Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. I had a difficult time with this book. After reading the initial few chapters which were pretty interesting, I lost interest as it devolved into some seedy behavior by really unlikeable characters. Kind of a yawn in parts as people were cheating and going on and on. Meh

A strange and somewhat convoluted novel of three lonely, disenchanted individuals whose lives intersect and overlap in unexpected ways; I wasn't the right reader for this because I couldn't find any empathy for any of the POV characters and for quite a bit of the book was confused by how their stories tied together and why I should care. I would say the description of this book doesn't clearly convey the genre, which I'd probably classify as horror. Certainly there were events in the latter half of the book which clearly were over-the-top and horrific. A twisted tale of love and revenge that I never quite got into.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It had a certain Stephen King quality and was creepy and tense for the duration of the story.
If I could change anything, it would be the title. The title brings to mind a million other domestic thrillers where the woman may have forgotten an important piece of the puzzle of the story.... Let me tell you, this is NOTHING like that!

This is a tale of the past and the present and power grabs like you have never seen!
Skyla and Hollis were married (and took on ownership of the family drive in theater). After Hollis died in a freak accident, Skyla has considered renting her guest cottage out. Her eyesight is failing and the description alone of the potential renters hooked me into this spectacular book!

After deciding on Teddy, we are introduced to his story, and that of Jeremy's. Via their point of views we learn about both of their lost loves Linelle and Maryanne.

John Searles masterfully pulls all of these stories together. You simply will not know what hit you! The only book I might compare this to is the twist of The Last House on Needless Street - such a crazy twist you simply are breathless! If you like a bit of horror with your thrillers, if you like a crazy twist you never saw coming, grab "Her Last Affair,' you will not be sorry! #NetGalley #HerLastAffair #CustomHousePublishing

Enjoyed this book a lot and found it intriguing and atmospheric. Good characterisation and would make a good movie. Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for opportunity to read this bòok.

I found this book hard to get into. I guess my lack of involvement made it ha d to reach the ending which brought it all together.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC, in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Custom House for the chance to read and review Her Last Affair from John Searles. This is a fascinating take, to me, on a group of lonely, disenchanted individuals whose lives intersect and overlap in unexpected ways; a definite slow burn character study that asks us what we really know about who we live with, people in our past, and even what we really know about ourselves. What struck me most is how most of the characters were ultimately victims not just of past hurts and losses but also victims of their emotions, stuck in past memories and relationships and unable to move forward and yet as they move forward, they put themselves all in each other's paths, leading to an unavoidable and slightly chaotic resolution.

The author does a good job of developing a moody, atmospheric tension throughout the story, gives depth to each character (Skyla, Teddy , Jeremy, Maryanne, and Linelle), and makes strong use of a drive in movie context, and movies. For me the pacing and at times limited dialogue, and the shifting of characters across chapters, limited some of my enjoyment but this is also part of intentional moodiness and a sense of unease on the part of the writer; my lack of patience for some of the storytelling could be seen as a mark of a true slow burn mood piece being presented effectively. I also found that though the characters were sympathetic that I found it hard to like and connect with the characters; others will surely disagree.

I do think that the unique storytelling and interesting examination of a not all too likable set of characters is worthy of some great book club discussions. I think examining how and why the characters come together would be a fun chat for mystery and noir fan in particular.

Her Last Affair
A Novel
by John Searles
every marriage has its secrets….

Skyla lives alone in the shadow of the defunct drive-in movie theater that she and her husband ran for nearly fifty years. Ever since Hollis’s death in a freak accident the year before, Skyla spends her nights ruminating about the regrets and deceptions in her long marriage. That is until she rents a cottage on the property to a charming British man, Teddy Cornwell….

A thousand miles away, Linelle is about to turn fifty. Bored by her spouse and fired from her job when a questionable photo from her youth surfaces on social media, her only source of joy is an online affair with her very first love, a man she’s not seen in nearly thirty years, Teddy Cornwell…

While in New York City, Jeremy, a failed and bitter writer accepts an assignment to review a new restaurant in Providence. Years ago, Providence was the site of his first great love and first great heartbreak—and maybe, just maybe, he’ll look her up when he’s back in town…

Part page-turning thriller, part homage to film noir, and dazzling in its insight into the often desperate desires of the human heart, Her Last Affair is a tense and atmospheric novel of love lost and found again.



First I thank NetGalley for the advance copy to review for my honest opinion. Now, to my HONEST opinion, I just thought it was longer than needed, except because there were so many characters. It became confusing as to did I need a post-it to keep up with the persons and such. I thought the title and cover caught my eye, Sorry, this one was not one I really enjoyed.

This book was interesting, creepy and very suspenseful at times. I throughly enjoyed this book. The writing style for me wasn't my cup of tea, so it affected the overall enjoyment of this book for me. Everything else was really great and I'll still recommend this book to all my friends.

Wohooooo! I mean y'all knew just by this title that it was going to be a fantastic thriller!? I definitely did and am so glad it lived up to my expectations! Absolutely fantastic writing and the storyline was amazing.

Her Last Affair
Author : @johnsearles
Pub date : March 22, 2022
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”

🥃🥃🥃🥃

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC! A gripping multiple perspective novel packed with darkness but sprinkled with humor. What I loved most about this were the lives developed for the characters. It’s not everyday you hear of someone’s job duties being restoring mannequins, am I right? There are definitely turns you would never expect and times where I had to go back & read again a second time to make sure I understood correctly. Overall I really enjoyed all the perspectives & attention to detail. Lastly, I am very thankful that this copy included acknowledgments from the author. So far, every authors “pandemic” book I have read has been incredible. Hats off to you John for going through some unimaginable things in your life and pulling this off. Also, thank you so much for being incredibly attentive while I was reading.

#fiction #literaryfiction #thriller #mystery

This book was seriously convoluted and definitely unexpected. I actually really enjoyed shifting between the different perspectives, especially when we would stay with one person for a couple chapters. Completely off the wall ending!

At first I was a bit confused about where this book was going. No worries. John Searles is an expert with quirky, complex characters and taking us on a suspense filled ride that brings a deep sigh at the end. Have loved John Searles work since reading Boy Still Missing.

5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I would definitely be recommending this book to readers on my Instagram bookstagram account.

I've read and completely loved all three of Searles' previous novels. I've been keeping an eye out for more for him for what feels like ages, since I first discovered his debut novel so many years ago. I was absolutely ecstatic for an early peek at this one - his latest and fourth novel. Told across three perspectives, in some ways, I would classify this as a rather creepy and convoluted love story.

After recently celebrating 50 years of marriage, and now a widow, Skyla Hull decides to put an ad out to have a tenant on her property - a now defunct drive-in theater that also includes two identical houses. With severely failing eyesight and her own troubles about her marriage, she finds herself soon opening up to her new tenant. Meanwhile, Linelle approaches her own 50th birthday when a message from her past reveals her own dissatisfactions with her own marriage and life. Jeremy returns to his own hometown and confronts his first heartbreak.

The focus on the past and returning to it later echoes throughout this atmospheric novel. It's a surprisingly tense read at times - and yet, I found it to be the sort of fully absorbing book that manages to suck the reader completely inside it to the degree that everything else sort of disappears. The creepy imagery made this a good read for this ime of the year - but it would be just as engrossing no matter what the outside weather is like! It has an almost timeless feel to it in some ways.

I really love Searles' writing and honestly can't wait to read his fifth book! I really enjoyed this dark and rather nostalgic read. I think that this would lead to some interesting discussions amongst book clubs and discussion groups! He's a talented writer!

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

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Her Last Affair.

I've read a book from the author before so I was excited when my request was approved.

Composed of three seemingly unrelated stories, Her Last Affair is about Skyla, a widow and former registered nurse; a writer named Jeremy, and a mom and former art teacher named Linelle.

From their perspectives, we are given an inside look of their current circumstances, their past, and how their paths will eventually collide.

The writing was good, though the dialogue was stilted especially between Skyla and Teddy. Does the author assume Teddy speaks a certain way because he's British?

As I was reading, I couldn't help thinking, "Why should I care about these people?"

And I didn't. I didn't sympathize or empathize with them, and I felt the reason behind what Jeremy did to his crush was pretty lame, though not unexpected.

I wouldn't say this had a lot of twists; I guessed what happened to Skyla's husband, the reason behind their two cottages, and what Jeremy would end up doing.

I did like the ending, how all the events propel Linelle to make contact with her first love.

To be truthful, I would never have finished this book, except that I felt an obligation to NetGalley, since they were generous enough to let me read it. Besides the fact that it was often confusing, the language was, pretty much, more than I could tolerate!

This book was a great surprise..I loved the twists and turns that kept me turning page after page. The narrative from different characters each character made each one interesting and added much interest to the story. In the end, I was clueless as to what was coming and was captivated throughout. Excellent book! It gave the term THRILLER true meaning.

I Did not know where this book was going Until the author brought it all together brilliantly!! I loved the originality of the story as well.

This was a rather odd story, but also rather compelling. The book alternates between the seemingly unrelated POVs of Skyla, Linelle, and Jeremy, eventually tying all the storylines together.

The book starts off rather slowly, and I wasn’t initially invested in Skyla’s story. Jeremy’s story seemed most interesting but I couldn’t figure out what it had to do with the others. About halfway through the book, the pace picked up and I finished the rest of it quickly.

There were some confusing pieces but I thought the author did a good job at tying everything together as the book ended. The ending contained a great twist that made me like the whole book better than I had until that point.

All in all, I don’t know that this was a hugely memorable story for me but the surprise ending made it likable. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.