Unfortunately I didn't like this. I didn't feel connected with the characters, and felt that a man who had lost his children should care more about them...

I went into this expecting it to be dark and chaotic. However it felt flat at times.
I was quickly intrigued but I got bored just as quick.
The pacing was just too slow. Felt like not much really happened to keep me interested.
The part that was most interesting was the murder of the young girl. However I felt it wasn't made to be a focal point of the story and just brought up every so often. The reveal of the killer didn't wow me. I thought it could of been more chaotic other what actually happened.
The ending itself was abrupt and annoyed me. I prefer a proper ending over it just ending randomly mid "drama".

Nuclear war, survival, murder. Follows the story of guests at a hotel in Switzerland after learning several nuclear bombs have been dropped around the world.
They discover a murder, guest Jon is determined to find out what happened, although some people do not seem to want him to.
Great book. I loved it!

Very interesting take on the end of the world after nuclear war. The main narrator's voice is so strong that I was surprised it was written by a female; there isn't a false note in the male narrative. This is much more than an end of the world novel. It is about friendship, family, trust and the power of just waking up every morning. Sprinkled with memorable characters, this book is a winner.

The Last at first gives the impression of being a crime story in an apocalyptical setting, but at it's core it's so much more. It's a jarring vision of what our world could come to if a nuclear worry would bring society to an end told through daily diaries of the main character Jon, an American who is now trapped in a hotel in Switzerland.

This book isn't filled with thrilling adventure or crime, but instead deals with the real issues that might arise from a situation like this and I was instantly pulled into the story through the description of the day the world ended. It actually does have a bit of a crime story, but at it's core it's more of a character driven mystery with quite some humour and a diverse and interesting cast of characters.

I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys character driven novels and apocalyptical settings. The way the world was described in this really was as terrifying as it was interesting.

Overall the only thing that missed to the five stars was just that the story dragged a bit at some parts. It's still a very enjoyable read with surprising twists and turns and an amazing ending.

This book was just okay. I'm not disappointed as I admit I was skeptical about the dystopian theme, however that was not what threw me off despite my predictions. The writing style was simple, but that allowed me to read quickly at least. I didn't feel I connected with or even knew the characters at all. I wasn't particularly interested or compelled by the mystery.
I also didn't like the diary format, at first it was interesting and I wanted to see how this particular format would play out with this kind of story, but by the end I didn't feel I had gotten enough from the writing and I think that was definitely affected by the diary style format. By the end I didn't really care all that much.

When the end of the world happens, where will you be? Jon is at a conference in Switzerland when nuclear war hits, away from his family and friends he finds himself with a group of survivors camped at his hotel. However, when a body is discovered can he really trust the people around him?

I always struggle a little with apocalyptic thrillers as my favourite book is The Stand by Stephen King and you very often get poor imitations or very similar works that you can’t help but compare. The Last isn’t the usual virus/zombie apocalypse story, it’s much more realistic with the start of nuclear war. There are references in there to the here and now - particularly the blame being placed on Americans for voting for ‘him’. However, as there isn’t any in depth detail in this it leaves it open to be timeless in when it is set and relevant for I’m sure many governments yet to come! Hanna Jameson doesn’t focus too much on the whys or how’s of the end of the world, she solely focuses on a small group of people remaining in a hotel in Switzerland and this character-focused approach is refreshing and interesting. There is also a bit of a detective story in there as well as our main character Jon tries to solve a murder.

The story is told through the diary of Jon, our slightly unreliable narrator who wants to document the end of the world. The pace is nicely kept up all of the way through and you get bits of flashbacks and backstories about other guests to keep drip feeding you information. The story does take a bit of an odd turn towards the end but I really enjoyed the ending as it stood and it’s a great stand-alone piece which I appreciated.

Overall I really enjoyed The Last, it’s a refreshing take on the apocalyptic thriller genre. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Books UK and Viking for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 3.5 stars
I really wanted to love this book. It starts well and really got into my head for the first two thirds. It’s at times a terrifying account of the end of the world, and what happens after the nuclear bombs drop, with more than a nod to Trump on the way which makes even more realistic in our time.

What I struggled with is the theme of the murdered girl, which doesn’t really play out properly for the time it takes up in the book. Also towards the end when one character murders his father, I thought was a little out of sorts for the story. The last third appears to be changed from the first two thirds, and it ends oddly for me.

It’s a shame I felt. The book could easily have been longer, exploring more of society post apocalypse, as Jameson’s writing is very enjoyable and akin for me to Stephen King. I did enjoy the book ultimately, and would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Having heard lots about this book over different social media platforms I really wanted to read it. I was lucky enough to find it a copy on NetGalley.

This book is a post apocalyptic murder mystery written in the form of a day to day journal. The events that unfold after the Nuclear attack are written by one of the characters Jon. I really liked how this book was written, it made a nice change from the usual writing styles.

I found this book to be an unsettling but a very plausible storyline to read. It made me wonder how humanity could really survive if something like this happend in real life and would we behave in the same way as the charters in this book?

The book was a little slow to get going, but once it gets going you'll be gripped. I just wanted to keep reading.

While reading I kept thinking of the T.V show The Walking Dead, I love that show. I thought it was very similar just minus the zombies. So if your a fan of The Walking Dead then I think you'll enjoy this book too.

Highly recommend.

I would like to thank NetGally and Penguin Books (UK), Viking for my eARC in return for a honest and unbiased review.

I really am not sure what to say about this book. I felt that it might be a different type of story and it certainly was that. However I felt that it lacked any real substance and the end felt quite weird. I honestly had no idea what actually happened at the end. I cannot honestly say that I enjoyed any of it. It was a worrying scenario and certainly not for the faint hearted.

This was another brilliant dystopian read for me. And also what I imagine to be scarily realistic.
Following a group of people in staying in a hotel when a nuclear war destroys the majority of the world. Written from Jon’s point of view through a series of diary entries.

The cast of characters were wonderfully individual and I felt although I read had gotten to know them by the end of the book. It showed equal parts hope but also the practicalities of living everyday life when the world ends.

My one gripe with the book was, why was it written from a males POV?
For a good chunk of the first half of the book I did actually think the main POV was female. I think with the author being identifying as female it would of made more sense to write a female POV. I don’t know.

But overall it was a good book with great themes and told the story we don’t often hear of people when the world is actually ending.

A nuclear weapon detonates over Washington. London is hit, thousands are feared dead. Munich and Scotland are hit. World leaders call for calm. Historian Jon Keller is on a trip to Switzerland when the world ends. As the lights go out on civilisation, he he had a way of knowing whether his wife, Nadia and their daughters were still alive. Jon is stranded in a hotel with loads of strangers. They find a little girls body in one of the hotels water tanks. Jon decides to investigate the little girls murder.

The story is told through Jon's diary. Being a historian, he feels it's important documenting their daily life. We don't know a lot about the attacks, just that Europe and the USA have been bombed. The author has done a marvellous job of capturing what could happen in the event of a nuclear war. With just the right pace and strong characters, this book will appeal to lots of readers. I felt the ending was a little forced.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Books (UK) and the author Hanna Jameson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

Mentioned at Book Riot: "How to Write a Trump Novel without Mentioning Trump"

"The stakes are even higher in The Last (2019), Hanna Jameson’s dystopian page-turner. The Last gathers an international cast of characters in a Swiss hotel as the world quickly and mysteriously breaks down. Even as they fight for survival, these folks are seething over cultural and political divisions. In particular, the Trump haters blame the Trump voters (without using his name) for the literal end of the world. As the narrator reflects,

“I’ve also come to realize that the non-Americans are stockpiling resentment. They blame us, Tomi and me, for what happened. They look at us and see one person who had voted for this to happen and another who hadn’t done enough to stop it. Maybe I hadn’t. Actually, there’s no maybe about it. None of us did enough to stop it.”"

This is a great new end-of-the-world novel, a genre that I can’t get enough of, and it rates highly for me amongst recent ones I’ve read. The characters were relatable and it had the added layer of using real contemporary social issues to explore what could happen to morality, democracy, gender roles etc, if society as we know it ended.

I think we all know who the American HE is referring to that was elected and caused the nuclear war.....

The Last by author Hanna Jameson is a brilliant, shockingly creepy mystery/thriller! a found it slightly slow and deeply disturbing-still an essential read for 2019.

This was a. really good read, telling of the aftermath of a nuclear war through the eyes of one man Jon, an American who had been attending a conference in a hotel in Switzerland when the events unfolded. It’s written in the form of Jon’s journal as he wanted to ensure a record existed. The technique is particularly effective.

Within the group of survivors, relationships develop; conflict emerges; and loyalties are established. The observations of the actions and thoughts of the various survivors are very thought provoking.

My only criticism is that it is a rather slow burner and I wasn’t hooked until about one third of the way through.

I thought this would be another disaster end of the world book and couldn't remember why I'd requested it. But I enjoyed this more than I expected, mainly because it was more realistic and therefore more original than most. Jon was a real person dealing with the situation in a way that was completely believable. The mystery of the body and his issues with his marriage added to the story to make it one of the more convincing disaster books I've read.

Murder mystery set in a post-nuclear attack world. Sounds a bit odd? It sort of is!
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, which is nice as I just came at it fresh. Jon is our historian/narrator/diary-writer who is away in Switzerland (from the USA) at a work conference when nuclear war occurs. Whilst some panic & run, to try and get to the airport, he stays in the hotel, suffering from shock as he watches the world as we know it disappear. He finds himself left in the hotel with around 20 or so other people, of different nationalities, who have to figure out how they're going to survive and whether there's anyone else left out there.

So, on top of the post-apocalyptic side of things (which is done very well - heavy on the stress, claustrophobia and mental breakdown) there's also a mystery in the hotel when some of the remaining guests discover a little girl's body in a water tank. This, for me, was the weaker side of the story. And I was disappointed with the resolution on this aspect of the story. So for this, I've nudged my review down from 4 stars to 3. Otherwise the writing was really good, the idea interesting, the atmosphere oppressive and I liked the various different characters we met, though Jon was really the only one who was fleshed out very much. It did made me think about all sorts of regular things we rely upon, or expect to always be there in our lives, and what it might be like if they were all suddenly taken away...

A group of people holed up in a Swiss hotel after a nuclear attack which has wiped out many cities. Jon (from the US) takes it on himself to write a diary for anyone in the future but at the same time he’s also trying to solve a murder. I had such high hopes for this book but sadly they were dashed. Was it an end of the world story or murder mystery? It all seemed a bit flat and so did the characters. I usually love to devour books of this kind, but unfortunately found this one a bit of a struggle.

As a tale of (largely) middle class people bought together after a catastrophe, it's hard not to liken this to a John Wyndham novel or, more contemporarily, Station Eleven. Which is handy, as those are two of my favourites. This has a little bit more grit than either of those comparisons, with more emphasis on the stress and psychological trauma of living in such uncertain times. It's claustrophobic as well, with almost all the action confined to one location, and a pervading fear of the outside.

I enjoyed this a lot. It's not perfect - the murder mystery element feels a bit perfunctory at times, and the ending comes up very quickly, after a plot development that could have seen another few hundred pages added to the story - but it's a good, fast, gripping read.