Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz is enchanting from start to finish

Sometimes you pick up an author for the first time and immediately fall in love with their writing. That’s exactly how I felt when I picked up Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz.

I’ve heard of this author before but had yet to pick her books. Maybe it was just the mood I was in but I decided to give her a try and I’m so happy I did.

Last Call at the Local ended up being such a comforting read to start the year off with and was exactly what I was looking for. If you’re on the fence about picking up this author, then I don’t think you can go wrong with this one.

I’d like to thank Berkley for sending me a digital ARC as I devoured it in two sittings and I’m still thinking about it.

Last Call at the Local is the ultimate cozy romance to start 2024 with.

The book follows Raine Hart, a traveling musician who has a stroke of bad luck when her belongings are stolen. From there, she’s stuck in Cobh, Ireland, and ends up going into The Local, a pub owned by Jack. Due to her infectious personality, she quickly charms Jack and he offers a group as the pub’s temporary entertainment coordinator.

The two decide to team up to try the Local from being a local hang to a bustling tourist attraction and fun place for people to hang out. Of course, that results in the two spending a lot of time together at the apartment Jack is letting Raine use, lots of walking meetings, and plenty of moments in Jack’s office. The romance between these two is just so sweet and the ultimate friends-to-lovers treat which is one of my favorite tropes.

While I appreciated the romance, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the characters. Raine has ADHD and is dealing with lots of pressure from her family. While she can be a mess, she’s such a great and genuine person. As for Jack, he’s dealing with OCD and some past trauma which makes it hard for him to focus on his real passion which is tattooing.

Sarah Grunder Ruiz isn’t afraid to focus on those less-than-lovable parts of these characters and doesn’t make “their relationship” fix them. If anything, it helps them but doesn’t do anything more which I love. I don’t know why I slept on reading her books for so long but I’m seriously mad at myself. I truly don’t have anything to complain about as Last Call at the Local was a delight.

Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz is out now where books are sold.

Will you be grabbing a copy of Last Call at the Local on release day? Let us know!