Last Night Was Fun was comped to The Hating Game and You’ve Got Mail, and boy did it deliver. I absolutely ADORED this book and it’s one that I can see myself rereading again.

Emmy Jameson is the lone woman in her field of baseball stats analysis. She’s great at her job, but is constantly overshadowed by her workplace nemesis Gabe “Ruthless” Olson. Romance is the last thing on Emmy’s mind as she prepares herself for a promotion, but a flirtatious text from a mystery number changes all that. “Axe Murderer” is funny and sweet and Emmy finds herself able to open up to him about things she hasn’t with anyone else. The feelings are mutual and when AM asks if they should meet up, Emmy works up her nerve to say yes. Only AM isn’t a stranger after all.

I loved the banter between Bird Girl/Axe Murderer so much. I love a good pun, so he was absolutely killing it with all the bird puns. I really liked how the “reveal” happened early on in the story. I’ve read a lot of You’ve Got Mail inspired romances and hate when the reveal happens later on/serves as the main third act conflict. Emmy and Gabe realize they are Bird Girl/Axe Murderer pretty early on and that allows them to actually explore their relationship in person for most of the novel. It made their relationship more believable and it made it easier to root for them as a couple as well.

Read if you like:
-Workplace romances
-Rivals to lovers
-Accidental texts
-He falls first
-Only one bed
-Vacation setting

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for a review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book very much was a crossover of You’ve Got Mail and The Hating Game. I devoured the beginning of this book and I loved the banter when the characters were texting each other, but when they finally got together in real life it lost steam for me. It felt like the second half of the book dragged and the lead up to it the ending was kind of frustrating.

It would definitely be a good beach read though if you like baseball, enemies to lovers, and workplace rimance.

“Last Night Was Fun” by Holly Michelle is an excellent new edition to romance comedy genre. Emmy, a data analyst, was a strong protagonist. This book is for lovers of sports romances and women in STEM romances but prefer more substance and character development over spice. Emmy and Gabe have a ton of chemistry and I loved their banter. I smiled through most of this book. Gabe is the perfect Golden Retriever/cinnamon role MMC. There are a ton of romance tropes in this story which made it extra fun without feeling overdone. The book was well written and I had a good time reading it. This is exactly what I’m looking for when selecting a romance book. I eagerly look forward to more books by Holly Michelle.
Thank you to NetGallery and Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, Avon & Harper Voyager for the ARC approval! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and at many times, I found myself smiling at my kindle in pure giddiness. I felt instant chemistry between our main characters and absolutely love a well-executed enemies to lovers trope.

There was so much anticipation in the first half of the book just waiting to see how the characters find out who the real BirdGirl and Axe Murderer. I found myself speed reading through all the filler parts of the story to get back to their budding texting relationship.

Truthfully, I thought we were going to find out that Gabe was scheming the whole “fake number” text as part of his master plan to steal the promotion but I’m so glad it went the other way! I love that the author writes in parts where the characters address how blatantly obvious it was that they were texting each other the whole time.

Also, let’s talk about the spice! I appreciate that this was not a closed-door romance because I was in-vest-ed in this love story. The romance was so well done and honestly the perfect amount of details at the right time.

My only criticism is the amount of times that our FMC was crying/sobbing/teary eyed was too much for me, personally. Girlfriend needs some therapy to deal with her family trauma.

As one of my favorite movie quotes from the book says, “….there’s no crying in baseball!”

Overall, this was a charming story and I completely fell in love with these two characters. Bravo!

I was thrilled to receive this Arc from Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley! I assumed I would enjoy it, but had no idea I would ADORE this book as much as I absolutely did! This was the cutest, easy, fun read and I fell madly, deeply in love with both Emmy and Gabe and the way they were both so quirky in their separate ways but came together with the sweetest chemistry! I can’t wait to get the physical copy when it comes out on June 10 as I will definitely be displaying on my shelf and rereading!

I will be sharing my review on my instagram page by release day, June 10!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: June 10, 2025

A spicy open door rivals to lovers sports romance that has so much delicious tension and anticipation, I couldn’t put it down! I was worried starting this because baseball is pretty low on my list of fav sports but this was just so fun! You can see how this is going to play out pretty early on but it just made me want to read on faster in giddy delight to see how it unfolds.

It’s nerdy and sexy and who said it was okay to write such a swoony hetero man during pride month?! Ugh! Haha.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and Holly Michelle for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t stop reading this! The texting banter was top notch and the bird puns made me giggle.

One thing that drove me nuts but won’t apply to most readers - there is reality show Emmy talked about - Name Your Price, I read a book about that show so I immediately stopped to confirm it was the same author. But it wasn’t. I was so confused. I kept thinking about it the entire book only to realize she wrote the other book under a slightly different name.

Back to the book. I enjoyed the main characters, the side characters, the plot. I didn’t love the conflict and how Emmy reacted but I kind of get it. The grand gesture was a little cringe but sweet.

Sometimes nicknames get cheesy and overused but Bird Girl and Axe Murderer were perfect!

I’m hoping there’s a book 2 with Pedro and Beth!

When you first pick up this book and read the blurb you might think this book is predictable. While aspects of the plot were a given if you read the book summary, how much you enjoy this book is not. I love when a story teller is able to "give away" all the details, but still manages to captivate and entertain the audience. This book did not disappoint on the banter, the chemistry, or the feels. If you enjoy "rivals to lovers" and hot-geek MMC this book is for you!

"A funny thing happened in her chest at the sight. And then she remembered his comment in the staff meeting and decided the sensation was preemptive heartburn from all the booze they were about to make her drink, and went back to despising him."

As a baseball girly, in a world full of hockey romances I love seeing baseball get its due in the rom com world. Here, both of our protagonists are statheads who work underneath the stadium, crunching numbers and analyzing games and player stats, vying for the same promotion. If you know anything about how text-based scams work, you will need to put on your rose-colored glasses and suspend belief for the meet cute (PSA: NEVER text back a wrong number irl), but it's worth doing because this was a charming read that just screams to be read by the pool on vacation (or on the couch, wishing you were on vacation).

I admit, I did have to skim over the Grand Gesture at the end because it public declarations are horridly awkward for me, but that's a Me issue. Overall I found that Holly Michelle did a really good job of showing how Emmy and Gabe connected very deeply on all levels - emotional, intellectual, and certainly physical. It took a while, but once that slow burn ignited it was full-on combustion! Each character had a tragic backstory, but ones that really served the story and didn't feel shoe-horned in just to check a box. Here, they yielded really authentic moments of connection and growth together.

Rating: 4.5/5
Spice: 2/5

Tropes:
- Rivals to lovers
- Hidden identities
- One bed
- Tropical vacation
- Baseball
- Women in STEM

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read an advance copy.

This book was enjoyable - I liked the development of the relationship between the characters. However, I felt that there were SO MANY opportunities for either of them to put it together about who they were texting, and they MISSED ALL OF THEM. Granted, the book makes fun of them for this later, but it felt like I needed to suspend a lot of belief on that - the characters just seemed so obtuse. But, I liked the relationship between the characters, and the pro I guess of both of them missing a lot of clues meant none of the awkward moments where one of them figures it out and doesn't know how to tell the other, ruining trust, etc., etc. While it does have some miscommunication, it was pretty short-lived. I'd be interested in learning more about the other characters in this book, and what type of shenanigans they get up to - I enjoyed getting to know the side characters as well and I wish I got to know more about them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager/Avon for the ARC!

It all started with the errant text from an unknown number: "Last night was fun" but actually, this whole book was fun!!
Emmy and Gabe are serious rivals vying for an important promotion. As a girl in the competitive boys club of pro baseball stats analysts, she already feels like she has a disadvantage. She has to be that much better but it feels like Gabe is always there to one-up her excellent work.
The pacing of this book is great. The amount of anonymous texts don't go on too long so that they feel drawn out and aren't blown up too soon ending the fun. We get the feel for the strangers' connection building. We also have a good insight into the real life relationship of Gabe & Emmy and its surprising new angle. It's slow burn without being too slow. I loved it!

This is a great, light book with a lot of feelings. You'll fall in love with these two math wizzes! Definitely fun!!

Thank you NetGalley, Holly Michelle, and Avon for this ARC. Available in stores June 10 2025!

This is my first Holly Michelle (James) book and thought it was a debut until I learned that she has published several books under the name Holly James. Needless to say, I will be adding her back list to my TBR. There was so much heart in this book. Both Emmy and Gabe exposed their most vulnerable selves while texting and then more as they became a proper couple.

As anyone who knows me is aware- I'm a sucker for sports romance. For whatever reason is just hits for me nearly every time. Even this which I would call sports adjacent as neither of the MCs play, but mixing sports and nerdism was genius. I have a few things I would have preferred to have flushed out a bit more as a reader but more for additional context than anything. I loved it

What happens when a stranger texts you and you strike up a flirty “You’ve Got Mail” type relationship…only to find out the person on the other end of the phone is your most hated co-worker? 🤳🏻

3.5 ⭐️ Despite a terrible ending that was predictable and dragged on and on and almost dropped this to three stars for me, I liked this one. 😂 It read a bit young, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. For once I agree with the publishing blurb in that this is pretty much a loose mash-up of You’ve Got Mail and The Hating Game. I liked the baseball tie-in and the unique setting with our MCs working in the back office as statisticians. For what it was, I do think the author tried to tackle a lot in these pages given it was more of a light and fluffy read (death, parental expectations, misogyny, etc.) and the heavier topics felt overshadowed by the lighter plot points in a way that made them feel more like footnotes. I still enjoyed this one and looked forward to reading every day, so I’ll definitely be seeking out more from this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for a complimentary advance copy of this eBook, out 6/10/2025.

Ahhh I loved it. Two of my favorite things love and baseball.

Emmy is a data analyst working for an MLB team. Always have to prove herself working in a man’s world and after a rough break up years ago Emmy thinks she can only have a career or a love life, not both.

All that changes when she gets a text from a wrong number. Over time her and Axe Murder (wrong number guy) connect and continue to text which is a nice reprieve from her busy work days where she is up for a promotion again her nemesis, Gabe. Needing to find a date to her sister’s wedding, her and Axe Murder decide to meet up and she is surprised to find out it’s actually Gabe.

Ah the book was so cute and funny. I could not put it down. Total Romcom material. I loved the banter. Honestly Gabe and Emmy were so sweet and the perfect match. QI

Read if you like:
Enemies to lovers
Pen pals
Banter
Baseball

Emmy Jameson is the only female member of a four person data analysis group working for a professional baseball team. She is up for a promotion against Gabe Olson her dreamy but aggravating work nemesis. With her focus solely on work she runs into an issue finding a date for her sister's upcoming wedding. Emmy's plans are tested when she receives an interesting message from a wrong number one evening. She can't deny the instant chemistry she feels with the mysterious person on the other side of her phone. She also can't deny having some feelings rising to the surface for Gabe. Can Emmy get her dream promotion and her dream man at the same time?

I adored this book! It was one of those giggling, kicking your feet kind of reads. When the leads can have so much chemistry just from text messages you know you are in for a great time. I really enjoy when the fmc has a strong network of friends and Emmy had a great one. Her evolving relationship with her co workers Pedro and Silas was also very fun. Mistaken identity books can sometimes be concerning when one of the parties has information that the other one doesn't. Emmy and Gabe were both great. I loved that they found out about each other at the same time and that part of the book didn't last longer than it needed to. I hope this will turn into a series because I would love to know what happens with Pedro and Beth! This was my first Holly Michelle book but it will not be my last! Axe Murderer and Bird Girl for life!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

we have flirting through texting paired perfectly with workplace rivals. we love a book that reminds us of you’ve got mail!

i would’ve loved Gabe’s pov cause you know he was down bad for Emmy!

there are some heavier topics so check the trigger warnings.

4/5

This book is CRIMINALLY underrated. I am really surprised at the lack of special editions and advertising - it is exactly what romcom readers adore. I wasn't even 15% into the book before I ran to the author's Instagram in order to preorder a signed copy of the book if that tells you anything. I also read this book within maybe 6 hours, I couldn't put it down.

You've Got Mail meets The Hating Game with a dash of Ali Hazelwood is an absolutely perfect way to describe this title and I LOVED every minute of it. I could not stop giggling and smiling from basically page one.

Emmy and Gabe work together and are the definition of workplace rivals. The chemistry and the banter between them is just out of this world. Even when they're just texting you could cut the tension with a knife and your cheeks are going to be killing you from smiling for so long with how top tier the banter is.

The book itself is rather predictable, but honestly its Romance and that's okay. It didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book in the slightest. It's the perfect comfort read. I felt calm knowing that the things I was predicting were coming true and it helped me just go along for the ride.

There was an instance at the end that I am not personally super fond of, but it's resolved quickly and in the most adorable way possible so I can let it slide. The side characters aren't super developed but honestly, they aren't really the point of the book. They're there to move the plot along so we can see more Emmy x Gabe moments.

Overall if you enjoy classic romcoms you will be utterly enthralled with Last Night Was Fun. I can't wait to go read other books by the author, if they're anything like this one I may have found a new auto-buy author for me.

A fun read!

Rivals to lovers (check)
Workplace romance (check)
Mystery person (check)


The ending was worth the journey FOR SURE!

The ending was soo good! I loved the way things came together. Though people sometimes say, well, since there’s a HEA you always know what’s going to happen. I can say that it is rarely the case because knowing something will happen doesn’t show you how. And the how of each point was gold

I enjoyed so many things about this book, from a new to me author. I loved the text message narrative, and how that started the relationship between Bird Girl and Axe Murderer. Of course, it's really Emmy and Gabe (not a spoiler, this is in the blurb), co-workers with an antagonistic history, both up for the same promotion. Great reveal when they figure it out, and I appreciated that wasn't dragged out to the end. Both characters are smart and funny, and their vulnerability, first over text and later in person, is very well written. There was the expected late misunderstanding, and a predictable, but lovely, grand gesture apology. All in all, this book was easy to dive into, and I'd for sure read this author again.

ARC received from Avon/Harper Voyager via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This story started out strong for me. I thought the wrong number text made for a great “meet” cute and I really enjoyed the text banter! I also loved the work rivalry dynamic that you could tell had underlying attraction. Unfortunately all that tension just fizzled out halfway through. Once they stopped texting it seemed like their banter stopped too. The tension from their rivalry seemed nonexistent. I’m 64% of the way through and just don’t feel invested enough to continue.