free of charge.

Mia lost her mother at a young age and has felt like she never knew her. However on graduation day, she is given a gift from her mom. This is a story of Mia learning about her foundation, her dreams, and her love song.

This book was different than I expected. When I saw it lgbtq, I expected that to be the main theme, but it was more about Mia. I liked the main plot, but the ending seemed a little hard for her to figure out. I wish the clue to that was a little more straight forward.