“It’s the end of the world as we know it...” R.E.M.

Well this book captured me from the start, as nuclear bombs begin dropping around the globe.
Jon, an American, is far away from his family and home. He was on a conference in a secluded hotel in Switzerland when the world comes to an apocalyptic halt. Do you stay and wait for someone to locate and rescue you? Or do you take matters into your own hands and venture into the wasteland trying to make your way to civilization?

It’s all a matter of simple survival! But where is the greatest threat coming from? Within the hotel itself, or what’s left of the world outside?

When Jon discovers the dead body of a young girl at the hotel, he’s driven to attempt solving the crime. Of course, starting with the most basic of questions…who could have murdered her? And why? He’s determined to find justice for this innocent child.

This is a book that is equal parts post-apocalyptic and murder mystery. At times I found that frustrating as the focus continually shifted.

Hanna Jameson writes a gripping and frightening tale of what could easily be the end of humankind. I wish the focus would have stayed more on the survival aspect rather than on the murder itself. Otherwise, I would be handing out five glowing stars. Funny enough, I know there are other readers who wished for the exact opposite! (Vive La Difference, right?)

A buddy read with Susanne!🙈

Thank you to NetGalley, David Brown at Atria Books and Hanna Jameson for an ARC to read and review.

part THE SHINING, part STATION ELEVEN, part Agatha Christie, I’ve been looking forward to this one for some time and it for sure delivered. Loved the diary-esque narrative structure and I’m a sucker for any book that feels grounded and believable and allows the reader to wonder what they would do in a similar situation. The ending is brutal but effective, and I loved the isolated hotel setting (and what better place to read it than in front of a fire at a ski resort). Definitely make sure to check this one out when it comes out and thanks to atria and net galley for the advanced copy!

(3.5) I don't read a lot of end-of-the-world books but I was intrigued when I saw it on NetGalley so I requested it. It is an interesting, gripping tale of people coming together, or not, as the last, and possibly only, survivors of a nuclear war. It is part post-apocalyptic, part mystery novel that really kept my interest and made me think about what I'd do in such a situation. Let's hope I never find out! An enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

The Last by Hanna Jameson is a highly recommended end-of-the-world psychological thriller.

Jon Keller is attending an academic conference at the isolated L’Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland when people begin to receive the notifications of nuclear bombs hitting various cities - Washington D.C., NYC, London, Berlin... As the news outlets and social media explode with the shocking news, they also quickly go silent and it is impossible to contact people. Jon is unable to contact his wife and regrets the harsh words they exchanged before he left for the conference. In the aftermath of the apocalyptic news, many people leave the hotel and try to get to the airport. Others commit suicide, or wander off into the surrounding woods. The clouds are now a strange color.

Two months afterwards, Jon is still at the hotel with a small group of twenty survivors comprised of guests and staff. When the water begins to taste off, Jon joins a small group who head up to the water tanks on the roof to investigate. They are shocked to find the body of a young girl in one of the tanks. Jon becomes obsessed with trying to find out who she was, investigate her death, and find the person responsible for it.

The chapters are written from Jon's point-of-view and in the form of a sort of journal documenting life in the hotel, including personal stories about the other survivors and their experiences. Jon records his investigation, personal interactions, and stories from the others. The tension rises from the isolation of the group, along with the various personalities and alliances that naturally form with a diverse group of people.

Characters Jon interacts with and are his friends are well developed. Naturally they all have secrets. Other characters whose stories Jon records are developed as secondary characters and, perhaps, suspects as the novel progresses. The novel focuses more on the psychological aspects of the situation, which seems very realistic in this isolation scenario, although there are cases of danger when violence is a real possibility.

The writing is quite good and the tension increases incrementally. The narrative moves along at an even pace - until the end when it inexplicably ramps up the pace to the point where the denouement feels rushed. This is part of the locked-room genre of novels, with the isolated setting during an apocalypse limiting the number of suspects but also making finding an answer nearly impossible. I liked the ending, despite the rushed aspects of it.

There were several instances in some of the interactions between characters when I could definitely tell that the author is British, not American. For example, there was a place in a conversation where Jon said that "...in America we've all been taught this idea that we're descended from rugged self-reliant cowboys." (Ah, no. We're not taught this. Never. Not even a hint of this.) There were also several rather disparaging instances of political commentary. It would have behooved Jameson to leave out some of that which she doesn't actually know as fact.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria Books.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/04/the-last.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2781766180
https://www.librarything.com/work/21972083/book/167677260
https://twitter.com/SheTreadsSoftly/status/1116033384755679232

I was so intrigued by the description of The Last, so was SO excited when I received a copy!! This book kept me hooked from start to finish on my long flight across the country. The premise was great, I loved the shorter chapters, and enjoyed how it was written from a “journal” perspective. I couldn’t figure out who I could and couldn’t trust!

Jon has traveled to a remote hotel in Switzerland for a work conference. One morning while enjoying breakfast, chaos breaks loose as people begin receiving notifications of nuclear attacks all over the world. What ensues is 20 people trying to survive the aftermath together at the hotel, while also trying to solve a murder mystery!! 🔪 A girl’s body is found in one of the hotel’s water tanks in the early days after the attacks, and the remaining hotel guests must find out which person among their group is responsible.

HUGE thanks to @atriabooks for the free review copy! The Last is available TOMORROW, 4/9!

The end of humanity is something we have all pondered. No matter the cause, the Apocalypse or nuclear war I am sure we have all shuddered at the thought. Hoping the end of humanity is something we never live to see. In The Last Jameson poses many questions to readers. How will you behave when there are no laws to govern behavior? How do you carry on when everything you had and was once important to you is gone? What will you do in order to survive?

At the L’Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland the worst has happened. Nuclear war has broken out, phones are down, internet access is sparse, and TV news has gone dark. At L’Hotel Sixieme panic has taken hold of the guests and staff. Some guests flee while some stay. When the dust settles twenty-one women, men, and children remain at the hotel. Just when things could not get more dire, a dead body is found on the hotel property. The remaining twenty-one are not only faced with the aftermath of nuclear war and survival but the frightening possibility that a murderer could be in their midst.

The Last is told in the format of a diary/journal/log from the perspective of Jon Keller. Jon is an American Historian from San Fransisco California. He is determined to document every event that occurs in the hotel and amongst the guests. Jon maintains this record for future generations and as a form of therapy for himself. Jon comes across as a stand up guy. He volunteers for anything which needs to be done in the hotel. Hunting, cleaning, going on searches for food; he is there. Amongst the other guests he is seen as a calm presence; someone who even in the most desperate of circumstances still wants to do the right thing. When a disagreement occurs within the group Jon is often neutral, seeing both sides of the argument. This makes Jon the perfect narrator.

L’ Hotel Sixieme is a large stone building with many rooms hidden in the Swiss wilderness. Although beautiful the hotel has a dark past filled with, suicides, hunting accidents, and bathtub drownings. Some of the guests believe there are more people in the hotel than recorded making the hotel seem haunted as well. Jameson has created a perfect backdrop for this nuclear tragedy. A building which was once beautiful but now made malevolent by war.

Although the ending fell a little flat for me, I still enjoyed The Last. The moral questions posed and political undertones made The Last an exciting yet disturbing read. Fans of dystopian fiction and locked door mysteries should add The Last to their list of must reads.

**Thanks to Net Galley and Atria Books for my free copy of The Last**

Murder and Moore Rating:
4 out of 5 Stars

Such a unique take on what the "end of the world" would be like do to a nuclear war. I really appreciated how much character development there was for Jon as well as everyone that he was surrounded by. I love feeling like I understand everyone's personalities and Hanna Jameson did a fabulous job of submersing me into their world. I also loved her ability to weave in some surprising turns while staying true to the characters and the overall story. I definitely recommend this to mystery and dystopia lovers!

The Last by Hanna Jameson was a dark and disturbing dystopian novel with a tad of murder mystery and psychological suspense. I liked the way the book was written in the form of a survivors POV by way of Journal entries. I wasn’t expecting that and I did really enjoy that aspect of it. It made the entire premise seem so plausible based on current events and definitely had me stop and think of “what ifs”, so it was definitely thought provoking.
We follow an American Historian, Jon Keller, while he is staying at a hotel in Switzerland for a conference he is attending. Suddenly, nuclear bombs are going off all over the world and many are killed. He has no idea if his wife and daughters who are back in the states, are even still alive. While he is trying to contact them the internet goes dark and there is no way of communication anymore. Other survivors and guests at the hotel are starting to panic due to not knowing whats going on. To add to all the panic, a body is discovered in the hotel and Jon becomes very obsessed to finding out what happened. We follow Jon and his day to day journal entries taking account of the every day activities while he interviews the remaining survivors in the hotel to get a sense of who they are and possibly trying to find the murderer. Meanwhile, supplies are being used up and Jon must reason to himself if he should continue to stay in the hotel and trust the people around him or if he should leave and chance the outside world.
Although, I was hoping the ending would have been a little different, and hoping for a little more action than there was. It was a book well worth to pick up if this type of genre interests you.

I love post-apocalyptic fiction, and this was definitely a good one. This novel is written in the form of a journal of sorts by history professor Jon, who is staying at a hotel in Switzerland for a conference when nuclear bombs are dropped all over the world. Some people try to get away, but Jon is among the guests who decide to hunker down and stay at the hotel. But he also finds a dead body, and starts trying to investigate what happened. So this book is a little bit Station Eleven or The Last One in its charting of the first days post-apocalypse, a little bit Agatha Christie or Ruth Ware in the mystery/thriller aspect, and a little bit The Shining in the creepy hotel setting. This book creates a great sense of creepy atmosphere and suspense and is a real can't put it down read.

Enjoying a bit of an escape from his family, Jon is in Switzerland at a professional conference when atomic bombs are detonated in major cities all across the world. In the aftermath, he and other survivors in the hotel have to deal with the fear that civilization as they knew it is now over. Dealing with lack of communication with the outside world, dwindling supplies, power struggles within the group, and fear that his loved ones haven't survived, Jon is still determined to maintain his humanity- so when the body of a young girl is discovered in one of the hotel water tanks, Jon stands alone but resolute in his determination to find her killer and bring them to some semblance of justice.

This spooky, atmospheric, tense horror novel reminded me of The Shining and Station Eleven, but the story definitely has the chops to stand on its own as well. So good!

I fell in love with the cover of this book. After clicking, I read the blurb of what it was about and was intrigued. This is a post apocalyptic setting I had never even imagined. A huge, isolated hotel with guests. A murdered girl. Every guest has their own secret. Every guest wants to survive. No one knows what is even going on in the world outside the hotel property...

This was a really fun read. I was immediately sucked into the story. I enjoyed reading about the day to day life after a nuclear explosion. It's told from the perspective of John, a historian, who decides to document everything that happens in case the world survives and their story can be one day told.

Once the body of a young girl is found in one of the water tanks, John seems to become obsessed with learning about every single person in the hotel, as clearly someone there is a murderer. The cast of characters are diverse and interesting. The fact that the setting is a massive hotel in a very isolated area brought an eerie element to the story.

The book did drag a bit in the middle. Day after day of diary entries seemed to get repetitive and boring. I needed a bit more action to keep me reading so I found myself skimming through pages to get to some excitement.

It does pick up near the end, and some new plot twists and characters make their way into the guests lives. The ending was very unexpected, yet fulfilling.

I give this a solid 4 stars.

The Last by Hannah Jameson is being released April 9, 2019 here in the United States so pre-order it now! It was a very unique but realistic apocalyptic thriller than I highly enjoyed!

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me an eARC to read and give my honest opinion!

Happy Reading!

This book is EPICALLY GOOD - in part because it strikes resoundingly close to home, in part because it's highly addictive to read.

Set in the immediate aftermath of worldwide destruction brought on by a nuclear war, the book is written as an account of the days and months of one group of survivors who were staying at remote hotel in Switzerland when the attacks occurred.

The book explores the reality of what living in the immediate post-apocalyptic world would truly be like - how a group of complete strangers would be forced to band together to work towards survival in a new world. How alliances would inevitably be formed, how justice would be meted out, how decisions and leadership would fall into place, how relationships would be formed and broken, and how grieving a world lost would impact everyone.

I was completely sucked into this story, it was so wildly compelling to read. I loved the premise that this group of survivors was very much intact, and set up for at least immediate success to survive - but that that premise didn't lend itself to a feeling of safety or security in the least. I loved that there was an added layer of mystery surrounding the discovery of a young girls body in a water tank - a young girl no one could account for in the new world. I love that Jon's character was relentlessly determined to accurately record the aftermath and the world they now lived in. All of these elements brought together created this intriguing read that was IMPOSSIBLE to set down.

I won't ruin this one for readers - despite it not being a traditional suspense thriller, there are still twists and turns aplenty - but I will say that this should be on EVERY bookworm's pile, it is too fantastic of a read to miss this summer, I promise you.

The Last by Hanna Jameson is an apocalyptic novel from an American’s perspective (Jon) who is stuck in a huge hotel in the middle of nowhere in Switzerland after nuclear bombs fell and whole countries are gone. Jon keeps a daily journal or as he calls it “A Narrative Chronicle of the Initial Post-nuclear Months by Possibly the Last Living Historian”.

This is a character driven novel with a side of murder mystery. The Last is written in first person perspective, and I was pulled in from the first line. Jameson shows what could happen in the world whenever the bombs fall. Of course, there is panic and we keep up with the news until it is no more. Then we are in seclusion with 20 strangers and the mystery: a dead girl. Jon becomes determined at all costs to figure out who killed her.

Everything felt realistic with The Last: From the fear of the unknown, adjusting to a new world with strangers, to thoughts of ‘should we stay or leave?’ We get to experience a variety of situations that occur and the consequences of those decisions in this new world. The Last is like an episode of The Walking Dead but without zombies. There is a little action, but the story focuses on the people and their situation.

I really enjoyed The Last. The ending is ambiguous, so it could be the end of the story or it could continue if Jameson decides to write more.

The only negative for me was a big one, and why I rated it four stars: The mention of politics and characters blaming each other based on if they were American and if they voted for the president. The president’s name is not mentioned, but you know who he is based on what is said. I like my fiction to be free from politics (unless I happen to be reading a politically charged book) or it is necessary to the story, so these instances were not enjoyed. Let’s keep politics out of our fiction!

The Last is recommended. Special thanks to Atria Books for granting me an e-arc copy via NetGalley. I really enjoyed it!

I feel semi prepared should the apocalypse hit my town in the near future. The Last forces the reader to ask questions as the story progresses, and you really start to figure out how you’d react if placed in a similar situation.

The best part of this book is, that while the scenario may not be real, the decision making felt rational and real, like you’d make the same decisions if you were in that position. Being able to relate to a character in a book such as this shows great talent by the author.

Thanks to Atria for my advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I love a good old-fashioned apocalyptic story - the nuclear war scenario has been left behind by biological/viral worlds. It was interesting to see how Jameson brought this very real possibility back to life.

Imagine that it hits the fan in full force, world tensions reach that point of no return and someone pushes the button. Let’s be honest, we would all be toast. Now imagine that you are in a safe (i.e., un-bombed) location. What would you do? How would you survive? Would you stay sane? This is where The Last goes.

I loved how The Last played out. The characters’ reactions were normal, rational, and reasonable. I might have done the same, this makes the story relatable and tangible for me. I want to be able to place myself in the protagonist’s shoes and go through the story with them.

The Last is more than just a post-apocalyptic story. Jameson has layered a mystery into it. Our protagonist, Jon, becomes obsessed with solving the murder of an unknown little girl. This obsession only increases the tension as well as the them or us attitudes that would inevitably develop in this scenario.

Jameson created a perfect and diverse cast of characters, each with integral roles to play. The interactions and relations between these characters deepened my involvement in this story.

Here’s hoping for a lot more from Hanna Jameson in the future.

*5 Stars

I just love a good dystopian novel, and this one did not disappoint. This book intrigued me the minute I read the synopsis. Nuclear war has ended the world as we know it and survivors in a remote manor hotel in Switzerland not only have to figure out how to survive, but also solve a murder mystery. Can they trust one another? The main character, Jon, is determined to find out. The scariest thing about this book? It felt like it could actually happen in today’s world.

I love books set in manor houses and hotels—the closed environment always provides rich fodder for the characters. This enthralling novel is everything I hoped it would be: taut, moving, surprising.

4.5 Star Review
Will be posted to all links in bio 4/3/2019

Comparing a book to The Girl With All the Gifts is setting a very high bar for a book so I will admit that one it drew me in admittedly with the comparison but it also left me very apprehensive/skeptical when I began reading it. The bar was set very high.

Did it live up to The Girl With All the Gifts? I'm not sure ANYTHING can do such a thing. However, it did meet my expectations otherwise. The Last by Hanna Jameson is a book that meets my analogy of making reading a combat sport for multiple reasons.

First of all the plot, unfortunately, is completely plausible and that makes it absolutely terrifying. It is hard to not have a physical/anxiety riddled reaction to the situation at hand. When an American Historian becomes stranded at a Swiss conference during a nuclear attack his short-term reaction is to write down everything for the sake of record keeping. He is, of course, an historian. From the very beginning the initial confusion of the blast to the loss of electricity, the internet, contact to the outside world. To his inability to contact family, the outside world and then the scramble for food.

The structure of the book makes it all that more mysterious, thrilling and suspenseful as we are reading the book not just through Jon's eyes but through his actual journal. The notes he takes, the journal he keeps is actually how we read the book and experience this harrowing journey. Even as the murders begin and the murder mystery begins to unfold. A historians viewpoints through this journal really isolates not just all the big fears but the little joys that you find along the way... a song here or a unexpected treat of food there. An occasional authentic laugh that even for a moment, helps you forget.

I don't want to give anything else away. Like The Girl With All the Gifts, the more you know going, the less impact the plot will have. The way the book is set-up is purposely meant to unfold in its own time for a specific purpose. I will not take that away from the author's intent.

If you can handle asking yourself what if, in the times we currently live in (and living, literally next door to a national monument- the Gateway Arch- I found myself looking out my window and doing this often), I highly suggest you pick up this book.

I enjoyed THE LAST up until the ending which was very disappointing for me. Perhaps there is a sequel planned to tie up the loose ends.

This book is a major trigger for drug addiction, which I did not realize and was not expecting. I did not finish this book and thus will not be publishing a full review of it on my blog. The problem with most dystopians lately is that they are too real and not fun to read. This was no exception. Unless the language is exceptional (i.e. Gold Fame Citrus or Station Eleven), the book just feels staid and boring. The writing in this book was not good, was not beautiful and I was bored. Thank you for considering me.