From the Publisher
"Packed with smart humor and sparkling prose, Last Chance Books strikes both the funny bone and the heartstrings. You’ll root for Madeline as old and new relationships thwart her fight to save her family’s bookstore. A delightful read." — Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow
“A charming, hilarious debut that pays tribute to You’ve Got Mail while feeling uniquely modern. Kelsey Rodkey’s banter is what romcom dreams are made of, and Madeline and Jasper are so perfectly matched that I nearly perished while waiting for them to kiss. (And oh, they do.) An instant favorite.” — Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of See You Yesterday
"Madeline is quick-witted, bright, and passionate... a lighthearted page-turner." — School Library Journal
"This enemies-to-lovers romance includes a business rivalry, a deadbeat mom, and a last-gasp attempt to save a family store... A solid rom-com." — Kirkus Reviews
"The You've Got Mail-style romance is well-executed in this debut." — Publishers Weekly
"Rooted as much in family as it is in cute banter, book nerdery, and sexual tension... You’ve Got Mail for teens." — Booklist
Laura Taylor Namey
"Packed with smart humor and sparkling prose, Last Chance Books strikes both the funny bone and the heartstrings. You’ll root for Madeline as old and new relationships thwart her fight to save her family’s bookstore. A delightful read."
Booklist
"Rooted as much in family as it is in cute banter, book nerdery, and sexual tension... You’ve Got Mail for teens."
Rachel Lynn Solomon
A charming, hilarious debut that pays tribute to You’ve Got Mail while feeling uniquely modern. Kelsey Rodkey’s banter is what romcom dreams are made of, and Madeline and Jasper are so perfectly matched that I nearly perished while waiting for them to kiss. (And oh, they do.) An instant favorite.”
Booklist
"Rooted as much in family as it is in cute banter, book nerdery, and sexual tension... You’ve Got Mail for teens."
Kirkus Reviews
2021-03-13
This enemies-to-lovers romance includes a business rivalry, a deadbeat mom, and a last-gasp attempt to save a family store.
Recent high school graduate Madeline Moore has grown up working at Books & Moore, her family’s bookstore, and she would love nothing more than to take over running it after college. She and Benny, her half brother, have been raised in Pennsylvania by their maternal aunt, Astrid, and Benny’s father, Sterling, who lives in the area. Astrid manages the bookstore while the teens’ flaky mother is off trying to become an actress in California. The store’s livelihood is threatened when chain bookstore Prologue opens up across the street, quickly becoming Madeline’s nemesis. After an encounter with maddeningly attractive local boy Jasper Hamada leaves Madeline swooning, she discovers that his family owns Prologue, and he works there—which leads to a series of sabotaging pranks between the two. Madeline’s world collapses after her aunt announces that due to financial problems, the store is going to close at the end of the summer—and that her mom is moving back. The plot moves along briskly with romantic tension, sex-positive moments, comedic beats, and Madeline’s determination to save the store. Madeline has been bullied for her weight and expresses internalized fatphobia. She, her aunt, and her mother are cued as White; Benny has brown skin (he and Sterling are of indeterminate ethnicity) and Jasper is Japanese American.
A solid rom-com. (Romance. 14-18)
