Found this to be a nostalgic, laid back beach read.

Don’t think I connected with the characters (Sam and Austin felt real but kind of distant) or romance especially, but the setting and vibes of it worked. Definitely hallmark movies feels, which in the right mood, worked for me.

The Last Resort was such a delightful read! Such a well written and beautiful story which explores some challenging issues including addiction and trauma. This book found a balance of flawed characters facing conflict, humor, romance and second chances.

The perfect beach or rainy afternoon curled up on the couch with the kitties read, this book will leave your heart feeling full. The beauty of smalltown island living comes to life on the pages, transporting the reader to paradise. Told from a dual point of view, the author does a great job of developing the characters and bringing them to life.

Thank you to Kristin Wollett and Forever Publishing for the ARC of this book. I had a great time with this book, and it was the perfect palate cleanser for me!

On paper, I should’ve liked this book a lot more, based on, well, everything about it — characters you want to root for, complicated feelings about one’s past and family, grounding romance in realistic, real-world problems. However, my main gripe is with the actual execution of the book: the pacing felt off and the writing/plot loose, so while this may very well be a me problem, it admittedly took me a while to get into the groove of the book, and even longer to sustain my interest, which somewhat affected my enjoyment of the story.

Still, flowers to Kristin Wollett for this debut!

Book Review: As a Last Resort by Kristin Willett
Romance
What a great beach read! This sweet story focuses on main character Sam, who has run from her small Florida hometown to the big city of New York only to be sent back to her hometown to scout property for her fancy real estate development job. The story contains everything I love about a beach read – island life, unresolved drama, the best friend’s brother, and a female main character with a big decision to make. The reason for Sam‘s hasty departure from the island after high school graduation, her mother’s addiction, adds a layer of depth and heart to the story.

As A Last Resort is a bingeable summer read with a fast pace and lovable characters. It reminds me of a Mary Kay Andrews book!

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you @ktwollett @netgalley and @hachetteus for this advanced reader copy! As A Last Resort will be available September 2nd, right about the time we are all wishing to be at the beach— the perfect escape!

In this romantic comedy opposites attract and they fall in love. Samantha is face with some family issues and she chooses to leave her family in sunny Florida and move to New York.

Loved this book! I thought Sam and Austin were adorable. I also liked how the heavier topics were handled. Overall a really enjoyable read.

This was Kristin Wollett’s very first published book, and if she keeps writing romance, I’m totally in! I really enjoyed reading this one. It has a little bit of everything: coming home, facing your past, and a romance you want to root for. For some, it might even feel a little relatable with the hometown return and friends(-ish) to lovers vibes.

Samantha is focused on her career in NYC when she’s sent back to her small Florida hometown for work. She’s not exactly thrilled to be back, especially with everything she left behind. But then she runs into someone from her past. He’s charming, unexpected, and totally not part of her plan. She’s there to focus on her goals, not fall for someone.

Kristin did such a beautiful job crafting this story and showing the emotional layers beneath it all. It’s sweet, heartfelt, and leaves you with hope and all the fuzzy feels. I’ll definitely be reading whatever Kristin writes next!

This was my first NetGalley ARC review and it was a great pick to kick things off! Thank you to Kristin Wollett and NetGalley!

Great read - didn’t feel like a predictable rom com but did have a great love story and personal arc. Very well written and thought out storyline. Can’t wait to see what the author does next.

4 stars. Going into this book we have a FMC that seems very cold and career oriented. However, as we learn more about her childhood and the small coastal town she left behind we realize that there is more to the way that she is acting. I liked that the author did not make the author completely unlikeable and gave her balance. The MMC is the FMC's ex-bestfriend's older brother!!! However, due to him being 4 years older and off with his fiancee at the time, he was not around during the worst of the FMC's time in the town and there is some growing pains as he comes to realize why she does not want to come back home. The author does a good job on talking about a difficult topic (alcoholic parent) and how it affects the decision of the FMC in her life. The author did a good job of mixing difficult and deep topics with fun, summer rom-com vibes. Definitely recommend!

🏝️✨ As a Last Resort by Kristin Wollett ✨🏝️
📖 Pub Date: Sept 2, 2025 | Forever Publishing

She ran from her past. Now it’s standing on the dock with a ferry schedule and a smile.

☀️ Small-town charm.
🛥️ Ferryboat captain MMC.
💔 Childhood trauma + second chance romance.
💼 Big city ambition meets barefoot island vibes.

Samantha Leigh swore she’d never set foot on Rock Island again… but when her job sends her home to close a big real estate deal, she’s forced to face the ghosts she left behind, including Austin Marcs, her childhood crush turned golden-boy ferryboat captain.

🌊 What I loved:
💚 Austin. Full stop. A green-flag, falls first kind of hero with quiet strength and SO many swoony moments (his POV = perfection).
💚 The island vibes: beaches, fishing charters, pirate putt-putt, and seaside food shacks? Yes please.
💚 Heavy themes like addiction and healing arcs gave this depth beyond the typical rom-com setup.
💚 Dual POV. Austin sees Samantha in a way that’s tender and raw.

🌟 A healing second-chance romance with grit, sunshine, and a book boyfriend I won’t forget. If you love small-town romances that mix humor and heartache, As a Last Resort belongs on your summer TBR.

Sometimes home isn’t a place. It’s a person. ❤️‍🔥

#AsALastResort #KristinWollett #ForeverBooks #RomanceBookTok #SmallTownRomance #SecondChanceRomance #NetGalley #RomComReads #FerryboatCaptain #HealingRomance #EnemiesToLoversVibes

It took a little bit to get into this book, but when I did I couldn’t wait to see how it ended! I loved the writing style. There’s so much growth and character development that made me so happy to read. Samantha’s mom finally apologizing was such an emotional scene and so well done 😭 I wanted Robby out of my life but then at the end he came around and I thought it was so cute when he mentions Sherry 😂 it’s a perfect way to circle back to her! Ivy is so witty and I just loved every time she was there. There were some inconsistencies like with Rex’s sisters and there were some dialogue parts that got really confusing because it didn’t state who was talking. Other than that the dialogue between Samantha and Austin made me laugh out loud I loved their banter! I also loved that they truly got to know each other that’s my favourite part! I truly loved this book and it was a heartwarming summer read that just needs a little more editing!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever publishing for allowing me to read this book early!

Easy beach read with likeable main characters. Interesting city vs. small town conflicts with descriptive build up of childhood trauma. Love always conquer all.

I LOVED As A Last Resort! Austin and Sam's banter throughout the story made me squeal and giggle the entire time! I loved how obsessed he was with her! There were so many cute callbacks from things said earlier in the book that just made me bawl. There were so many layers to both Austin and Samantha besides their romantic relationship. It felt as though their characters were extremely fleshed out and REAL which made reading their experiences even more heartbreaking. I really enjoyed how we were able to see them go on their own personal journeys along with their romance.

I'm not sure if Kristin Wollett is planning on writing more interconnected stories of the other characters from this novel but I would 100% read them!

I can’t believe this is the author’s first book. I LOVED this book and read it in an evening. I could not put it down. Stories with a beachy setting are always a yes for me! The closed door romance was a nice touch for me personally. I loved all the characters in this story and how they wove together. Austin and Sam was such a great love story to read. I can’t wait to see what Wollett writes next!

What a fantastic book. From chapter 1 I was instantly hooked on Samantha and her work-a-holic cover up I felt like she had. Austin was definitely “boy next door” vibes and I was here for it! I loved this one!

[Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.]

I think this is a cute story that would be perfect for a beach read. There were a lot of funny parts and side characters, but it also featured heavier themes (addiction/alcoholism and childhood trauma) that added depth to the story.

Samantha is forced to return to her hometown, and immediately runs into Austin, her childhood crush (and former best friend’s brother). He ends up stepping up and repeatedly helping Samantha. As they reconnect, that slow burn starts, but they also figure out what it is they want.

I did get a little confused about the timeline of the story. It’s set in 2023 making Samantha 25 or 26. She says she had a crush on Taylor Hanson but she would have been born around the time Hanson was as the height of popularity (which I know, because I was a fan 😂). She was also a fan of Debbie Gibson, which only further confused me.

This book has a nostalgic feel to it. Wollett is also an actress and is great at discribing settings and keep the story moving forward. I could absolutely imagine this book as a movie! I’m not sure who I would want to be featured in the next book: Ivy or Patrick (or both?! 😉)!

Thank you for the ARC. This was a light, easy read. But it had so many grammatical errors, making it difficult to read. It became me looking for errors instead of trying to enjoy the book.

Set on a charming island off the coast of Florida, this novel unfolds through the dual perspectives of Sam and Austin. Sam, a driven real estate developer, left her hometown of Rock Island right after high school, eager to escape a difficult home life with her alcoholic mother. Austin, on the other hand, is the older brother of Sam’s former best friend and a ferry captain deeply rooted in island life.

When Sam is sent back to Rock Island by her New York firm to evaluate land for a potential development, her unexpected reunion with Austin reignites old emotions—and sparks begin to fly. The story is engagingly written, with strong character development and a cast of memorable side characters. It tackles some heavy themes with heart and humor, and balances depth with moments of hope and lightness.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I’d love to see it evolve into a series featuring other characters from this world. I could easily imagine books centered around Sam’s assistant Ivey or Austin’s first mate Patrick. The novel is set to be published in September, and I definitely recommend adding it to your reading list!

The story definitely benefitted from being dual POV! Being able to experience it from Austin's perspective definitely helped temper some of the assumptions that Sam made throughout. It does come off a bit Hallmark at the beginning, but the book takes on its own personality as it progresses. I really enjoyed the almost reverse use of the miscommunication trope at the end, and how the separation was clear cut and then the reunion was more endearingly jumbled! Great read to extend the summertime beach vibes through to the fall!

This was a sweet read that touched on some serious topics- a combo I love. I liked how the author didn't shy away from heavier concepts, however I wish she went more in depth about the dangers of development companies, etc. I think that the ending felt like it wrapped up a little bit tooo perfectly, however this is a romance book! 3.5 stars!

Thanks to netgalley and the author/publisher for the ARC!