The Last Chance Matinee, 1: A Book Club Recommendation! (The Hudson Sisters, #1)

by Mariah Stewart

The first in an "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"--

• ISBN10: 1501165356
• ISBN13: 9781501165351
• Publish Date: 21 March 2017
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publisher: The Gallery Press
• Imprint: Gallery Books
• Edition: Library ed.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Recipe review of The Last Chance Matinee

Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Coffee - 1 cup of brewed coffee, 3/4 ounce of cocoa (single serving envelope) 1 tablespoon of marshmallow whip or cream, a dash of cinnamon. Stir coffee and cocoa together until well mixed. Top with marshmallow and cinnamon. Serve hot and pair with a good book.

The Coffee- THE LAST CHANCE MATINEE is about three sisters with the same father. Fritz Hudson married Honora and had two daughters, Allie and Des. The marriage was a rocky one, and after the birth of Des, Fritz met Susa Pratt and married her. They had one daughter named Cara. Somehow Fritz managed to keep both families a secret. The girls meet at the reading of Fritz's will. To gain their inheritance, they must live together and restore an old movie theater in their father's childhood town. While the premise isn't unique,  Stewart weaved in elements to make it her own, adding quaint touches and complex characters.

The Cocoa- 

• Allie is the oldest. An out of work actress with a vibrant teenage daughter. At the time of her father's death, she was putting her beloved home up for sale. Allie is troubled and comes off cold and uncaring. She was hard to like, but there are moments where we catch glimpses of something special. Stewart did a great job of showing Allie's many sides and sharing her secret. Interaction with the local law was interesting, and I am looking forward to seeing what develops.


• Des is a former child movie star and is the quietest of the bunch. She loves nothing more than taking care of abused animals and finding them their forever homes. Des is easy going, low maintenance and someone I quickly identified with. However, she doesn't have any close personal ties, and her relationships are superficial at best. Could her desire to help local animals, lead to more with a local politician?


• Cara, daughter of Fritz's secret family. She grew up well-adjusted and is a yoga instructor. She is recovering from a divorce.  She is very inquisitive and rather than be angry at her father; she longs to learn more about him. Their handsome and reliable contractor has his eye on Cara, but can she learn to trust again? Cara was easy going and the most vibrant of the sisters.

The Marshmellow- I loved the small Pennsylvanian town where the sidewalks roll up at dusk and everyone attends the monthly town hall meeting. From the old buildings to the gorgeous Victorian home that was the Hudson homestead, I felt right at home. The old Art Deco theater and the rich descriptions of the decor were delightful. I enjoyed hearing about its use during its heyday. Stewart had me wanting to travel back in time. We learn about the locals, the falls, and the Hudson family who have a deep history with the town.

The Cinnamon- Fully developed secondary characters from the girl's aunt to Allie's daughter added touches that gave the story depth and the town to life. I got caught up in their enthusiasm, the project, and politics of small-town life.

Copy provided by publisher This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[chymerra]

The Last Chance Matinee starts off with a bang. The reader is introduced to Allie, an alcoholic, out of work television producer, Des, a former child star who now is takes in foster dogs and helps with rescue organizations and Cara, a free-spirited yoga instructor who is still reeling from her divorce and the death of her father and mother. It is at the reading of a will that a bombshell is dropped, their father had two wives and two families. His East coast and West coast families and all 3 women are sisters. But what shocks them even more is the stipulation but on the will. Allie, Des and Cara have to live in their father’s hometown and restore a theater. If any of the sisters leave before the renovation is complete, then none of them get their inheritance.

I am going to say, I really liked this book and I really liked Fritz. He had such a huge presence in the book and he genuinely had his daughters’ best interests at heart…even if they didn’t think so. I kinda felt bad for him too. He was in a marriage that he felt that he couldn’t get out of and he made mistakes that he was trying to make up for in his last months. I think giving them the theater to restore was his way of getting them together so they could get to know each other.

Allie, I couldn’t stand. She was such a witch with a b and she was so freaking negative. Listen, I totally get that she was upset when she found out about Cara but she was such a jerk to her afterwards. I mean, Cara had nothing to do with the choices that her father made. Actually, she was a by-product of those decisions. I so wanted to yell that into the book. She was also very much so hung up on her ex husband and I couldn’t believe that she started pumping her daughter, Nikki, for information about a woman that she suspected he was dating. Helloo, they are divorced and he can date whoever he wants. Let’s also not forget her drinking. That is a huge problem. Oh and she is very resentful of Des, too. Going back to when she was 12 and Des got her own TV show. Woman needs a therapist, stat.

Des, however, I really liked. I actually connected with her on so many levels, it wasn’t even funny. She was very accepting of Cara and she dealt with Allie beautifully. She also had a passion for rescuing/fostering dogs which I really enjoyed reading about. She understood that her father wasn’t happy with her mother and she understood (well kinda understood) why he did what he did.

Cara, I felt awful for. Her ex husband left her for a very close friend, they are getting married and then she finds out that her father was a bigamist and she has 2 sisters. But she dealt with it graciously but she didn’t take anything from Allie about her mother being “the other woman”. She was a free spirit too, thanks to her hippie mother raising her that way (it isn’t a bad thing) with a wonderful outlook on life. I mean, she celebrated her ex getting married with a bottle of champagne with Joe….lol.

There was a twist in the book that took me by surprise and it went beautifully with the end of the book. I honestly can’t wait to see what book 2 brings and to see if it lives up to book 1!!!

How many stars will I give The Last Chance Matinee: 4

Why: I enjoyed reading this book. It was fast-moving with characters that I could connect to. It would be a perfect beach/pool book.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language. Otherwise, a pretty clean book.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**