I had a pleasant time reading this book, but I have to admit I expected more — especially coming from Anna Todd.

The story itself is beautiful, emotional, and filled with meaningful messages, but I didn’t really connect with the main characters. I couldn’t get attached to them, which made the emotional pull weaker for me.

That being said, I absolutely loved the character of Amara. She brought a breath of fresh air and a depth that really stood out for me.

It’s a soft, well-written read, but for me, it lacked the emotional intensity I was hoping for. Maybe my expectations were just a bit too high…

The Last Sunrise by Anna Todd, at first it was the stunning cover that caught my eye, but then it was the promise of an emotionally charged story that truly drew me in. From the very first chapter, I found myself ensnared by Anna’s masterful storytelling and knew I was in for a memorable reading experience.

The Last Sunrise follows the journey of two young people, Julian and Oriah, as they navigate the complexities of love, loss, and self-discovery in a world that seems intent on challenging them at every turn. Set against the backdrop of a small island in Spain, Anna weaves together themes of family, friendship, and resilience, creating a story that is both emotional and uplifting.

Oriah Pera is a twenty-two-year-old girl, with chronic health conditions who lives an extremely sheltered life under the watchful eye of her overprotective, yet emotionally absent mother. Missing so many life experiences due to her illnesses, Oriah’s mom takes her to her native country for the summer. This summer… this summer is going to be different. This is supposed to be Oriah’s summer of a lifetime, and possibly her last summer of her lifetime so she intends to make the most of it. Could her summer plans involve a summer fling?
Julian Garcia, from the moment Oriah meets him, she is captivated and intrigued by him, and a little confused. He is ruggedly handsome, and a complete jerk, and yet she cannot stop thinking about him. Julian is mysterious and guarded, yet there is a relatability to his struggles and aspirations that resonates. Julian feels deeply but often finds it challenging to express how he is feeling. Yet when it comes to Oriah, something is different. She is different. Could Oriah be the one to break down Julian’s walls?

The aspect I loved most about The Last Sunrise was its ability to evoke a broad array of emotions. There were moments that made me laugh out loud, others that brought tears to my eyes, and a few that left me gasping in surprise. Julian and Oriah's journey of self-discovery resonated deeply with me. While there were a few pacing issues towards the end of the story, they were easily overshadowed by the strength of the narrative and the heartfelt conclusion.

The Last Sunrise is a beautifully told journey that offers a moving exploration of life's challenges and triumphs, and a must-read for anyone who appreciates a story of family, love, personal growth, and the enduring power of human connection. Fans of small beach town, strangers to lovers, contemporary romance will find much to admire in Anna Todd's work.

Thank you Anna Todd, Hambright PR, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC, even if I wasn’t able to finish reading it before the book came out! One of the best books I’ve read this year.

So… Julián and Ry invented everlasting first love!

This novel is about first love and also about second chances in love and in life, about rediscovering yourself and your family, about accepting your past and embracing your future. About new beginnings, family history and drama, about difficulties in accepting love, about both mental and physical health, about improving relationships with family and making new friends, about Spain (specially Mallorca), about overcoming fears and so much more for you to discover while you enjoy a cozy and a lovely read.

Written in a simple but powerful and elegant language, Anna Todd brought us a new story full of sensibility and depth. At the beginning of the book there’s a playlist you can listen to enrich your reading experience. Reading you can find a little bit of LGBT representation, secrets to uncover and, I assure, you will be so enthralled you would think you are the one immersed in Mallorca and living the adventures our main and second characters are living.

Anna Todd did an excellent job with this story, with the characters (Ry and Julián
have my heart forever), also describing everything in such a way I am dying to go and experience Mallorca by myself soon!

I loved so many parts of this book. I loved the chronic illness rep, the self discovery and the friendships made along the way.

Oriah is a rich rich girl who has been pretty sheltered her whole life due to some chronic illness issues. She’s determined to learn about her families history and where she comes from.

Romance readers don’t come for me.

This is a book that the HEA felt dishonest and if I was her I would’ve been lived at their choices.

🛥️Sooo, the last time I read anything by Anna Todd was when I read the After series and lemme tell you that was ages ago, WATTPAD ages ago 😓 With that, I want to say that her writing matured so much and I really enjoyed this book. But it’s worth mentioning that I also really liked the After series as well

This book was all consuming and I was hooked right from the start. Even when it was just Oriah and her mom, I just wanted to continue reading. It was so interesting to me how they could be absolutely polar opposites but then I finally understood

Everything about this book felt real. The town, the setting, the people, the relationships, the friendships.. everything. It kind of reminded me of Step Up Revolution with the whole company taking over the beach thing

Also I know this book is portrayed as a slow burn, but to me it felt like a fast burn instead. I liked Oriah and Julian’s relationship very much though. It was genuine and pure and raw. There was trust and communication even though they were going through the whole rich class issues, but I felt like they could deal with anything and they did

I must say that cover is absolutely stunning. I love all the colors and it literally has my favorite sky. A cotton candy sky. And that, for me, was an INSTANT READ

It was really easy to get lost in the pages. Finished the book really quickly. Anna Todd does not disappoint. The OGs know 🤚😍

Tropes:
✨Rich Girl X Working Class Boy
✨Enemies To Lovers
✨Chronic Illness Rep
✨Mental Health Rep

I loved this book. I loved everything about this book. I loved it so much that I read this book in one day.

Oriah has been sheltered her whole life, and for good reason. When her mom takes her to Majorca for the summer and she’s excited for a summer of finally living. One decision leads to another and she ends up meeting Julian. One thing leads to another and she finds herself spending all her time with him. But as the summer is rapidly coming to a close she must choose between something she has always wanted or go back to her old life.

Oriah has been through so much in her short life, and she’s finally ready to live. She is so fiesty and knows what she wants. But she has one of the most sweetest and purest hearts when you get down to her core. With everything going against her, he was such a joy to watch her finally be free and happy.

I loved Julian. He is a hard worker and definitely misunderstood by most. He puts all his troubles aside to give Oriah the best summer ever and that made me smile so much.

Let me just say when it comes to books I am not a crier. But this book had me crying. This book has so much raw emotion and you feel everything. This is so beautifully written, you feel like you’ve known these characters for a long time.

My favorite part of this book is definitely the mental health rep. This book doesn’t just scratch the surface with mental health, it gets down and dirty. You see what it’s like to see the darkest days — the days you want to hide from everyone you love. And I thought that was so important and honestly amazing.

This book surprised me, in a good way. I signed up for The Last Sunrise expecting a breezy summer romance. While it delivers on the sun-soaked setting and swoony moments, it also offers a deeper exploration of self-discovery, chronic illness, and the courage it takes to step into your own life.

Ry, our 22-year-old FMC, has spent most of her life under the watchful eye of her overprotective mother because of her chronic health issues. But a summer in Majorca becomes the catalyst for change. It’s here where we’ll meet Julián, a local with his own complexities, who challenges Ry to see beyond her limitations and embrace the adventures she’s always yearned for.

Their relationship isn’t just about romance. It’s about growth, trust, and the messy, beautiful process of coming into one’s own. Their journey together is raw, real, and resonant.

The book isn’t a story of loss, but of gain—of experiences, of love, and of self. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the most transformative journeys begin when we dare to step outside our comfort zones.

I enjoyed this book but it moved a little too slow for me. The banter between Julián and Oriah is great and kept me reading. Some plot lines were a little too drawn out but overall I enjoyed this book!

Oriah is trying to find herself and struggling of who she was at home and who she wants to be in Mallorca. The balance and struggle is well written.

Julián is a walking summer romance. He is so harsh to Oriah at first but that pull is there immediately. The chemistry is there on tier first interaction.

I was eagerly awaiting this release, as I had fallen in love with the After series. I was hoping this one would be just as good, and giving me reason to continue reading novels by Anna Todd. I honestly was disappointed with this book, but gave it a three-star because I have read worse. I enjoyed the story overall, but felt that the Ry's story has been overdone. I would have enjoyed the story more if Ry was "normal" and we learned more about Julian. I also found that there were a plethora of mistakes, in grammar and spelling, in the ARC reader. These mistakes made it difficult to read and follow. Compared to the After series, this book is more timid, and does not get detailed in their physical relationship as intensely as in Todd's other books. I was looking for something different when I picked up this ARC. I feel that if I did not have prior expectations of the book, that I would have enjoyed it more.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For more reviews and discussions, listen to my podcast The Honest Book Reviewers with Nate and Emma.

https://open.spotify.com/show/3H3ugH4xlzvjMXuUo1Lyvh?si=ewdzfkUnSVKyDmAvHMHIPQ

The Last Sunrise by Anna Todd

Pub date 📆: May 6, 2025

If you’ve ever dreamed of escaping to a sunny island and falling for a swoony local, The Last Sunrise by Anna Todd is calling your name. But heads up, it’s not all sunshine and flirting on the beach. There’s a surprising amount of depth tucked into these pages. ☀️📖

Ry is 22 and feeling stuck. Between chronic health issues and a mom who’s more focused on work than their relationship, life feels a little… paused. So when her mom’s job takes them to Majorca for the summer, Ry decides to take some chances. First up? Sneaking off to the beach alone. Second? Meeting Julián. Charming, slightly arrogant, and way too easy to fall for.

What I thought would be a light summer romance turned out to be so much more. There’s love and laughter, yes, but also some beautifully done rep for TSC, epilepsy, and depression, complicated family dynamics, and secrets that totally took me by surprise.

💕 What you’ll find:

🏝️ summer in Spain
❤️‍🔥 enemies-to-instalove energy
🌱 coming-of-age themes
🧠 mental + physical health rep
👩‍👧 complex family relationships (mother/daughter)
☀️ rich girl x working class boy
💗 second chance romance
⏰ ticking clock

Was this the kind of story that completely unraveled me? No.

But it did pull me in with its charm, held me with its heart, and left me thinking about how one summer, one person, can quietly shift everything.

🏷️: #TheLastSunrise #AnnaTodd #summerread #romancebooks #bookstagram #bookreview #chronicillnessrep #motherdaughterbooks #bookishthoughts #readwithme #summerreads #allbookedwithbri #hambrightpr #giftedbook

ARC Review ✨️

♡Oriah & Julian♡

Oriah is no stranger to living a difficult life between dealing with chronic health issues and a highly overprotective mother. She's just waiting for her life to actually begin. When her mother gets a job opportunity taking them to Majorca, she views it as her opportunity to take life into her own hands.

First step is going to the beach on her own. That's when she meets Julian. He gets her way out of normal way of living and slowly comes out of her shell, only downside is she knows they have to go back to America soon. Now, it's up to her to decide if she wants to keep living for herself and under her mother's wishes.

This story was emotional, beautiful, empowering, and all around a great romance read🥹🙌🖤 The author's poured so much into these characters, and the mental health aspect was portrayed perfectly! I absolutely adored Oriah, and I couldn't wait to see her blossom without her mothers hold. This is the perfect summer romance read, and I so highly recommend it!

Tropes:
🖤Summer romance
✨️Mental health/ medical problems
🖤Enemies to lovers
✨️Parental drama

Thanks so much to the author, Hambright Pr, and Netgalley for the ARC!

This book had me in literal tears. It brought out so many emotions. I really loved the journey Anna Todd takes us on in giving us Oriah and Julian’s powerful love story. This book is beautifully written with tender love and care. It has the perfect amount of deeply layered emotions, in depth characters that make you feel and the world building is amazing. I could picture Mallorca perfectly.

Oriah has been living a life of solitude due to her health conditions. Oriah's mom overprotectve mom has business in Mallorca Spain for the summer and Oriah moves there with her. Oriah meets Julian at a local beach and just can’t look away from that moment on; she is intrigued by him immediately.

Julian is a local fisherman who is known as a playboy in the area. After getting to know him there is so much more depth to him then what we first see.

Oriah starts to find her voice and starts living for herself. She grows exponentially at every turn of the page. She seeks out what she wants and is humbled when making mistakes. I could not put this book down once I started reading. Oriah and Julian's love was sweet, explosive at times and just down right raw. They pulled at my heartstrings and left me wanting more.

𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁
🩷Enemies to lovers

☀️ Second chances

🩷Ticking clock
☀️ Spanish setting 

🩷 Rich girl/working class boy
☀️ Forced proximity
🩷Mental Health Rep

The Last Sunrise was beautifully written! This is a perfect summer read & I will definitely re read it during my summer days by the pool! I love any stories with beachy vibes & summer vibes! This one hooked me from the first page. Such a beautiful romantic summer love story. So well written along with the characters. The characters were so thought out!

This story will have you emotional, in your feels & smiling. I truly adore the author for showing representation of chronic illness & mental health. This story felt so deep, raw, real & shows what some of us can live with in our everyday lives. I truly felt for Oriah & Julian. A summer fling that turns into so much more. & cheering on Oriah & Julian thru this whole story. Beautifully written!

Thank you Anna Todd, Hambright PR & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful story!

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞” 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

When twenty-two-year-old Oriah (Ry) Pera learns that her mother’s job is relocating them to Majorca, she knows this summer could be the start of her very own coming-of-age story. Between chronic health issues and her mother’s overprotective tendencies, Ry feels like she’s stuck waiting for her life to begin.

In her first small act of rebellion, she heads off to the beach alone and meets an infuriatingly charming Spaniard. Julián makes Ry feel even more naive and inexperienced than she normally does, but she can’t tamp down her growing attraction.

As the summer continues, Julián pulls Ry out of her shell and into the adventures she’s always craved. But with her return to America looming, Ry must decide if she’s brave enough to finally follow her heart and live for herself.
—
As a big fan of the After series by Anna Todd I was so excited to read more from her, and this one didn’t disappoint! I loved the beachy Spanish setting and whirlwind summer romance of it all, and I appreciated the recognition of some heavier topics (chronic illness, mental health). Overall, I definitely recommend this for a quick summer romance read!

Thank you so much to Hambright PR for my #gifted copy, all thoughts and opinions are completely my own. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 is out now!

I’ll never get over how much I love anything @annatodd writes, and this one might be one of my favorites yet. I got to read it early and it was everything I needed — emotional, heartfelt, and completely addictive. the ultimate coming-of-age, summer romance. you can grab your copy on May 6th and trust me, you are going to love it. 💕

3.5⭐️

This is an emotional story that will tug at your heartstrings and make you appreciate what it means to be healthy.

It is the story of Ry, who has a debilitating disease, her over protective mother and the boy she meets in her ‘last summer’.

This is a book about standing up for one self, new beginnings, friendship, family and love.

The plot is paradoxical and the author’s style is descriptive and immersive. The description of the island and its surroundings was vivid.

I liked both main characters at first but afterwards I was disappointed by their behaviour and childishness. They both grew on me as the book progressed and I was pleased by their development.

If you enjoy second chance romance then you will enjoy this.

Why do I love stories that make my heartache?

Wow, absolutely wow! I started reading this one last night and immediately was mesmerized by Oriah and her life, her decisions, her peace with a last summer. I found her to be one of the strongest, most inspiring characters I’ve ever read.

I love so much the way this book not only touched on Rys illness but also other issues, like the throes of mental illness, parent-child relationships and even environmental issues.

This books was absolutely beautiful

I think I went into this book expecting too much. I was so excited to see that this book was being marketed towards fans who love the After series because I loved those books so much! Unfortunately this book fell very flat for me. I found myself not knowing what was going on half the time. I feel like up until the last 20%, this book was mainly about the FMCs mommy issues. I would’ve loved to see more romance and communication between the main characters. I did however love the side characters other than her mom.
My favorite part of the book was the ending when their love story finally came together!

Overall I just feel like this book wasn’t for me but that’s okay! I would totally give it a shot and see if you love it!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
Enemies to Lovers
Second Chance
Ticking Clock
Rich girl x Working Class Boy
Forced Proximity

Thank you to Anna Todd, Hambright PR and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!🫶🏻

I wanted to love this one, but it was a struggle for me to get through. I had a live/hate relationship with the after series but couldn’t put it down. This one I struggled to even want to pick it up. I’ve been really picky with books lately so could easily be a me issue vs the actual book.

I absolutely loved everything about this read.

It wasn’t just a great book, I completely felt the words breathing into my soul. Beautifully written. The storyline had me captivated from to end. Exceptionally well done.