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.
- Title: Last Call at the Local
- Author: Sarah Grunder Ruiz
- Publisher: Berkeley
- Publication Date: January 2nd 2024
- Genre: Contemporary romance
- Targeted Age Range: Adult
- Content Warnings: Mental Illness, Ableism, Sexual Content, Child Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Panic Attacks/Disorders, Death of a parent
- Rating: ★★★★.5
Last Call at the Local is undoubtedly charming and delightful. I was a little skeptical when I picked up my copy, given that I don’t particularly care for any of the books I’ve read by the three authors who have blurbed it — Ali Hazelwood, Sarah Hogle (I’ve only read You Deserve Each Other, and have friends who love her other things, so I’ll give another one of her books a shot at some point), and Chloe Liese (I recently read Ever After Always and hated it). In fact, I sent a text to some dear friends saying the same thing. Not to mention, Last Call at the Local has my least favorite trope on the planet (instalove), so I’m really just shocked at how much I loved it.
Set in the town of Cobh, Ireland, the bulk of Last Call at the Local takes place in the span of twelve short weeks. When Raine, a singer-songwriter who is currently busking and traveling around Europe after dropping out of medical school, finds her most prized possession — her grandfather’s Gibson guitar — stolen along with other belongings, she ends up lamenting her woes in a small pub called The Local. There, she’s immediately charmed by Jack Dunn, who asks for her honest opinion of the pub and how to give it more life. Instead of being insulted, Jack offers Raine a job — a twelve week stint as entertainment coordinator, enough time for her to revitalize The Local, and to get back on her feet after having her possessions stolen.
This book has everything; a travel romance, the most delightful cast of characters (obviously I found Jack to be incredibly charming, and I adored Raine, but I also really loved Jack’s older brother Ollie, Nina, Aoife, and everyone else), an incredibly endearing small town, a black cat named Sebastian — or Princess Grumpy, or Mr. Floofy, depending on who you ask, and a romance that’s easy to root for. Throughout Last Call at the Local, both Raine and Jack are working through their individual issues and trying to become better versions of themselves, and it was just so lovely to see. While I can’t comment on the OCD representation for Jack, I really loved how authentic the ADHD representation felt for both Raine and Jack. Here are some ownvoices reviews that touch on the OCD representation — here, and here.
I had a few qualms with the book — Sometimes I was frustrated with Raine’s impulsivity, and at times, I did still struggle with the instalove-ness of it all, among other things, but I think the mental health representation and the charming cast of characters outweigh my issues with it. This is the first Sarah Grunder Ruiz book I’ve read, and it looks like it’s set in the same universe that Luck and Last Resorts is in, so I’ll be checking that one out soon!
Links for Last Call at the Local: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop.org
Sarah Grunder Ruiz is a writer, educator, and karaoke enthusiast. Originally from South Florida, she now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband and two children. She holds an MFA in creative writing from North Carolina State University, where she now teaches First-Year Writing. She is the author of three novels: Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, and Luck and Last Resorts, and Last Call at the Local.
