Aurora Rey is such an accomplished romance author that I’m always certain I will enjoy any book she writes. That is why I chose to read The Last Place You Look, Rey’s newest contemporary romance. I’m pleased to tell you that I really enjoyed this novel as much as I thought I would.

This is a reunion romance that follows Julia and Taylor. Julia is returning to her hometown after her wife of eight years left her for her personal trainer. Julia decides she want to sow some of those wild oats she never got a chance to before she married. Taylor, an old school chum accidentally runs into Julia and ends up offering to be Julia’s “wingman” for safety reasons. Taylor secretly had a crush on young Julia from high school, and quickly realizes that the feelings are still there, but she doesn’t want to be just another notch in Julia’s bedpost. It would be better to stay in the friend category and help keep Julia safe…right?

Ms. Rey certainly knows how to write intriguing and easy to fall in love with characters. Both women would be great to know as a friend. Taylor, especially, would be easy to fall in love with. It was fun watching Julia slowly find herself after the humiliating breakup that crushed her spirit and ego. Both characters struggle to find their way as a couple and there are several snags that cause some angst along the way. And of course, we have some very steamy sex scenes, which I’ve come to expect from Ms. Rey’s novels.
This is a beautiful romance that I am glad I had a chance to read. I can recommend it to all who love a well written second chance love story.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review

It's a very well written. Yet I had a hard time finishing it at first. I could not connect with the story. Taylor was over the top suggesting to be her wing women ! Julia was ok thought with experimenting I got that.

I liked the few last chapters. the conversation as so mature. Taylor character was well written in terms of helping Julia to build her confidence and whatever she lost in her pref marriage.

I'm so confused about the rating for this one. so I will go with 3 since I loved the level of maturity of the conversation


thank you for giving me a free copy.

This was the story about a high school crush that ignites into a passionate romance ten plus years after high school. Julia returns to her hometown in upstate New York after her ten year marriage falls apart when her wife leaves her for a younger woman/trainer. She runs into butch Taylor in the hardware store, Taylor had the crush on Julia in high school unbeknownst to Julia. Taylor becomes Julia's wingman since Julia wants to date many women, an experience she didn't have an opportunity to do in the past. They become good friends through this bonding experience and eventually become lovers. The sexy scenes in the book sizzle in their delivery and are quite erotic.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I first started to read The Last Place You Look, I was started to think I wouldn't like the character Julia, but I was pleased to say she turned into a very sweet likeable person. I instantly like Taylor.

What starts as a sweet romance turns out to be a bit on the erotic side, but is very well written. The chemistry between Julia and Taylor is instant and makes a good enjoyable book.

Would I recommend: Yes really enjoyed this one

I did not expect to be pleasantly surprised but I was. Wig.

“Things don’t have to be malicious to do harm."

Julia Pierce, dumped by her wife of ten years in the most disgraceful way possible, returns to her hometown with her confidence and heart in pieces. And then enter Taylor, who has been in love with her since highschool, who agrees to be her friend and wingman as Julia dips her toes again into the dating world.

Lesbian rep, fat rep, also gay side characters + bonus points for healthy communication!

Not going to lie, the pacing in the first half was kind of off. Julia seemed to recover too fast after the devastating break up, she insisted on catching up on all the living and dating she had missed while being trapped in her past relationship (which is understandable and I support her) but it seemed like she caught feelings for Taylor too fast. Her thoughts and actions were quite conflicting. And there was not much chemistry either.

HOWEVER! After the 50% mark, things started looking up. What I loved the most, and it's still surreal to me that I got to read that, is the communication. *yells, then takes a deep breath* The one thing I hate MOST is lack of communication/miscommunication. If they are done right, I have no problem. And the two instances of lack of communication were done commendably well. Throughout the whole book, Julia and Taylor talked so much about their feelings, their dreams, hopes, regrets, hobbies, kinks *cough*.

Which brings me to another aspect I loved: the sex scenes. They were so well written and felt so natural, they were really easy to follow and picture, which I can't say about many books. There is some light bdsm and bondage and the consent and chemistry were a joy to read.

I adored that Julia made friends! And I loved the bonds each of them had with their respective siblings. It sounds stupid, but more often than not in romance novels there is so much focus on the main couple that they don't really get to form other relationships.

On the downside, like I said, the pacing was a little off in the first half, the changes in POV were quite sudden and not really well delimited. I felt the need for some of the scenes to be longer and not just described in 2 sentences, but I guess it's not the end of the world.

So anyways! Really recommending this one!

3 Stars. This book is about Julia Pierce, whose wife left her after 8 years with her personal trainer. She moves back to her home town and lives in her grandmother's old house. She runs into Taylor Winslow, someone she went to high school with and had an unrequited crush on Julia. When Julia went away, she moved on with her life and created a wood working business in her house. When she runs into Julia at the hardware store, she can't help with spend time with Julia and see why she is back in town. When Julia wants to play the field, Taylor offers to be her wingwoman and help her on dates, even if Taylor wants to date Julia herself.

I enjoyed this book. It was a solid read. The two main characters have chemistry and I enjoyed their interactions. Taylor, at times, seemed immature a little and I did not like that. Some plot points of the novel seemed a little off from something that was said not that long ago, but it was done to move the story along more. Overall, their feelings mostly evolved throughout the novel and it made sense. I did not think that this was a perfect or amazing novel, but it was good and an easy read.

Julia Pierce has been dumped by her wife and has returned home to work in the family winery. Taylor Winslow has been infatuated with Julia since school. Somehow Taylor ends up Julia's wingman in Julia's dating experiences as she's only ever been with the one woman.
I loved the strength and independence in the character of Taylor and that she was a woman true to her word. But I did struggle with Julia and her insecurities but as they say opposites attract. I'm not so sure about their sexual chemistry,  I think it was a little lacking. Overall, an ok read.

This book was like a vanilla ice cream cone. On the surface, it looks delicious and inviting but once you take a bite, it's just meh - no pizzazz.

The premise of the book was an interesting one. Heartbreak after an unexpected divorce, and going back home to heal your wounds leading to falling in love with someone from your past. There was just no oomph to the story - no angst or drama.

I just needed more from the story.

The Last Place You Look is a nice romance to read.

Julia returns to her small home town after her wife leaves her for her personal trainer. After being with Erica for most of her adult life she seems lost and not confident in anything she does or might like to try. Erica is only mentioned a couple of times and appears towards the end of the book, but I hate her. She did a heck of a number on Julia. Taylor has always lived in their small home town and she has had a crush on Julia since high school. Taylor has her life all figured out be she is just missing love. When they run into each other Taylor offers her help to a rather helpless Julia. Taylor ends up not only helping her with some odd jobs around her meemaws house, but supports her wild dating ‘experiment’. Julie doesn’t know Taylor has/ had a crush on her. They weren’t close in high school. While she is being supportive she doesn’t really understand having to do this. Julia discovers not everything is as fun as it looks on paper, or behind a screen. When Julia finds herself and her strength it’s Taylor who is right their beside her.

This book isn’t for anyone who likes big twists and turns a lots of drama. Their is some drama and angst, but not a lot in my opinion. It’s an easy going romance, much like looking at nicely flowing stream that has some rocks in it here and there.

The Last Place You look is a cute romance. I can't say there was anything particularly special about it but it was still a decent read.

Julia finds herself back in her hometown living in her grandmother's house after she is dumped by her wife of 8 years. She is embarrassed but determined to get back on her feet. Taylor went to HS with Julia and has always had a crush on her. They run back into each other fairly soon after Julia arrives back in town and Taylor quickly agrees to help her with repairing a screen at the house. Julia finds Taylor attractive but has decided that she just want to serial date because she never had the opportunity. Taylor offers to be her wing-woman. And so the story evolves from there.

Again, I did find this romance to be cute. I especially liked Taylor as I thought she was a very upstanding individual. Plus she had the butch swagger thing going on. I liked Julia well enough and I did understand why she felt she needed to serial date. I just wish she could have realized how much her and Taylor fit each other. I thought the sexual stuff was good, it just seemed a little out of place.

I will rate this 3.5 stars

Moving home from New York City after her wife of 8 years left her for another woman, Julia Pierce had no choice but to take on a job at her family's winery. She had also missed out on dating life since nineteen, so going casual to make up for the lost time sounded like a good idea. When Taylor Winslow, who had an ongoing crush on her for years unbeknownst to Julia, volunteered to friend-zone herself as a wingman, neither knew this friendship would take on a deeper meaning.

Rey's words flowed wonderfully. The subtle shift in point-of-view worked perfectly, never leaving me reeling to figure out whose thoughts the sentence was on. Some of the conversations were also carefully crafted, upping the enjoyment of the book in addition to the romance plot line.

I found Taylor likeable, if not too nice. I also liked the friends and family of both main characters, especially Taylor's twin brother, Chris, and his husband, Jack. They were all very interesting, supportive, and played important parts in the book. However, there were so much more to Julia and her sister Caroline's history as well as Taylor and Julia's friendship or acquaintanceship during their high school softball career. If elaborated, the story might feel more complete.

While the book did not stir much emotion in me, The Last Place You Look was a pleasant read with wonderful characters. It certainly brought a warm buzz.

Happy story, where woman after divorce that came out of nowhere, starts her life again. Where woman, who had hots for someone long time ago gets her chance again. Those two, really belong together. It was easy read. Not much drama, but there was a bit of misunderstanding.

I enjoyed the book and loved Taylor's character. She was honest and chivalrous and just had the type of personality that draws someone in. Julia, by the middle of the book, became a little annoying. She needed constant reassurance, from EVERYONE, and it got tiring. I loved the premise of the book: a character falling in love with her wingman and the story and dialogue were great. Its a book that I would recommend while on a lazy Sunday

Julia Pierce has spent pretty much her entire adult life with Erica. So when Erica has an affair with her personal trainer, Natasha, and divorces Julia, Julia has literally nothing to fall back on and nowhere to go. She returns home to her supportive family. She has her grandmom’s place to stay in and a job in the family winery while she gathers herself. One of Julia’s action points is to date as much as possible and have as much sex as possible. Except she’s practically never dated because she’d been with Erica for so long. Taylor Winslow was with Julia in high school and had nursed a crush on Julia. Their lives hadn’t intersected at that time so there was no major drama between them in their youth. When Taylor sees Julia again, her little crush rears up its delighted head. But Julia is looking for hook-ups and Taylor doesn’t do hook-ups and ends up offering to be Julia’s wing-woman instead.

This is a wonderful book. Julia and Taylor are just so relatable. The growing feelings between them, their conversations with each other while tentatively exploring their relationship, the romance and the sex are all perfect. What we totally loved in this was the realness of it all.

Rey writes about Julia, the changes in her life, her emotional struggles and timid growth wonderfully. She makes us really understand and empathise with Julia and even fall a little in love with her. Taylor is near perfect, but thankfully not entirely perfect thus keeping her real. Both hold back and make mistakes with each other which is how a relationship, particularly one in its early stages works.

We loved that Taylor’s presence and support don’t magically change Julia’s self-doubts in one stroke. But the best aspect of their relationship is that they make the effort for each other and for holding on to them despite the everyday hurdles. Love is work in many ways. It isn’t one person’s job to make a relationship work. Both should want it and both should be willing to make it happen. We loved that Julia and Taylor both make the effort.

We absolutely loved everything about this book and unhesitatingly recommend it.

This is an interesting book with an oh so true title. Julia moves back home after her marriage falls apart, since she never dated she decided that she was going to play the field before getting involved with anyone. Soon after she gets home she runs into Taylor, a former high school friend who had a crush on Julia while in high school. Taylor is a hard-working local woman who has many talents. As time moves on their friendship grows And Julia asked Taylor to be her wing girl when she goes out on a date. This is something that Taylor just hates. After a series of hilarious but disastrous dates Julia realizes that she would love to have sex with Taylor however Taylor is not a one night Stand kind of person.
Taylor helps Julia get back into photography the problem is that Julia has absolutely no self-esteem and feels that she can do nothing and that she is worth nothing. Little by little Julia gets hooked on photography and it’s the first thing she can admit that she’s good at. When she enter Photo contest, that if she won would take her away from her hometown , she refuses to tell Taylor. Once Taylor finds out she is hurt and doesn’t know if she can trust Julia again. While it is clear to the reader that these two should be together because they have great chemistry As only Aurora Ray can write, the big question is can they get themselves back together.
This book is so well written and has a wonderful degree of heat in it, once you started be aware it is very difficult to put down.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers, Bold Strokes Books Inc., of 'The last place you look' for affording me the opportunity to read the book and review it. This is the first book I have read by this author.

This is a real feel good book to read. Uncomplicated plot where love rules the day, and good things happen to good people, but captivating and interesting too. The main characters are well;described and the author provides a great supporting cast of characters to give the storyline depth and add layers to the plot and characters. It's a deft touch, well-done and seamless as an engrossing read.

There is something very satisfying about reading a book so well-written and constructed, with fleshed out characters and a decent storyline, This book has all of that and more. The narrative matches the storyline and the dialogue works with Aurora Rey's characters. Great syntax, spot on grammar and a crowd pleaser of an ending. What's not to like?!
5*

This was a very nice read. Nothing too adventurous happens in this book, as it's really about two old friends coming back together later on in their lives and finding love. I felt like from the description, Taylor was in love with Julia right from the get-go, but that wasn't the case. It was more of a high school crush, so she really still needed to get to know Julia more than I thought she was going to have to going into this book.

It also deals a lot with re-finding yourself and your confidence on Julia's part. It's what I'd call an older read, although the characters are only in their mid 30s. I say that because it feels like both Julia and Taylor have lived full lives, but they are both almost starting over. Julia's journey is more apparent, but Taylor also gets pushed by Julia to live life more fully and take chances, which is new for her.

There also wasn't much drama to be had. Yes, per usual, someone pops up near the end to add a little bit of drama, but overall that wasn't this book. It isn't a will they, won't they, but more of a slow burn from friends to lovers.

Overall, like I said up top it was a nice read. It's not a 5 star rating, because I wouldn't re-read it but I would tell others to give this one a go.

I enjoyed this story. I am a real sucker for "women rediscovers herself" and I thought Julia's move home and self-discovery was really moving. Taylor was such a nice foil for her and the way she was so scared to push Julia bc she wanted her to discover her self. so good! the whole scene at the benefit at the end literally made my heart hurt. very emotional.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Julia life is in shambles after her wife Erica leaves her. To rebuild her life she moves back home and works at her family winery while she figures out what she wants to do with her life.

Taylor had a crush on Julia since high school they didn’t really hangout together but they knew of each other and when she bump into Julia she realize the crush is still there.

Julia realize she hasn’t played the field decide to do that to make up for lost time. Taylor agreed to be her wingman even though she wants something more with Julia she doesn’t want to be a notch on her bedposts. As they grow closer Julia realize she may have found what she looking for in Taylor but she wants to be her own person because she came to see that she was so wrapped up in Erica that she lost herself and have self doubt.

I like that Julia and Taylor have great support systems even when Julia doubts that her family is proud of her and I like the relationship with Taylor and her twin Chris and his husband Jack. Overall a great read.

Typically I'm not a fan of the high school crush/love revisited trope, but this is Aurora Rey, so I had to give it a try. I am terribly happy I did! She writes lovely believable characters you wish you could be friends with. I love the small home town dynamic and I'm a sucker for woodworking. This book is a winner! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.