Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of The Last Witness by Claire McFall.

This book was a very enjoyable, fast paced, YA thriller. I've struggled with YA thrillers in the past because a lot of them are cheesy- this one was not that! I love a story with an unreliable narrator, and Heather was all that and more! I definitely would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a rather easy-going thriller, especially if you're a lover of YA like myself!

I really enjoyed this story right from the start. I love a good horror novel and this one was written almost like a movie but with some supernatural elements woven in. The characters consist of your typical cast of teenagers going off alone to camp with the hopes of having a nice, drunken time. The main character was likable for me from the very beginning and I really enjoyed reading the story from her point of view.

I felt comfortable with the pace and was always eager to keep reading to find out what was going on. It also really adds to the story to have a part of it be told through the MC's conversations with a therapist (I think that's what he was??) in the aftermath of the deaths.

I did not foresee that final twist at ALL but I did like it a lot (although it completely changes everything about the book, just in a way that still works).

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy. An addicting read! Well written and suspenseful. Heather and her friends go camping one weekend and not all of them return. Only two survive. Heather is one of them, then becomes a suspect and witness. The other in a coma. The story fluctuates between present and past throughout. The only person who can prove her innocence is Dougie who has been in a coma for a year.

Oh this was good! It was thrilling and suspenseful and it swept me along. I hated to put this one down and the ending shocked me.

This was a really quick read that kept my attention the whole way through. Just dying to know how it was going to end! The book is told between the time of the event(a year ago) and the present time. The author did a great job at delivering that perspective. It really amped up the suspense! There were a few parts that dragged on slightly, and I found the ending a bit rushed, so that is why I gave it 3.5 instead of 4 stars. However, the writing was extremely well done. The author holds your attention and keeps you guessing right up until the last page! And she crafted such a great setting. You could smell the beach, taste the sea and feel the chill in the air! Though a bit rushed, my jaw literally dropped at the very end. A cleaver twist that I was not expecting. This was a great thriller with some paranormal undertones which offered a unique reading experience.

I love this story. 5 friends set out for a trip to celebrate their friends birthday. The remote place they decided to go is known as spooky/haunted. Great case of unreliable narrator.

I teach writing at a College, so I truly hate giving less-than-positive feedback to a published author. It's painful. But this book has a lot of issues and was extremely challenging to even finish. I appreciate the ARC, but I will definitely not be recommending it. Here's why:

Two stars

The concept for this work is interesting: a young woman goes camping with several of her friends over her love interest's birthday weekend. While there, the characters experience varying degrees of sinister events. There's no spoiler here - thanks to the title and to the fact that the chapters alternate between "Then" and "Now" - but the m.c. is "the last witness" and apparent sole survivor of this trip.

Aside from the concept, I really struggled with this read. The descriptions are long-winded and odd. Until I hit close to the 65% mark, I was so bored with the incredibly slow pace: so much description and so little action. It's also extremely challenging to connect with any of the characters or to build concern for their wellbeing. Some seem weirdly unaffected by what is happening to them (I'm keeping this spoiler-free, but I did NOT feel like this issue was somehow resolved in the final pages of the novel). The big twist at the end just made me laugh. These characters do not seem equipped to handle even the most basic challenges, let alone pull off a ruse of this magnitude.

I am appreciative of the ARC and of the writing style, but overall, I feel like this novel should be sacrificed and left in the cairn.

I enjoy reading thriller novels occasionally and this one sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this as much as I was hoping to. The story alternates between past and present using flashbacks. The pacing was slow for me and it took me a while to get into the plot, which as a result had my interest wavering. It didn't really pick up for me until I was more than halfway through. The ending was okay and has a twist.

The Last Witness by Claire McFall - OoooOoooOoo....this was a good one! Five teens go camping, only two come back alive. One is in a coma, the other has a lot of explaining to do. Heather and her friends go on a secluded camping trip and stumble upon an ancient Druid burial ground. While poking around, her friend Dougie takes an ancient artifact. Soon after, her friends start to disappear one at a time. Heather is the only one to make it out, but the story she tells lands her in a psych ward and everyone thinking she’s a crazed lunatic who murdered her friends. Her only saving grace is Dougie who, a year later is still in a coma. He knows the truth. He can help get her out, but he has to wake up first. A thriller to the very end!
Publish date: Jan 1, 2020 #netgalley #thelastwitness #clairemcfall

The Last Witness is an atmospheric and haunting novel! This one certainly sent chills down my spine and kept me riveted to the pages from beginning to end! I am always looking for books just like this and am so glad I stumbled upon it! I look forward to reading many more novels by the author in the future.

I stayed up until 2 am on a school night to finish this. It is deliciously creepy, spine-tingling, and a super fast read. It’s the perfect horror story to give to Hs students, and I will be purchasing multiple copies when it is published. I loved the characters, the story, and most of all THAT ENDING.

Just me or was this a sub-par Blair Witch ripoff? I read lots of thrillers so maybe I have too high of standards, but not for me.