This was a story that instantly grabbed me, and I had trouble putting down. Her name is not Jane, but she is called Jane. She refuses to accept this name. She survives horrendous living conditions and has an amazing will to live that often slips a little...until it’s not just her who needs to survive. How will they get to safety? This was an amazing story of someone surviving human trafficking and reclaiming her life! Amazing!!!

Let’s talk about genre labeling for a moment, shall we?

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean is being marketed as a “claustrophobic thriller.” Is it claustrophobic? Absolutely. Is it a thriller? Not sure. (checks google...)

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a thriller as: One that thrills; especially a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of of intrigue, adventure, or suspense.

So yes, then we’re definitely in thriller territory here. The Last Thing to Burn is as dramatic and suspenseful as they come. But I still can’t shake the overall feeling that what I just read is literary fiction.

The publisher’s blurb compares it to Emma Donoghue’s infamous novel, Room, but I’ll take it one further. This is Room with the captive being the victim of human trafficking. I’m not sure if that’s spoilery to say, but I believe it’s important to know that going in. I’ve read many, many kidnapping stories but never one that so vividly and intimately portrayed this horrendous, global epidemic. For a taut 256 pages, readers feel every bit as helpless as Thanh Dao, the Vietnamese woman who thought she was going to England for a better life but ended up the “married” servant of a vile human who renames her Jane… after his mother.

This is a hard book to read, but it is so well written. The descriptors “character-driven” and “slow-burn” come to mind, yet the desire to see Thanh escape keeps the pages turning. This was a buddy read with Michael David, and we both tore through it quickly. We also were taken by surprise by a few revealing moments, and overall we had a lot to discuss.

I do wish Dean had opted to provide a deeper look at the backstories of the characters, since I never shook the desire to know more about Thanh and her captor before he bought her. I respect that he chose to keep some elements vague, but personally I wouldn’t have minded 50-100 more pages to better understand what brought them both to this deplorable situation.

If you still need trigger warnings after hearing "human trafficking": rape, physical and psychological torture, and dentophobia.

My sincere thanks to Will Dean and Atria Books for providing my gifted advanced readers copy for review via NetGalley. The Last Thing to Burn is slated for US publication in April, 2021.

A dark and sometimes difficult-to-read survivalist story.

Thanh Dao has been renamed “Jane” by her captor, Lenn. She and her sister, Kym-Le, left Vietnam to find a better future in England, and she never expected what her life had become. She’s been living with Lenn on his remote farm for over 7 years, and hasn’t been successful in escaping. She has a shattered ankle, but has to cook and clean for him every day.

She becomes pregnant after one of the other things she has to do for him. After another woman is brought into the home and held captive, and with her newborn baby, Thanh Dao/Jane decides this is it. She needs to figure out the ultimate way to escape the hell she is in.

While this was a quick read, it was not an easy one. It’s heavy and sometimes brutal. I felt anger and I felt Jane’s fear. It’s richly atmospheric and beautifully written. My mind could clearly see the repugnant living conditions of Lenn’s home.

As tough as the topics in this book are, they are also extremely important. Author Will Dean takes great care in giving us a stark and seemingly realistic view of a woman held captive. I also appreciate the afterword he includes in the book.

This was a buddy read with Regina, and while I’m not sure either of us would use the word “enjoyable” to describe this book, we were both into it, and enjoyed discussing it at various points throughout.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published 4/20/21.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

This is one of those books that you don’t want to read but can’t put down. This book deals with domestic violence, how much one can endure and the things you will do for those you love.

This book gripped me from the very start of the first page.

The story focuses on a woman who was made promises from strangers that they never intended to keep. Her brave, heart-wrenching, brutal, and honest, narrative drives the entire re-telling of how she ended up a prisoner in a monster's home with little hope of survival. As her story unravels and tells the truth behind all of the lies she's been told about her family, herself, and others around her, the true terror starts to develop in the story and engulfed me in her plight.

I was in awe of Will Dean's prose and story-telling for this poor woman who soon became my own sister, friend, and relative. It's a very chilling tale and one that will not leave the reader unscathed, but one that had to be told to bring light to situations such as these. An excellent read and one that you will definitely not want to miss!

What a captivating and heartwrenching read! This is my favourite book from Will Dean so far. I just couldn't put it down.

It's a story that is so relevant today with human trafficking on the increase. I felt like crying out of frustration with the main character. The hardship she had to endure is unimaginable and the fact that this is happening to people right now makes it even worse.
Its a story about strength and willpower. About never losing your true self and about believing in yourself and what you are capable of.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was on tenterhooks the whole time! This book was genuinely frightening and fantastic in equal measure! There was a point I couldn’t even look at the page and read the words!

This book follows “Jane’s” story of being trafficked from Vietnam, believing she was leaving for a better life and would be able to send money home to provide for her loved ones, only to find a very different life actually awaiting her and her desperate attempts to escape her captor.

This book was so tense, it would be a disservice if it is not adapted for television!

This is a really chilling book on a subject that is not the easiest to think or read about.
A young woman is captive and under extreme conditions. Her captor is evil, manipulative and dangerous.
How will she survive? How will she escape? How will she keep her sanity?
Will Dean draws you into this world which becomes your darkest dream however he has written this in such a way you are compelled to read every single word. To say I found this fascinating sounds strange but it was on a theme we all know about but perhaps don’t think about enough.
I was initially drawn to this book by the hype which doesn’t always live up to expectations but this one certainly does.
This book will stay with me for a long time
I will recommend this book but with a caveat that it has an upsetting plot.

"Jane" has been living on an isolated farm in England. She came to the country with her sister, Kim-Ly seven years ago. They were told that they would be able to come to England to get a good job and have a better life. Unfortunately, that is not what happens. Jane has very few possessions. For every mistake she makes, she must give up something to burn in the stove. Over time she loses items such as her passport, ID card, a book, letters from her sister. When she finds that she is pregnant, she vows to do everything she can to save herself and her child. When another woman is brought into the home and locked in the cold basement, Jane must figure out how to save all three of them.
This is a gripping, psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat flipping the pages maniacally to find out how things end.
I received an advance copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Will Dean and Atria Books for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't even read the synopsis of this novel before I requested it because I'm such a huge Dean fan so I was very surprised upon reading what it was actually about. This one is quite dark, but necessarily so. This is a big issue still around that world that needs to be addressed. Human trafficking is such a scary thing, but I feel like this novel approached it in a way that you could read about without being depressed. It was a very quick read because I wanted to know what happened to our main character! Overall, quite an enjoyable read even with the dark subject matter.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria and Will Dean for this ARC in return for my honest review. Genuinely breathtaking, such a brilliant book. Read it in one day, my heart was in my mouth all the way through.

Such a crazy read, a page turner, read in a day book. Don’t think I took a breath all day! It’s a disturbing read, but a very much needed escape.

Wow! The Last Thing To Burn was an addictive, yet devastating story. Thanh Dao and her younger sister were deceived into promises of a better life. She is soon held captive by a cruel and abusive man named Lenn. He has her locked in a small house on what sounds like many acres of land. Lenn threatens her by telling her bad things will happen to her sister if she doesn’t do what he requests. The story pulls you in with the suspense and characters and has you rooting for Thanh to survive and escape.

Harrowing, impactful and important, this book was so well done. I experienced a wide range of emotions as I read it and felt the tough subject matter was handled expertly.

Wow. I read “The Last Thing to Burn” in pretty much one sitting. And now I’m still attempting to process it. The story opens with “Jane,” a Vietnamese woman who has been kidnapped and held against her will for seven years, trying to escape the farm where she’s been imprisoned on by Lenn. Jane then realizes she is pregnant and she must escape.

This was a thrilling read. I look forward to more books from this author.

“Jane” as Lenn likes to call her, is being held captive on a farm in the UK. Through years of torture from Lenn and unspeakable acts put on her, “Jane” tries to survive as best she could.

Her only hope to stay alive is for her sister Kim-ly, who like her, was taken at the same time, for a better opportunity, and through letters, knows that things are going well for her, and all that she endures with Lenn, she does it so her sister can be saved

What she did not plan on was to get pregnant by Lenn and for Lenn to also bring someone else into captivity, Cynth. With Cynth with her now, how can she manage to escape? Can she save all 3 of them?

This was a very heart pounding story! The anxiety I felt reading this book. Each page you get to know a little more about Thanh((Jane) and how she became Lenn’s prisoner. You keep rooting for her. You also do become frightful! I mean this was a very intense, gripping story. Proceed with caution!

TW: human trafficking, rape, abuse, human torture

Thank you @netgalley, @atriabooks and author for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is set to publish April 20,2021

The Last Thing To Burn tells the story about "Jane" who's a victim of human trafficking. She’s being held at this farm where her “husband” Lenn abuses her sexually, physically and mentally. When Jane, or Thanh Dao which is her real name, finds out she's pregnant and another woman shows up at their door, her fantasies of running away might be closer than ever.

I have to be honest and say that it took a while for me to get hooked on this one, but when I did I couldn’t put it down! For a book under 250 pages the author was able to write a very raw, impactful story that I can see myself thinking about a lot in the future. It kept me on the edge of my seat for most parts and by the last half my heart was racing, and I had to finish it in one go. With this being said I didn’t really feel the ending. It felt a bit rushed, and personally I would have preferred a couple or chapters instead of the epilogue, but I suppose that’s just a personal preference.

Even though the story deals with some really heavy subjects there is some lightness and hope to be found and is a book I would recommend if you want a fast-paced gripping story that will get you thinking!

(cw: trafficking, rape, emotional abuse, physical abuse, violence, confinement, addiction)

Wow! I wish all books were as good as this one! This was a thrilling read from page one, I wanted to know what happened to the characters and where the story would go. This did not disappoint and to say I thoroughly enjoyed it would be wrong but I did. I couldn’t put it down. I will definitely read more from this author!

This book was just the right length to tell a story that took place over nine years. The darkness of this book is overshadowed by the strength and determination of this young girl as she tries to deal with her gruesome life. This is the second book I have read about human trafficking in 2021. Obviously authors are trying to spread the word on this horrendous crime and the depravity of human traffickers. The detail and descriptions are so vivid . Sounds and smells come to life. An engaging read .

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"... and I sit feeding my daughter and planning his death."

What a chillingly brutal story about human trafficking! A very well written, easy read of a very hard topic. It's one of those stories you almost can't stand to read but you can't stop yourself because you have to know what happens next. This is one that you will be thinking about during the times you're not reading. A book you just can't wait to get back to. Well done, this one will stick with me!