Publisher: Rhiza Edge.
Release Date: October 7th 2025.
Category: YA, contemporary.
Source: From author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
No phone, no wi-fi, no friends and no options.
Expelled from three schools, Joey is sent to the country to live with his aunt. She asks him to help an old man recovering from an accident, and now he has a choice. It sounds like a crazy idea, but he chooses to help. What else is there to do, a million miles from anywhere?
But when Joey meets Harry, he finds in him a friend—even if he’s eighty-five. Maybe life when people trust you might be a good thing.
As Joey’s desire for acceptance grows, break-ins threaten the community and Joey’s past starts to catch up with him. How can Joey turn his life around when his mistakes follow him everywhere he goes? And will he be there for Harry when he needs him?
My Thoughts:
5 stars.
One of my favourite settings for a contemporary novel is a small-town/country setting, so when I found out this book had this setting, I was excited to dive in.
Joey is a troubled teen sent to live in the country with his aunt for a while. Aunty Belle is firm but caring, and believes in Joey from the start.
She gets him to help out an elderly man who has broken his leg. Joey is surprised at how much he enjoyed helping ‘Young Harry’ and looks forward to helping him again.
Joey had trouble at school, clowning around to hide his learning disability due to his dyslexia. But he finds he likes learning about working on Young Harry’s farm.
Harry is quiet and a recluse but likes helping Joey.
Joey puts on a tough act, but the act starts to crumble as he begins to care about Harry and the farm.
Joey struggles to be accepted in the community, and it turns out he is more accepting of people than they are of him.
He does manage to make a few friends, and an enemy who is determined to make his life miserable.
He is falsely accused of being involved in the break ins that have started happening and has to fight to clear his name.
He has much to overcome, but with friends and family to help, and his own determination, he just might be able to achieve his new dreams.
Joey had such a strong, authentic voice. Harry, though he was quiet and reserved, was a standout character. I loved the grandfather-grandson dynamic between them. All of the characters were well written, realistic and likeable.
Overall, Last Chance Joey was a captivating read. I found myself eagerly flipping the pages to see what was going to happen. The ending was great and ended just like I hoped it would.
I hope lots of teens, but especially teen boys, read this because it shows that with purpose and hard work you can fight to make your life better. That there is hope for the future and redemption is possible.
Content warnings:
Mild violence.
‘S’ word is said twice.
There is a touch of romance (clean).
The Aussie YA Challenge is a challenge created by Amy at Lost in a Good Book as an attempt to read more Australian young adult novels. I joined because I love reading Aussie YA and want to support Australian YA authors.
Rochelle L. Sharpe 