The Last Time I Run is a lyrical, deeply emotional contemporary romance about survival, healing, and choosing love after a lifetime spent running from pain.
Set in the cozy Hudson Valley during fall and winter, this small-town romance blends emotional tension, slow-burn chemistry, and the quiet beauty of the changing seasons.
Amaya Lee, a Dominican American fashion stylist and photographer rebuilding her life after trauma, has finally found stability in the riverside town of Nyack. She has community. She has peace. She has a future she is fighting for. But when Max-a magnetic, complicated man with reckless edges-pulls her into an intense and intoxicating relationship, old wounds resurface, and the past she thought she had outrun returns with force.
Then Ryan comes home-the boy who once saw her clearly, the man who walked away, and the one person who has always made her feel truly safe. Steady, mature, and unexpectedly back in her orbit, Ryan challenges everything Amaya believes about trust, love, and what she deserves.
Caught between a past that nearly broke her and a future she desperately wants to believe in, Amaya begins the brave, messy work of reclaiming her voice, her boundaries, and her heart. Through therapy, friendship, heartbreak, and an unexpected second chance at love, she learns that healing is not linear-and sometimes the hardest person to stop running from is yourself.
Told in Y.A. Roman's intimate, poetic style, The Last Time I Run explores trauma recovery, emotional healing, found family, faith, Dominican cultural roots, and the courage it takes to believe that love can be gentle, steady, and safe.
Perfect for readers who love emotional slow burns, meaningful connections, fall and winter small-town settings, and deeply moving stories of resilience, hope, and second chances.
