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The Last Picks #6
Again with Feeling
We might not be doomed to repeat the past. But it’s pretty likely.
When Dashiell Dawson Dane receives a phone call from his nemesis Vivienne Carver (okay, one of his nemeses), he’s caught off guard—to say the least—by her help solve the murder of her brother, who disappeared almost thirty years ago. His gut tells him to say no. But with Bobby preparing to move out of Hemlock House, Dash sees the perfect opportunity for them to spend more time together, whether Bobby likes it or not.
The local police seem convinced that Vivienne was responsible for her brother’s death—an opinion shared by some of her family. But the more Dash investigates, the more convinced he becomes that Vivienne is being set up. Secrets have been accumulating for decades, and the most dangerous lies, Dash knows, are the ones we want to believe the most. After all these years, answers might finally be within reach—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.
When Dashiell Dawson Dane receives a phone call from his nemesis Vivienne Carver (okay, one of his nemeses), he’s caught off guard—to say the least—by her help solve the murder of her brother, who disappeared almost thirty years ago. His gut tells him to say no. But with Bobby preparing to move out of Hemlock House, Dash sees the perfect opportunity for them to spend more time together, whether Bobby likes it or not.
The local police seem convinced that Vivienne was responsible for her brother’s death—an opinion shared by some of her family. But the more Dash investigates, the more convinced he becomes that Vivienne is being set up. Secrets have been accumulating for decades, and the most dangerous lies, Dash knows, are the ones we want to believe the most. After all these years, answers might finally be within reach—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.
211 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 16, 2024
49 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Gregory Ashe
134 books1,781 followersI'm a long-time Midwesterner. I've lived in Chicago, Bloomington (IN), and Saint Louis, my current home. Aside from reading and writing (which take up a lot of my time), I'm an educator.
While I enjoy reading across many genres, my two main loves are mystery and speculative fiction. I used to keep a list of favorite books, but it changes so frequently that I've given up. I'm always looking for recommendations, though, so please drop me a line if you have something in mind!
My big goal right now is one day to be responsible enough to get a dog.
While I enjoy reading across many genres, my two main loves are mystery and speculative fiction. I used to keep a list of favorite books, but it changes so frequently that I've given up. I'm always looking for recommendations, though, so please drop me a line if you have something in mind!
My big goal right now is one day to be responsible enough to get a dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
June 23, 2025
🎧 Audiobook out now! https://www.audible.com/pd/B0FF55QMD9
Breathtaking. My gob is smacked. My life’s trajectory has been set on a new path.
This is not a review, but a plea not to deprive yourself of this book.
I’m not good with words. I’ve sat in front of my keyboard, tried to put feelings to (digital) paper, emotions into a form that can be understood, but it’s like there’s a missing fuse in that neural connection. Is it the fear of vulnerability? Of making the aches and pains and yearning and bursts of joy of the human experience too solid, too real? Is there a mistake in my brain’s wiring? My mind goes blank. I hit a blue screen that no number of resets can solve. And so I sit, and I stare at a blinking cursor, and I hit the same wall over and over again.
Words are hard. Words are scary. Maybe I’m Dash and Bobby’s secret alt-dimensional child. Maybe I’m facing the same mental block as Dash. Maybe I’m more like Bobby when it comes to real emotions than I want to admit.
Strangely (miraculously?) enough, this book put into words many of those lurking feelings and questions I’ve pondered in the strange limbo space of my quarter-life crisis (that seems intent on extending its life until it can personally hand me over to its successor, Mid-Life Crisis). It’s a chilling relief to be seen and heard, and to know that some people have found their answers in due time. It’s the painful realization that it might not be the clear-cut answer we hope for. The impatience to reach that point now, but the fear of what that truth could mean.
I’m speaking in riddles, as touching on the story directly almost feels disrespectful in this part of the review. The last thing I want is to take away from the impact of that first readthrough - so instead, I’ll tuck a few scattered thoughts under a spoiler warning below. But long story short, no matter what your feelings are on the books in this series thus far, this is an absolute must-read.
⚠️ Spoilers below ⚠️
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Relationship status checkpoint:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This was everything I wanted and then some. Grade-A fights with all the pettiness and cheap shots you could hope for. A beautiful catharsis for two tight-lipped, assuming fools (Dashby) and their thousands of hovering observers (us). I was given so much of what I had on my book 6 bingo card: a Bobby breakdown, succumbing to the anger, a reverse near death experience, vulnerable letters. (Bingo!)
Again with Feeling ties the first half of this series with a big, beautiful bow. Character development reaches a peak. The case shines in its delicate simplicity. The way it wove into every layer of Dashby’s relationship, without taking away too much page time to deliver on the main course, was masterful.
While the issue I had with the last book still stands - if not became more prominent because of how well-balanced the same underlying frustrations and barriers were tackled through, this time, dynamic situations that allowed for novel shapes to take hold - it has certainly earned its logical place in the timeline. Again with Feeling almost completely let go of the repetitiveness that I struggled to grapple with in Between You and Me and brought everything home in a delicious al pastor taco combo.
I do continue to find myself a tinge upset by the pressure put on Dash by his friend group to make things perfect with Bobby (it still feels like Dash’s expected to make a lot of concessions for Bobby’s behavior and also take the brunt of the blame for why things wouldn’t click) and their only action being lip action (the lowkey judgey “I’m not mad. I’m just disappointed” kind that toes the line for me) - but I understand GA wanting to emphasize the growth and change within the two main agents and keep the relationship’s focal point solely on them.
I’m curious to see what the reactions will be to Hugo’s role here and if it aligns with the promise of previous books alone. I got the general gist beforehand from what GA’s shared in livestreams and book clubs that he wouldn’t pose a real threat, so there was no sense of anticipation or dread of the ex variety. Which I’m grateful for, but I imagine long-time readers still expect it from GA at this point 😂
I can’t wait for the audios to come out for these so I can binge through the first six in one go.
Thank you to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book; this is my honest review :)
-----pre-release thoughts-----
🎃 Celebrating Halloween early with Funk-n-Fiction's 2024 Halloween Flash Fiction blog event and the Last Picks - "Class V Haunted Mansion" (takes place after Doom Magnet, book #3): https://funknfiction.com/2024/10/25/2...
Latest Gregory Ashe news: The Hazardverse Binder
*rushes to jot down December 16th on the calendar* (beware the spoilery blurb as per usual!)
Book #6 of 12’s officially in the catalog! Speaking from the past where we’re up to book 3, but will this be the book where the resulting rumblings of a case will lead to the outcome we’ve all been anxiously on tenterhooks for? Or will we be left with another installment of angsty, pain(/pine)ful desperation (ours included)? Can’t wait to see where GA takes us next at this midway point.
Breathtaking. My gob is smacked. My life’s trajectory has been set on a new path.
This is not a review, but a plea not to deprive yourself of this book.
I’m not good with words. I’ve sat in front of my keyboard, tried to put feelings to (digital) paper, emotions into a form that can be understood, but it’s like there’s a missing fuse in that neural connection. Is it the fear of vulnerability? Of making the aches and pains and yearning and bursts of joy of the human experience too solid, too real? Is there a mistake in my brain’s wiring? My mind goes blank. I hit a blue screen that no number of resets can solve. And so I sit, and I stare at a blinking cursor, and I hit the same wall over and over again.
Words are hard. Words are scary. Maybe I’m Dash and Bobby’s secret alt-dimensional child. Maybe I’m facing the same mental block as Dash. Maybe I’m more like Bobby when it comes to real emotions than I want to admit.
Strangely (miraculously?) enough, this book put into words many of those lurking feelings and questions I’ve pondered in the strange limbo space of my quarter-life crisis (that seems intent on extending its life until it can personally hand me over to its successor, Mid-Life Crisis). It’s a chilling relief to be seen and heard, and to know that some people have found their answers in due time. It’s the painful realization that it might not be the clear-cut answer we hope for. The impatience to reach that point now, but the fear of what that truth could mean.
I’m speaking in riddles, as touching on the story directly almost feels disrespectful in this part of the review. The last thing I want is to take away from the impact of that first readthrough - so instead, I’ll tuck a few scattered thoughts under a spoiler warning below. But long story short, no matter what your feelings are on the books in this series thus far, this is an absolute must-read.
⚠️ Spoilers below ⚠️
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Relationship status checkpoint:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This was everything I wanted and then some. Grade-A fights with all the pettiness and cheap shots you could hope for. A beautiful catharsis for two tight-lipped, assuming fools (Dashby) and their thousands of hovering observers (us). I was given so much of what I had on my book 6 bingo card: a Bobby breakdown, succumbing to the anger, a reverse near death experience, vulnerable letters. (Bingo!)
Again with Feeling ties the first half of this series with a big, beautiful bow. Character development reaches a peak. The case shines in its delicate simplicity. The way it wove into every layer of Dashby’s relationship, without taking away too much page time to deliver on the main course, was masterful.
While the issue I had with the last book still stands - if not became more prominent because of how well-balanced the same underlying frustrations and barriers were tackled through, this time, dynamic situations that allowed for novel shapes to take hold - it has certainly earned its logical place in the timeline. Again with Feeling almost completely let go of the repetitiveness that I struggled to grapple with in Between You and Me and brought everything home in a delicious al pastor taco combo.
I do continue to find myself a tinge upset by the pressure put on Dash by his friend group to make things perfect with Bobby (it still feels like Dash’s expected to make a lot of concessions for Bobby’s behavior and also take the brunt of the blame for why things wouldn’t click) and their only action being lip action (the lowkey judgey “I’m not mad. I’m just disappointed” kind that toes the line for me) - but I understand GA wanting to emphasize the growth and change within the two main agents and keep the relationship’s focal point solely on them.
I’m curious to see what the reactions will be to Hugo’s role here and if it aligns with the promise of previous books alone. I got the general gist beforehand from what GA’s shared in livestreams and book clubs that he wouldn’t pose a real threat, so there was no sense of anticipation or dread of the ex variety. Which I’m grateful for, but I imagine long-time readers still expect it from GA at this point 😂
I can’t wait for the audios to come out for these so I can binge through the first six in one go.
Thank you to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book; this is my honest review :)
-----pre-release thoughts-----
🎃 Celebrating Halloween early with Funk-n-Fiction's 2024 Halloween Flash Fiction blog event and the Last Picks - "Class V Haunted Mansion" (takes place after Doom Magnet, book #3): https://funknfiction.com/2024/10/25/2...
Latest Gregory Ashe news: The Hazardverse Binder
*rushes to jot down December 16th on the calendar* (beware the spoilery blurb as per usual!)
Book #6 of 12’s officially in the catalog! Speaking from the past where we’re up to book 3, but will this be the book where the resulting rumblings of a case will lead to the outcome we’ve all been anxiously on tenterhooks for? Or will we be left with another installment of angsty, pain(/pine)ful desperation (ours included)? Can’t wait to see where GA takes us next at this midway point.
December 8, 2024
True confession: I was pretty quite totally exasperated fed up with Dash by the end of the last book, "Between You and Me." So I'm pleased delighted overjoyed to report that "Again with Feeling" is a return to form. 4.5/5, that is.
Toward the very end, Dash gets excited because he's had a brainstorm about a novel genre: "cozy noir." Which might be a good label for this book, which is in some ways darker and in every way more melancholy than any of the previous installments, but whose resolution gives both Dash and Bobby the impetus to finally, finally, FINALLY!!! (hello, Millie) be honest about their feelings.
Which I know is technically a spoiler, but if you've quailed at the prospect of yet more Dashly waffling then I say gird your loins, grit your teeth, and get ready for that sweet, sweet sigh of relief, as well as (if you're me) a whole lot of crying. My eyes were still sore the next morning, is what I'm saying here.
Speaking of Dashly waffling: This is the book in which, for I think the first time, we see Dash's and Bobby's behavior through Bobby's eyes, and that made me think about authorial choices of POV. All the books up to this point have hewed tightly to Dash's first-person point of view, and while it's obvious that thanks to his anxiety and self-doubt he's an (exceptionally) unreliable narrator, and while the commentariat -- i.e., the other Last Picks -- offers an outside perspective, that perspective mostly consists of eye-rolling over his and Bobby's obliviousness. Also, though Dash has some insight into Bobby, he idealizes him: distortion, again.
So the conversation in which Bobby describes his own perceptions of Dash, and his actions with respect to Dash, provides some revelations. GA mostly writes dual POV (only the Holloway Holmes books excepted, as far as I can remember), and maybe seeing these stories unfold from Bobby's POV as well as from Dash's would have made Dash less maddening. (Though it would likely have gotten in the way of some of the mystery plots. Tradeoffs!)
Anyway, I'm wholeheartedly back on board with this series. Even though I know, I just know, that freaking Hugo is going to show up to ruin things. Thanks to GA for the ARC, this is my honest opinion, etc.
Toward the very end, Dash gets excited because he's had a brainstorm about a novel genre: "cozy noir." Which might be a good label for this book, which is in some ways darker and in every way more melancholy than any of the previous installments, but whose resolution gives both Dash and Bobby the impetus to finally, finally, FINALLY!!! (hello, Millie) be honest about their feelings.
Which I know is technically a spoiler, but if you've quailed at the prospect of yet more Dashly waffling then I say gird your loins, grit your teeth, and get ready for that sweet, sweet sigh of relief, as well as (if you're me) a whole lot of crying. My eyes were still sore the next morning, is what I'm saying here.
Speaking of Dashly waffling: This is the book in which, for I think the first time, we see Dash's and Bobby's behavior through Bobby's eyes, and that made me think about authorial choices of POV. All the books up to this point have hewed tightly to Dash's first-person point of view, and while it's obvious that thanks to his anxiety and self-doubt he's an (exceptionally) unreliable narrator, and while the commentariat -- i.e., the other Last Picks -- offers an outside perspective, that perspective mostly consists of eye-rolling over his and Bobby's obliviousness. Also, though Dash has some insight into Bobby, he idealizes him: distortion, again.
So the conversation in which Bobby describes his own perceptions of Dash, and his actions with respect to Dash, provides some revelations. GA mostly writes dual POV (only the Holloway Holmes books excepted, as far as I can remember), and maybe seeing these stories unfold from Bobby's POV as well as from Dash's would have made Dash less maddening. (Though it would likely have gotten in the way of some of the mystery plots. Tradeoffs!)
Anyway, I'm wholeheartedly back on board with this series. Even though I know, I just know, that freaking Hugo is going to show up to ruin things. Thanks to GA for the ARC, this is my honest opinion, etc.
December 30, 2024
✰ 3.5 stars ✰
“That’s always our charge, isn’t it? To see truly, to know truly, so that we may write truly.
That’s what carries us into the dark.”
I think it was the first time where I felt the correlation between the mystery and the relationship on a visceral level that evokes the message that must be delivered once Again With Feeling. One which was both cathartic and appreciative in the sense that it touched upon the importance of speaking your heart, before the chance is lost. 🥺 For sometimes love is worth the risk, for the outcome of not taking that leap is so much worse. 'Vivienne Carver was a cold-blooded murderer' and a homicidal maniac, but when she requested amateur sleuth Dashiell Dawson Dane to solve the cold case of a thirty-year-old mystery of her brother Richard's death, it opened the path for Dash to realize the importance of really laying your heart out before it was too late. 💟
“But tell me, Mr. Dane, why it matters now, after all these years? What good will come from opening old wounds?”
As much as I presumed the direction in which the story was heading, I liked how it brought out Dash from his own shell of silence. That he broke down his own wall of not letting Bobby walk away without seeing and hearing how much he meant to him - airing out their grievances and expectations. 😢 For all the pain, the hesitancy, the heartbreak, and the plausible deniability, it was intense. And also touching in a lot of ways that evoked a kind of understanding, if not respect for Dash's decision of taking the plunge - 'every relationship is a gamble'. It was Dash finally letting himself be vulnerable to his own emotions that he saw the raw sadness in a case long buried under the victims' own heartbreak that I give credit to the author for having it make sense. 🙂↕️🙂↕️
He was assertive, he was sleuthing, he was making the right decisions, albeit not quite looking in the right direction for some of his surmises, and he was making genuine progress in his writing that also tied in together with his sleuthing. 😌 It was also the first time where the murder may have been toned down, but still one that affected Dash so very deeply, one that showed a maturity to his usual temperament. It struck a nerve in him to see how much of a regret of a mistake would take place if he did not strike at Bobby with his real feelings, while he could. It built up in an emotional crescendo that I thought was really well done. 🥹👍🏻
“‘Whatever love means, it’s how I feel about you.’”
For the heart of the narrative definitely belonged to the eventual progress of Dash and Bobby's dynamic. An ultimatum, a challenge, a confession - it evoked a tidal wave of feelings that both of them had to process and accept in order for the next critical step in their relationship. And it shined; talking may be overrated, but it is what ultimately saved them. 🥰 I still am a bit ambivalent, if not reluctant to forgive Bobby as easily. I agree his intentions were legit, and he is trying and Dash does care for him very much so, so let's see. But, yes, my heart was soaring, if not butterflies fluttering at that ambulance scene. 🥲🤍🩵
“What is happening?” Bobby said, mostly to himself.
“Just let it wash over you,” I said. “They wear themselves out eventually.”
I could not have described The Last Picks better. Aside from emotional support and their insertion of pointed banter, I've drowned them out to white noise for the time being. Although, I'm also starting to get a bit uncomfortable with Keme's crush on Millie. 😒 The fact that I've forgotten what she does for a living, it's also a bit unnerving that he is seventeen and he's major crushing on her, despite her obliviousness, and maybe there will be a book addressing the mystery behind his behavior, but... yeah, I hope we'll get a little more substance to him, now. 😮💨 Much like it has become a running joke that Dash will never get to finish his sentences, which, I'm assuming that maybe in the final case, he'll finally have the last word. That's really the only way I figured will be the crowning achievement to his talents... 🙄
It feels a bit double standard-ish to believe that due to the progress in Dash and Bobby's relationship, it received a higher approval rating. But, it was more than that. Just having Dash behave more proactive, seeing how the cold case played a pivotal role in sweeping changes, and the Last Picks being toned down than the norm, definitely played a part in making it a more appreciative read for me. 🫶🏻
“That’s always our charge, isn’t it? To see truly, to know truly, so that we may write truly.
That’s what carries us into the dark.”
I think it was the first time where I felt the correlation between the mystery and the relationship on a visceral level that evokes the message that must be delivered once Again With Feeling. One which was both cathartic and appreciative in the sense that it touched upon the importance of speaking your heart, before the chance is lost. 🥺 For sometimes love is worth the risk, for the outcome of not taking that leap is so much worse. 'Vivienne Carver was a cold-blooded murderer' and a homicidal maniac, but when she requested amateur sleuth Dashiell Dawson Dane to solve the cold case of a thirty-year-old mystery of her brother Richard's death, it opened the path for Dash to realize the importance of really laying your heart out before it was too late. 💟
“But tell me, Mr. Dane, why it matters now, after all these years? What good will come from opening old wounds?”
As much as I presumed the direction in which the story was heading, I liked how it brought out Dash from his own shell of silence. That he broke down his own wall of not letting Bobby walk away without seeing and hearing how much he meant to him - airing out their grievances and expectations. 😢 For all the pain, the hesitancy, the heartbreak, and the plausible deniability, it was intense. And also touching in a lot of ways that evoked a kind of understanding, if not respect for Dash's decision of taking the plunge - 'every relationship is a gamble'. It was Dash finally letting himself be vulnerable to his own emotions that he saw the raw sadness in a case long buried under the victims' own heartbreak that I give credit to the author for having it make sense. 🙂↕️🙂↕️
He was assertive, he was sleuthing, he was making the right decisions, albeit not quite looking in the right direction for some of his surmises, and he was making genuine progress in his writing that also tied in together with his sleuthing. 😌 It was also the first time where the murder may have been toned down, but still one that affected Dash so very deeply, one that showed a maturity to his usual temperament. It struck a nerve in him to see how much of a regret of a mistake would take place if he did not strike at Bobby with his real feelings, while he could. It built up in an emotional crescendo that I thought was really well done. 🥹👍🏻
“‘Whatever love means, it’s how I feel about you.’”
For the heart of the narrative definitely belonged to the eventual progress of Dash and Bobby's dynamic. An ultimatum, a challenge, a confession - it evoked a tidal wave of feelings that both of them had to process and accept in order for the next critical step in their relationship. And it shined; talking may be overrated, but it is what ultimately saved them. 🥰 I still am a bit ambivalent, if not reluctant to forgive Bobby as easily. I agree his intentions were legit, and he is trying and Dash does care for him very much so, so let's see. But, yes, my heart was soaring, if not butterflies fluttering at that ambulance scene. 🥲🤍🩵
“What is happening?” Bobby said, mostly to himself.
“Just let it wash over you,” I said. “They wear themselves out eventually.”
I could not have described The Last Picks better. Aside from emotional support and their insertion of pointed banter, I've drowned them out to white noise for the time being. Although, I'm also starting to get a bit uncomfortable with Keme's crush on Millie. 😒 The fact that I've forgotten what she does for a living, it's also a bit unnerving that he is seventeen and he's major crushing on her, despite her obliviousness, and maybe there will be a book addressing the mystery behind his behavior, but... yeah, I hope we'll get a little more substance to him, now. 😮💨 Much like it has become a running joke that Dash will never get to finish his sentences, which, I'm assuming that maybe in the final case, he'll finally have the last word. That's really the only way I figured will be the crowning achievement to his talents... 🙄
It feels a bit double standard-ish to believe that due to the progress in Dash and Bobby's relationship, it received a higher approval rating. But, it was more than that. Just having Dash behave more proactive, seeing how the cold case played a pivotal role in sweeping changes, and the Last Picks being toned down than the norm, definitely played a part in making it a more appreciative read for me. 🫶🏻
December 9, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
A massive improvement from the last installment, with a properly sad suspense plot -- no hijinks here -- and (finally!!!) some forward motion on the Dash-Bobby front. The Last Picks are getting on my last nerve, though. Do they even like Dash?
Major side-eye that neither the police nor ambulance were called after Dash's accident. See above, re: do they even like Dash??
This is one of those times where I seem more negative than I actually am towards this book. This was a needed corrective after the previous outing, but I think I'm just cozied out. I want swearing. I want fucking. I want non-quirky friends. I want stakes. But grading this against what it is, not what I want it to be . . . I don't know, I'm still grumpy. Please, Dash, say the word "fuck," you sound like a 6-year-old.
But ok, I'm rounding up on the strength of Taco Guy and Mrs Librarian. More tacos and librarians, less Last Picks!
I got an ARC from the author, disclaimer disclaimer
A massive improvement from the last installment, with a properly sad suspense plot -- no hijinks here -- and (finally!!!) some forward motion on the Dash-Bobby front. The Last Picks are getting on my last nerve, though. Do they even like Dash?
Major side-eye that neither the police nor ambulance were called after Dash's accident. See above, re: do they even like Dash??
This is one of those times where I seem more negative than I actually am towards this book. This was a needed corrective after the previous outing, but I think I'm just cozied out. I want swearing. I want fucking. I want non-quirky friends. I want stakes. But grading this against what it is, not what I want it to be . . . I don't know, I'm still grumpy. Please, Dash, say the word "fuck," you sound like a 6-year-old.
But ok, I'm rounding up on the strength of Taco Guy and Mrs Librarian. More tacos and librarians, less Last Picks!
I got an ARC from the author, disclaimer disclaimer
December 27, 2024
Parts of this book annoyed me. I feel like no one takes Dash seriously and his friends can be very tough on him. When he has a major incident happen no one seemed too worried about him. Everyone assumes he’ll mess things up with Bobby too. I am also getting tired of Dash not doing anything. He can hardly put words down and he solves mysteries but it seems like he just lucks into the answers.
I felt like it was tedious work getting through the book. I was so frustrated with Bobby too. These characters just don’t seem like adults. They’re almost caricatures at this point.
I don’t know what to rate this, I will need to think about it.
ARC received for review
I felt like it was tedious work getting through the book. I was so frustrated with Bobby too. These characters just don’t seem like adults. They’re almost caricatures at this point.
I don’t know what to rate this, I will need to think about it.
ARC received for review
February 2, 2025
A- / 4.5 stars rounded up.
Dash and the Last Picks are back in Again With Feeling, book six in Gregory Ashe’s cosy mystery series set in and around the fictional Portland town of Hastings Rock. I don’t mind admitting that I came away from the previous book ( Between You and Me ) feeling frustrated by the amount of emotional constipation on display and exhausted by Dash’s almost constant panicking and repetitive overthinking. So I picked up Again With Feeling with a mixture of hope and trepidation – and am pleased to report that we’ve moved on from treading water and are back on track with a story that is more serious in tone and provides some real forward momentum.
Dash’s heart has been breaking, bit by bit and day by day over the past few months as he’s watched Bobby actively “courting every eligible young man within driving distance.” But it’s fine. He’s happy for Bobby, really, he is. Bobby needed to get back out there after his break-up and… it’s all perfectly fine. He’s a little bit upset when Bobby tells them all that his current squeeze has asked Bobby to partner him in the upcoming sandcastle competition instead of Dash, but… it’s fine.
As Dash is trying to put a brave face on it, his phone rings with an incoming call from the Oregon State Penitentiary – from Vivienne Carver, the successful mystery author Dash went to work for in Mystery Magnet , who faked her own death, tried to kill Dash and turned out to be a murderer. She’s never getting out, and Dash isn’t sure why she’d be calling – but even though he doesn’t really want to talk to her, curiosity gets the better of him and he takes the call. It turns out she wants him to find out who killed her brother, Richard, over thirty years earlier; his body has just been discovered in the slough behind the family home, and she is, perhaps not surprisingly, the prime suspect. But she loved her brother and is adamant she didn’t kill him – and she wants Dash to find the person who did. Dash is reluctant and tries to turn her down, but Vivienne, despite their short acquaintance, has Dash’s measure – she knows he hates injustice and the idea of a guilty person walking free. He says he’ll think about it. And as he thinks, another idea takes shape. Bobby has always insisted that Dash should tell him if he’s thinking of doing ‘something stupid’ like getting mixed up in murder investigations… so Dash tells him.
At last, we get to see more of Dash and Bobby on the same page – literally rather than figuratively at this point – as Bobby tags along with Dash to speak to Vivienne’s remaining relatives to see what they can find out about Richard, the family dynamic and who might have had reason to kill him. Of course, Dash manages to ruffle plenty of feathers along the way and to land himself in very hot water, but the mystery in this book is quite different from the previous ones in that it’s a cold case with only one victim, and Mr. Ashe has dialled down the quirkiness to focus more on the emotions of the characters involved and on how it impacts on Dash and Bobby personally.The stakes are still high and there are still plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing, but there’s a melancholic air as the bigger picture begins to emerge and the extent of the tragedy is revealed.
It’s hard to write this next part without spoilers, because anyone who is reading these books or who has read my reviews of them so far will know there’s a will-they-won’t-they thing going on (or not) between Dash and Deputy Bobby Mai that became especially fraught in the previous book. Gregory Ashe isn’t known as the King of the Slow Burn for nothing, and while I’ve been very frustrated by the characters’ emotional paralysis, I had faith that he would (eventually) get them to where we all wanted them to be. He does a fantastic job in this book of exploring all the complex, messy feelings lying between them, explaining their past struggles and enabling them to at least begin to move past them. It’s not easy and there are some harsh – but necessary – words exchanged which feel like a gut punch, but those arguments are key in their journey towards a willingness to be vulnerable with each other and start breaking down the barriers they’ve both erected.
This is the first book since Doom Magnet where Bobby has felt like an actual main character rather than a peripheral one. Mr. Ashe has done an excellent job of conveying the essense of Bobby – his difficulty with expressing emotion, his avoidance mechanisms, his need for perfection – through Dash’s eyes, while also showing the reader that Dash’s view of him is very rose-tinted, so it’s good to see Bobby finally acting like a normal human being, getting angry and scared and upset - and showing it. The tight, single PoV the author is using to tell these stories means we don’t get into Bobby’s head, so having him describe his perceptions of Dash and their behaviour towards each other in a real come-to-jesus conversation is both timely and revelatory.
There are fewer appearances by the other Last Picks in this story, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I like them and the way they are such good friends to Dash (most of the time), but sometimes, less is more ;) And I really like the little winks towards the fourth wall formed by Dash’s musings on the mystery genre and tropes and on writing in general. (“Cozy noir” is the perfect label for this particular story.)
Again With Feeling ends on a much more positive note for Dash and Bobby and will certainly enable readers to heave a massive sigh of relief! It’s the perfect way to end the first half of The Last Picks, although I have no doubt there will be some screw-ups and misunderstandings on the cards for our newly-minted couple. The next book in the series promises (threatens?) a visit from Dash’s parents, and the author has said that book eight will focus on Keme (and to expect some heartbreak), so there’s still a lot to look forward to from the Hemlock House gang.
Dash and the Last Picks are back in Again With Feeling, book six in Gregory Ashe’s cosy mystery series set in and around the fictional Portland town of Hastings Rock. I don’t mind admitting that I came away from the previous book ( Between You and Me ) feeling frustrated by the amount of emotional constipation on display and exhausted by Dash’s almost constant panicking and repetitive overthinking. So I picked up Again With Feeling with a mixture of hope and trepidation – and am pleased to report that we’ve moved on from treading water and are back on track with a story that is more serious in tone and provides some real forward momentum.
Dash’s heart has been breaking, bit by bit and day by day over the past few months as he’s watched Bobby actively “courting every eligible young man within driving distance.” But it’s fine. He’s happy for Bobby, really, he is. Bobby needed to get back out there after his break-up and… it’s all perfectly fine. He’s a little bit upset when Bobby tells them all that his current squeeze has asked Bobby to partner him in the upcoming sandcastle competition instead of Dash, but… it’s fine.
As Dash is trying to put a brave face on it, his phone rings with an incoming call from the Oregon State Penitentiary – from Vivienne Carver, the successful mystery author Dash went to work for in Mystery Magnet , who faked her own death, tried to kill Dash and turned out to be a murderer. She’s never getting out, and Dash isn’t sure why she’d be calling – but even though he doesn’t really want to talk to her, curiosity gets the better of him and he takes the call. It turns out she wants him to find out who killed her brother, Richard, over thirty years earlier; his body has just been discovered in the slough behind the family home, and she is, perhaps not surprisingly, the prime suspect. But she loved her brother and is adamant she didn’t kill him – and she wants Dash to find the person who did. Dash is reluctant and tries to turn her down, but Vivienne, despite their short acquaintance, has Dash’s measure – she knows he hates injustice and the idea of a guilty person walking free. He says he’ll think about it. And as he thinks, another idea takes shape. Bobby has always insisted that Dash should tell him if he’s thinking of doing ‘something stupid’ like getting mixed up in murder investigations… so Dash tells him.
At last, we get to see more of Dash and Bobby on the same page – literally rather than figuratively at this point – as Bobby tags along with Dash to speak to Vivienne’s remaining relatives to see what they can find out about Richard, the family dynamic and who might have had reason to kill him. Of course, Dash manages to ruffle plenty of feathers along the way and to land himself in very hot water, but the mystery in this book is quite different from the previous ones in that it’s a cold case with only one victim, and Mr. Ashe has dialled down the quirkiness to focus more on the emotions of the characters involved and on how it impacts on Dash and Bobby personally.The stakes are still high and there are still plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing, but there’s a melancholic air as the bigger picture begins to emerge and the extent of the tragedy is revealed.
It’s hard to write this next part without spoilers, because anyone who is reading these books or who has read my reviews of them so far will know there’s a will-they-won’t-they thing going on (or not) between Dash and Deputy Bobby Mai that became especially fraught in the previous book. Gregory Ashe isn’t known as the King of the Slow Burn for nothing, and while I’ve been very frustrated by the characters’ emotional paralysis, I had faith that he would (eventually) get them to where we all wanted them to be. He does a fantastic job in this book of exploring all the complex, messy feelings lying between them, explaining their past struggles and enabling them to at least begin to move past them. It’s not easy and there are some harsh – but necessary – words exchanged which feel like a gut punch, but those arguments are key in their journey towards a willingness to be vulnerable with each other and start breaking down the barriers they’ve both erected.
This is the first book since Doom Magnet where Bobby has felt like an actual main character rather than a peripheral one. Mr. Ashe has done an excellent job of conveying the essense of Bobby – his difficulty with expressing emotion, his avoidance mechanisms, his need for perfection – through Dash’s eyes, while also showing the reader that Dash’s view of him is very rose-tinted, so it’s good to see Bobby finally acting like a normal human being, getting angry and scared and upset - and showing it. The tight, single PoV the author is using to tell these stories means we don’t get into Bobby’s head, so having him describe his perceptions of Dash and their behaviour towards each other in a real come-to-jesus conversation is both timely and revelatory.
There are fewer appearances by the other Last Picks in this story, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I like them and the way they are such good friends to Dash (most of the time), but sometimes, less is more ;) And I really like the little winks towards the fourth wall formed by Dash’s musings on the mystery genre and tropes and on writing in general. (“Cozy noir” is the perfect label for this particular story.)
Again With Feeling ends on a much more positive note for Dash and Bobby and will certainly enable readers to heave a massive sigh of relief! It’s the perfect way to end the first half of The Last Picks, although I have no doubt there will be some screw-ups and misunderstandings on the cards for our newly-minted couple. The next book in the series promises (threatens?) a visit from Dash’s parents, and the author has said that book eight will focus on Keme (and to expect some heartbreak), so there’s still a lot to look forward to from the Hemlock House gang.
December 22, 2024
Brb sobbing
March 23, 2025
If you’ve read any of this little cozy mystery series, with it’s neurotic mystery writer main character and in-book references to genre tropes and classic authors, you may have come away with the impression Gregory Ashe is a fan of the genre. I have now learned that is not the case. Because here, in book six, he has committed a hate crime against mysteries.
The relationship side of this one was great. Very satisfying. As he finally gave us the Dash and Bobby moment we should have had two or three books ago.
But the mystery… wow.
You can find various lists of “rules” for mystery novels. Most of them are pretty good. I don’t recall any of the ones I’ve seen talking specifically about the solution to the mystery beyond the typical fair play requirements. I think they should. Because if I were limited to only one rule, one thing that you must absolutely never do in a mystery novel, it would be the thing that Ashe did here.
So…
Five stars for the relationship.
Zero stars for the mystery.
It’s sad, because this series was my introduction to Ashe, and I loved it at first, but the more of them I read, the farther he falls in my regard.
I already skipped book five, as I was already sick of Ashe yanking our chains with the relationship. I think this one might cause me to abandon the series here if I hadn’t already seen the synopsis for book 8. I’ll probably continue for Keme, but I must try and regard them as “fun times with the gang” and not actual mystery novels.
The relationship side of this one was great. Very satisfying. As he finally gave us the Dash and Bobby moment we should have had two or three books ago.
But the mystery… wow.
You can find various lists of “rules” for mystery novels. Most of them are pretty good. I don’t recall any of the ones I’ve seen talking specifically about the solution to the mystery beyond the typical fair play requirements. I think they should. Because if I were limited to only one rule, one thing that you must absolutely never do in a mystery novel, it would be the thing that Ashe did here.
So…
Five stars for the relationship.
Zero stars for the mystery.
It’s sad, because this series was my introduction to Ashe, and I loved it at first, but the more of them I read, the farther he falls in my regard.
I already skipped book five, as I was already sick of Ashe yanking our chains with the relationship. I think this one might cause me to abandon the series here if I hadn’t already seen the synopsis for book 8. I’ll probably continue for Keme, but I must try and regard them as “fun times with the gang” and not actual mystery novels.
December 17, 2024
OBVI 5 STARS. And anyone feeling salty after book 5 definitely come hither and read!
Real review to come.
Number one best boy!
Real review to come.
Number one best boy!
December 4, 2024
I basically consumed this book in a matter of a few hours which, for someone who has been struggling to read anything not an audiobook, is quite the feat. But since then, I've been trying to come up with what to say about this book and have been unable to come up with the words. Part of that is just burnout, but also I sometimes feel like I'm repeating myself because I'm just, "omg I love them so much, you have to read this!" But... it's sort of not untrue?
I really enjoyed the mystery. It was so tragic and heartbreaking at its core. The callback to Mystery Magnet really bookended this first half of the series perfectly. Also enjoying the way GA continues to put his own spin of things (are we shocked?) and push the conventions of what, at least I believe, cozies tend to be or at least have been in the past. That may just be my ignorance of the genre, though.
We continue to learn little bits and pieces about the Last Picks, fed to us like little crumbs that I know are going to hit even harder once we finally start to learn about them in future books.
Dash continues to own my heart with his awkwardness and anxiety, but I think the true winner for me here is Bobby. The way he struggles to show vulnerability and that he is a human is just so relatable. Obviously we miss a little of that being this is all told from Dash's first person POV and there's always going to be a little bit of unreliable narration when it comes to that because Bobby is, of course, in Dash's mind, perfect. But these past few books have really shined a light on Bobby, and this one in particular really hit the spot.
There was so much in this book. I wasn't expecting big fights and petty arguments from a cozy, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Call me weird, but I kind of love it when characters fight. It makes the making up even better. ;) It really hit the spot and I continue to adore this series and these characters to the ends of the earth.
Thank you to the author for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
**ARCHIVED**
rtc but omgggggggg
I really enjoyed the mystery. It was so tragic and heartbreaking at its core. The callback to Mystery Magnet really bookended this first half of the series perfectly. Also enjoying the way GA continues to put his own spin of things (are we shocked?) and push the conventions of what, at least I believe, cozies tend to be or at least have been in the past. That may just be my ignorance of the genre, though.
We continue to learn little bits and pieces about the Last Picks, fed to us like little crumbs that I know are going to hit even harder once we finally start to learn about them in future books.
Dash continues to own my heart with his awkwardness and anxiety, but I think the true winner for me here is Bobby. The way he struggles to show vulnerability and that he is a human is just so relatable. Obviously we miss a little of that being this is all told from Dash's first person POV and there's always going to be a little bit of unreliable narration when it comes to that because Bobby is, of course, in Dash's mind, perfect. But these past few books have really shined a light on Bobby, and this one in particular really hit the spot.
There was so much in this book. I wasn't expecting big fights and petty arguments from a cozy, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Call me weird, but I kind of love it when characters fight. It makes the making up even better. ;) It really hit the spot and I continue to adore this series and these characters to the ends of the earth.
Thank you to the author for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
**ARCHIVED**
rtc but omgggggggg
December 9, 2024
Forward momentum,
plus meta-mystery means
I'm back on board. Phew.
3.5 rounded down
plus meta-mystery means
I'm back on board. Phew.
3.5 rounded down
December 14, 2024
It has been a while since I inhaled a novel in one day. Mind you, this book is not long and my job is not busy right now and the stars were perfectly aligned for a glorious day of uninterrupted reading (it was even raining!), but when a book isn't good I can find plenty of ways to not read it. This book was GOOD. Maybe even GREAT. Possibly even AMAZING. And definitely my FAVORITE of the series so far.
GA dialed down the comedy and amped up the mature introspection, which was a change in tone I desperately needed after the frustrating ending of Between You and Me. There was more emotion and honest conversation packed into this book than in all 5 previous books combined and the moments that triggered all of it, the placement and timing of it all, reminded me why I trust this author so much. His characters may upset me regularly with their bad decisions and horrible communication skills, but I always know the payoff will be worth it and, believe me, the payoff in this book was Worth. It.
Until now, I had felt as though there was a romance/mystery imbalance in this series and somehow, in a little over 200 pages, this installment corrected it. There was cohesion. In the previous books the mystery tended to either put Dash and Bobby at odds or separate them entirely, but this one not only gave ample opportunity for proximity, it added stakes (in more ways than one). Bobby was prominently featured and finally began to feel like a main character to me. My hope is that the resolution provided in this book will free up some space to get to know the rest of the Last Picks going forward. Right now Indira, Millie, Fox and Keme are really only serving the role of "peanut gallery" and I'd love to see them become fully realized characters. I've heard that there is a Keme centered book coming soon, so I'm feeling pretty optimistic.
As a side note - the song "Fantastic" by King Princess played on a loop in my head while reading the last few chapters of this book and the combo really sent my feels through the roof. Caitlyn and Vi are just going to have to share that song with Dash and Bobby now.
GA dialed down the comedy and amped up the mature introspection, which was a change in tone I desperately needed after the frustrating ending of Between You and Me. There was more emotion and honest conversation packed into this book than in all 5 previous books combined and the moments that triggered all of it, the placement and timing of it all, reminded me why I trust this author so much. His characters may upset me regularly with their bad decisions and horrible communication skills, but I always know the payoff will be worth it and, believe me, the payoff in this book was Worth. It.
Until now, I had felt as though there was a romance/mystery imbalance in this series and somehow, in a little over 200 pages, this installment corrected it. There was cohesion. In the previous books the mystery tended to either put Dash and Bobby at odds or separate them entirely, but this one not only gave ample opportunity for proximity, it added stakes (in more ways than one). Bobby was prominently featured and finally began to feel like a main character to me. My hope is that the resolution provided in this book will free up some space to get to know the rest of the Last Picks going forward. Right now Indira, Millie, Fox and Keme are really only serving the role of "peanut gallery" and I'd love to see them become fully realized characters. I've heard that there is a Keme centered book coming soon, so I'm feeling pretty optimistic.
As a side note - the song "Fantastic" by King Princess played on a loop in my head while reading the last few chapters of this book and the combo really sent my feels through the roof. Caitlyn and Vi are just going to have to share that song with Dash and Bobby now.
February 26, 2025
3.5⭐
How do we say it: too little, too late.
Hello, folks, we finally get these asses admitting anything aloud, at the end of book 6!.
Well, it's a lovely ending. And Bobby apologizes properly.
The mystery is actually good.
But I lost respect towards Bobby now for stringing along another guy he's actually ready to drop in a second. I don't really like the other characters that much either. I want to give the 7th book a chance for settling some things, but I'm not really interested in finishing the series.
How do we say it: too little, too late.
Hello, folks, we finally get these asses admitting anything aloud, at the end of book 6!.
Well, it's a lovely ending. And Bobby apologizes properly.
The mystery is actually good.
But I lost respect towards Bobby now for stringing along another guy he's actually ready to drop in a second. I don't really like the other characters that much either. I want to give the 7th book a chance for settling some things, but I'm not really interested in finishing the series.
July 6, 2025
Reread #2 - this time with audio - Andrew Gibson is perfection narrating this series
Original review
Finally!! This book was everything I was hoping for and more!my favorite of the series so far. Finally some high quality communication and progress!
These two are THE SWEETEST (Millie’s voice here please!)
I am always amazed by Gregory Ashe’s writing skills; he truly is gifted
Original review
Finally!! This book was everything I was hoping for and more!my favorite of the series so far. Finally some high quality communication and progress!
These two are THE SWEETEST (Millie’s voice here please!)
I am always amazed by Gregory Ashe’s writing skills; he truly is gifted
December 24, 2024
This is the one we've been reading the series for.
December 15, 2024
Christmas has come early!
Well this was wonderful. Greg nearly had me at the half way mark. I was getting a bit nervous there for a minute but alas our patience has paid off.
I was slightly less enamoured with the mystery in this instalment - mostly because I hold grudges against crazy villains that try to off one of my favourite boys!!!
however, what I enjoyed in particular here was that we got some 101 on criminal psychology from Dash. It really showcased how clever he really is.
Can’t wait to find out what else is in store for my favourite little crime solving clique 😍
Well this was wonderful. Greg nearly had me at the half way mark. I was getting a bit nervous there for a minute but alas our patience has paid off.
I was slightly less enamoured with the mystery in this instalment - mostly because I hold grudges against crazy villains that try to off one of my favourite boys!!!
however, what I enjoyed in particular here was that we got some 101 on criminal psychology from Dash. It really showcased how clever he really is.
Can’t wait to find out what else is in store for my favourite little crime solving clique 😍
December 8, 2024
We’re so back!!! I was really demoralized by the last book, & completely frustrated by what felt like the holding pattern of the series, punctuated by quirky interjections by characters I find irritating at best. HOWEVER. The tone in this one is a lot more serious & melancholy, Dash invents “cozy noir” which it turns out is exactly what this installment is (i see your meta, GA), & we finally, FINALLY get some movement btwn him & Bobby. Even the Last Picks are minimally present & therefore minimally annoying. Now I’m actually looking forward to more- I hope I am not immediately disappointed 😂.
December 1, 2024
A fantastic read! So good, in fact, I’m going to read it again immediately. The mystery is delicate and nuanced, layered in so many levels of tragedy that the final moment of clarity hit me like a gut-punch. The connection between the MCs is so terribly real, messy, and ultimately, beautiful. Lots of lessons about timeliness, vulnerability, hate, and love in #6, and I can’t wait to see the next stop on our journey with the Last Picks.
November 2, 2025
Finally! Talking works!
The mystery in this one was more personal. Vivienne wants Dash to solve the mystery of her brother’s death. In doing so, it almost caused Dash’s! 😣😣🫣
Dash and Bobby finally have THE talk! The fact that Dash uses a quote from a Lawrence Block book is truly perfect. I remember that line from Matthew Scudder.
The end was especially good in this “cozy noir” mystery…
Fade to black 🫣🫣
The mystery in this one was more personal. Vivienne wants Dash to solve the mystery of her brother’s death. In doing so, it almost caused Dash’s! 😣😣🫣
Dash and Bobby finally have THE talk! The fact that Dash uses a quote from a Lawrence Block book is truly perfect. I remember that line from Matthew Scudder.
The end was especially good in this “cozy noir” mystery…
Fade to black 🫣🫣
December 10, 2024
RTC (soon!!!)
December 16, 2024
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.25 stars
Again with Feeling is the sixth book in Gregory Ashe’s Last Picks cozy mystery series. It picks up a few months after Between You and Me and it is clear that things have gotten even more complicated with Bobby and Dash, particularly as Bobby has been non-stop dating. It is upsetting to Dash, despite him indicating that he wasn’t ready for a relationship and encouraging Bobby to start dating back in February. Things really come to a head here in this book, after a lot of build up so far in the series.
For me, this story really comes down to the dynamic between Dash and Bobby, as well as both of them coming to some new understandings about themselves and their relationship. I feel like we make good progress here and I appreciated the way it advances the story.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
4.25 stars
Again with Feeling is the sixth book in Gregory Ashe’s Last Picks cozy mystery series. It picks up a few months after Between You and Me and it is clear that things have gotten even more complicated with Bobby and Dash, particularly as Bobby has been non-stop dating. It is upsetting to Dash, despite him indicating that he wasn’t ready for a relationship and encouraging Bobby to start dating back in February. Things really come to a head here in this book, after a lot of build up so far in the series.
For me, this story really comes down to the dynamic between Dash and Bobby, as well as both of them coming to some new understandings about themselves and their relationship. I feel like we make good progress here and I appreciated the way it advances the story.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
May 29, 2025
I finished this book, and the first word that comes to my mind is melancholic.
There is a sense of lost chances and wasted lives that resonated deeply by the end of the story. And it does, too, for Dash. It forces him to contemplate his choices and the way he's living his life. It makes clear he needs to take a leap of faith and actually talk to Bobby. It works, but until we arrive at this point, there is a lot of heartbreak and shouts, and even a murder attempt.
The story works, even as I suspected from the beginning what Richard's fate had been. And it works, because we see Dash doing a fine investigative work. I loved seeing him acting a bit like Miss Marple: drawing parallels between what happened 30 years ago and the people who were involved in that night's events, books, and people from his life.
So, yes, this one is different from most of the books in this series. Not so much presence of the gang, less hilarious situations (probably because of the former), and a more... dare I say mature? Dash. But I liked it, a lot.
Let's see what awaits our heroes in the next books *g*
There is a sense of lost chances and wasted lives that resonated deeply by the end of the story. And it does, too, for Dash. It forces him to contemplate his choices and the way he's living his life. It makes clear he needs to take a leap of faith and actually talk to Bobby. It works, but until we arrive at this point, there is a lot of heartbreak and shouts, and even a murder attempt.
The story works, even as I suspected from the beginning what Richard's fate had been. And it works, because we see Dash doing a fine investigative work. I loved seeing him acting a bit like Miss Marple: drawing parallels between what happened 30 years ago and the people who were involved in that night's events, books, and people from his life.
So, yes, this one is different from most of the books in this series. Not so much presence of the gang, less hilarious situations (probably because of the former), and a more... dare I say mature? Dash. But I liked it, a lot.
Let's see what awaits our heroes in the next books *g*
January 9, 2025
At long last - a reprieve from the long curve romance-blocking is within sight!
October 21, 2025
2025: 4.25
Fucking finallyyyyy
Fucking finallyyyyy
December 15, 2024
So needless to say, book 5 in this series left me frustrated. FRUSTRATED, I say. GA is the absolute king of the slow burn and his version often involves the MCs dating other people (which sometimes gives us amazing characters we end up loving like Nico in the Hazard and Somerset books. And yes, I'm choosing to ignore those who don't love Nico - he has been a bit of a divisive character). But in the Last Picks books, I have had VERY LITTLE JOY in the idea of anyone dating anyone else. So when Bobby decided to do so at the end of the 5th book? Well, as I say frustrated. And when he is doing a LOT of this at the start of this book. Very frustrated.
The thing with GA though, is that he always gets us there in the end and the payoff is so much more satisfying for all the waiting. Does he get us there in this book? I am not going to say but I will say that relationship issues continue to be a big focus of the book. And not just the relationship between Bobby and Dash. The mystery in Again with Feeling also revolves around relationships and isn't a tradition murder mystery in many ways. It's also a very sad mystery, so prepare your heart. In fact, prepare your heart in general because GA is putting us THROUGH IT.
GA continues his meta commentary (via Dash) about mystery writing, the tropes of the genre, and craft of writing. This has been such a fun element of these books and I've enjoyed it so much. And like all the Last Picks books, the humour and dialogue are on point, Dash is completely adorable, and Indira continues to make delicious treats that are like their own character. And Keme is now officially Dash's big brother.
Another great installment with lots of humour, emotion, and character depth. GA's version of the cozy continues to win.
Note: I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
The thing with GA though, is that he always gets us there in the end and the payoff is so much more satisfying for all the waiting. Does he get us there in this book? I am not going to say but I will say that relationship issues continue to be a big focus of the book. And not just the relationship between Bobby and Dash. The mystery in Again with Feeling also revolves around relationships and isn't a tradition murder mystery in many ways. It's also a very sad mystery, so prepare your heart. In fact, prepare your heart in general because GA is putting us THROUGH IT.
GA continues his meta commentary (via Dash) about mystery writing, the tropes of the genre, and craft of writing. This has been such a fun element of these books and I've enjoyed it so much. And like all the Last Picks books, the humour and dialogue are on point, Dash is completely adorable, and Indira continues to make delicious treats that are like their own character. And Keme is now officially Dash's big brother.
Another great installment with lots of humour, emotion, and character depth. GA's version of the cozy continues to win.
Note: I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
December 9, 2024
This is the best one yet.
I can’t believe we’re already halfway through the Last Picks series! I cannot even begin to explain the fun I’ve had reading these books so far. The beauty of a long running series like The Last Picks is that you spend so much time with these characters that they begin to feel like friends, and opening a new book, starting a new adventure feels like coming home. Again With Feeling is no exception to this.
With a fiendishly fun whodunnit, a slow burn friends-to-lovers subplot, and a cast of supporting characters strong enough to stand on their own merit, you know you’re reading a Gregory Ashe novel. There’s something in the way that Ashe writes that is so compelling, so addictive, that you cannot put the book down — nor would you want to.
Whether you come for the mystery and stay for the love story — or the other way around — Again With Feeling is a cosy mystery that ticks all the boxes. The final revelation is so infuriatingly brilliant, so deviously clever that it leaves you reeling. Bobby and Dash will have you swooning, and the Last Picks will leave you yearning for your own group of misfits to find a family within.
I wish I could read this book for the first time again. I am jealous of all those yet to read it because you are going to love every second of this book. That is a promise.
I can’t believe we’re already halfway through the Last Picks series! I cannot even begin to explain the fun I’ve had reading these books so far. The beauty of a long running series like The Last Picks is that you spend so much time with these characters that they begin to feel like friends, and opening a new book, starting a new adventure feels like coming home. Again With Feeling is no exception to this.
With a fiendishly fun whodunnit, a slow burn friends-to-lovers subplot, and a cast of supporting characters strong enough to stand on their own merit, you know you’re reading a Gregory Ashe novel. There’s something in the way that Ashe writes that is so compelling, so addictive, that you cannot put the book down — nor would you want to.
Whether you come for the mystery and stay for the love story — or the other way around — Again With Feeling is a cosy mystery that ticks all the boxes. The final revelation is so infuriatingly brilliant, so deviously clever that it leaves you reeling. Bobby and Dash will have you swooning, and the Last Picks will leave you yearning for your own group of misfits to find a family within.
I wish I could read this book for the first time again. I am jealous of all those yet to read it because you are going to love every second of this book. That is a promise.
December 22, 2024
This series has been one of my favorite reads this year. It was starting to get frustrated with the main character but this book reminded me how good a slow burn romance can feel. The mystery, that filled in some of Vivienne’s backstory, was good. Overall my favorite cozy mystery series—well written, lots of humor, excellent emotional beats, memorable and lovable characters. Can’t wait for the next one.
July 27, 2025
A complimentary audio was provided in exchange for an honest review.
At this point if you've made it this far in the series, you're a fan. I truly enjoy this series and mad cast of characters. Dastardly villain Vivienne Carver comes back and drags Dash into a mystery. Who's surprised😁? Not this girl. Dash and murder are synonymous, but at least this time Dash isn't under suspicion since the murder happened thirty years ago. The gang joins in along with the dependable Bobby, and the truth does come out. The set up is kind of tidy but it works for this series.
Highly recommend and honestly, as I said before, if you've made it this far, there should be no doubt this one will be good too. Read with confidence. The narration and Uh-Maz-ING!
4 stars for the story and 5 for the narration.
At this point if you've made it this far in the series, you're a fan. I truly enjoy this series and mad cast of characters. Dastardly villain Vivienne Carver comes back and drags Dash into a mystery. Who's surprised😁? Not this girl. Dash and murder are synonymous, but at least this time Dash isn't under suspicion since the murder happened thirty years ago. The gang joins in along with the dependable Bobby, and the truth does come out. The set up is kind of tidy but it works for this series.
Highly recommend and honestly, as I said before, if you've made it this far, there should be no doubt this one will be good too. Read with confidence. The narration and Uh-Maz-ING!
4 stars for the story and 5 for the narration.
December 16, 2024
Cathartic.
Finally.
I will sleep good tonight.
Finally.
I will sleep good tonight.
March 26, 2025
Did you hear me sigh?
Can't stop now!
Can't stop now!
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