Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey Book Review

“Get ready to call your store Epilogue, because this is going to be its last chapter.”

(pg. 39)

About

Author: Kelsey Rodkey

Genre: Young Adult Romance

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Synopsis

Nothing will stop Madeline Moore from taking over her family’s independent bookstore after college. Nothing, that is—until a chain bookstore called Prologue opens across the street and threatens to shut them down.

Madeline sets out to demolish the competition, but the guy who works over at Prologue seems intent on ruining her life. Not only is he taking her customers, he has the unbelievable audacity to be… extremely cute.

But that doesn’t matter. Jasper is the enemy and he will be destroyed. After all—all’s fair in love and (book) war.

Review

Spoilers Contained Below

To everyone we give last chances to,

As a reader, it is my duty to read book about book lovers and book stores because DUH 🤪.

Also, I’ve just been loving how more and more authors have unanimously decided to write more books about book lovers because we readers love to feel represented. So of course, I had to pick up Last Chance Books because it had my personality written all over it.

Last Chance Books was a fun joyride of a story with an enemies to lovers storyline, complex family situations and small business conversations.

If there’s one thing anyone can’t call Maddy, it would be banal because sis really had a fire underneath her shoes and she was the most strong headed and resilient force of a human being I have read in a while. She just had so much passion and drive in her over something she loved and I loved loved loved that about her. Maddy worked at Books and Moore, which was a family owned business ran by her aunt Astrid. Maddy practically grew up in Books and Moore and ran the entire place because gosh knows Books and Moore wasn’t in the 21st century in terms of technology. Astrid’s half son, Benny, also worked at Books and Moore.

But the bookstore always meant more to Maddy than anyone else. My heart really felt for Maddy because of the complicated situation she was a part of. Maddy’s mom, Dahlia left Maddy with Sterling (Benny’s dad) and Astrid all these years ago because the mom couldn’t take care of Maddy and Benny as a young parent. I will give Dahlia credit for being self-aware enough to know that she wasn’t in a place to take care of two children and that she had people that would look after her kids. But at the same time, Dahlia leaving Maddy and Benny made them feel unloved and like they didn’t matter enough for the mom to stay and take care of them. It also didn’t help that it seemed like Dahlia was in a better place and she still didn’t want them. No one should ever have to feel like their parents do not want them because it causes a lot of hurt and pain. Also, it didn’t help that Dahlia would occasionally return to their lives only to leave again—-creating false hope that she would stay. I didn’t blame Maddy for resenting her mom for always leaving because I would feel upset and angry too—-like why am I not good enough for you to stay?

From Dahlia’s point of view, I knew that it was never about not loving them, but just not knowing how to or how to take care of them. Being a teenage or a young parent is challenging, especially when you’re doing it on your own. So I could only imagine her fear at the time. Also, there was probably the fact that Dahlia wanted to do something for herself or live her life first, which I guess isn’t entirely selfish but it still hurt that she left her kids.

When Dahlia left, Maddy found solace in Books and Moore. It was her home—-her one constant when everyone kept leaving her life or made her feel unwanted. Also, Books and Moore was special to Maddy because books were her world and her love. I know books have saved me more times than I can count, and if I could own a bookstore or live in one, I would. Bookstores feel like a safe place. It’ son wonder Maddy was so passionate and adamant not to give up on Books and Moore when it looked like they were closing.

I really enjoyed the conversations about small versus big businesses because I’ve learned the importance of supporting small businesses so much over the last few years. Now I’m not going to feign innocence and say I don’t shop from corporations for books because frankly the only bookstore I have where I live is Barnes and Nobles and that’s like an hour drive away. I’m not joking. There is only one book store in the state in my entire state. One. So I buy books from Barnes and Nobles and from the online version. I also buy from Book Depository because I don’t know many independent bookstores that ship to where I live, but if they did, gosh knows I would support them. It’s just hard to do so.

But back to what I was talking about, small business often suffer under the weight and popularity of large corporations because they are well known and make more money that keeps them afloat. Small business struggle more because they have to build their reputation and make a name for themselves and keep themselves afloat independently. That’s no easy feat. Just getting the name out here about your business is a whole shebang within itself. So I liked that Books and Moore ad been standing for however many years because the locals supported them and kept them open. We love local support.

However, across the street a new chain bookstore, Prologue, opened. Prologue posed business competition for Books and Moore because if people saw a more popular chain bookstore with nice displays and everything, they were more likely to walk into that store than some smaller unknown business across the street. I don’t think it was fair or nice that Prologue opened across the street when there was another bookstore there and that block definitely didn’t need to. So I understood Maddy because she feared that they were going to run Books and Moore out of business, which in some ways they kind of were.

The thing was, she really loved to hate Jasper Hamada who worked at Prologue. I don’t know why she hated him exactly—well, I did—but she couldn’t be furious at him because he just worked there and Jasper’s dad opened the store. So if there was anyone she should have been pointing her laser eyes at, it should have been the dad. She was slapping the messenger as they say. I mean, she really went from flirting with him to thinking he was the enemy while still liking him.

It was confusing.

I thought their little hate competition game was funny but dumb (in a childish way) 😂. Like they couldn’t step inside each other’s stores or cross to the other’s property without them having to go in and buy a book. That’s so petty but also a way for them to give business to each other. The only reason I think Jasper played along was because he liked her and wanted to just go with what she did. But I’m not going to lie, I FREAKING LAUGHED at the whole enemies to lovers plot because sis really got him RUN OVER and they still called it love 😂!?!??!?!?!

I was cackling.

Get you a partner who tries to make you road kill just to take down your business 🤪.

True love.

Young love.

What a concept.

Because nothing brings two people together as friends when someone nearly gets the other one run over.

I didn’t understand how they had any sort of chemistry besides the guilt she felt for nearly getting him ran over 😂. I mean, if I was Jasper, I wouldn’t’ have wanted to be friends with her because she nearly got me konked out.

I really couldn’t get past it. It was funny but also scary but also just ridiculous. I don’t know, they currently crossed a line with their game when Jasper nearly lost his life over it.

Their other petty fights were funny like when they kept trying to mess with each other by posting mean signs about each other’s store. I didn’t think it was funny when she went into Prologue and decided to change all their account passwords. I mean, that was a taking things a bit too far. Also, when they started to be more amicable to each other, there was this moment where Jasper lied to her about messing up her book order because he did. I thought that was pretty messed up because the second he felt like they were past their anomisty and were friends, he should have canceled the order and fixed it to stop messing with her. But he didn’t, and then he lied about it when it ruined everything Maddy had planned. That wasn’t being a good friend right there. I would have felt betrayed and cheated too.

Jasper really said you run me over, I screw up your book order.

Tsk Tsk.

It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

Or ran over 🙈.

Sorry, I can’t get past that.

I was confused.

But besides their fun and games, I really admired Maddy’s effort to save Books and Moore. It felt like everyone else had given up and accepted the fact that they were going to close at the end of summer—-like they were resigned without even trying.

I felt like Astrid should have cared more because this was her store and legacy, but I think it hurt more that she didn’t care. Because to Maddy it said that Astrid didn’t care to keep this part of her alive. Also, it meant that Maddy was going to lose a place that was her second home and somewhere she felt like she finally belonged. All the workers were moving on except Sofia and all the old time workers because they couldn’t afford to stick around when they had to make a living to take care of themselves and their family, which was understandable. But it felt like no one cared to try and that’s what bothered Maddy. I would have felt the same way if I loved somewhere so much and no one was making an effort to protect that place.

I felt just as shocked and betrayed as Maddy when Maddy walked into Prologue that one day and saw Benny working there. I shook my head.

I understood that he needed a job for school and Books and Moore was not a secure option with the plans to close, but still. Did he have to go work at the rival bookstore across the street? The bookstore that could have been very well the reason that Books and Moore was going to close in the first place? That felt like an arrow to the heart. What a loser thing to do.

If I’m being honest, Benny and Maddy’s relationship was kind of confusing but interesting because they were half siblings and shared Dahlia as a mom. But it seemed like Benny was barely around because he mostly stayed with his dad, Sterling. Sterling was legit a good man. So it was easier for Benny to get away during a difficult time when Maddy had to navigate many open wounds and fresh cuts by herself. She needed someone to help her, but I didn’t think Benny was really there to support her.

Zelda was. I loved Zelda, Maddy’s best friend. She was very helpful and encouraging of Maddy’s efforts. I loved how Zelda was a book tuber and had a massive following that Maddy used to get the word out about Books and Moore and the event they wanted to host with the famous author, Isla Warbeck, who was going to be in town and made a special stop at Books and Moore. All the power to Maddy though for looking into Isla Warbeck’s schedule and seeing how everything worked out for Isla to visit. I also loved that Maddy took it upon herself to email Isla about visiting to support and save Books and Moore. It’s not easy to put yourself out there and go after what you want, but I loved Maddy’s gusto that she did so. I also found it cute and funny how Maddy got all nervous whenever she did Zelda’s book videos or how one of the videos had Jasper in it and it skyrocketed the interest in Books and Moore because of their insane chemistry.

I also loved how Maddy organized this whole book sale thing with food trucks or working with the other small local businesses to do a deal thing where they sell food and Books and Moore and they split the profit. How creative and ingenious.

Maddy was a real business woman in the making.

She just had all these incredible ideas that were definitely worth the shot, and the fact that she took them was just phenomenal.

I mean, sis really made a friend out of the lady who worked at the at food truck and she also outreached to the community—-local business supporting local business. We love 💗.

I thought all of her ideas were making a difference and it sucked the not everyone could see it or were acknowledging how hard Maddy was working to keep Books and Moore’s running. She deserved so much more credit and appreciation.

The Isla Warbeck event itself was success because they had a cosplay contest, which was a genius idea. And I loved when people from Zelda’s channel showed up 🥺 because it meant that their efforts had worked to spread the news. I loved how there were many people there besides Jasper because he still needed to make it up to Maddy for doing her dirty with the book switch. I freaking laugh though that Jasper’s family told Jasper to say he was sorry and how the whole family felt ashamed for what happened.

Jasper, Jasper, Jasper.

Even though Maddy threw a 1000% of herself into saving the bookstore, there was always the possibility that all her efforts wouldn’t have been enough to keep the store open. I honestly had a hunch because it’s difficult, as heartbreaking as it is, because even if Maddy did make everything work, she still had to think about future payments and how she would make those ends meet when the time came—–it was enough to save Books and Moore now (if she did), but what about later.

I was heartbroken and melancholy when they realized that they did not make enough to keep the store open. I was mostly sad on behalf of small businesses everywhere and for Maddy. Books and Moores was supposed to be her legacy and part of her future home.

But she should be incredibly proud of herself for her tenacity and resilience to keep trying when everyone else had lost hope and threw in the towel.

So proud.

“We stand there in the drizzle, hugging and crying and mourning the loss of B&M, all while a new, bright future forms between us. One where maybe she stays and I don’t have to keep my guard up. One where she keeps her promises and I mark an effort because she’s trying, and if this summer with B&M has taught me anything, it’s that trying is the most important part of the process.”

(pg. 343)

I loved that 💗.

Because this was Maddy’s summer of trying.

She did all she could and sometimes things don’t work out the way we wanted it to, but maybe it’s what we need down the line. I knew how difficult it was for Maddy to let go and say goodbye to B&M, and I also knew how hard it was for her to find another job elsewhere because it felt like she was betraying Books and Moore or—gasp—moving on. But we all have to move on when one chapter closes and another one opens.

“Enjoy it while it lasts because nothing lasts forever.

I click open the application.”

(pg. 347)

Another reason Maddy should be proud of herself: for continuing to stride on even when things didn’t work out.

A third reason: the way Maddy carried herself when figuring out her mom issues.

Dahlia came to stay with Astrid and Maddy for the summer. I knew Dahlia staying would reek trouble for Maddy because she would be forced to confront the hurt feelings that she felt strongly for her mother all these years. When they picked up Dahlia from the airport, I could feel the old wound bleeding out again because Dahlia was a trigger into all the hurt Maddy felt.

“Frustrated tears start running down my face and I can’t stop them—every time I see her, my anger just comes barreling back full force with no notice, no warning that I’m about to explode.”

(pg. 43)

I wanted to hug Maddy 🥺.

I understand what it’s like to be angry at a parent for so long for doing you wrong and to feel that fresh wave of hurt and fury rise up in your eyes every time you see them. It literally feels like someone take a knife and cuts back open a wound you thought was healed, but I guess never really was until that knife just jabs under your skin again and again and it leaves you even more angry with all this toxic, festered pain.

It sucks to feel that way.

It also sucked that Dahlia had all these bags and that they held the promise of her staying, even though Maddy knew better. The cycle of going and going was not healthy for Maddy because it created a cyclical false hope where she knew not to expect more from her mom, except maybe more hurt.

I also felt it was very awkward and unreasonable to force Maddy to work with Dahlia when it was obvious Maddy was uncomfortable. Books and Moore was her safe place, so it sucked to have it taken away from her with the last person she wanted to work with. I also felt like it wasn’t kind of Astrid to force Dahlia and her to get along or something because I think they needed to figure that out on their own time. Also, it was weird to see how Dahlia also wanted to be in Maddy’s life and play the fun, lax parent because she thought that was how to regain entry into Maddy’s life when it wasn’t. All Maddy wanted the mom to do was to choose her and to choose to stay. Astrid will always be more like Maddy’s rightful parent because Astrid raised Maddy and knows how to be a parent in compassion to Dahlia who seemed like she wanted to be but still didn’t know how.

There was this conversation later in the book between Maddy and Dahlia I liked. Maddy really laid out all her frustrations on Dahlia. Dahlia’s excuse was the she stayed because the dad didn’t want anything to do with Maddy, so there was that. I mean, that’s true, but also Dahlia could have tried harder to stay for longer periods of time or to at least try be in Maddy’s life when she was older and could take care of her. I think they needed to lay out their grievances. No, they won’t have the normal mother-daughter lreiaotnship or something remotely close, but at least they knew where they stood in terms of all their feelings. And I liked that they were working towards healing.

Dahlia did choose to stay at the end, and I think a big part of that was because of Maddy who called her out on her batshiz and for all the times Maddy tried when things got hard. I also liked the conversation Maddy had with Benny.

“Earlier this summer, I thought that if she actually stayed, I would have gotten to be the one to leave her for once when school started up. I thought that maybe the moment would leave me feeling powerful and in control, but when I think about it now, I just feel. . . . sad. Despite all the times she abandoned me—despite her leaving me again, as she ways does—I can’t actually see me getting enjoyment in doing the same to someone else, even her.”

(pg. 300)

What a mature thought.

Maddy was going to leave for college after the summer, and got satisfaction from the idea of being the one to leave Dahlia. But I liked how she reflected on how she didn’t like it when people left her because it felt like they were hurting her. So she didn’t want to do the same to anyone else because no one deserves to be left like that.

We love a growth moment.

I liked how Maddy grew throughout the entire book from someone who was really adamant about keeping Books and Moore open to someone with more understanding and empathy for herself and others.

Things change in life—-things close, people leave and move on—-but never stop going and never stop trying to do good. If you stop trying, you will never know what could have been if you had only put in a bit more effort on something you love. Also, never take anything or any moment fro granted because you don’t know what changes or happens, so enjoy things while it lasts—-soak up the moment and live in it and appreciate it for what it is.

I would have liked more romantic cutesy moments between Jasper and Maddy to really understand their relationship and feel more invested in it. I also am interested in Jasper’s brother and his story because he seems like a great dude and it would be fun if he had a story. Also, I loved the supporting characters because they were fun and added humor and love to the book.

Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? What did you think of the book? 

What is the last book you read? As I am writing this, the last book I read was Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy.

Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕

I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.

And as always, with love,

Rating

3.21 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: I admired Maddy’s drive and passion for something she cared about and the way she grew.

Plot: A bit funny in the beginning with the pranks, but also such a good story to learn life lessons and relate to.

Writing: Some well-written one liners and a light-hearted read.

Romance: A bit of an enemies to lovers situation, but I would have loved more banter or cute moments