you NetGalley for the copy of The Last Thing She Ever Did by Gregg Olsen that I read and reviewed.
This book was pretty good even though you pretty much knew what was happening throughout most of the story. It does have a few surprises to keep the reader on their toes which makes the book a bit more interesting. Overall, this book was pretty good and an enjoyable read.
I am giving The Last Thing She Ever Did four out of five stars.

The characters in this book were very self-centered and this book really frustrated me!

I struggled with this book. There wasn't one character that I liked which made it hard to read.

The book started with promise. It's a flashback to a flash flood that caught people by surprise. One child died.

Years later, Liz, who survived the flood is in a hurry to got take her LSAT. She accidently hits Charlie, the neighbors child who was walking behind the car. She freaks out. She thinks he is dead so she puts him in a tarp in her garage and goes on her way.

The next 90% of the book is the reaction of Liz and her husband Owen. Charlies parents, Carole and David. When every character is unsympathic, it's hard to get emotionally invested in the book. I ended up skimming the last 25% just so I could see how it ended. (less)

This book was so good! Lots of twists and turns. Definitely a book that you can't put down.

An extremely difficult book to read. Not for the writing which was excellent, but for the subject matter. A psychological thriller how an accident and cover up can destroy lives. Extremely well written, the main characters are self absorbed and difficult to like which does not detract from an excellent story.

This is the first book i have read from Greg Olsen and i really enjoyed it,a great psychological thriller that raced along at a cracking pace.Liz and Owen are neighbours to Carole and David whose son Charlie suddenly goes missing.As the police become involved and the search intensifies only Liz knows the truth of what happens until she draws husband Owen into her secret and he does everything in his power to keep Liz from falling apart and the lies to come tumbling out.An excellent 5 star thriller that keeps you guessing to the very end.

This story is perfect example of how one error in judgement can impact many individual lives. And also how seemingly perfect families can sometimes hide dark secrets.

I thought this was well written. The author took the suspense right down to the very last page. Well done Mr. Olsen!

ARC from Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley.

I was interested in the plot of this book, and kept reading to the end to find out what, exactly, happened to the boy. However, I found the main characters very unlikable. I know that was kind of the point of the book, but usually I can find some kind of understanding as to why they acted the way they did. In this book, I had a hard time reading about them because .. well .. I just didn't like them. The book was too long and repetitive with whiny thoughts from the main character.

The story was well written, I would have preferred not to have known so early on about Charlie’s abductor as I was just waiting for the page where they were confronted as it was predictable. The end could have gone a few different ways was a bit let down that it wasn’t a bit more “oh my god noooooo” . Owens character had the ability to be so much worse, turns out he was all mouth.

The Last Thing She Ever Did is a novel that gives you all the answers you really think you need to start off with and then comes at you with questions you never really thought of. It will have you looking at your neighbors, at your spouses and at your friends in a whole new light. Or instead, in varying shades of darkness.

"...She ran over to the Jarretts' little bungalow next door and pounded her fists against the bright pink front door. Her fingertips found her bloody earlobe and she brushed off the blood with the shoulder of her blouse. Owen and Liz were gone. Of course they were. Liz had her exam that day-the essay section of the Oregon bar-and Owen had been going to the office early to prepare for an infusion of venture capital money and then an IPO of his software firm.
She returned to the house and went through it a third time. Nothing. No trace of her son. Charlie was gone.
This was real.
It was her fault.
Finally, Carole slumped on the upholstered bench at the foot of the bed and dialed 911.
'My little boy is missing,' she said, giving the dispatcher her address. She fought for composure with every syllable as she scanned the surface of the Deschutes.
'Please come as fast as you can,' she said, holding the phone with a vise grip. 'He's three. I think my little boy fell into the river..."

Along the Deschutes River in Oregon, there is a community of tight knit neighbors. Some of the original families whose modest homes are now being besieged by the newer remodeled mansions along the shore. Liz and Owen have often envied their good friends and neighbors, Carole and David who seemed to have everything. A large home, a trendy and successful restaurant and a beautiful young son, Charlie. Until the morning that Charlie vanishes without a trace and the quiet neighborhood is shattered.

"....Maybe they didn't see him,' she said.
David held Carole by the shoulders and searched her eyes. 'Honey, they used dogs. The dogs' trail ended at the river. At the driveway. His scent was all over the place. And then gone.'
Next they walked along the river and returned to the play area of Columbia Park. In the center of the grass space above the river was a pirate ship climbing structure that offered slides and various interactive games aligned with the pirate theme.
'Charlie loved to find the treasure,' Carole said. The treasure was a grouping of six items on a spinning wheel that included jewels, coins, and other nods to the pirate theme.
'Loves to,' David said. 'He loves to.'
Carole stopped. 'I didn't mean to...'
'Mean to what?' David asked, though he knew.
'Mean to say loved. Yes, loves..."

Along the river and the small community, the vanishing of young Charlie is a mystery to everyone. All that is except for Liz. She knows exactly what has happened to the child and now, she doesn't know how she will every tell anyone what has happened.

"....He heard Liz swallow. 'What about Carole and David?' she asked.
Owen turned his body toward the window. The sidewalks were full of people shopping and finding their way to one of the city's farm-to-table places that had been featured in the Oregonian. The car show and the Charlie Franklin story had provided a one-two punch to one of the last summer weekends.
'Be yourself,' he said.
'I don't know who I am anymore.'
'You're Liz Jarrett. You love Carole. Go help her get through this.'
It was not a suggestion but an order.
Liz was a woman who knew how to stand her ground, but she knew that under her feet the ground was shifting and at any moment she was going to fall. It would be a hard fall, one from which she would never recover. She couldn't push back at an order. She no longer knew who she was.
'But-' she started to say, before letting her words drop.
There was no arguing with something as horrific as what she'd already done..."

It took a brief moment of distraction for Liz's life to change forever. Now she struggles to keep her own secrets during the search and investigation into Charlie's disappearance. But there are other neighbors who have their own dark secrets to keep as well.

The Last Thing She Ever Did by Gregg Olsen is a roller coaster ride of emotion and betrayal the lengths guilt will drive you. What is amazing about this book is that you know from the onset exactly what happens to the child, Charlie. It is what happens after that is truly the story here. The breaking of marriages and trust and the cruelty of ambition that is displayed. It is in itself at times far more horrific than the act itself.

If there is a drawback to this novel is that every male character is in some manner or another, an asshole. I understand in this glut of female driven novels, that the males characters are portrayed very often as indecisive and weak or insincere and cruel. But here, in both of the marriages affected by the disappearance, both husbands are more concerned with themselves and their ambitions than with the child or their wives. In fact, both are actually working to take advantage of the situation in one manner or the other. The only redeeming male character is Charlie, the three year old boy.

As for the women, Carole the mother of the child who finds that arguing over bad service is more important than keeping an eye on her child. Never mind that he is next to a river that comes up to their property or that he is only three years old, the phone call and getting her way is much more important. If you shouldn't take your eyes off your child while they are in the bathtub, then I'm pretty sure that a current driven river is not really any safer. Then there is Liz, whose selfishness and self involvement actually starts this whole tragedy in motion, not to mention the absolutely cruel acts that follow. Not only to Charlie but to Carole, her friend who she is supposed to love? No they are portrayed as victims manipulated by circumstances or the men in their lives and in the end, somehow heroes.

But in truth, what we find here is that none of the characters are particularly likable. The husbands are just a little bit more so.

The Last Thing She Ever Did, in this book, is tell the truth. But don't lie to yourself, it is only because she was confronted with it.

A really good book that will just piss you off. A great read.

The Last Thing She Ever Did by Gregg Olsen is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Thomas & Mercer, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Liz spent many summers at her grandparents’ house on Oregon’s Deschutes River. Now it is hers. Hers and Owen’s. Owen keeps talking about tearing it down and re-building. But then, Owen thrives on money and prestige. Liz can’t see why they would want to change a thing. Her own goal is to pass the bar exam. Second time’s the charm!

Their neighbours, Carole and David, have the money and prestige that Owen covets. They tore down the old house and replaced it with their own megahome on the river. Carole used to be one of the top managers at Google. David owns a restaurant in town. They seem to have it all, including a 3-year child name Charlie.

Then Charlie “goes missing”. Turns out the perfect neighbours Carole and David may not have the perfect life after all. On the other hand, neither do Liz and Owen. Liz knows what happened to Charlie, and if it comes out, everything will change. But keeping the secret is driving her mad. She is ready to break at any moment. She is not the only one hanging on by a thread. Apparently everyone has secrets. Guilt, bad decisions, paranoid thoughts and true betrayal are all play a part in these lives.

Olsen created an ingenious plot and a group of flawed characters and bound them together so tight that if one shifts, everything may topple. As always, his descriptive writing makes you empathize, sympathize, love, and hate the characters. He took everyone’s worst nightmare and surrounded it with secrets. He made you turn the page! Even though I anticipated the outcome, the story was enthralling. The writing is full of suspense, and is a fast read. Perfect ending!

This is my first book by this author, and all my friends have raved about him. I found the book to be very interesting but a little slow and long. I liked the twist at the end and I wonder if there will be a sequel. I was definitely left hanging.

Holds readers interest whilst exploring thought processes of main characters. Dr Miller twist was unexpected.

A moment in time, shattered by a poor decision made from sleep deprivation, pills and desperation. What is the worst decision you've ever made? For Liz, that moment comes when she hits her neighbours child with her car and the lives of everyone around are forever shattered, based on her decision at that moment. Liz is then cursed by the guilt she so richly deserves. A total must read!

Liz's world, already fragile due to a terrible tragedy involving the death of one of her neighborhood friends and marriage to a money-hungry narcissist, is completely shattered when she backs out of her garage and hits her neighbors child, Charlie. Panicked and believing Charlie to be dead, she leaves him in the garage under a tarp until her husband comes home. Her husband Owen encourages her to act as if nothing happened, thinking only of the consequences to himself rather than the devastated neighbors Carole and David. Owen's subsequent behaviors are vile and self-serving and Liz not-so-slowly begins to fall apart along with Charlie's mother. A surprising twist and connection to the past brings Charlie back home. Liz's emotional chaos is well written and though her consequences in the end seem more like a reward, you'll still find yourself glad for her.

OH MY WORD! I was left gasping in more than one place as horrifying events occurred and yet this book was done so well, I could not put it down. The first half was way more edge of your seat as the second half seemed repetitive in places. This was a GREAT read full of twists and turns and it had an absolutely PERFECT ending!!

I didn't like any of the characters and I just couldn't believe the subterfuge Liz carried out. What her husband did in the sgec was unfathomable and the ending just odd

Gregg Olsen writes a very suspenseful story! I may be rating this book very tough because I really did I like any of the characters! I’ve read other books by Gregg Olsen and he writes is a solid story that is entirely believable. This is definitely a very good book that will keep you on edge throughout.

What a thriller! My first book which I read from this author even though I have a few books of his on my TBR pile. Secrets families keep behind closet doors is simply amazing. You think your neighbors are your friends yet they are the ones that hurt you. I couldn’t wait to find out who took Charlie. This book was a great thriller and cannot wait to read more books from this author.

A community full of perfect families with successful careers, what could go wrong. But for the families along Oregon’s Deschutes River life is about to change. Liz and Owen have always admired their good friends and neighbours, Carole and David. They appear to have it all, security, happiness, and a beautiful young son, Charlie. But when Charlie vanishes without a trace, and all that seemed safe is shattered by a tragedy that is incomprehensible, except to Liz.
A terrible accident, and Liz makes a terrible decision that will change her life and her friends. Liz tries to conceal the accident which puts pressure on both her marriage and that of her friends, Carole and David.
This is a fast paced psychological thriller, with plenty of twists and turns and I would be surprised if one or two of the characters don't frustrate you along the way. I found this book a good read and will look out for more of his work.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Thomas Mercer for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.