The Last Chance Matinee by Mariah Stewart -- Review

Title: The Last Chance Matinee
Author: Mariah Stewart
Pages: 432
Publishing: March 21st 2017 by Gallery Books
ISBN: 1501144901

Summary:

From New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart comes the first novel in her all-new series, The Hudson Sisters, following a trio of reluctant sisters as they set out to fulfill their father’s dying wish. In the process, they find not only themselves, but the father they only thought they knew.

When celebrated and respected agent Fritz Hudson passes away, he leaves a trail of Hollywood glory in his wake—and two separate families who never knew the other existed. Allie and Des Hudson are products of Fritz’s first marriage to Honora, a beautiful but troubled starlet whose life ended in a tragic overdose. Meanwhile, Fritz was falling in love on the Delaware Bay with New Age hippie Susa Pratt—they had a daughter together, Cara, and while Fritz loved Susa with everything he had, he never quite managed to tell her or Cara about his West Coast family.

Now Fritz is gone, and the three sisters are brought together under strange circumstances: there’s a large inheritance to be had that could save Allie from her ever-deepening debt following a disastrous divorce, allow Des to open a rescue shelter for abused and wounded animals, and give Cara a fresh start after her husband left her for her best friend—but only if the sisters upend their lives and work together to restore an old, decrepit theater that was Fritz’s obsession growing up in his small hometown in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Guided by Fritz’s closest friend and longtime attorney, Pete Wheeler, the sisters come together—whether they like it or not—to turn their father’s dream into a reality, and might just come away with far more than they bargained for.

Review: 

Last Chance Matinee is the first book in a series about the Hudson sisters. This was my first Mariah Stewart book, so I didn't know what to expect. The story had me hooked within the first few pages and I was surprised at how easily the book flowed from one page to the next. The characters were fun, the setting was quaint and I couldn't wait to find out more.

The story follows three sisters as they find out that their father has passed away and that he had been living a double life. They have to deal with the loss as well as the new surprising idea of getting to know a whole other side of the family that they didn't know existed. One of the things I enjoyed the most about the story was the low amount of drama. It made the story feel more like a real life experience instead of the high drama of a reality TV show. I loved the characters and felt that each of them added a special something to the story. 

As the story began to get closer and closer to the ending, I realized there was still so much that needed to happen. I started to panic a little bit because, hello... I needed MORE! Then I realized that it was the first in a series, thank goodness! As you can tell, I really loved the story and the characters inside. Last Chance Matinee is a story about love, forgiveness, and focusing on the importance of the life in front of you. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more books about the Hudson Sisters. 

Rating 4/5 

* I received an ARC from NetGalley and Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.