Culture Cabinet

Sarah Grunder Ruiz’s third book, Last Call at the Local, is the best one yet. It centers around an edgy, spontaneous, and enthusiastic traveling musician who finds herself in the quaint town of Cobh, Ireland. There she meets a fluffy cat, falls for a hot pub owner, and looses a significant number of socks. With ties to her previous two books- Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships and Luck & Last Resorts– and character cameos, it can be read as a standalone or as a continuation of the story we know and love.

Grunder Ruiz’s previous two books take place mostly on a yacht, as they both focus stewardesses. Deviating from the “boat books”, Last Call at the Local’s mission is revamping a pub owned by a young, attractive, Irish man. Raine has a vision for the pub to make it more homey and draw in more customers, a goal that is hindered by the owner’s OCD. Additionally, Raine is trying to make it as a musician after dropping out of med-school, but she lacks the self-confidence to share her own songs instead of just doing covers. Meanwhile, her little sister comes to visit unexpectedly having followed in her sister’s footsteps of quitting med-school and fleeing for Ireland.

However, the real heart behind the story is seeing the two main characters manage and struggle with their mental disabilities, including ADHD and OCD. Grunder Ruiz clearly worked with a sensitivity reader and did her research on OCD and ADHD, evident in the careful but thorough activation of Jack and Raine’s tendencies and POV’s. By getting inside of their thoughts, you can really experience how Jack and Raine view the world through the lens of these mentalities and how their actions are always affected by them as well.

The story at its core focuses and self-value and connection, which is shown in various relationships and struggles with both Raine and Jack. I liked how many different people are a part of the story from Jack’s nieces to the pub workers to Raine’s sister- all of which hold a place in their hearts and influence their actions. Raine must confront her past failures and grapple with being a good role model for her little sister, while Jack is slowly sinking further into his head. This juxtaposition of their mentalities makes their friendship and later romance realistic and emotional.

Anybody who enjoys contemporary romance or loves Ireland or relates to Raine or Jack will love this book. It’s witty and emotional and enthralling from start to end.

Disclaimer: Sarah Grunder Ruiz was my English 101 teacher at NC State University in 2021. However, I purchased this book of my own accord and this review contains my honest thoughts.