Read by Patti Murin
From the author:
You’ve Got Mail meets The Hating Game! Vying for a promotion against a bitter rival as the only female data analyst for a professional baseball team, Emmy finds solace in the text-flirting relationship that started as a wrong number exchange—unaware that the man she’s texting is the one she’s fighting for the promotion.
Emmy Jameson lives by three rules: no dating, no sharing personal news at work, and baseball above everything. As the only female data analyst for a professional baseball team, Emmy is constantly trying to prove herself.
Especially when she’s put up for a senior analyst position against her arrogant, infuriating coworker Gabe Olson. Sure, he’s gorgeous and smart and he was a baseball star in college who knows the sport inside and out, but so does Emmy. She is not going to lose to him again. There will be no distractions this summer. Not even her sister’s pending destination wedding in Mexico for which she needs to find a plus one.
But then she receives a text from an unknown number with a simple message: “Last night was fun.” When she strikes up a conversation with the mystery texter, they realize that he was given a fake phone number after a bad date that just so happened to be Emmy’s. Despite her rules, Emmy can’t deny the instant connection she feels and soon finds herself falling for the stranger on the other side of the screen…and inviting him to her sister’s wedding.
Emmy’s world turns upside down when her mystery man turns out to be none other than Gabe Olson. They are left having to travel to the wedding together while trying to sort out which version of their relationship is real: their in-person rivalry or the deep connection they found in their messages.
This book opens with a charming meet-cute: Emmy Jameson receives a mysterious text from an unknown number saying, “Last night was fun!” It doesn’t take long to figure out that the sender was ghosted by his date and given a fake number. But instead of ending the conversation, they keep texting. Their connection is immediate—he’s sweet, funny, and endearingly awkward. Emmy playfully saves his contact as “Axe Murderer” while he dubs her “Bird Girl,” since she is delighted by his bird/music puns, establishing their quirky dynamic from the start.
At work, Emmy faces a different kind of challenge. Emmy is a statistician for a professional baseball team, and the only woman in her department. She’s locked in professional combat with Gabe “Ruthless” Olson, a charismatic former baseball player turned sports statistician who constantly undermines her efforts. He talks over her in meetings and somehow manages to get the credit for her hard work. With a major promotion on the line in their male-dominated field, Emmy is determined to fight for what she deserves without letting him intimidate her. Fortunately, one of the department directors—an influential woman—is rooting for her.
The pressure intensifies when Emmy’s sister begins planning her dream destination wedding to Mexico and insists Emmy bring a plus one. The situation becomes even more complicated when Emmy learns her ex-boyfriend—who always resented her career—will be attending with his new girlfriend. In a moment of desperation, she takes a bold leap and asks her mystery texter to be her wedding date. After all, he’s become the unexpected bright spot in her days, and she loves their texting relationship.
When they finally agree to meet at a local park, Emmy discovers her texting companion is none other than Gabe—her workplace nemesis. Looking back, all the signs were there, but they both missed the obvious clues. Faced with the prospect of attending her sister’s wedding alone, Emmy decides that she is desperate enough to make this work. What could possibly go wrong?
Patti Murin’s narration was absolutely outstanding. She completely drew me in, and I found myself unable to stop listening. Despite the book’s nearly 12-hour length, the time flew by. This story delivered all my favorite romance tropes: workplace romance, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and a nod to my favorite romcom “You’ve Got Mail”. The witty dialogue and undeniable chemistry between Gabe and Emmy kept me hooked, and I loved the refreshing twist of featuring a female sports statistician navigating a male-dominated field. This was a complete winner!
6/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
LAST NIGHT WAS FUN by Holly Michelle. Narrator: Patti Murin. HarperAudio: June 10, 2025. Listening Length: 11 hours and 50 minutes.
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