What a fun read. It pull you in and you are invested.
I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters.
I wished the wedding part wasn’t as rushed. But aside from that. Great representation of a male dominated workplace.
I love how they integrated their families.

Thanks NetGalley and Harper Collins for the eArc

This was a fun read. It had a lot of my favorite tropes (enemies to lovers, workplace, forced proximity) and it had some good banter as well. When it was tagged as You've Got Mail meets The Hating Game, I knew it was going to be a win for me. Emmy and Gabe were such a fun couple to root for.

Baseball. Like the texting premise of it. Lots of math. A beautiful story. I truly loved this one. Redemption. Second chances. If you’re looking for a great summer read, this is the one. The perfect mix of romance and substance. Thank you to Holley Michelle, NetGalley, and Harper Collins for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I may be in the minority but I didn’t love this book. I liked the premise behind it but I felt like the execution was not there. I did connect with the FMC and her struggles but the MMC was overall a bit boring and not likable. The banter could have been so much better. That seemed a bit boring to me as well. I found myself skimming quite a bit.

Overall a fun, cute idea but poorly executed.

This book was so fun. Towards the beginning I was a little worried that it would be totally predictable. It contains some of my favorite tropes (work place rivals, hidden identity via texting, wedding dates) and I was afraid it would feel like a hundred other books I’ve read. But I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy every page in under 24 hours. I really loved both of these characters and I’m super into single POV right now as I feel like it really ups the tension.

I received this ARC via NetGalley. It releases June 10, 2025. If it sounds like something you’d enjoy, be sure to add it to your TBR.

"Last Night Was Fun", by Holly Michelle, is a cute and enjoyable romance centering around two main characters who are fun to root for! When Emmy receives a text message meant for someone else, she replies and strikes up a conversation with an unknown man. The two soon find themselves talking constantly, and have so much in common. Emmy enjoys talking to him, particularly since work is incredibly stressful as she is battling her work rival, Gabe, for the same promotion. However, she keeps running into Gabe outside of work and realizes that he is very different than the aloof demeanor he wears at work. When Emmy finally decides to meet the man she's been texting, she's shocked to discover it's Gabe, but also a little relieved to realize that the two men she has feelings for are one and the same. Gabe agrees to go to Emmy's sister's destination wedding, and the sparks continue to fly. But what will happen when they return back home and have to work together?

I really enjoyed this book and enjoyed both of the main characters. I only wish there wasn't the stereotypical "miscommunication trope" at the end of the story, but thankfully it was resolved quickly. I will read more books by Holly Michelle in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

The only reason I didn’t finish this book in one sitting was because my iPad battery died. In real life and in books, I love when a guy is expresses feelings and vulnerability, and Gabe did just that. The development of feelings over their text messages felt very real and deep. The plot points and obstacles felt realistic and not too romcom-bookish (except maybe at the end). I believed in their relationship and romance. I liked the juxtaposition of their in-person experiences and development with each other and their text relationship development.

Many thanks to NetGalley & the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book hooked me from the very beginning and was so much fun. The banter was perfection and the writing was sophisticated and so well done. This was almost a 5 star read for me, but the spice was a little over the top and bordering on the unbelievable. I was also a little put off by the end of book "conflict"/misunderstanding, but recognize the effort to include a grand gesture.

I definitely recommend this book and you will absolutely love it for a fun summer read.

I enjoyed this quick sports-ish romance! I gave it 3.75 stars and rounded it to 4 stars since it felt so close to 4 stars for me.
This is a baseball-ish romance. Workplace romance. Enemies to Lovers romance.
This felt warm and cozy to me. It had witty banter, and I enjoyed the characters.
Our FMC, Emmy, is a female in a male-dominated job; she is a baseball analyst for an MLB team. The premise is that she is up for a promotion, but she is in competition with another analyst. Enter our MMC, Gabe.
Emily is a woman on a mission. She doesn't date and has goals. One night, when she is out, she gets a mysterious text that comes to her. Of course, come to find out, after texting for some time, that mystery texter is none other than Gabe.
So we go on an adventure with so much fun banter. This is such a good book for a beach TBR. My only drawback was that it felt like other books I have read and movies I have watched in the past. Sort of like other books and movies swirled together to have a book baby.
It is light enough that you won't feel stressed.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Holly Michelle for the opportunity to review this ARC. I am now a fan!
Happy Reading!

I loved this one SO MUCH. This one is described as The Hating Games meets You’ve Got Mail, which is accurate. But it also has a dash of the Paradise Problem. What I’m saying is, it’s a winning combination.

I don’t really like baseball all that much (even though I worked security at a baseball stadium in college), but I was totally sucked in to this story. I loved the unique workplace and a peek behind the baseball curtain, so to speak. I loved the fun text exchanges between “Bird Girl” and “Axe Murderer”. And I really loved the dynamic when Emmy and Gabe finally got together. 🔥 🔥🔥

The author also really made me want to go on a Cancun vacation, even if our characters didn’t really get much beach time (wink, wink).

This has been one of my favorite reads this year. I hope a lot of people find this one and give it the attention it deserves. A big thank you to NetGalley and Avon in for the free eARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This one releases on 10 June.

A cute, fun, easy summer beach romance read featuring enemies to lovers in the world of baseball analytics with backdrops from Cancun to California

Emmy and Gabe work in research and analysis for a professional baseball team and are rivals for a promotion when a fake number leads them to anonymously connect (and find a real connection) via texting.

This was a cute and quick read. It was obvious from the beginning that Emmy and Gabe were attracted to each other.

Things I loved -
Emmy’s relationship with her sister
Baseball!
Beachy vibe
Pedro and ish. More of them, please!

Things I want less of -
Pastel polos. Personal preference but I just can’t imagine a man wearing one as attractive.

4.5/5--I loved this story so much! I couldn't put it down and needed to know how it ended! I'm also a huge baseball fan, so this was fun to read. The banter was great, the "oh shit" moments were good, and while there was no surprise who was on the other end, it was such a great way to bring it together. It's not life changing, but it's a fun and super enjoyable read!

3/5 on spice, and the scenes were sooo good. They worked so well with the story and weren't just thrown in.

I can't wait to read other books by Holly James!

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyage, and Holly James for the ARC. All thoughts are my own and are not paid!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a light and fluffy romance that hit all the right beats for fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope. If you enjoy witty banter, tension-filled moments, and characters who slowly warm up to each other, this one will definitely deliver. The humor was on point, and there were several laugh-out-loud moments that made it a fun and easy read.

That said, I did find the story to be fairly predictable, with a plot that dragged in places and made the book feel longer than it needed to be. While I appreciated the chemistry and development between the characters, the pacing took away some of the magic for me.

Overall, I’d rate this a 3.5 out of 5 stars ⭐️ . It’s a charming, funny read with great romantic tension—perfect for when you're in the mood for something cozy and lighthearted.

Workplace rivals that don't realize they've been romantically texting each other and are perfect for each other - sign me up! This book was a lot of fun. Slow burn with the right amount of angst, tension, and spice. The banter was excellent and witty - both in their interactions in person and via text. There were definitely some moments when I would have loved this to be dual POV to see things from Gabe's side - because that man fell first and fell hard. And when he does turn on the charm - he is perfection! Witty and heartfelt - I loved this novel - definitely recommend! Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the chance to read this novel.

This book started out great, but became disjointed and dragged. It felt more like 3 underdeveloped books than 1.

Book 1 is as the description explain. It had a cute premise and the characters had great banter. The description of a more modern day 'You've Got Mail' meets 'The Hating Game' is spot on. However that only lasted a third of the way into the book. It felt like there was a lot more material that could have been explored more and I wasn't ready for it to end.

The second book is them going to her sister's wedding. This part is part fake date trope / part only one bed, but really is neither in a way that feels under developed but was still fun.

However there is then a whole other third book in here which fell flat for me. Suddenly there were wild misunderstandings, emotional family baggage, and commentary on women in the workplace that didn't work. I honestly ended up skimming a lot of the back third just to see how it ended.

4.5 stars

This was just downright cute!

Described as You've Got Mail meets Hating Game, the author isn't exactly inventing anything new here but it's fun, it's cute, and I enjoyed reading it.

I realized a while ago I am a sucker for text message conversations in books and when done right it just makes me giddy. This whole story evolves from a text to the wrong person because of a fake number situation. What results is a cute, flirty convo between two "strangers" who slowly become friends and then possibly more.

In the other part of the story there is Emmy and Gabe, two coworkers pitted against each other for a promotion and of course, there is no love lost between the two. Emmy is a woman trying to make it in a mostly male world, working her butt off to make her mark and grab what she thinks she deserves. To Emmy, Gabe is the golden boy who seems to always one up her, using his maleness as an advantage to solidify his place in the department.

Even though it was quite obvious how the story was going to play out, I really enjoyed each of the main characters and how they brought out the best in each other. The chemistry was good, their personalities complimentary, and their running jokes as Bird Girl and Axe Murderer a much appreciated side of humor. Like I said, it was just cute! Would be a fun pool/beach read. I recommend!

What's not to like about workplace romance, enemies-to-lovers, AND a You've Got Mail situation!? I really enjoyed this book - I flew through it and will recommend to others and purchase for the library. Thanks for the opportunity to read it!

Last Night Was Fun had so many of my favorite troupes and was inspired by two of my favorites - the hating game and you’ve got mail. While I really did enjoy all of these troupes, it felt so obvious what was going to happen that sometimes it felt frustrating that Emmy was so blind to it. Also I felt myself asking by 50% what else is left to tell. Overall I’d give it at 3.5/5 and found this a good beach read.

I absolutely loved this book and thought it was going to be a 5 star read for me up until about 85% when the 3rd act breakup took place. I hate miscommunication and this felt like such an extreme case 😭. I would have liked this so much more if Emmy had overhead Gabe in the commissioner’s office, and immediately talked to him about it while laying out her fears. What can I say, I’m a sucker for healthy communication lol.

I also felt like because the 3rd act breakup dragged out over several scenes, the ending was a bit rushed.

Don’t get me wrong, I still really enjoyed this book! I’m giving it a solid 4 stars and would definitely recommend it to everyone. Emmy and Gabe’s banter was amazing and I loved watching their relationship take root via epistolary content. I’m also a huge baseball fan, so this setting was such a fun bonus. Really hoping we get another book with Pedro and Beth’s story 😍

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC

✨ Workplace rivals. Secret texting. A slow burn that sizzled. My serotonin? Fed. ✨

This book is what happens when you throw a classic rom-com into a blender with tension, banter, and a dash of ✨emotional vulnerability✨ and just vibe for 300 pages. Did I predict every plot beat like a psychic with a Netflix subscription? Yes. Did I care? Not even a little.

I was giggling. I was kicking my feet. I was rolling around like a feral Victorian orphan every time Emmy and Gabe breathed in each other’s direction. The chemistry? Off the charts. The slow burn? Burned me alive. I KNEW who they were texting. We ALL knew. But that didn’t stop me from screaming “JUST KISS ALREADY” into the void like a woman possessed.

Someone said this gives The Hating Game and while I haven’t read that one yet, if it’s even half as fun and flirty as this? Inject it into my eyeballs immediately. Workplace rivalry is my emotional support trope and this one delivers. No thoughts, just enemies-to-lovers chaos in a corporate setting and I’m eating it up like a feral little HR violation.

Spice? Barely there but adorable. Angst? Tender and well-placed like a gut punch wrapped in a love letter.
Final verdict: 4 stars, fast-paced, emotionally satisfying, and just enough chaos to keep me unwell in the best way.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Am I texting my book friends right now to scream about it? Also yes.