LAST CHANCEby LAUREN RUNOW
Last Chance is a story of love and heartache proving that life is not always fair, but it's worth the pain to get the moments you’ll treasure forever.
Mackenzie
From the very first moment I laid eyes on him, I knew my heart was his for the taking. He was the boy who filled me with butterflies and made my palms turn clammy at the mere sight of him.
There was only one problem… he was my best friend’s older brother.
It’s been eight years since I’ve last seen him, and I refuse to live another day without telling him the truth. So here I stand, taking my last chance to get him to notice me, my last chance to see if he feels the same way.
I need to know if he is just a fantasy, or if he could be my reality…
Before my reality changes forever.
Connor
I never wanted a girlfriend; I was burned by love and vowed to never go down that road again. But when the beautiful girl I’ve known practically my entire life snuck her way into my arms there was something that changed in me. I wanted to be with her, next to her. Just simply kissing her lips made my life complete.
Now I have one mission.
To make hers complete, too.
This book was my first read by Lauren Runow, and it won't be my last, but I will need to wait awhile and forget about how this book made me feel, first. Despite my dismal non-rating, I do "see" what she was trying to write, I just didn't "feel" it. I have purchased another of her books, so I know I need to make some time to check out more of her writing, but this one left a very sour taste in my mouth; aggravatingly so. Since I didn't come to the ending naturally, it will simply be a DNF for me without a starred rating. I did, however, speak with a friend that read it and she did confirm my suspicion on the plot. This was a no-go for me before I received the spoiler, so my review is completely unbiased in that aspect.
I am bothered by the lack of build up in every single aspect of this book, from their meeting, to the reconnection, to the sex. It was virtually non existent and that made for a storyline that was choppy, characters that were awkward, and a chick that acted like a crazy stalker. I got all this in the first 15%. I felt like there were some parts that really worked, the description was actually there, but then there would be nothing. Three actions in one sentence, without any elaboration at one point, then multiple paragraphs explaining how he had sex with her in another part. It felt like there were pieces pasted together at times, and it didn't have any flow or continuity. It was really difficult to get into a groove with the way this one was written.
I had a VERY hard time with the heroine. With Mackenzie fawning over Connor her entire life, it became a slightly embarrassing, yet pathetic excuse, for all of her actions and the things she did. She looked desperate from the very beginning of the book. Even after they've grown up and moved on, pushing as hard as she was, throwing herself at him just to get noticed, it made me cringe for her by the way she was acting. Literally, the entire time I was reading with a "what thah" pinch on my face. I didn't understand any of it, mostly because we had ZERO build up. NOW, after knowing the plot spoiler and the ending of the book, it could have been handled differently to avoid the awkwardness while still providing the excitement and allowing me to warm up to her. I just couldn't. She was seriously.....just, yeah.
And Connor "granting her a wish" felt like he was tragically doing her a favor by sleeping with her. I was literally disgusted at the entire situation. It felt like an honest wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am kinda moment between them and she was so lucky he took the time to "do this" for her. I just didn't connect with either of them. I got very slimy feelings from him and very immature feelings from her.
Soooo, elephant in the room: I feel like I need to say that the sex club literally plays an obligatory 'meeting' part and that's it. It's like the token sex club addition to a book nowadays. Nothing else of value was there. Nothing was added to the storyline by that. And the problem I had with it was that it wasn't explained AT ALL, yet again. It wasn't introduced. It wasn't built up. It was immediately accepted, so that was really awkward to witness....almost forced.
Needless to say, this did not work on ANY level for me at all. I'm so sad because I was hoping to hear a new voice that I could follow and brag about. That just didn't happen with this book.
~BEE
~MEET LAUREN RUNOW~
Lauren Runow is the author of multiple Adult Contemporary Romance novels, some more dirty than others. When Lauren isn't writing, you'll find her listening to music, at her local CrossFit, reading, or at the baseball field with her boys. Her only vice is coffee, and she swears it makes her a better mom!
Lauren is a graduate from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and is the founder and co-owner of the community magazine she and her husband publish. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons.
~CONNECT WITH LAUREN~
ARC REVIEW
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