this book was fine? maybe I've read too many like it recently. the enemies part was more enjoyable than the lovers part ( )

2.25 stars. this was generally enjoyable but felt a little all over the place in some ways. sometimes i felt like the characters were older and it didn't seem like a young adult book, and then it felt like the characters were acting like children. i didn't enjoy the prank war between them, which felt like it escalated strangely and didn't feel natural to me. as to escalating, so did the relationship between madeline and jasper, in a way that also felt unnatural. that said, i liked the voice in this and the tone, and liked spending time in the bookstore. so i still found it fine, i just wanted a little more from it. ( )

YA enemies to lovers trope with two tweens who work at competing neighborhood bookstores, one a new B&N clone and the other an established indy bookstore hurting for business. If you enjoy books and a cast of quirky characters, you'll probably love this title.

One thing I didn't like was how the narrator on the audiobook I listened to gave all the male voices a kind of "low energy stoner" intonation which put me off to those characters. ( )

'Last Chance Books' was not much of a stand out. After reading the synopsis I was more than game for epic book store rivalry enemies turned lovers book war, it felt flat.

The characters—Madeline and Jasper lacked the chemistry and depth to pull me in and their childish pranks were just that, childish. More so, the unrealistic dialogue was a turn off and the love hate plot was too abrupt and quick for me. One moment the bitter rivals are trying to one-up another and in the next, wham-bam! They’re coupling up.

So all in all, it wasn't completely terrible read but there are a few things that could be tweaked and adjusted to make this a somewhat more salvageable read.

( )

Oh, dear! I hate to say this but "Last Chance Books" was a bit of a disaster. When I started reading the novel, it reminded me of the movie "You've Got Mail" and I was looking forward to reading it. I love books and movies set in bookshops! However, from the start, the main protagonist, Madeline, annoyed me. She often sounded older than her years but her behaviour made her feel much younger. She was overly dramatic, childish and self-centred, and I was quickly fed up with all the language she used. It was unnecessary and only made Madeline sound like a spoilt brat.

Other issues I had with this book were the pacing (it was too slow), the dialogue (which felt unnatural) and the relationship between Madeline and her mother (this was just weird!). When I started "Last Chance Books" I was expecting a light, fun romcom but it never delivered. A disappointing read. ( )