There are many jokes made by readers about becoming so engrossed in a book, the outside world disappears. In THE LAST THING TO BURN, this joke becomes fact. Once started, I literally could not stop reading.

As this woman's living conditions and her emotional and physical torture is revealed, Will Dean skillfully paints a picture that we'd all rather not know about. Her life as a "wife' bought and paid for, she sees no future, only more pain. Then something will change, she will decide to escape, knowing the cost if she is caught. The paths she decides to take will release her from this half life one way or the other. WOW, just WOW.

I received this book for free from Netgalley.

This book was very tense and I couldn't stop turning the pages.

I was gripped throughout the book.

I would definitely read more by this author.

This was a difficult book to read and I had to take a break a couple of times. There were some comments in other reviews about there not being enough backstory but I think not knowing more about Jane made the loss of her things more poignant and the memories that she did have so precious. The characters were so well crafted that I had to remember that the book was fiction although the circumstances are real. A book and characters that will stay with me for a long time.

This is a very dark, intense book! A woman is trapped on a farm by a monster. She ends up pregnant and determined to escape. Another woman shows up on the farm and now she has to decide whether to try and help her too. This was very well written.

The Last Thing to Burn is a book that grips every emotional string attached to you. You're constantly ripped from one emotion to the next. This book is full of grit and is raw, dark and keeps you constantly holding your breath. While this was a great read, it was a little slow and I wish there were a bit more details throughout. Dean keeps you in a circle of suspense, just as you think you're able to relax, your body tenses again.

Definitely a great suspense novel that you should put on your TBR list.

WOW. A very intense story that had me on edge every step of the way. So many unexpected twists and turns! A page turner and suspenseful story that sucks you right into it.

What a tense read this was. Lenn lives on average with a Vietnamese hostage he calls Jane (after his dead mother) who has been locked up for 7 years. I spent the majority of this book hoping that Thanh would escape Lenns clutches but when she falls pregnant and discovers another hostage there’s even more to consider than before.

This book was intense, edgy and had me nervous for a lot of the read. I wondered how the book might end and I can’t say I was disappointed. A well written book, at times I wanted to yell or shake Thanh but I was deeply invested in the story and would recommend this book too anyone who enjoys a bit of a psychological thriller.

A short book but felt like it dragged on. I didn’t find it very thrilling. The ending was abrupt and unrealistic. It had potential but overall this one didn’t work for me.

A more loathsome individual than the one in this book would be hard to find. A monster masquerading as a human being with his sick, vile, disgusting self. Be ready to go way dark, way down in the hole with this one. It is excellent and sadly, not out of the realm of possibility. A resounding "Bravo!" to the author for a compelling tale well-told, and a title that could not be more fitting.

Will Dean's 'The Last Thing to Burn' should come with a health warning, but for all the right reasons.

A woman lives with her husband in a remote farm cottage, but all is not as it seems. She is surrounded by space and yet is trapped. 'The Last Thing to Burn' is unbearably tense and powerful. A story of a woman's desperate attempt to save herself.

This is the first book I've read by Will Dean and based on this it won't be the last. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Hodder and NetGalley for my ARC

This was one book I’d never have picked up if it wasn’t for Netgalley, and Atria books. Thank you to them and to Will Dean for writing such an amazing book. The characters and storyline were so interesting in such a setting, definitely kept me reading throughout the day and into the night.
I can’t imagine this human trafficking ever happening, but Ii know it does, so this brought it to light.
I was surprised at the sister scenario, never would have thought it at first, but later on in the book I began to question, why would they let her live her life, when they wouldn’t the older sister…
I definitely believe this is a great book club book, as it will bring on so many interesting conversations, and maybe even some action on the part of some of the members…Thank you again to all involved, and I’m anxious to see what else this author brings to light. 5 stars ..
Reviews seen on Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter and my on line book clubs as well..

What a horrific story. I really felt terrified for 90% of this book. Sometimes I had to take breaks because of how awful things were, but I picked it back up because I had to know what happened.
The story is about a woman who is being held on a remote farm by a man who is nothing short of a monster. She's been there for years when the book begins and has found small ways of coping. She only has a few items left from her old life when she lived with her sister and parents in Vietnam, and these are what get her through the terrible days and nights that she endures. However, any time the man, Len, catches her doing something he doesn't like, he makes her burn one of her possessions in the wood stove.
This is a story about human trafficking and the resilience of the human spirit. I can't honestly say I liked it simply because of how horrific it was, but it was certainly eye-opening and an interesting read.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to read this book.

If your biggest nightmare is being locked in a room, avoid this book at all costs. This book was so intense! I just kept turning pages because I couldn't rest without knowing more. I loved the premise of this book and look forward to picking up more books by Will Dean in the near future.

GREAT BOOK!!!!!! It reminded me a lot of the story Room. How captivating and thrilling. I felt all of her emotions.

I would give 10 stars if I could!!

Wow!! This was such a wild, gut wrenching thriller that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time while reading. I had to take some time to process what went down after I finished, and it made every other book I read the same month hard to compare because this was just that good!

*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Can you say a book is 'really good' when the subject is as terrible and heavy as this?? And, if so, how exactly do I say it?? The writing was amazing, but I find myself completely lacking the vocabulary to fully articulate how creepy and icky this book was without diminishing that fact. I will be looking forward to more books by this author in the future!! Thank you to the author and publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of The Last Thing To Burn by Will Dean.

4.5⭐️
This was a dark thriller that was unimaginable. I have seldom felt this uncomfortable while reading about the crazy, painful conditions of this story. Imagine not having a say about your life! Imagine the pain and fear someone will lord over your every breath!
Written well I couldn’t stop reading, wondering and hoping something would change. The horror held me prisoner and was told equal to any good horror movie. I recommend this if you like horror suspense.
Thanks Atria via NetGalley.

This is a heavy book, laden with important and challenging issues. Aside from this, it was easily one of 'my reads' of 2021. A taunt and emotional read that pulled you with every page. This book needs to be read!

Unfortunately, this one was a flop for me. It reminded me a lot of ROOM. From the beginning I had a general idea of the route the book was going to take and though there were some twists, there was nothing surprising or exciting enough to really hold my interest.

**As an avid reader, I have the utmost respect for authors and I always hate when I have to leave a poor review. The time, energy, and commitment that goes into writing a book for us to consume is unfathomable and regardless of my opinion of the book, I am very appreciative.

EXCERPT: I wash up and listen for the front door.

That's it.

The noise of the bolt.

Blessed relief. I breathe out and wait, scouring pad in hand, and then he's there at the back field on his quad, a monster riding away on four wheels, riding off towards the pigs, his brethren. I wish upon him a heart attack and a bad fall, perhaps into the dike, drowning, the quad on top, and a lightning strike. But nothing ever happens to him, no consequences. He's as solid and as basic as a concrete wall. The times I've begged to all the gods, to the horizon, to the four spires I can see to the north on a clear day and the three to the south, to the wind turbines, for some retribution to be brought, some penalty, and yet he thrives on.

The tapes are rolling. They're always rolling. If I move, they start recording, that's how he installed them. Leonard's quite handy with electrics and plumbing. And he may come back. He says he's off to feed the pigs, those royal animals luxuriating on their throne of filth, unaware of their relative freedom, but he could just as well race back in five minutes. To surprise me. To control his small world and keep things exactly as he likes them.

ABOUT 'THE LAST THING TO BURN': On an isolated farm in the United Kingdom, a woman is trapped by the monster who kidnapped her seven years ago. When she discovers she is pregnant, she resolves to protect her child no matter the cost, and starts to meticulously plan her escape. But when another woman is brought into the fold on the farm, her plans go awry. Can she save herself, her child, and this innocent woman at the same time? Or is she doomed to spend the remainder of her life captive on this farm?

MY THOUGHTS: The cleverly titled The Last Thing to Burn is an intense read, dark, gripping and heartbreaking. Trafficked from Vietnam, Thanh Dao is systematically stripped of everything, including her identity, by the cruel and controlling Lenn. Renamed Jane after Lenn's mother, she is forced to live in a ramshackle dwelling in the Fens, to wear Lenn's mother's clothes, to cook the food she used to cook in exactly the same way, to clean the house to her exacting regime, and to submit to Lenn's precise demands for sex.

This is not an easy read and nor should it be. Lenn is nasty, cruel and abusive, and yet every now and then he throws out a nugget of relative kindness to keep Jane off balance.

Jane is an amazing character. In spite of being stripped of her few precious possessions, her language and her identity, she remains Thanh Dao in her mind. She creates a space for herself where Lenn cannot go, where she can talk to her sister Kim-Ly who escaped Vietnam with her and whom she believes to be working in a nail salon in Manchester.

The story of Thanh Dao's struggles is an emotional and heartbreaking one. It is one that, although fiction, depicts the plight of many and deserves to be shared. Will Dean has done his research well. I appreciated the fact that in the afterword he listed organisations able to help if you suspect someone needs help.

Well done Will.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.3

#TheLastThingtoBurn #NetGalley

I: @willrdean @atriabooks

T: @willrdean @AtriaBooks

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THE AUTHOR: Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands, living in nine different villages before the age of eighteen. He was a bookish, daydreaming kid who found comfort in stories and nature (and he still does). After studying Law at the LSE, and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden. He built a wooden house in a boggy clearing at the centre of a vast elk forest, and it's from this base that he compulsively reads and writes.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, for providing a digital ARC of The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage