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Last Chance Live!
Squid Game meets Dear Justyce in an explosive young adult novel about a teenage girl on death row who competes on a reality show in hopes of winning her freedom.
Last Chance Live! is the most popular reality show in America—and eighteen-year-old death row inmate Eternity Price’s last chance to live. Getting cast on the show could win her clemency preventing her execution… if she can convince the viewing audience she deserves a second chance. The catch? If America doesn’t vote for her, she loses the chance to appeal her sentence, and she’ll be executed within a week of being eliminated from the show. And since Eternity’s been unpopular her whole life, she’s terrified America won’t pick her. But any chance of getting out of prison and back to her little brother Sincere, no matter how slim, is better than rotting away in her cell.
Eternity never expected to find her first real friends in a reality TV house full of people battling for survival after being convicted of capital crimes, but that’s exactly what happens. So when she gets the opportunity to sabotage them and secure her own victory, she has a choice to protect the friendships and acceptance she’s always longed for at the cost of her own life, or sacrifice her newfound community. Eternity must ultimately decide what forgiveness, family, and freedom mean to her, and how far she’ll go to win a game where the stakes are literally life or death.
Last Chance Live! is the most popular reality show in America—and eighteen-year-old death row inmate Eternity Price’s last chance to live. Getting cast on the show could win her clemency preventing her execution… if she can convince the viewing audience she deserves a second chance. The catch? If America doesn’t vote for her, she loses the chance to appeal her sentence, and she’ll be executed within a week of being eliminated from the show. And since Eternity’s been unpopular her whole life, she’s terrified America won’t pick her. But any chance of getting out of prison and back to her little brother Sincere, no matter how slim, is better than rotting away in her cell.
Eternity never expected to find her first real friends in a reality TV house full of people battling for survival after being convicted of capital crimes, but that’s exactly what happens. So when she gets the opportunity to sabotage them and secure her own victory, she has a choice to protect the friendships and acceptance she’s always longed for at the cost of her own life, or sacrifice her newfound community. Eternity must ultimately decide what forgiveness, family, and freedom mean to her, and how far she’ll go to win a game where the stakes are literally life or death.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 2025
50 people are currently reading
6720 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
September 22, 2025
ARC for review. To be precise blushed October 7, 2025.
4.4 stars
This was really, really good. I don’t know if it’s YA…it deals with young people but the subject matter is a bit intense. I would let my YA read it, if I had one, but I’m also the type that would have a mobile made of rusty nails and broken glass, so you can’t trust me.
Eternity Price is 18 and she’s been sentenced to death row in Texas. Rather than go through years of appeals, likely to no avail she ignores her lawyer’s advice and opts for applying to “Last Chance Live!” a reality TV show that pits ten death row inmates between the ages of 18 and 21 against each other to compete for America’s votes. The single winner gets a commutation of sentence, the rest are put to death the week they are voted off.
So, yeah, it’s the feel good story of the year, obviously, made no better by the fact that I’m terrified we are headed in just this direction here in our society today.
Eternity’s parents died when she was young and she and younger brother Sincere are being reared by their Nana, a fairly unsympathetic character. Eternity is an incredibly vivid character. I felt I understood her throughout. When she opines, “At some point you can only let someone hurt you so much before you wanna hurt them back,” I felt that in every fiber of myself.
This was sometimes a painful read but so worth it. Highly recommended. the only thing that kept it from a 5 star rating was a producer so evil he was a bit cartoonish. But I might still revise to a five.
4.4 stars
This was really, really good. I don’t know if it’s YA…it deals with young people but the subject matter is a bit intense. I would let my YA read it, if I had one, but I’m also the type that would have a mobile made of rusty nails and broken glass, so you can’t trust me.
Eternity Price is 18 and she’s been sentenced to death row in Texas. Rather than go through years of appeals, likely to no avail she ignores her lawyer’s advice and opts for applying to “Last Chance Live!” a reality TV show that pits ten death row inmates between the ages of 18 and 21 against each other to compete for America’s votes. The single winner gets a commutation of sentence, the rest are put to death the week they are voted off.
So, yeah, it’s the feel good story of the year, obviously, made no better by the fact that I’m terrified we are headed in just this direction here in our society today.
Eternity’s parents died when she was young and she and younger brother Sincere are being reared by their Nana, a fairly unsympathetic character. Eternity is an incredibly vivid character. I felt I understood her throughout. When she opines, “At some point you can only let someone hurt you so much before you wanna hurt them back,” I felt that in every fiber of myself.
This was sometimes a painful read but so worth it. Highly recommended. the only thing that kept it from a 5 star rating was a producer so evil he was a bit cartoonish. But I might still revise to a five.
July 21, 2025
Help I don't know how to feel anything anymore.
Ok.
So.
This book is super complex, y'all. The characters are so well written and they are all pretty terrible people. Which is great. Everyone in this book committed some of the worst crimes imaginable. Yet by the end of the book you are like. Do they deserve to die though?
Honestly this book paints a very harsh view of humanity that I don't agree with. At every turn everyone does the worst action possible. I kind of thought this was just because we see the world as it is through Eternity's eyes, but after seeing the end author's not I am not so sure. After reading this book take a moment to look at all the good things going on in the world. It is easy to feel like everything, all the time, is horrible. I promise you it is not.
The books themes about race are very heavy-handed at times but I don't really mind that. Sometimes that is what is needed to make people listen.
A big point made in this book is how people's brains aren't fully developed until 25 or whatever. And with most crimes I could get down with that excuse. Like yeah, your poor impulse control and inability to think clearly about the outcomes of your decisions made you steal that purse or whatever. But I think at 18 you can probably know that hey. Maybe I shouldn't kill that little girl. You know?
Like, Eternity is such an interesting character, and by the end of the book you really do care for her, but I think it may be less than how the author cares for her. Yes, she had a horrible life. Yes, that sucks. No, I don't feel that bad for her. I am sorry but like again a lot of people go through horrific things and don't kill children about it.
HOWEVER I am also like hey maybe it is kind of crazy that the state of Texas gets to kill her. Like, maybe don't do that.
IDK man this book made me sad. It is very well written. It is so bleak and I don't think I would read it again. I do think you should read it though! I am so excited to start seeing reviews come in with people's opinions!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
Ok.
So.
This book is super complex, y'all. The characters are so well written and they are all pretty terrible people. Which is great. Everyone in this book committed some of the worst crimes imaginable. Yet by the end of the book you are like. Do they deserve to die though?
Honestly this book paints a very harsh view of humanity that I don't agree with. At every turn everyone does the worst action possible. I kind of thought this was just because we see the world as it is through Eternity's eyes, but after seeing the end author's not I am not so sure. After reading this book take a moment to look at all the good things going on in the world. It is easy to feel like everything, all the time, is horrible. I promise you it is not.
The books themes about race are very heavy-handed at times but I don't really mind that. Sometimes that is what is needed to make people listen.
A big point made in this book is how people's brains aren't fully developed until 25 or whatever. And with most crimes I could get down with that excuse. Like yeah, your poor impulse control and inability to think clearly about the outcomes of your decisions made you steal that purse or whatever. But I think at 18 you can probably know that hey. Maybe I shouldn't kill that little girl. You know?
Like, Eternity is such an interesting character, and by the end of the book you really do care for her, but I think it may be less than how the author cares for her. Yes, she had a horrible life. Yes, that sucks. No, I don't feel that bad for her. I am sorry but like again a lot of people go through horrific things and don't kill children about it.
HOWEVER I am also like hey maybe it is kind of crazy that the state of Texas gets to kill her. Like, maybe don't do that.
IDK man this book made me sad. It is very well written. It is so bleak and I don't think I would read it again. I do think you should read it though! I am so excited to start seeing reviews come in with people's opinions!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
February 1, 2026
3.75 ⭐️
December 25, 2025
Review coming soon.
July 6, 2025
Last Chance Live! follows Eternity Price, an eighteen-year-old death row inmate as she’s cast on a reality game show that could win her clemency. However, if America doesn’t vote for her, she forfeits her rights to appeal her sentence and will be executed when she returns back to prison. But Eternity is desperate for any chance to get out of her sentence and go home to help her little brother. Not everything goes according to plan and Eternity has to decide how she wants to play the game: sacrifice new friends or do whatever it takes to win.
This was a very interesting book with a great premise. The author brings up a lot of important, topical themes and discussions that I really enjoyed. It’s a very prevalent novel to today’s political and societal climate. It’s a very heavy story but one I think will impact a lot of people and also be relatable to teens. That being said, I really wanted to love this more than I did. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style. It was very stream of consciousness, and it’s hit or miss for me if I really enjoy that style. Unfortunately, I found Eternity’s narration tedious at times. The book was also quite long, and I think it could’ve been shorter.
The characters were very well written. The author did a great job of humanizing them and making you forget that they’ve all killed someone and done some very bad things. Eternity is a very interesting main character. She’s very flawed and dislikeable but you can’t help but feel bad for her. She’s a product of her environment and she’s gone through so much. This really isn’t a redemption story, and I enjoyed that because I find that isn’t super common.
Overall, if you love books that have a lot of important commentary on race, the penal system, and reality tv, I think you’ll really love this one.
Thank you to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc!
This was a very interesting book with a great premise. The author brings up a lot of important, topical themes and discussions that I really enjoyed. It’s a very prevalent novel to today’s political and societal climate. It’s a very heavy story but one I think will impact a lot of people and also be relatable to teens. That being said, I really wanted to love this more than I did. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style. It was very stream of consciousness, and it’s hit or miss for me if I really enjoy that style. Unfortunately, I found Eternity’s narration tedious at times. The book was also quite long, and I think it could’ve been shorter.
The characters were very well written. The author did a great job of humanizing them and making you forget that they’ve all killed someone and done some very bad things. Eternity is a very interesting main character. She’s very flawed and dislikeable but you can’t help but feel bad for her. She’s a product of her environment and she’s gone through so much. This really isn’t a redemption story, and I enjoyed that because I find that isn’t super common.
Overall, if you love books that have a lot of important commentary on race, the penal system, and reality tv, I think you’ll really love this one.
Thank you to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc!
October 29, 2025
Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywood Henry
If I’m being honest, I took a few days to sit with this book before writing my review, I wasn’t quite sure how to feel after finishing it.
Going in, I expected more of a Squid Game-meets-reality-TV vibe, filled with high-stakes drama and intense action. But what this story delivers instead is something far more introspective and character-driven.
Readers should know upfront: this story isn’t really about the game or the show. It’s about Eternity Price, her thoughts, her internal struggles, her memories, and what lead her to this point in time. The narrative focuses heavily on her present emotions and reflections, alongside flashbacks to a childhood that may have shaped who she became.
I kept reading because I needed to know what Eternity did to land on death row and wowwwwwwwwww. I’m still not sure how I feel. Does she deserve to be there? Or does she just need help? The story doesn't offer easy answers, and I think that’s the point.
This book leans heavily into themes that demand critical thinking. It offers a glimpse into the unfortunate reality many children face when growing up in unstable, neglectful, or unfavorable environments. While I don't excuse Eternity’s actions, I do feel heartbroken for the girl she was, and the lack of support she had throughout her life.
Would things have turned out differently if someone had truly helped her? I don’t know and that’s what makes this story so haunting.
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Nancy Paulsen Books for the ARC.
If I’m being honest, I took a few days to sit with this book before writing my review, I wasn’t quite sure how to feel after finishing it.
Going in, I expected more of a Squid Game-meets-reality-TV vibe, filled with high-stakes drama and intense action. But what this story delivers instead is something far more introspective and character-driven.
Readers should know upfront: this story isn’t really about the game or the show. It’s about Eternity Price, her thoughts, her internal struggles, her memories, and what lead her to this point in time. The narrative focuses heavily on her present emotions and reflections, alongside flashbacks to a childhood that may have shaped who she became.
I kept reading because I needed to know what Eternity did to land on death row and wowwwwwwwwww. I’m still not sure how I feel. Does she deserve to be there? Or does she just need help? The story doesn't offer easy answers, and I think that’s the point.
This book leans heavily into themes that demand critical thinking. It offers a glimpse into the unfortunate reality many children face when growing up in unstable, neglectful, or unfavorable environments. While I don't excuse Eternity’s actions, I do feel heartbroken for the girl she was, and the lack of support she had throughout her life.
Would things have turned out differently if someone had truly helped her? I don’t know and that’s what makes this story so haunting.
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Nancy Paulsen Books for the ARC.
not-my-cup-of-tea
November 26, 2025Yeah, I won't be touching this book. Because, hoo boy, there's a lot to unpack about the problems with this. I know I'll make a video on why, but not sure if I'll share it here. I may sum up the reasons in an update though once I have a chance to share.
Update: I made a video on my YouTube channel about it, but the reasons I'll list in summary for not picking this up is digging its heels into harmful anti-Black stereotypes. This is not a story teens would want to pick up, especially Black kids/teens. There are other stories that have more appeal and respect to the audience like Deadman Wonderland, The World Ends With You, Hunger Games and others that don't condemn the identity of its protagonist before the story ever starts. (Even the narrative Squid Game, which this work is comped to, doesn't do that.) It's not appealing when you have a dark-skinned fat Black girl protagonist vilified before you even turn the first page and condemn her existence in a story which has kids killing other kids. It's just not my cuppa at all.
Update: I made a video on my YouTube channel about it, but the reasons I'll list in summary for not picking this up is digging its heels into harmful anti-Black stereotypes. This is not a story teens would want to pick up, especially Black kids/teens. There are other stories that have more appeal and respect to the audience like Deadman Wonderland, The World Ends With You, Hunger Games and others that don't condemn the identity of its protagonist before the story ever starts. (Even the narrative Squid Game, which this work is comped to, doesn't do that.) It's not appealing when you have a dark-skinned fat Black girl protagonist vilified before you even turn the first page and condemn her existence in a story which has kids killing other kids. It's just not my cuppa at all.
October 21, 2025
**Thank you to Penguin Teen and Libro.Fm for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my rating**
This was…a slog. All of the characters were horrible. It was hard to want any of them to get a better situation or solution to their situation. I don’t believe in the death penalty, so I wouldn’t wish death on them, but I didn’t want them to get out of jail, either.
Our main character, Eternity, is whiny as hell. Everything is everyone else’s fault always. She doesn’t take any accountability for her own actions. She’s mean to everyone. Additionally, I have a really bad taste in my mouth from the author being a light-skinned, thin woman who wrote a fat, dark-skinned FMC who constantly says she’s “ugly” or calls herself a “gorilla”. It’s giving colorism hard. Especially when the other Black female contestant, Malleah, is light-skinned and thin and so constantly described as “beautiful”.
The pacing is not it. This book is 512 pages. That’s 150-200 too long. It drags and drags and makes a mockery of the teens getting killed. The book wants to make comments on gang violence and its effect on families, reality shows, and the prison system but it doesn’t have anything to say on any of it. They’re just things that happen. It reads more like Big Brother than Squid Game or Chain-Gang All-Stars. It’s mostly reality show drama with very little commentary on the prison system or the barbarity of using death row inmates as entertainment.
Honestly, if you want to read a book that has a similar premise but does it well and actually has some commentary, I would recommend you check out Chain-Gang All-Stars or Deadman Wonderland. Don’t bother with this one.
This was…a slog. All of the characters were horrible. It was hard to want any of them to get a better situation or solution to their situation. I don’t believe in the death penalty, so I wouldn’t wish death on them, but I didn’t want them to get out of jail, either.
Our main character, Eternity, is whiny as hell. Everything is everyone else’s fault always. She doesn’t take any accountability for her own actions. She’s mean to everyone. Additionally, I have a really bad taste in my mouth from the author being a light-skinned, thin woman who wrote a fat, dark-skinned FMC who constantly says she’s “ugly” or calls herself a “gorilla”. It’s giving colorism hard. Especially when the other Black female contestant, Malleah, is light-skinned and thin and so constantly described as “beautiful”.
The pacing is not it. This book is 512 pages. That’s 150-200 too long. It drags and drags and makes a mockery of the teens getting killed. The book wants to make comments on gang violence and its effect on families, reality shows, and the prison system but it doesn’t have anything to say on any of it. They’re just things that happen. It reads more like Big Brother than Squid Game or Chain-Gang All-Stars. It’s mostly reality show drama with very little commentary on the prison system or the barbarity of using death row inmates as entertainment.
Honestly, if you want to read a book that has a similar premise but does it well and actually has some commentary, I would recommend you check out Chain-Gang All-Stars or Deadman Wonderland. Don’t bother with this one.
Read
June 2, 2025I, don't even know what to say. This book is absolutely brutal, and I mean that as a compliment.
September 9, 2025
Received as an ARC via my former employer Barnes & Noble. Started 9-6-25. Finished 9-9-25. Eternity Price, an 18-year-old in prison on death row for a murder charge, is offered an opportunity to be a contestant on the most popular TV show, Last Chance Live. If she wins, she goes free--if she loses, her death sentence is carried out within a few days. Sounds a lot like Hunger Games, but she and the other contestants are all young-adult murderers. Book poses lots of questions to ponder: Do any of these inmates deserve a second chance; how did their lives turn into disasters; what could they have done differently; are they telling the truth about their crimes; are the producers of the show treating the participants fairly; can the contestants develop friendships to save each other when they've had few friends in their lives; and lots more. I had a 35-year career as a juvenile court probation officer so many of these issues were very relevant.
June 16, 2025
Did not finish - 23%
I will really intrigued by the concept of this book - kids on death row get a chance to compete on a reality TV show to earn the chance to live. Felt like a unique concept.
However the downside with this book was the narration style. It felt somewhat stream of consciousness and I just felt like I was dragging myself through wet concrete trying to get through each chapter.
I will really intrigued by the concept of this book - kids on death row get a chance to compete on a reality TV show to earn the chance to live. Felt like a unique concept.
However the downside with this book was the narration style. It felt somewhat stream of consciousness and I just felt like I was dragging myself through wet concrete trying to get through each chapter.
January 11, 2026
After sitting with my thoughts for a few days, I am updating my rating. This has stuck with me. This was a tough read. Sad and thought provoking. I've read several other books that have used prisoners as contestants on a reality show. Each of them a little bit different. the reality displayed in this is so close to our current state that it doesn't seem unreasonable for something like this to happen. The twist is that the characters in this novel are adults but very young adults. They are 18-21. This book and the author have a lot to say. There is a lot of exploration of big themes about incarceration, the death penalty, justice, mercy, forgiveness. The author's note at the end is a must read. This is a well written and entertaining (that feels icky to say) novel. Beyond the reality show aspect, this provides scenes and a real look into life in prison.
Eternity Price is 18 and living on death row. She committed a terrible crime, but also was given a lawyer who didn't have enough time to fight her battle. Looking at years on death row, Eternity jumps at the chance to join a reality show. If she wins, she gets to live. If she is voted off, no more appeals. She dies within a week. Make no mistake. the "kids" in this novel committed terrible crimes. It takes awhile to get the details for each member of the show. Eternity's life and crimes are slowly revealed. he author expertly reveals information about Eternity so that she is a person not just a felon. Did she have the opportunity to make different choices? yes! Easy to think if you were in her shoes that you would have done differently, but would you?t he author's note at the end carefully explains how each of us have made errors in judgment. Some more deadly and costly than others.
Eternity's life is hard. Her parents have died, her Nana kind of cares, she is bullied at school, overweight and her little brother is slipping away into a gang. Without resources, a support network or coping strategies; it was easy to see how she got into the position that sent her to prison.
Make no mistake, the kids in this novel committed despicable acts. That's the hard part of this novel.
The author tries to show the downfalls of death row: cost of appeals, etc.
Outside of the parts about prison, death row, there's also plenty to think about in regards to a reality show. We aren't that far away from something like this from happening.
This would make an excellent book club selection. While it's a smidge over 500 pages, it moves quickly. plenty of white space and dialogue on page. The only perspective presented is Eternity's which worked really well.
Highly recommend!
Eternity Price is 18 and living on death row. She committed a terrible crime, but also was given a lawyer who didn't have enough time to fight her battle. Looking at years on death row, Eternity jumps at the chance to join a reality show. If she wins, she gets to live. If she is voted off, no more appeals. She dies within a week. Make no mistake. the "kids" in this novel committed terrible crimes. It takes awhile to get the details for each member of the show. Eternity's life and crimes are slowly revealed. he author expertly reveals information about Eternity so that she is a person not just a felon. Did she have the opportunity to make different choices? yes! Easy to think if you were in her shoes that you would have done differently, but would you?t he author's note at the end carefully explains how each of us have made errors in judgment. Some more deadly and costly than others.
Eternity's life is hard. Her parents have died, her Nana kind of cares, she is bullied at school, overweight and her little brother is slipping away into a gang. Without resources, a support network or coping strategies; it was easy to see how she got into the position that sent her to prison.
Make no mistake, the kids in this novel committed despicable acts. That's the hard part of this novel.
The author tries to show the downfalls of death row: cost of appeals, etc.
Outside of the parts about prison, death row, there's also plenty to think about in regards to a reality show. We aren't that far away from something like this from happening.
This would make an excellent book club selection. While it's a smidge over 500 pages, it moves quickly. plenty of white space and dialogue on page. The only perspective presented is Eternity's which worked really well.
Highly recommend!
October 14, 2025
Thank you for the free book @penguinteen.
Title: Last Chance Live!
Author: Helena Haywoode Henry
Genre: YA
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
CW: Death, Racism, Fat shaming
My 💭:
This was such a thought provoking story! Eternity Price is 18 years old and on death row. She gets a chance to be a on reality tv show to win her freedom and a second chance at life. This story really made me think more about the death penalty especially when it comes to teenagers.
Throughout the story the author did a great job bringing each character to life and it was sad to see the outcomes for them as the story progresses.
“At some point you can only let someone hurt you so much before you wanna hurt them back. And if you're hurting all day every day
'cause of what they did, you want them to hurt all day too.
But it's hard to hurt people who don't care about you unless you
hurt them big.”
Phew.
My feelings when it comes to Eternity are conflicted. At times I wanted to shake some sense into her, focus on her goals and cut the crap. Then I wanted to reach into the book and give her a big hug and tell her it would be okay. Her upbringing was tough, but that still didn’t give her the right to do what she did at all. I really wonder if Eternity had just one person in her corner, if her life would have ended up differently.
Audiobook people the narrator did an excellent job and I recommend that format as well. Definitely one of my favorite audiobooks of the year!
Title: Last Chance Live!
Author: Helena Haywoode Henry
Genre: YA
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
CW: Death, Racism, Fat shaming
My 💭:
This was such a thought provoking story! Eternity Price is 18 years old and on death row. She gets a chance to be a on reality tv show to win her freedom and a second chance at life. This story really made me think more about the death penalty especially when it comes to teenagers.
Throughout the story the author did a great job bringing each character to life and it was sad to see the outcomes for them as the story progresses.
“At some point you can only let someone hurt you so much before you wanna hurt them back. And if you're hurting all day every day
'cause of what they did, you want them to hurt all day too.
But it's hard to hurt people who don't care about you unless you
hurt them big.”
Phew.
My feelings when it comes to Eternity are conflicted. At times I wanted to shake some sense into her, focus on her goals and cut the crap. Then I wanted to reach into the book and give her a big hug and tell her it would be okay. Her upbringing was tough, but that still didn’t give her the right to do what she did at all. I really wonder if Eternity had just one person in her corner, if her life would have ended up differently.
Audiobook people the narrator did an excellent job and I recommend that format as well. Definitely one of my favorite audiobooks of the year!
October 27, 2025
I remember when Suzanne Collins once talked about her inspiration for "The Hunger Games" being modern American reality TV, and how much that struck a chord in me. "Why not just write THAT book, then?" I wondered. "Wouldn't that have more impact and mean something honest, something more?" But maybe it didn't feel as plausible then, that we would live in a country so openly divided and hateful, so chronically online and emotionally gluttonous. But we do now, and Helena Haywoode Henry did it. She wrote the book I wanted "The Hunger Games" to be all those years ago, and she did it with bravery and boldness through the voice of Eternity Price, a young, fat, black teenager whose odds, like those of her fellow contestants on Last Chance Live!, a game show in which America votes young people on death row out of a mansion (and off to their execution) week by week, have never, ever been in her favor. Exploring themes of economic, racial, political, body, geographic, and legal poverty and privilege, violence, forgiveness, and family, this book is also can't-put-down readable, and equal parts sad and funny. I was riveted, outraged, and fascinated for the entire ride. This is definitely a book to read, think about, recommend to friends, and talk about for a long time to come.
September 17, 2025
*Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review!*
Eternity Price seizes her chance to escape death row by applying for America's hit reality TV show Last Chance Live! For Eternity, the risk of being executed by failing to secure America's vote is better than the alternative: waste away for decades in a cell while appeals paperwork moves through the system. Beside, she needs to get out so she can be with her younger brother.
Through a series of flashbacks and the nail-biting present of Eternity's experience on Last Chance Live!, we get the full picture of how Eternity ended up on the show. She's never had real friends before, and is both pleased and conflicted that she's finally found community. After all, there's only one winner. The rest will be executed. Helena Haywoode Henry raises a lens to race and the justice system in America. Readers who long for high-stakes dystopian lit with serious topics will enjoy this title. A great purchase for high school libraries.
Eternity Price seizes her chance to escape death row by applying for America's hit reality TV show Last Chance Live! For Eternity, the risk of being executed by failing to secure America's vote is better than the alternative: waste away for decades in a cell while appeals paperwork moves through the system. Beside, she needs to get out so she can be with her younger brother.
Through a series of flashbacks and the nail-biting present of Eternity's experience on Last Chance Live!, we get the full picture of how Eternity ended up on the show. She's never had real friends before, and is both pleased and conflicted that she's finally found community. After all, there's only one winner. The rest will be executed. Helena Haywoode Henry raises a lens to race and the justice system in America. Readers who long for high-stakes dystopian lit with serious topics will enjoy this title. A great purchase for high school libraries.
September 3, 2025
Oof. This book hurt my feelings and made me angry. Sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a painful way. I understand the author’s choices in a lot of instances to leave things vague and open-ended. But it was really difficult to read at times. I did love that it made me think. I’m not sure what I wanted it to be, but sometimes I felt that it fell short of my hopes for it. I was irritated by Eternity sometimes because I couldn’t actually figure out who she was. She was naive sometimes and then other times felt wise in ways that didn’t make sense with the information we already had about her thought processes.
For the sake of protection from spoilers, I will just say… the ending was SOMETHING.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
For the sake of protection from spoilers, I will just say… the ending was SOMETHING.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
December 1, 2025
Thank you Net Galley and Publishers for letting me read an arc of this book in return for an honest review.
This is not a happy book. If you're looking for a feel good story or a happy ending you won't get it here. This book is a gut punch and shows all the flaws of the american system. Throughout this book I both hated Eternity and rooted for her. None of these contestants really won though. They were always pitted against each other since day one. I felt sorry for them even though they did kill people. If this really was a show I don't know if I could watch. You're putting people's lives in danger just for entertainment. Overall it was a great storyline that made me really think, it just dragged for a bit too long. Too many details that I didn't need or cared about.
This is not a happy book. If you're looking for a feel good story or a happy ending you won't get it here. This book is a gut punch and shows all the flaws of the american system. Throughout this book I both hated Eternity and rooted for her. None of these contestants really won though. They were always pitted against each other since day one. I felt sorry for them even though they did kill people. If this really was a show I don't know if I could watch. You're putting people's lives in danger just for entertainment. Overall it was a great storyline that made me really think, it just dragged for a bit too long. Too many details that I didn't need or cared about.
February 3, 2026
3.75 rounded to 4. Very upsetting. Henry writes the teenage perspective so well. Eternity thinks and acts her age and, at times, I was torn between rooting for her and rooting against her. This is a devastating look at the justice system and at kids that are too often overlooked or dismissed by society. I was confused on what this book was trying to say about religion and it felt like some subplots were left hanging (). It reminded me of Survivor, Big Brother, and Danganronpa.
August 10, 2025
Wow, I have so much I'd like to say about this book. It was a hard but, in my opinion, very important read. Some people might be turned off by what seems almost like a sensationalized topic--a reality show for young adults on death row. But it poignantly covers issues like capital punishment, our criminal justice system, racism, and fatphobia. Henry creates a very complex character in Eternity Price. I will be thinking about this one for a while.
September 12, 2025
Wowww!! As a reality tv and true crime fanatic, this book was perfect for me.
A group of young adults who are on death row go to a house for a reality tv show with the chance to win freedom. They compete and vote each other off each week where you’ll learn about the crimes they committed. This book was a lot more dramatic and tense than I imagined.
So so good!! I’ll be recommending this to everyone I know especially if they like hunger games or squid games!
Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and talented author for this ARC!
A group of young adults who are on death row go to a house for a reality tv show with the chance to win freedom. They compete and vote each other off each week where you’ll learn about the crimes they committed. This book was a lot more dramatic and tense than I imagined.
So so good!! I’ll be recommending this to everyone I know especially if they like hunger games or squid games!
Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and talented author for this ARC!
January 6, 2026
this book makes me wish i was a high school teacher, so i could teach this book to my students. quite a bummer of a way to start the year, but a really great read about propaganda and challenging who we afford empathy to. should be a required read for all teens, but that opinion would probably get me arrested in some states.
December 9, 2025
Phew, this is a heavy story. Grotesque like Hunter Games, but more haunting because of the reality of America's prison system and society. Recommended for mature readers. Author's notes are highly recommended to read.
December 23, 2025
One of the most stressful books I’ve read recently. I was on edge the entire time. Eternity was a perfect main character -so flawed, yet understandable. 4.5/5
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 21, 2025
the ending nearly broke me. very much recommend!
November 12, 2025
im literally bawling my eyes out writing this I love this book and got so attached. one of my all time favorites
October 24, 2025
Convicted of murder and sentenced to death, 18-year-old Eternity Price makes the decision to compete on a reality show where the public votes on which teenage death- row-inmate should win clemency. The catch? If Eternity doesn’t win, she has forfeited any chance she has to appeal her case, and her execution will be expedited.
The Last Chance Live! house, full of teenagers awaiting a death sentence, becomes a new home over time for the contestants, even as tensions rise as they have to vote on one of their own to lose their chance at competing for immunity for the week. Each week, the audience votes on who should stay in the game, and one person leaves for their execution. Because of the dynamics of trying to win the audience over, and the ever present editing and sensationalism of reality TV, Eternity realizes she will take many measures to stay in the game.
I entered this book for the premise, and it undoubtedly delivers its promise of being a very entertaining tale of a reality show that is an entirely unhinged concept masquerading as a “second-chance”. This book is so much more than that, though. By the end, the reader is taken on a journey that, in the afterward, the author explains is more of a case study based on reality than fiction.
This book delivers compelling information from an engaging narrator who alters between unreliable and self-centered, to someone the reader cares deeply for and roots for. Eternity is one of my favorite narrators and protagonists, starting right out of the gate. In general, I think this author does an amazing job of depicting characters that while flawed, are nuanced in a way that makes them are likable despite their crimes.
I will say, as a school counselor, this book really resonated with me. It is a great depiction of trauma and its results. I worry about the youth I serve and the things I see them endure in the criminal justice system in the USA. I think many people in helping professions will find this a must read, although clearly dark in theme and content. While this is a YA book, it could and does speak to a much wider audience. I flew through this book and I have thought about it everyday since I read it a few weeks ago. I held off reviewing it because it was so hard to articulate how emotionally impactful this book is.
This is not an overly sensationalized dystopia, and it feels like something that could easily happen in the USA. As the author points out, many details of each case are representative of real cases and how minors were lead astray through manipulation by the system that was supposed to help them.
A million stars. Will be recommending this widely. Thanks so much to the author and publisher for the eArc, my (very enthusiastic) opinions are all my own!
The Last Chance Live! house, full of teenagers awaiting a death sentence, becomes a new home over time for the contestants, even as tensions rise as they have to vote on one of their own to lose their chance at competing for immunity for the week. Each week, the audience votes on who should stay in the game, and one person leaves for their execution. Because of the dynamics of trying to win the audience over, and the ever present editing and sensationalism of reality TV, Eternity realizes she will take many measures to stay in the game.
I entered this book for the premise, and it undoubtedly delivers its promise of being a very entertaining tale of a reality show that is an entirely unhinged concept masquerading as a “second-chance”. This book is so much more than that, though. By the end, the reader is taken on a journey that, in the afterward, the author explains is more of a case study based on reality than fiction.
This book delivers compelling information from an engaging narrator who alters between unreliable and self-centered, to someone the reader cares deeply for and roots for. Eternity is one of my favorite narrators and protagonists, starting right out of the gate. In general, I think this author does an amazing job of depicting characters that while flawed, are nuanced in a way that makes them are likable despite their crimes.
I will say, as a school counselor, this book really resonated with me. It is a great depiction of trauma and its results. I worry about the youth I serve and the things I see them endure in the criminal justice system in the USA. I think many people in helping professions will find this a must read, although clearly dark in theme and content. While this is a YA book, it could and does speak to a much wider audience. I flew through this book and I have thought about it everyday since I read it a few weeks ago. I held off reviewing it because it was so hard to articulate how emotionally impactful this book is.
This is not an overly sensationalized dystopia, and it feels like something that could easily happen in the USA. As the author points out, many details of each case are representative of real cases and how minors were lead astray through manipulation by the system that was supposed to help them.
A million stars. Will be recommending this widely. Thanks so much to the author and publisher for the eArc, my (very enthusiastic) opinions are all my own!
November 10, 2025
Thank you @PenguinTeenCa for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Brief Synopsis
Last Chance Live! follows Eternity Price, an 18 year old death row inmate, who has been given the opportunity to participate in the reality TV show, Last Chance Live! This show pits teen death row inmates against each other in a "Big Brother"/"Survivor" style competition in which the winner wins clemency from their crimes and freedom, while the losers are immediately executed within the week.
Review
I really enjoyed this book, immediately the premise of Last Chance Live! intrigued me! As a fan of "Squid Game", I was excited to read this, but I do think the competition more closely resembled "Big Brother" with the death aspect of "Squid Game." I really had to sit with my thoughts after reading this before writing this review. This book is a young adult dystopian novel, which is so scary since this concept doesn't seem too foreign for today's society to pivot towards.
This book is told in alternating past and present timelines between the present day reality TV show and Eternity's childhood upbringing. I was really invested in this story and was so interested in figuring out what Eternity did to land herself on death row. I thought the drama of the reality TV show was interesting, and was invested in learning about the other inmates' crimes. All of the characters are bad people - all the contestants have committed horrible crimes to land themselves on death row. However, does the punishment fit the crime? This book made me reflect a lot on the justice system and the whole "nature vs. nurture" component on life. This book highlights how childhood upbringing, the environment one was surrounded by, and circumstances can be catalysts for these horrible crimes.
Eternity was a polarizing main character. I was so conflicted on how to feel about her - at times I was rooting for her, other times her inner monologues were so angry it had me doubting whether she could be reformed and if she deserved forgiveness.
One critique I have is I think this book could have been condensed a bit to speed up the pacing. At over 500 pages, there were some parts that lagged a bit for me.
This book touches upon some important themes including the death penalty, crime and punishment, race, forgiveness, reality TV, and childhood upbringing. This is more of a somber read so be prepared for that. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am impressed that this is the author's debut novel!
Brief Synopsis
Last Chance Live! follows Eternity Price, an 18 year old death row inmate, who has been given the opportunity to participate in the reality TV show, Last Chance Live! This show pits teen death row inmates against each other in a "Big Brother"/"Survivor" style competition in which the winner wins clemency from their crimes and freedom, while the losers are immediately executed within the week.
Review
I really enjoyed this book, immediately the premise of Last Chance Live! intrigued me! As a fan of "Squid Game", I was excited to read this, but I do think the competition more closely resembled "Big Brother" with the death aspect of "Squid Game." I really had to sit with my thoughts after reading this before writing this review. This book is a young adult dystopian novel, which is so scary since this concept doesn't seem too foreign for today's society to pivot towards.
This book is told in alternating past and present timelines between the present day reality TV show and Eternity's childhood upbringing. I was really invested in this story and was so interested in figuring out what Eternity did to land herself on death row. I thought the drama of the reality TV show was interesting, and was invested in learning about the other inmates' crimes. All of the characters are bad people - all the contestants have committed horrible crimes to land themselves on death row. However, does the punishment fit the crime? This book made me reflect a lot on the justice system and the whole "nature vs. nurture" component on life. This book highlights how childhood upbringing, the environment one was surrounded by, and circumstances can be catalysts for these horrible crimes.
Eternity was a polarizing main character. I was so conflicted on how to feel about her - at times I was rooting for her, other times her inner monologues were so angry it had me doubting whether she could be reformed and if she deserved forgiveness.
One critique I have is I think this book could have been condensed a bit to speed up the pacing. At over 500 pages, there were some parts that lagged a bit for me.
This book touches upon some important themes including the death penalty, crime and punishment, race, forgiveness, reality TV, and childhood upbringing. This is more of a somber read so be prepared for that. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am impressed that this is the author's debut novel!
February 2, 2026
This book messed me up in so many ways. I’m still processing.
August 23, 2025
***Thanks to Net Galley for providing me a complimentary copy of LAST CHANCE LIVE! by Helena Haywoode Henry in exchange for my honest review.***
Eighteen-year-old Eternity, on death row after killing her cousins, is given the opportunity to have her crime and sentence erased if she wins a reality show with other young adults on death row. The only catch is that each week viewers vote and the contestant with the lowest vote count is executed within a week.
Eternity’s life in her loving family changes the day her father is killed in an accident. Then her mother dies and she’s sent to live with her harsh, unloving grandmother. Eternity’s first arrest, at twelve, is for stealing a rotisserie chicken so her little brother would have nutritious food to eat.
Eternity, while sometimes sympathetic, isn’t likable. She’s had a very tough life filled with loss, lack of connectiveness, bullying and an absence of love after her parents died. She not only doesn’t fit into her family or with her classmates, she’s verbally shunned. While she has hopes and ambitions of becoming a dental hygienist, nobody believes in or encourages her. Her only connection is to her brother Sincere, six years her junior. When Eternity starts to lose Sincere to gang life with his cousins she starts to lose hope in her future.
I liked the premise of examining the system through an unlikable, perhaps at the point in the book where she’s unlovable. Her character was well-conceived as were the secondary players in the novel.
LAST CHANCE LIVE! is a longer book than it needed to be, with unnecessary filler like repeated openings to the show’s episodes. Haywoode Henry took so many liberties with the justice system, including the idea that such a reality show would be allowed, ethical or constitutional.
LAST CHANCE LIVE! isn’t a feel-good book. It won’t be for everyone. Those who enjoy dark stories that make them think will savor LAST CHANCE LIVE!
Eighteen-year-old Eternity, on death row after killing her cousins, is given the opportunity to have her crime and sentence erased if she wins a reality show with other young adults on death row. The only catch is that each week viewers vote and the contestant with the lowest vote count is executed within a week.
Eternity’s life in her loving family changes the day her father is killed in an accident. Then her mother dies and she’s sent to live with her harsh, unloving grandmother. Eternity’s first arrest, at twelve, is for stealing a rotisserie chicken so her little brother would have nutritious food to eat.
Eternity, while sometimes sympathetic, isn’t likable. She’s had a very tough life filled with loss, lack of connectiveness, bullying and an absence of love after her parents died. She not only doesn’t fit into her family or with her classmates, she’s verbally shunned. While she has hopes and ambitions of becoming a dental hygienist, nobody believes in or encourages her. Her only connection is to her brother Sincere, six years her junior. When Eternity starts to lose Sincere to gang life with his cousins she starts to lose hope in her future.
I liked the premise of examining the system through an unlikable, perhaps at the point in the book where she’s unlovable. Her character was well-conceived as were the secondary players in the novel.
LAST CHANCE LIVE! is a longer book than it needed to be, with unnecessary filler like repeated openings to the show’s episodes. Haywoode Henry took so many liberties with the justice system, including the idea that such a reality show would be allowed, ethical or constitutional.
LAST CHANCE LIVE! isn’t a feel-good book. It won’t be for everyone. Those who enjoy dark stories that make them think will savor LAST CHANCE LIVE!
August 29, 2025
thank you to netgalley for giving me this advanced readers copy!
now listening to: ready for it- taylor swift
this book was INSANEEEEE the plot was so unique!!
let’s start with eternity, our slightly-unlikable mc. i loved her personality and how the author wrote her as sharp-edged and a little bit rude. well, who would be nice and polite if they were on death row? no one. all of the other last chance lives contenders were so unique, i hated terrence though. but i mean, he was meant to be hated. malleah and him were so endgame but…
the plot was crazy. how did the author think of that? a game show about people on death row? amazing.
4 stars, would reccomend!!!
now listening to: ready for it- taylor swift
this book was INSANEEEEE the plot was so unique!!
let’s start with eternity, our slightly-unlikable mc. i loved her personality and how the author wrote her as sharp-edged and a little bit rude. well, who would be nice and polite if they were on death row? no one. all of the other last chance lives contenders were so unique, i hated terrence though. but i mean, he was meant to be hated. malleah and him were so endgame but…
the plot was crazy. how did the author think of that? a game show about people on death row? amazing.
4 stars, would reccomend!!!
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