Final Spin by Jocko Willink is the story of a young adult whose life is unremarkable. Jonny works at the local mart, drink at the local bar, and so on. One day, Johhny decides this isn't enough. His brother, Arty, has found happiness tending to laundry. Why can't he find happiness?

What will it take to make Johhny happy: making everyone else happy. Johnny comes up with a plan to secure his brother's job and protect his girl's future.

The characters are young men looking to better their lives. I like Johnny's brother Arty. He reminds me of Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys.

I enjoyed the book. It's a book that can be read in one sitting. The writing and story are straightforward. Maybe too open-and-shut for some readers.

There's action and thrills but not much mystery. It's kind of like James Bond. We all know what's going to happen, but we still go and see the movie.


It's an endearing action-packed thrill ride!

I've been a fan of Jocko Willink's previous nonfiction books. When I found out he was writing a novel, I said, "I'll give it a shot." I enjoyed this short novel. Written in a fiction form and written in a style of poetry prose, I was really into the story as a whole. With themes of family and purpose, I had a great time reading this book.

Final Spin needs to be a longer book! I fell in love with Arty and Johnny then Boom! the story was over. The love between these two brothers was epic. Unfortunately that love made Johnny make some really bad decisions. Very fast paced and beautifully written.

“Nothing is ever as good as you think it is going to be, Arty.“ Like this book? Ha! Sorry that was just too easy.
But in all seriousness. Torn. I’m so torn. (I’m considering writing this whole review
the way the book
is written.
Or would that annoy
everyone who read it?
Okay, but really, I am torn by this review. But I listen to the audio AND read the ebook at the same time. And the audiobook has a fantastic interview with the author at the end, that honestly I wish was at the beginning so I could have enjoyed the book better. And I wish it was included in the physical book too, because again, readers would appreciate some of the thing about the book
So
Much
More.

He explains where the idea came from, who just so happens to be the person the book is dedicated to. And he talks about who he wrote the book in a way that usually only poetry is written, in some fragments, but not only in fragments, in page and line placement (just as my review is above). And I think if I had understood some of that, it would have better prepared me to take it all in.
Because just going straight into the book, I was so thoroughly confused. This is the author of Extreme Ownership and Way of the Warrior Kid. This is a Navy Seal guy. Why the heck is he writing a book about a loser guy, with a dead end job, who takes NO ownership of his life and turns criminal and sees no way out and self-sabotages everything in his life. Like sure the guy is going to find his way out and learn his lesson. But there is really little to no redeeming points for this guy. Not really, IMO.
But then again, maybe that’s the message the author is trying to get across. This is the mindset of too many. Anyway, it just wasn’t at all what I expected.
And while I had little to no interest in reading any future fiction he wrote for about 3/4 of the way through the book…..now i probably will.
I also greatly appreciate the length of the book. Nice and to the point. Some of the writing style (besides the prose) reminded me of some John Grisham. To the point. No fluff. Just story and character. I can appreciate that style.

Full disclosure, I love Jocko Willink, so when I saw that he had written an adult fiction novel I jumped at the chance to request it.

Other than taking care of his brother Arty, Johnny lives a pretty meaningless existence. He works a dead-end job, and spends most of his spare time at the local bar. When Johnny hears that the laundromat where Arty works is to be sold, he decides to recruit his best friend Goat and they take matters into their own hands.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I listened to the audiobook, and also read a little bit in the kindle version. It was a very quick read, and I would recommend it for teen boys or young men that might be reluctant readers. I also enjoyed the structure of the writing in the print version. Very reminiscent of poetry-type novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARCs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio (St. Martin's Press for the arc) for the early listen. I was lucky enough to be approved for the ebook and the audiobook. I did listened to most of the book since I wanted to "read" it while on the road and was able to finish during my drive time.
This is the author's first adult fiction and I have to say I really enjoyed listening to the author read his story. He did a great job narrating.
Loved reading about the brothers and all those involved in this story.

Excellent story! Totally engrossing!. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Could not put this down!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of Final Spin by Jocko Willink in exchange for my honest review. I was not familiar with any of the books by this author at all or his podcast.
This is an extremely fast read. The author uses an interesting structure in his writing- single words, phrases, random sentences, repetition of words. The words are also scattered across the page which makes for the speedy read.
This book is a mystery, involving two friends working at a dead-end job of loading shelves in a food store. Johnny has a brother Arty, who is on the autism spectrum. He loves his job at a local laundromat and knows everything there is to know about getting clothes clean and the machines that do the job. Arty’s boss will be selling the laundromat and Johnny and his friend “Goat” come up with a plan to save his job. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned.
This was definitely an interesting read for me. I have a soft spot for the disabled, so I was always rooting for Arty.

This book was so utterly terrible. Although it took me an hour of my time to read, I would do anything to have that hour of my time back and forget about this book completely. The main characters are so one dimensional. The same dialogue occurs multiple times.

and why are
random sentences and some dialogue

written
like
this?


and why are some things
repeated
repeated
repeated

Explain this to me, because it added absolutely nothing to the story and irritated the shit out of me.

Maybe in some way this novel was trying to be "artsy" and different but there's got to be some thought behind that. Without added value, that style of writing just irritates the reader.

Oh, yes I was so angry by how terrible this was I forgot to mention anything of the plot, so here goes nothing:
-20s year old man has a mentally challenged brother who likes doing laundry
-laundromat will get sold
-only logical solution is to steal money from grocery store where main character works and buy laundromat for brother and run away to mexico
-somehow gets best friend on board
-even if they both go to jail #yolo
-predictable ending
-also some love interest, Jessica, who is so beautiful and who is so one dimensional and also so beautiful

I wish I could throw this into my fireplace but since it was read on my kindle, the "delete this title" is as much satisfaction as I can get.

Also, I meant to add this to my spooky read-a-thon but nothing about this was spooky or thriller-esque, just terrible.

Short story, easy read about twenty something males using  the "F*" word in every sentence. Not an author I've read before. Rather interesting font format.
Johnny and Goat, stock boys at Maxi -Mart, are small town, still living at home youth. Their boss, Gerry, the night manager, constantly goads and demeans them.
Johnny's brother, Arty, is "different". He works at De Wasserette laundry mat, thus the nickname "Cleaner". He's really good at starch & creases. The owner, Mr. Vossen, is Dutch. He's decided to sell and return to his homeland.
Johnny knows the laundry mat is what Arty lives for. He hatches a plan to ensure his brothers future. It's not a great plan.
While I didn't hate the story, I'm glad I didn't spend money on it. It was much akin to reading the daily headlines. There are some lessons to be learned, but it wasn't very entertaining.
Thanks to Netgalley, Jocko Willink, and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy of  Final Spin. These are my thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

If you’re familiar with Jocko, you probably know him as the scary, discipline focused former Navy Seal who has become a bit of a business guru in the past few years. What less people know is that in addition to his leadership works, he’s also the author of children’s books and now a short story / poem. And it doesn’t disappoint.

The writing style is engrossing and creative. The plot gives you something to think about afterwards. It’s a short read but that’s part of what makes it such a delight. I easily did it all in two sitting within 24 hours.

If you are a Jocko fan, be aware that this is a departure but in a good way. Definitely worth giving a try. And if you don’t know Jocko, you won’t feel like you’re missing anything. It’s high quality lit no mater how you look at it.

A very fast read. The prose is laid out (on a kindle, anyway) in a manner suggesting lyrical poetry that fluctuates from the protagonist inner thoughts of despair and desperation to a narrative of mundane life in a small, dead end town. It was a little bleak overall for me.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. This book is all about the strength of family and consequences of doing what is needed to help when things go sideways. The characters are flawed and really interesting. The story is a classic heist with all the usual pitfalls. I recommend this book to any reader who enjoys a good adventure with unpredictable outcomes.

This is not my typical genre, but my husband enjoys Jocko's podcast, so I figured I'd check it out. Overall, it was very interesting and enjoyable!

A great thriller that will keep you engaged cover to cover. A fun and original thriller that had many twists and turns. It was different than I expected in a great way! You will not regret reading this story!

I enjoyed this book for its creativity and simplicity. It didn't have the depth of character development or plot development that I usually like, and was still fun to spend time with.

I enjoyed this book very much. Was short, well-written, and exciting as it neared the conclusion. Would definitely recommend. Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy.

3 stars
An interesting read in a very different writing style. Brief and different, this is not at all what I expected to read but a good read nonetheless. Final Spin will appeal to many.

This review will be posted on October 28, 2021 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

Fed up with his lot in life and desperate to help his beloved brother keep his job at a local laundromat, Johnny hatches a plan. This is not a conventional thriller, but crime drama with action feels more appropriate. The short length made it a quick read. As I was reading though, I couldn't help but feel it's tension and thrills fell flat. Where I will commend Willink is the unique voice and power of personality each character possessed - even those like the sheriff and other minor characters. #FinalSpin Rating: 😐 / meh, it was ok
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This book is scheduled for publication on November 9, 2021. Thank you @stmartinspress for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A short, quick read about brotherly love.

Johnny has a dead-end job as a stocker at a warehouse while his autistic brother
Arty works at a laundromat. When Johnny is informed that the laundromat is to be
be sold and Arty will be out of a job, he comes up with a plan to obtain funds
to purchase the laundromat, ensuring that Arty will not lose the job he loves.
Unfortunately, things don't go as planned.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.