Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review

As soon as I heard about Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review by Tehlor Kay Mejia, I knew I had to read it. Set in a small town in Washington (like my hometown!), it follows a music critic whose job is on the line. With a second-chance romance, found family, and themes of connecting with yourself, this heartfelt novel is a must-read. 

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Summary

Sammy Espinoza is this close to losing her job, but she has a plan: She’ll follow up on a rumor that rockstar Max Ryan, a recluse for the past seven years, is possibly recording a solo album. If she can hear it and write its first review, her career will be safe. Max broke her heart 11 years ago, so he owes it to her. But arriving in Ridley Falls, Washington, Sammy also has another item on her to-do list: confront (and maybe connect with) the paternal grandmother she never knew. While Sammy and Max get to know each other and even fall for each other, Sammy is also reaching out to long-lost family and finding herself along the way. But will the secrets and trauma may be too much to overcome?

Review

Sometimes I come across a book that’s so perfectly me that I need to drop everything and devote a day to reading it. Such was the case with Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review. I have two main things in common with Sammy Espinoza: 1. I’m from a tiny town in Washington, and 2. I love music and spent years writing album reviews and other music-related articles. (Though never as a paid employee, in contrast with Sammy.) Those were the two main elements that drew me to this novel, but there’s so much more that quickly won my heart. 

Right away, the writing style in Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review is absolutely absorbing. It’s told in the first person, and Sammy’s voice is so funny and candid, even as her world is crumbling around her. She’s instantly relatable, and with her nuanced emotions, wit and humor, and drive to move forward in life, it’s impossible not to root for her. She makes mistakes, true. Sammy isn’t always completely honest, and she tends to run from problems rather than tackling them, but from page one you can sense that she is trying her best. 

The biggest theme in Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review is the importance of relationships. I’ll get to the romance in a bit, but let’s first start with family. Sammy grew up with a single mother; her father passed away before she was born. With no family, she and her mom moved around a lot, but her mom was more intent on getting a boyfriend than acting as a real parent. Sammy spent one year with another family in Ridley Falls, Washington, where she became best friends with Willa. Part of why Sammy is now back in Ridley Falls, staying with Willa and her wife Brook, is to finally connect with the paternal grandmother she never knew. But does Paloma Espinoza even want anything to do with her? The scenes between Sammy and Paloma are among my favorite, and at least one scene fully made me cry. In addition to her new-found grandmother, Sammy also a wonderful found family with Willa and her parents. The friendship between Sammy and Willa, too, is expertly drawn—with its ups and downs and all! 

Then there’s Sammy’s tentative relationship with Max Ryan. Sammy met him 11 years earlier, when she was 18, and spent a glorious night with him right before his band got signed and he got famous. Now Max Ryan, former rock star, has spent the last seven years as a recluse, though rumor has it that he’s working on a solo album in his hometown—you guessed it!—Ridley Falls. That’s part of the reason Sammy is back: She wants to guilt him into letting her hear his album before anyone so she can write its first review and save her job. But when Sammy runs into Max, there’s a definite spark there. Never mind that he doesn’t remember her, and never mind that she’s keeping secrets about her ulterior motives. The two just click, and the romance that develops is too fast for all the baggage and secrets between them. These two are so perfect together… yet they both have their personal issues to get through before this can truly work. 

Besides the beautifully drawn relationships—family, friends, and romantic partners—one of my favorite elements is, of course, the music. Max Ryan’s band had its roots in screamo, making them the scene kids of my adolescence. Other references to ‘90s bands made me nostalgic, and even Sammy’s devotion to finishing a song on the radio before turning off the car is spot on! Her music criticism and music journalism career is what I dreamed of for myself for so long, as well as her ambitions of working in A&R or at a record label. I also loved the glimpses into Max’s song composition, stage presence, and feelings about fame. 

Finally, as a Washington state native, I did feel a little Nancy Drew in trying to determine where Ridley Falls is supposed to be. Two hours away from Olympia, somewhere in southern Washington… not quite my neck of the woods, but still close enough that it felt like I was coming home as I read this. 

Final Thoughts

Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review is a beautifully written romance and one of my favorite reads this year. It has everything: Emotional depth, humor, likable characters, genuine and diverse relationships, music… I could go on. This is a book I will treasure, and I eagerly anticipate reading more from Tehlor Kay Mejia. 

Get the Book

You can buy Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Audience	Adult
Genre	Romance
Setting	Ridley Falls, Washington
Number of Pages	352
Format I Read	ebook (NetGalley)
Original Publication Date	July 18, 2023

Official Summary

“A sexy, funny, sweet story about second chances and found family . . . I fell in love with Ridley Falls and everyone in it.”—Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers

A music critic stuck in a spiral of epic proportions targets her teenage crush for a career comeback and a chance at revenge. What could possibly go wrong?

Sammy Espinoza’s life is a raging dumpster fire. Her desperate attempt to win back her singer ex-girlfriend has landed her in hot water at work, and she has one last chance before her editor cuts her column. Luckily, Sammy has a plan to redeem herself, but it won’t be easy.

Rumor has it that Max Ryan, the former rock god, is secretly recording his first-ever solo album years after he dramatically quit performing. And it just so happens that he and Sammy have history: Right before Max got his big break, he and Sammy spent an unforgettable night together.

Exclusive access to Max’s new music would guarantee Sammy’s professional comeback and, even better, give her the opportunity to serve some long-awaited revenge for his traumatic ghosting.

But Max lives in Ridley Falls, Washington, and Sammy has history there as well: a family that never wanted her and a million unanswered questions. Going back would mean confronting it all—but what else does she have to lose?