The Last Word

Two Hearts #3

by A.L Tait

159 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2026

Reviews

[Lizzie* · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sweee and I love this book, abd there story is sooo cute like serious 🥰❤️💘.

[Annaleise Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scholastic’s new Two Hearts series is a collection of standalone novels written by well-known Australian authors and marketed as ‘All the sugar and no spice: Clean romance suitable for tweens and young teens’. The marketing is pitch perfect: there’s a Two Hearts logo, the covers are more middle grade than Mills & Boon, and best of all… there are two-tone sprayed edges with a pattern of small hearts! This makes the books feel special and collectable, which certainly worked on this reviewer in her 40s (I was going to donate my review copy to my son’s high school, but I’m not sure I can part with it… those sprayed edges are JUST SO PRETTY), so I can easily imagine its effectiveness with its target market of romantically minded tweens.

The Last Word is the third book in this series. Author A. L. Tait is well-known in the Australian kidlit community as the co-founder of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and Facebook group and author of multiple middle grade fantasy series and standalone mystery novels – including, most recently, The First Summer of Callie McGee, Willow Bright’s Secret Plot and Danger Road.

The book opens with high-achieving but somewhat socially awkward 13-year-old main character Matilda about to start Year 8. Her best friend has moved away, leaving the school’s debating team in a pickle without a third member. Enter new student 14-year-old Will, complete with messy curls, a deep voice and an annoying ability to charm everyone with his quick wit and effortless intelligence. Of course he ends up on the debating team, and many delicious clashes with Matilda ensue.

This is quality writing with quirky, well-rounded characters, a rural Australian setting and some great messages relevant to the target age group. The climax of the story revolves around an internet-enabled bullying scenario that is satisfyingly resolved by the female characters without resorting to the ‘rescued by a male’ trope. Matilda’s parents have a ‘no friends in the house when they’re not home’ rule that keeps Matilda and Will outside when he comes over. And Will asks for (and receives) Matilda’s permission before that everything-has-been-building-towards-this-moment first kiss.

Parents and librarians, you are safe handing this book to kids who are ready for romance that is sweet, wholesome and aspirational. I would have loved this book when I was a tween, soaking up every scene featuring The Baby-sitters Club’s Logan and Mary Anne or Sweet Valley High’s Elizabeth and Todd, and to be honest I still adore it now. It has given me two new author goals: to write a clean tween romance and to someday have a book with sprayed edges. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

This review was first shared on StoryLinks Australia.

[Charlotte Minnery]

Finished it in about an hour - related to my girl, Matilda so much. It's target audience is definitely for people younger than me, but I still enjoyed it! Originally started reading because I met the author, and she was an absolute sweetie-pie.

[Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh how I wish I had these books when I was a kid!! 🤭 I loved the first two books and the third one was no different! These books aren’t actually in a continuous series they’re standalones and can be read in any order! They’re just part of the ‘Two Hearts’ series which is a collection of clean romance books for kids/tweens!

This one was such a fun and cute book and I love that these books also address real life issues kids experience and not just the romance. This one is set in a small town with a little rivalry between Matilda and the new boy in school who joins their debating team which I really enjoyed!

Definitely recommend for younger readers who want a cute romance with no spice!


The Last Word is out now! ✨

[Jen Nishi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great young teen romance. I am not a romance reader but my middle
Grade students have been clamouring for romance books and so I’ve been reading them to make sure they are a-okay for them. But I’ve really been enjoying this Aussie series. Great plotting and characters they feel very real and authentic to the age category.

[Bectoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

So nicely done! It’s not easy to write a romance for tweens but this was lovely with the right balance of school, family, friendship and first love.

[Rebecca Ahola · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet romance! Perfect for the tween audience. The protagonist is clever and a little socially awkward and the love interest is witty and a bit complicated - I loved both of them!

[Evelyn Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!! I found it enjoyable and easy to read, but I felt as if some parts of the plot could’ve been fleshed out more (for example Matilda’s friendship with Gemma could’ve been explored more). I just felt as if some issues or problems were resolved in the same amount of time if not less than the time it took to bring them up). I feel like the romance (which was supposed to be the main plot point) was pushed aside very quickly. I wanted to rate this book higher but the ending was just too rushed.
Overall I think it would be a good book for someone getting into reading (as is the whole Two Hearts Series!!)
It’s really bittersweet finishing the Two Hearts Series- I really enjoyed reading the books 💕

[Tanya Shliahov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matilda’s best and only friend moves away to boarding school, leaving Matilda and her teammate one short on their debating team. Then, Will, a new kid, sits next to Matilda on the school bus. Although he looks like a sporty rockstar, he joins the debating team. This would be good news, if Will wasn’t outshining Matilda, not for his preparation, which Matilda is a stickler for, but for his winsome manner. Now, Mr Baker, coach of the debating team wants to shuffle up the order of the speakers. Matilda must find a way for Will to fit in, without Will realising, that despite the consternation he’s causing her, Matilda likes him. A sweet read for teens about obtaining justice for kids who enjoy romance and debating.