Book Summary: 

Emmy Jameson lives by three rules: no dating, no sharing personal news at work, and baseball above everything. As the only female data analyst for a professional baseball team, Emmy is constantly trying to prove herself.

Especially when she’s put up for a senior analyst position against her arrogant, infuriating coworker Gabe Olson. Sure, he’s gorgeous and smart and he was a baseball star in college who knows the sport inside and out, but so does Emmy. She is not going to lose to him again. There will be no distractions this summer. Not even her sister’s pending destination wedding in Mexico for which she needs to find a plus one.

But then she receives a text from an unknown number with a simple message: “Last night was fun.” When she strikes up a conversation with the mystery texter, they realize that he was given a fake phone number after a bad date that just so happened to be Emmy’s. Despite her rules, Emmy can’t deny the instant connection she feels and soon finds herself falling for the stranger on the other side of the screen…and inviting him to her sister’s wedding.

Emmy’s world turns upside down when her mystery man turns out to be none other than Gabe Olson. They are left having to travel to the wedding together while trying to sort out which version of their relationship is real: their in-person rivalry or the deep connection they found in their messages.

My Review:

The fourth book by Holly James (now going by Holly Michelle) and the first one I’ve read by her, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The cover of the book was absolutely adorable, and as someone who has enjoyed a baseball game or ten in her life (Go Rays!), I was definitely intrigued by what this book might have to offer. Last Night Was Fun takes readers off the field and behind the curtain, opening up a world we don’t normally think about while catching America’s favorite pastime.

“Your job or me.” The ultimatum Emmy’s most recent ex threw her way still burns fresh in her mind as she helps her sister prep for a destination wedding. Emmy Jameson loves her job. She lives for baseball and data analysis, and to have someone tell her she worked too much, cared too much, and had to choose – it completely blew her mind. The cherry on top? That same someone told her she was destined to be alone – a point about to feel painfully proven when she learns Jacob was invited to Piper’s wedding, while she’s still single, dateless, and dreading the event.

With absolutely zero prospects for a date and no escape as Maid of Honor, Emmy is all but convinced dragging along her best friend Beth might be her only option. But then – enter a random wrong number that changes everything. Suddenly, “Axe Murder” becomes her friend, her confidant, the reason for her late-night smiles, and eventually, her secret crush. Behind the veil of a phone screen, Emmy feels like she can let her guard down – something she rarely gets to do as a woman in the male-dominated world of baseball. Secrets, vulnerabilities, and moments she’d never dream of sharing with someone like Gabe Olson – her office nemesis and perpetual one-upper – are safe in these messages with a complete stranger.

When Emmy decides “Axe Murder” would be the perfect wedding date, their planned first meeting takes an unexpected turn. Turns out, “Axe Murder” isn’t some random stranger – it’s Gabe. THE Gabe Olson from the office. The coworker she can’t stand, who seems to exist solely to frustrate her. How could the man she’s been falling for through texts be the same person she dreads in her day-to-day life?

Still, there’s no escaping the wedding, and she needs a date. Gabe agrees to step in, and everything comes to a head in Mexico. A shared hotel room, one bed, and a rainy sprint through the resort later, their mantra becomes “what happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico.” But back home, real life doesn’t stay in Mexico. And with a job promotion on the line that pits them against each other, Emmy is forced to face the same dilemma that’s haunted her before: will she have to choose between love and her career yet again?

The beginning of the book, especially the texting conversations between “Axe Murder” and “Bird Girl,” were some of the best parts. I would say I flew through the first 40%, particularly since I already knew who “Axe Murder” was based on the back-of-the-book summary. The moments obvious only to the reader, combined with the banter, made the entire thing extremely fun to read.

Then the reveal happens, and the pace started to slow down. Once Gabe made it to the wedding, I had high hopes that things would pick back up. And they did, just a little, especially after his cousin Henry let it slip that Gabe was “crazy” about Emmy. But even then, the story settled into this steady, slow-burn rhythm that didn’t quite carry the same zest as the beginning. By the time I hit about 80%, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was dragging, and I just wanted to push through the inevitable third-act breakup so I could get to the resolution.

One quick note: For those who shy away from open-door romances but aren’t fully on board with fade-to-black either, Holly made an interesting choice to include on-page intimacy while avoiding anything explicit, vulgar, or graphically descriptive. Instead, she opted for a more poetic approach, using flowery language, metaphors, and symbolism to depict the emotions and physical sensations shared between the characters.

Unfortunately, the third-act breakup is what put the book on life support for me. While the grand gesture at the end salvaged it somewhat, I was beyond disappointed with Emmy’s reaction. Throughout the entire book, she’s built up as this strong, capable, highly intuitive and intelligent woman – someone who rises above and handles herself, no matter the situation. Then all of a sudden, she’s in love, and all her logic flies out the window? Instead of seeking clarity about the tail-end of a conversation she accidentally overheard (despite Gabe’s multiple attempts in the moment to clear up any misunderstanding), she blew up and went completely nuclear on him.

Here’s a guy who repeatedly went out of his way to show her he cared. He flew to another country to be her wedding date so she wouldn’t have to face her ex alone, redirected a potential touchy conversation to make her family feel comfortable, and even volunteered to go fishing with her dad. And this is where she draws her line? After everything he’d done to prove he had her best interests at heart time and time again? By that point, I was completely done and ready to tell Gabe to cut his losses and run for the hills.

As much as I loved the baseball stats, the geek-out moments, and the empowering nods to women in sports, Last Night Was Fun just couldn’t hold onto the momentum it built in the first half. If the third-act breakup had been reworked, I could absolutely see this going from a 4-star read to a full 5 stars. As it stands, while it’s not something I’d readily recommend to everyone, I’d still say it’s worth checking out – with a bit of a warning about the slower pace and the frustrations you might feel toward the end.