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Kelsey Rodkey

Sarah Long

Last Chance Books Kindle Edition

by Kelsey Rodkey (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

288 ratings

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You’ve Got Mail meets Morgan Matson in this smart, banter-filled romcom with a bookish twist.

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.

Print length

360 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

HarperTeen
Publication date

May 18, 2021
Reading age

13 - 17 years
Grade level

8 - 9
File size

2621 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Not Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
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Freya Sampson
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Amanda Sellet
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Kelsey Rodkey
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Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

I’m not a Morning Person, per se, but I am definitely not a Night Person. I’m barely a Person these days. I’m just a vessel for stress and mania.
Highlighted by 100 Kindle readers
Just a few days ago, I thought I’d had more than enough of him, marked him as Did Not Finish, but now I feel like every part of him will remain To Be Read.
Highlighted by 62 Kindle readers
“Get ready to call your store Epilogue, because this is going to be its last chapter.”
Highlighted by 55 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Madeline's last summer before heading off to college isn't going as planned. Her aunt Astrid's independent bookstore where she works is going out of business, she finds out that her crush, Jasper, manages the competing bookstore across the street, and her absent mom, Dahlia, is coming to stay at the worst possible time. Madeline spends the summer trying to save the bookstore while forging relationships that she would have never expected. Madeline is quick-witted, bright, and passionate about her aunt's business. Her creativity helps her come up with ideas for pranking Jasper and ways to raise money to save the bookstore, even when her own family no longer believes in it. Jasper's family is Japanese, Madeline's ethnicity is unspecified, and minor characters are of various backgrounds. VERDICT This lighthearted page-turner is recommended for all young adult collections.—Elizabeth Gold, Midwood H.S., NY

Review

"Packed with smart humor and sparkling prose...A delightful read."

-- "Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author" --This text refers to the audioCD edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08G1N4Y8F
Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperTeen (May 18, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 18, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2621 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 360 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #543,655 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #27 in Teen & Young Adult Books & Libraries Fiction eBooks
- #154 in Teen & Young Adult Romantic Comedy eBooks
- #317 in Teen & Young Adult Romantic Comedy

Customer Reviews:
288 ratings

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Kelsey Rodkey
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Kelsey Rodkey is a burrito lover, banter enthusiast, and young adult author, who strives to create the stories she lacked as a teenager. She lives near the capital of Pennsylvania, which a lot of people think is Philadelphia, with her significant other and their cats. Last Chance Books is her first novel.
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Sarah Long
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Sarah Long has been Illustrating professionally since 2004 after graduating from Cambridge school of art.
After working in the greetings card and gift & homeware sector for over 15 years Sarah went freelance and has never looked back. Represented by the fabulous Bright Agency, Sarah has been commissioned by Walker Books, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, Pan MacMillan, Micheal O'Mara, Simon & Shuster as well as licensing her own artwork for the greetings card market.
contact https://thebrightagency.com/uk to commission Sarah for a book cover
and follow her on Instagram: @sarahlong_illustrates
See more on the author's page

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5

288 global ratings

5 star		37%
4 star		29%
3 star		21%
2 star		11%
1 star		2%

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zola le blanc

nice quick read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 2, 2022

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This book was very enjoyable with a nice amount of romance 🌶 and a cut enemies to lovers trope with a dash of betrayal. Definitely recommend.

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Cerulean Eyes

Great gift and fun read for young readers, or young at heart.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 30, 2021

Verified Purchase

What a fun YA novel! Character development, family relationships, friendships, frenemies, and details of final summer at home, draw you in for a great read. All the feels of young romance and coming of age. Highly recommended for young adult readers, or lovers of romance of any age.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 20, 2021

Verified Purchase

I looooove this book so much! Kelsey Rodkey will forever be one of my favorite authors. Her voice is so authentic, full of the perfect balance of snark and vulnerability, and her characters are so incredibly relatable. The banter in this book is perfect, the love and respect for bookstores shines, the enemies to lovers hijinks are hilarious, and the romance is tender and sweet. This is true romcom goodness at its finest.

2 people found this helpful

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Jasmine Alvarez

Quick and cute

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 30, 2022

I read this book and it helped me get out of a reading slump. I thought it was a cute quick read and I loved the setting of it all. Recommend if you’re looking for a book between books or something light and fun!

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Jill Nicely

the bookshop across the street

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 4, 2021

When Madeline Moore’s crush walked in to her family’s bookstore, she sold him her favorite book, the first in a series. She was hoping he’d come back for more. Partly so she could see him again. And partly because they need the business.

This is Madeline’s last summer to work in the bookstore, Books and Moore, before she heads off to college. Her aunt Astrid, the one who raised her and her half-brother, is the owner of the bookstore, and Madeline’s dream has always been to take it over. Small independent bookstores have always had struggles to stay in business, but lately they’re having even more trouble. A new Prologue moved in across the street, with shiny new shelves to draw customers in. Books and Moore is an older store, with a mix of new and used books, and the dust and smells that go along with that.

And then he came back. He liked the book Madeline sold him so much that he came back for the second one. Jasper Hamada came back. And he asked for her number. Madeline was on cloud nine. Nothing could go wrong.

Until he walked out the door, across the street, and into Prologue, where he put on his name tag before getting to work.

Madeline’s crush worked for the enemy!

And just like that, it was on. Madeline was determined to take Prologue down, along with Jasper and that smug (yet adorable) smile on his face.

But that wasn’t all that threatened to ruin Madeline’s summer. Her mother, Dahlia, is coming to visit, which always ends badly. And then she finds out that they’re raising the rent on the building Books and Moore is in, and Astrid has decided to close the bookshop at the end of the summer.

Now Madeline has to save her store, take down the competition, deal with the issues in her family, and ignore those warm feelings for Jasper that just won’t go away, no matter how hard she tries.

Last Chance Books is the modern, new adult retelling of You’ve Got Mail, or of the movie that came first, The Shop Around the Corner. These movies are classics for a reason—because they make us want to root for the underdog and for the lovers to find each other, no matter what. This inviting story takes the best of that classic love story and adds in lots of updates, from the bookish YouTube star to the cosplay. Author Kelsey Rodkey’s debut novel is a funny and heart-warming story of family, friendship, flirting, and finding yourself.

I loved Last Chance Books. It reminded me a little of myself and my own insecurities when I was that age, and it reminded me of some of the great rom com movies that I have loved for years. I really like Madeline and wanted her to find her spark, whether it was at her bookstore or somewhere else in the world, and I couldn’t wait to get to the end of the book to know her whole story. Such a charming novel!

Egalleys for Last Chance Books were provided by HarperTeen through NetGalley, with many thanks.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Danielle

Fun, light-hearted rom-com

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 13, 2022

This is a fun, light-hearted rom-com with well-drawn characters, banter, romance, and family drama. As a lover of independent bookstores, I enjoyed the setting and rooted for Books and Moore to survive and cheered Madeline on as she worked overtime to save her store. I appreciated the loving adult characters who fully engaged in the kids' lives and supported them in their decisions.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 11, 2022

This book dragged on and felt like it was never going to end. Madeline was a terrible main character. She was bossy, abrasive, self centered and cared way too much about her weight. I think I understand where the author was coming from but it did not translate well. Save your money and borrow this one from the library if you really want to read in.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 19, 2021

Madeline Moore is counting the days until she can take over at her aunt's beloved bookstore, Books & Moore. Her family has owned the store for generations; it's always felt like a second home to Madeline. Her family stubbornly insists she has to go to college first. But Madeline knows after that she can come home and pick up right where she left off making her bookish dreams come true.

At least that was the plan until a chain bookstore opened across the street. With cheaper books and multiple locations, Prologue is a big threat to an indie like Books & Moore. Especially when Jasper Hamada starts scoping out the competition under the guise of flirting with Madeline. Flirting well. But still.

With her long-absent mother back in the picture and threatening to move home for good, Madeline's personal life is a mess. She misses her brother who is spending more time at his dad's to avoid the drama at home. She doesn't understand why her aunt is always taking her mom's side. Madeline needs one thing she can control and she's pretty sure saving Books & Moore is it. She is definitely not going to let Assper Hamada distract her by being super cute and sort of . . . nice to her?

With help from her reluctant family, her BookTuber best friend Zelda, and the store's community, Madeline hopes she can save the store and win an escalating prank war with Prologue. Turns out Jasper is as good at pranking as he is at flirting and more than prepared to give as good as he gets.

As sparks--and barbs--fly, Madeline will have to decide if connecting with Jasper Hotmada is worth risking her entire future. All's fair in love and books (and prank wars) but that might not mean Madeline can have it all in Last Chance Books (2021) by Kelsey Rodkey.

Last Chance Books is Rodkey's debut novel. The story is narrated by Madeline who is white as is her mother and aunt. Her brother and his father are brown skinned. Jasper and his family are Japanese American.

Rodkey presents a well-developed cast and tackles a variety of side plots against the main focus of Madeline's feud (and flirtation) with Jasper. Madeline has been raised by her aunt with a lot of help from her younger brother Benny's father. Madeline and Benny's mother, an aspiring actress and bit of a flake, has been absent for years leaving both Madeline and Benny to wonder about the ulterior motives--and permanence--of her return this time around. While Madeline has to deal with the possible upending of her clear plan for her future (taking over Books & Moore), Jasper faces a different challenge in getting his family to accept his dream of going into design--a passion he currently feeds through cosplay.

Moments of humor (and more than a few hijinks) add levity to the story and help flesh out the main characters as well as their authentically quirky retail settings. Madeline's snappy narration and satisfying banter with Jasper make Last Chance Books a real treat. Recommended for readers with a soft spot for books about bookstores, enemies to lovers romances, and stories that will have them laughing out loud.

Possible Pairings: Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett, Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo, Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley, Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan, Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks, Tweet Cute by Emma Lord, When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, It's Kind of a Cheesy Love Story by Lauren Morill, It All Comes Back to You by Farah Naz Rishi, Recommended For You by Laura Silverman, This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura, Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian, The Shop Around the Corner, You've Got Mail

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Lisa

Super sweet story with a super fun plot

Reviewed in the Netherlands 🇳🇱 on September 14, 2021

Verified Purchase

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 4.5 stars

Last Chance Books is a story that takes place over the summer, with Books & Moore being on the verge of closing down and a new bookstore, Prologue, opening across the street. Madeline Moore, who works at Books & Moore will do anything to try and keep the store open, even if it means going to war with Jasper, the son of the owner of Prologue.

I love a book set in bookshops! The idea of two rival stores going to war with each other had me super eager to start this book! The book was super easy to read and I breezed through it very quickly. The book did really feel YA, with the characters making rash decisions and not always handling the situation in a correct way.

Madeline is an awesome character, that is super determined and loves book so much. She is really relatable because of that, as I’m a big book lover as well. I would’ve loved if my family owned a bookstore at which I could work, but alas. I also liked how complex her character was. She acknowledged her faults and it was really refreshing to see. I rooted for her, but screamed at her at the same time. Jasper was the perfect rival to balance Madeline out. Their relationship progressed quite naturally and I liked how it was depicted. It is a bit of enemies-to-lovers, but not as extreme as some other books. Zelda was a super fun character as well! She felt like the side-kick friend who I would've loved to "play" if this story took place in my life.

While the book has its romance and a really fun plot, it was really a story about Madeline’s journey and coming to terms with some of her baggage so she could move forward. It was a really strong point that this book made with that.

Overall, it was a super sweet story with a super fun plot, complex but likable characters and an awesome location, that I really enjoyed reading.

m.md

Cute

Reviewed in Spain 🇪🇸 on March 3, 2022

Verified Purchase

I loved the you've got mail vibes.
It's utterly charming, and the MC is really relatable.
It's a perfect summer read.

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