NOTE: Apologies as I missed the original post deadline due to life, lifing, and apparently my body again deciding it has it’s own program and I’m not allowed the syllabus ahead of the onset of such events…..BUT hey let’s just say the delay was worth the wait…….
⭐⭐⭐⭐ MY PERSONAL BOOK REVIEW: Last Wish Motel by Alicia Hunter Pace
When Your Family Is Already in Everybody’s Business…and Death Apparently Changes NOTHING 😂
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Overall Vibe: Romance + Creole family chaos + emotional baggage + supernatural meddling + grown folks doing grown-folk things
Listen…
The minute I realized Last Wish Motel was giving me Louisiana, a Creole family, supernatural elements, romance, family secrets, a strong female lead, AND some dead relatives who apparently said, “Death? Baby, that’s merely a technicality,” I knew we were about to have a good time.
And Alicia Hunter Pace did not disappoint.
First, We Need to Talk About the Soublets…
One of my favorite parts of this book was actually the Soublet family.
As someone who comes from a Creole family myself, there were moments when I was reading these family interactions thinking:
Yep.
Mmmhmm.
Sounds about right.
Everybody in everybody’s damn business. 😂
The strong women. The opinions. The family history. The traditions. The food. The storytelling. The closeness. The unspoken rules. The way family business somehow belongs to EVERYBODY whether you requested assistance or not.
Baby…
I KNOW THESE PEOPLE. 😂
Obviously, no fictional family is going to represent every Creole family’s experience, including mine. But there was enough familiarity in the Soublet family dynamic that a lot of their interactions genuinely resonated with me.
And I have to give Alicia Hunter Pace credit for actually attempting to research the culture instead of just throwing some Louisiana seasoning on the page and calling everybody Creole.
Because chile… That’s been done. And we notice. 👀
Creole culture is complicated. Our histories are complicated. Our families can be complicated. Our spiritual traditions and beliefs are especially complicated. And this isn’t a topic for the weak. There are beliefs and traditions within Creole families that have been misunderstood, stereotyped, mocked, sensationalized, or straight-up ostracized by mainstream society.
But…
Those of us who know, KNOW.
That’s all I’m gonna say about that. 👀
I appreciated that the supernatural elements weren’t treated like some cheap ooooh, spooky Louisiana people gimmick. The story allowed family, history, spirituality, grief, belief, and tradition to coexist.
And THAT mattered to me.
Reese? Come On, Girl. 💜
I liked Reese.
She’s young, she’s a mother, she’s carrying responsibilities from every damn direction, and she’s still standing.
What I appreciated most is that she isn’t written with a permanent victim mentality. Y’all know that gets on my nerves. I can handle a heroine struggling. I can handle trauma. I can handle fear. What I cannot handle for 300+ pages is:
“Poor me. Someone save me.”
No ma’am. Reese has responsibilities, makes mistakes, has fears, and has put pieces of herself aside because LIFE has been life-ing. But there’s still a woman underneath all those responsibilities. Watching her begin to remember that she is allowed to want something for herself was one of my favorite parts of her character development. Being a mother doesn’t mean your dreams died during childbirth. And I loved seeing that explored.
And Then There’s Chase…
SIR. Come sit down. We need to talk.
Chase is successful, talented, attractive and carrying enough unresolved emotional baggage that Southwest would’ve charged his ass extra. And sometimes? That man worked my LAST nerve. There were moments when I understood exactly why he reacted the way he did. There were also moments when I wanted to reach into my Kindle and say:
“CHASE. USE YOUR BIG-BOY WORDS BEFORE YOU MAKE THIS WORSE.”
Because apparently communication is harder than performing in front of thousands of people. Who knew? 😂😂😂
But that’s also why I liked his development. He’s not introduced as Mr. Perfect Romance Hero and magically cured by the power of good sex. Thank God. Chase has to confront some shit. His childhood. His assumptions. His fears. His understanding of family. And some things about Reese’s world that absolutely DO NOT fit neatly inside his understanding of reality. That conflict worked for me because the book didn’t require him to suddenly become a completely different person.
There’s a difference between:
“I understand everything you believe.”
and
“I don’t understand this shit AT ALL, but I trust you.”
That distinction gave their relationship more emotional weight for me.
Now About These Damn Ghosts… 👻😂
THE LONG DEADS.
Ma’am. Why are y’all still here?! 😂😂😂
Imagine trying to figure out your career, motherhood, family drama AND romantic life while your deceased relatives are still clocking in for their shifts.
No.
YOU 👏🏽 ARE 👏🏽 DEAD 👏🏽
Please clock out. But did they? Absolutely not. These women have wishes. They have opinions. They have agendas. They have plans. And apparently the afterlife does not include a course on respecting boundaries. And you know what? I loved their meddling asses. 😂 The supernatural component added humor to the story, but underneath that humor was something deeper about ancestry, family history, grief, traditions, and the things that get passed from one generation to another. That made them more than a paranormal gimmick.
And Yes, We’re Talking About the Chemistry 🌶️
Reese and Chase have CHEMISTRY. Period.
They can be irritated. They can disagree. They can have approximately 47 unresolved emotional issues sitting between them. Their bodies? Do not give a damn. These are grown folks doing grown-folk activities. We’re not fading to black and pretending everybody went to bed holding hands and discussing Louisiana history.
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 for me.
There is steam, but it doesn’t overpower the actual relationship or story. That’s my sweet spot. Give me the spice. But also give me a damn PLOT. Thank you.
So Why Only Four Stars?
Because y’all know I’m stingy with that fifth star. There were portions where the pacing slowed down for me. There’s a LOT happening here: romance, family dynamics, generational history, supernatural elements, personal growth, parenting, trauma, and enough emotional baggage to fill the motel itself. Most of those pieces worked together, but there were moments when I wanted the story to MOVE. I also would’ve liked a little more emotional payoff toward the end. Listen, if I’m going to spend an entire book watching two stubborn people work through their shit, I want my dessert afterward. Don’t give me dinner, clear the plates and start turning the lights off.
WHERE IS MY CHEESECAKE?! I wanted just a little more time to enjoy where everything landed.
💜 Trulee V’s Final Verdict: ⭐ 4/5 Stars
Last Wish Motel surprised me with how much of the family dynamic resonated personally. I enjoyed Reese. I fussed at Chase. I adored the family chaos. I appreciated the cultural research. I laughed at the Long Deads. And somewhere along the way, I realized these fictional people had pulled me into their damn family business too. Typical.
If you enjoy small-town romance, strong heroines, complicated heroes, motherhood, family drama, Louisiana settings, Creole influences, supernatural elements, ancestral meddling, humor, emotional growth, and some grown-folk spice, I’d absolutely recommend giving Last Wish Motel a try.
And if you come from one of those families where the ancestors may technically be gone but somehow their opinions are STILL running shit…Baby.
You already know. 👀😂 No further explanation required. Those who know…KNOW.
Until the next chapter… Happy Reading! 📚💜
Mz Trulee V
Trulee V’s Spot Book Blog
ARC Review: I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions, side-eyes, laughs, complaints, ghost commentary, and ratings are completely my own.
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