Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2023
336 pages
Genre: Romance
Publication Information
An utterly charming YA romance perfect for fans of Elise Bryant and Leah Johnson.
Leila is crushed when Dev, her boyfriend of four years, breaks up with her right before graduation. Just when she's thinking she wasted her entire high school experience on a dead-end relationship, her best friend Bree reminds her that Last Chance Dance is just around the corner.
A high school tradition, the Last Chance Dance gives all the students one last opportunity to find love before they graduate. All Leila has to do is submit three unrequited crushes to the dance committee and if any of her crushes list her too, they'll get matched. Presto: new relationship, just like that. To her utter amazement, Leila is matched with all three of her choices—and with someone she never expected, Tre Hillman, her chemistry partner and low-key nemesis.
Though at times skeptical, Leila embarks on her Last Chance Dance mission—trying out her matches and going on dates. If Dev wasn't her true love—then maybe someone else is. She knows it's definitely not Tre, even though he seems more and more determined to convince her he's right for her.
But as graduation and the dance approaches, and each date seems to change her mind (and her heart)—Leila must figure out what—and who—she really wants. It's her last chance, right?
"Wilson's part breakup tale, part rom-com isn't just about falling in and out of love; it's also a story about Leila's rediscovering herself in the face of loss, learning from her mistakes, and giving people a chance to redeem themselves...A charming and hopeful story about life post-heartbreak." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Wilson (Be Real, Macy Weaver) showcases an expert sense of comedic timing and an emphatic understanding of contemporary adolescent trials in this sparkling rom-com...Leila's struggles...are brilliantly rendered...[in] this optimistic tale of heartbreak and recovery." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"An ode to love in all its beautiful chaos. Leila is funny, irreverent, and next-level charming, and her story is an actual joyride. Sheer delight through and through." - Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
"Fun, fast-paced, and laugh-out-loud funny, Last Chance Dance will throw readers right back into the final few weeks of their senior year. You can't help but to root for Leila as she picks up the pieces of her broken heart and embarks on a delightful mission to find new love before graduation." - Priyanka Taslim, author of The Love Match
This information about Last Chance Dance was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Lakita Wilson is the author of several novels and nonfiction projects for children and young adults, including What Is Black Lives Matter? a part of the New York Times bestselling Who HQ Now series, and Be Real, Macy Weaver.
Lakita was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland. A 2017 recipient of SCBWI's Emerging Voices Award, Lakita received her MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is currently on faculty at Prince George's Community College in the education department. Lakita lives in Prince George's County, Maryland, with her two children and shih-tzu. She can be found online at lakitawilson.com.
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