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.

This book fell a bit flat for me. I wanted to enjoy it and it’s certainly a love letter to music with themes of identity and trying to find out about a parent who you never knew, but I just didn’t get into it.

One thing that really bothered me was that there were these mysteries surrounding her father and how her mother died and I just couldn’t believe that a celebrity in early noughties America could have those mysteries surrounding her. I can’t see journalists letting those mysteries lie or people not selling her out.

Tori was a good character. Mia annoyed me a bit with how much she was trying to leave an important decision about her life to her late mother, but the Tori bits I enjoyed a lot more. I could just picture this wild girl with her guitar, painted with roses, on her back doing anything in pursuit of the music.

I’m really sad I didn’t like this. Because of the bisexual representation, I really wanted to like it. But unfortunately it fell flat.

The last love song is a queer YA romance inspired by Mamma Mia with a dash of Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, the story follows Mia Peters (daughter of a late country superstar) who wrestles with leaving home, first love, and her true ambitions-all while following clues on a journey through her celebrity mother's hidden past.

Mia: Daughter of late country superstar Tori Rose, whose only solace is songwriting.

Britt: Member of a band called The Lost Girls and Mia’s best friend.

Tori Rose: Country superstar and Mia’s mom.

I would like to begin with that this book’s plot is compelling; you would not like to put The Last Love Song down. I was really into Tori Rose’s story- How she rose to the top? Who was Mia’s dad? How did her story end?

Mia and Britt’s story was filled with angst and adorableness. I really liked how they loved each other, but that didn’t influence their opinions. The parallels between Tori and Britt that showcased how they were born to be stars were really clever.

Mia’s grandmothers or Tori’s moms need to be mentioned because they were the cutest, and I LOVE THEM.

To conclude, this is a gorgeous debut that makes me want to look forward to author‘s future works.

“She’s the personification of a love song, and I can’t get her out of my head.”

Mia Peters just graduated from high school and is terrified of the upcoming summer. She has to say goodbye to everything she’s ever known, like her kind-of-sort-of girlfriend, Britt, and her band, who are following their dreams of going to Nashville, leaving Sunset Cove behind. Then, Mia finds mysterious letters from her country music star mother, Tori Rose, who died years ago. The letters reveal secrets that piece together her mother’s time in Sunset Cove and help Mia discover who she really is. Mia must decide whether to go to Nashville to pursue her love of music or stay in Sunset Cove with her two grandmothers.

This story was beautifully written and was such a quick and fun read. I loved the scavenger hunt aspect because it had me on the edge of my seat, waiting to find out what Mia uncovered next. I also enjoyed all of the relationships in this book, both platonic and romantic. Mia’s two grandmothers were adorable, and I loved seeing their dynamic. Mia and Britt’s friends-to-lovers arc was executed well, and I loved their tension and chemistry. One criticism I have is that the book was marketed with Mamma Mia vibes, but they weren’t really there. Yes, Mia didn’t know who her father was, but I don’t think it fulfills the Mamma Mia characteristics that were promised. Despite that, I loved the musical elements, like the snippets of songs written by Mia’s mother and Mia herself and the love triangle between Tori Rose, her bandmate, and her best friend. Kalie Holford’s debut novel is a heartfelt love story about growing up and letting go of the past.

I had such high hopes for this, but while I enjoyed it, I ended up with some mixed feelings. I thought this was a very charming story, heartfelt and cinematic, and I loved that we got to read chapters from Mia's mother's perspective as well, which really added to the atmosphere of the story. That said, the story did fall a little flat for me. I think I expected a little more from it in terms of mystery and character development. I really didn't like how the reason for her mother's death was kept from Mia for so long, because this really screwed with her brain. I think she always deserved to know. I also wasn't a fan of the romance, because it felt really conditional, and I didn't feel the chemistry.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. Messy queer characters, a scavenger hunt, and lots of angst. I will say, I don’t always love family drama stories, but this one was so intriguing and heartfelt. I cried multiple times, and personally I love that for me.

I loved following Lia as she figured herself out, and learned more about her mom. This is such a great spring book. Definitely binge-worthy (ignore that it took me 2 weeks I am tired). It felt like I was bingeing it every time I picked it up, and that is a great feeling!