Last Call at the Local

De: Sarah Grunder Ruiz

Narrado por: Gary Furlong, Karissa Vacker

Opposites attract when a free-spirited American singer-songwriter with ADHD teams up with a charming Irishman to revitalize his family's pub in the next heartfelt romance from the author of Luck and Last Resorts.

Raine Hart is used to the challenges of living with ADHD. It’s why she ditched her life in Boston to busk around Europe as a traveling musician. No boss. No schedule. No one to disappoint but herself. But when a careless mistake in Ireland leaves her unable to perform, she sees no other option but to give up her nomadic life.

Since inheriting the Local, Jack Dunne has wanted to make the pub his own. But the baggage of running a family business and the intrusive thoughts that stem from his OCD make changing things a challenge.

Over a pint with handsome, tattooed Jack, Raine accidentally insults him and the pub. Instead of taking offense, Jack, impressed by her vision of what the pub could be, offers her a job bringing it to life.

But when Raine and Jack develop feelings for one another their opposite lifestyles won’t accommodate, it becomes clear the pub isn’t the only thing that needs reinventing. As the end of their business collaboration draws near, they’ll have to find a way past the limits they’ve placed on themselves or let go of a love that could last a lifetime.

©2023 Sarah Grunder Ruiz (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"This warm romance sparkles with Irish charm and is filled with delectable banter. The leads are immensely lovable and thoughtfully crafted...Compassionate and completely charming."—Kirkus (starred)

"Last Call at the Local is warm, funny, and big-hearted, and made me want to pack my bags for a trip to Ireland as soon as I finished the last page. It's such a joy to read about two such kind characters—people I'd want to be friends with myself—and so incredibly satisfying to watch them fall in love. It's a cozy hug of a book."—Martha Waters, author of To Swoon and To Spar

"Heart-warming, hilarious and brimming with hope, Last Call at the Local is a deeply poignant romance about learning to love yourself. Sarah Grunder Ruiz writes with a superb lightness of touch but is never afraid to cover darker topics, and her characters are vividly-drawn and lovably messy. This rich and uplifting story, its atmospheric setting and gloriously colourful cast made my heart ache in the best possible way."—Freya Sampson, author of The Lost Ticket

Cute story, narration was good

It was a cute story. Reminded me of a hallmark movie. The narration was good. Was an easy story to follow and a good audiobook.

Generally liked the story but incredibly annoyed about the ADHD presentation.

Lovely rom com with nice attempt at writing about neurodivergent brains. However, I found myself very annoyed about the cutesy presentation of her ADHD and the unbelievability of a former med student not using medication to help manage the symptoms. Otherwise, it was a good description of the side effects of not being diagnosed earlier, but judged instead, especially by loved ones.

Ehh

it seemed like the story really dragged on and then the ending came so quickly, suddenly months were flying by. also I liked the readers individually but felt like their pacings were really imbalanced. I wanted to love this book because I loved the other two in the series and I love abroad romances but this one fell flat for me.

Wow

This is the first book I’ve enjoyed that talks about OCD and ADD meet and accept each other as they are. They develop ideas and how to help each other to enjoy their life.

Great story!

I loved the characters and the storyline! Raine and Jack were the best. It left me wanting more!

The best neurodivergent rep out there

4.5⭐️

Read if you like: neurodiversity rep, stories about starting over, forced proximity, opposites attract, sunshine x grump, Ireland setting

Musician and former Pre-Med student Raine Hart knows what it’s like to live with ADHD. Upending her life to travel abroad, Raine prefers the nomadic life to settling down and ultimately disappointing herself and others. While in Ireland, she meets pub owner Jack Dunne, who suffers from OCD and anxiety. When a shared drink at the pub leads to a new job and living accomodations for Raine, she happily accept. But as their time together draws near, these two will have to figure out if their opposites attract romance can make it long past last call.

AH, this book spoke to me on so many levels. First and foremost, as someone who is neurodivergent myself (Autism), I appreciate this book on a fundamental level. So often, romances novels are about the idealized forms of love and relationships. This story is a romcom yes, but a romcom in the real world, full of angst, struggles, mental health issues and neurodiversity. This is real life love story - well as real as it gets in fiction.

Set in the cutest Irish village, with some of the most wonderful side characters including a floofball named Sebastian “ugly princess,” Last Call at the Local will steal your heart almost from the go. I loved how the author walks the line between insta love and slow burn in a way that allows us to get the best of both worlds. Even the mild open door was done to perfection (not too much, not too little). While this was my first book by Sarah Grunder Ruiz, it certainly will not be my last.

super charming

This book is really about OCD and ADHD and learning to live with them. It's still a romance and it's still charming but if you aren't interested in neurodivergents in love, this isn't the book for you.

Not your average romance novel!

This is such a cool story - each of the main characters have mental health issues and it’s done in a really cool way. It’s not your average romance at all. Like how there was a male and female voice for the narration. Super cute, fast, fun!

I love these characters!!!!

The performance, the MENTAL HEALTH REP!!!! UGH LOVED THIS! I have never related to a character more than Raine! PLEASE READ THIS!

Magnificence

As soon as Last Call at the Local was released , January 2, 2024 I purchased the book and finished listening in two days. I couldn't stop listening and would listen everywhere. The car and at home. I love the talent of the narrators Karissa Vacker and Gary Furlong who make Sarah's characters come to life. Sarah's writing is brilliantly entertaining and as I listened I wound up finding myself routing for the characters . One needs to listen very closely at times and the story kept me on the edge of my seat. I have listened to Sarah's other two books and they are all unique. Thank you Sarah , Karissa and Gary for the entertainment.