DNF Explanation – The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts

Owen is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, running the family’s construction business with an iron fist – and an even less flexible spreadsheet. And though his brothers bust on his compulsive list-making, the Inn BoonsBoro is about to open right on schedule. The only thing Owen didn’t plan for was Avery McTavish

Avery’s popular pizza place is right across the street from the inn, giving her a first-hand look at its amazing renovation – and a newfound appreciation for Owen. Since he was her first boyfriend when they were kids, Owen has never been far from Avery’s thoughts. But the attraction she’s feeling for him now is far from innocent.

As Avery and Owen cautiously take their relationship to another level, the opening of the inn gives the whole town of Boonsboro a reason to celebrate. But Owen’s hard work has only begun. Getting Avery to let down her guard is going to take longer than he expected – and so will getting her to realize that her first boyfriend is going to be her last…

*blurb taken from Goodreads*

I hate DNF’ing books, especially when they are for review. And this is a first for me in history where I’ve DNF a Nora Roberts book which makes me quite sad.

The beginning of The Last Boyfriend is incredibly slow. All there is is talk about decoration, building, tools, and furniture. There’s no attention hook to capture the reader’s attention. Strangely, I had a very hard time remembering characters from the 1st book in the series which is rare for me in a La Nora book.

This is a contemporary romance novel, so I don’t understand why for the 1st three chapters there is non stop talk about the inn, how it’s built, and how it’s to be decorated. If I wanted to know about this stuff, I would read a decorating and building manual. There’s no personality shown in Owen’s and Avery’s POV. So far, there has been no character development, and the pace of the book is that of a snail. I just can’t get over that this is a Nora Roberts book. Where’s the romance and depth to characters?

I hate that I had to DNF this book as it’s a Nora Roberts title, but if this was any other author, I would put this book down straight away and not ever go back to it. The fact that the ghost makes a visit in the story also keeled it dead for me.

6 thoughts on “DNF Explanation – The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts”

  1. This is the second review I’ve read today saying this book was a struggle. I fear it may be stinker which is sad because I adore childhood friends to lovers romances. Ah well, I’ll see if I can get it on audio to keep my company in the car.

  2. @Laurie: There’s been quite a few reviews that have had similar problems. It’s definitely a shame as I love friends to lovers also. The ghost aspect also turned me off. I’m a firm believer that unless you do world building, supernatural beings shouldn’t invade contemporary novels – and that includes ghosts.

  3. The supernatural twist to this series is a dud for me.

    I remembering talking about the first book in the series and not liking the Boonsboro Inn angle that Roberts was pushing. The whole idea seemed off putting to me and it colored how I perceived the book. A friend lent me this one and I finished it but I didn’t like it. I have a hard time not reading new Nora books because I have them all. I almost feel like I have to read them or at least give them a try.

    I didn’t like the Bride Quartet and this series suffers from the same reasons why. The massive info dump. I didn’t know anything about weddings and I didn’t understand the jargon which made those a horrible read. This book is the same with construction and design and it bored me.

    I can’t connect to any of the characters. I don’t care what happens to them and yet I’m compelled to find out even though I disliked the book. Ugh. I hate myself for finishing it. If I reviewed books I’d give a D- for boring characters as well as arrogant use of jargon and an F for the travelogue and product placement.

    On the other hand, I loved The Witness. Go figure.

  4. Barb in Maryland

    Well, it sure does take all kinds. I agree it was not top-notch Nora–her last few series have been very uneven and this one looks to continue the trend.
    I am rather fond of her ghost books, so i like Lizzie the best of all the characters. And I agree with Heller–the human characters, while very nice, don’t have a whole lot of oomph to them–very forgettable.
    I’m an HGTV fangirl–so all the decorating didn’t bother me, nor did the jargon put me off. I will confess to still being somewhat squicked out by Nora writing about a business that she has such personal connections with, though.
    I gave it a C+ (whereas I gave The Witness a solid A).

  5. While not Nora Roberts’ best effort, I’m surprised it was a DNF. It was a bit of a miss for me, too, but it wasn’t horrible. My problems with the book is similar to yours. For the first 50 pages, Avery was barely in it. This is a childhood friend that needed no introduction, yet she was missing from the first few chapters. I also thought it was a stretch to call Owen Avery’s first love. She was only 5 years old when they met. It wasn’t said jokingly either. Finally, although the ghost is friendly, Nora Roberts always pens the paranormal with a heavy hand. No one is ever terrified of living with a ghost.

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