"𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘪𝘵, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧."

I haven't read 𝗜𝗻 𝗠𝘆 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗜 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗞𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗲 yet but it's on my TBR and after hearing so many raves about it, I was excited for Ashley Winstead's follow up 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗪𝗜𝗙𝗘. Unfortunately, it was a miss for me.

This very dark thriller (which includes rape and physical, psychological and sexual abuse among other things - definitely read the trigger warnings at the beginning) revolves around Shay who learns via a podcast run by her childhood friend Jamie (whom she hasn't seen in years) that her college roommate has died of an apparent suicide. Jamie suggests there may be more to the story so he and Shay join forces to uncover the truth which involves a sex cult tied to Shay's past.

The darkness of the book wasn't my issue. I found the storytelling device of the podcast interviews that provide an alternate POV very unrealistic and distracting, and while I'm good at suspending disbelief, some of the plot points and twists were too much (especially the behavior of the police and many of the positions Shay puts herself in). I also didn't care about the characters (and considering what some of them go through, I should have!) but they're so one-dimensional that I couldn't connect with them.

I'm seeing a lot of five star reviews for this one so it may be for you but if you find yourself wondering what all the hype is about, know I didn't get it either.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the copy to review.

Review written for and posted by the Southern Review of Books on August 17, 2002 at the link below. I reviewed an electronic advanced reader’s copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

“The Last Housewife”: A Noir Masterpiece

It doesn’t take long to get hooked by Ashley Winstead’s The Last Housewife. The reader first comes to a quote about women deserving to hold onto their anger. Next comes a content warning, cautioning that scenes of physical and sexual violence, drug use, trauma, and self-harm, among other things, follow. However, Winstead doesn’t need this foreboding prelude to draw you into the story. It only takes two chapters to convince you that she’s a high-caliber noir author.

The novel follows Shay, a married magazine columnist who quits her job to focus on her novel. She listens to a true-crime podcast hosted by Jamie, an old high school friend, and this is how she learns that one of her college roommates, Laurel, died. The host theorizes that the suicide may have been staged to conceal a murder, and Shay immediately flies from her safe Dallas home to New York to solve the mystery.

Shay reunites with Jamie and together they pursue their suspicions. As Shay gets closer to finding the truth, we learn about Shay’s dark past. While they were in college, Shay, Laurel, and their two other roommates were manipulated by a man named Don, who created a cult of physical, emotional, and mental domination. Don demanded they behave according to traditional gender roles, and when they disobeyed, his punishment escalated from depriving them of his attention to more physical methods. Shay and Laurel managed to escape, but one of the others died under circumstances similar to Laurel’s. Shay recalls the effects of Don’s power over her and realizes that out of a desire to please him, she willingly participated in the events leading to these deaths. In her search for Laurel’s killer, Shay discovers something larger and more sinister.

At times, the reader wonders about her motivation: is she trying to right an old wrong, or does she hunger to submit to the cult leader again? Even though it was eight years ago, Shay hasn’t shaken Don’s hold on her. As she descends back into those depths, she encounters a different man with eerily familiar habits:

He clutched my necklace tighter, knotting it tight against my throat, and I gasped at the way the pearls bit. “I can tell you’re a proud one,” he whispered …. I jerked, but he held tight.

I dropped my head back, letting it hit the wall, struggling to push away the memory… but it was no use. This was what I’d feared the most…. The addiction, waking.

The balance of power between men and women is an important theme in this story. When she was under Don’s control, Shay learned the extremes of what this meant. Don enforced submission by withholding food, affection, and freedom until his demands were met. Although much more subtle, Shay’s husband, Cal, also exerts a form of dominance. When she quit her job, Cal insisted that his money was “their” money, but he checks her credit card purchases while he’s away on business, and texts her his commentary on her choices. Although Cal refuses to acknowledge it, she senses he is using their finances to keep her under control. Now, back among brutal misogynists, Shay resolves never to let anyone else control her again.

Shay’s first-person account is the focus of the text, but Winstead also artfully delegates the storytelling to the supporting cast in the form of flashbacks and transcripts from Jamie’s interviews. These interludes help illustrate the environment, from the perils the women face to the differing perspectives each has on submission. One of the more memorable personalities is Nicole, a streetwise and willing submissive in the society. When Shay implores her to leave, Nicole refuses, saying, “Look at me, in this Gucci dress. These bruises? They’re Gucci bruises. It’s the VIP option, trust me. All the other options are this, but worse.” These characters help the reader explore and understand the complexities of this misogynistic world.

As mentioned before, the author provides a content warning, and Shay’s journeys, both past and present, are littered with these images. While these subjects may be triggering to some, the characters reveal their pain and fear without overly graphic descriptions. The overall effect is an enhanced tension that illustrates Shay’s predicament and increases the credibility and pace of the story.

The Last Housewife has the hallmarks of a great crime story: a flawed hero seeking redemption plunges into a perilous world, doggedly pursuing lead after lead down a path from which she knows she might not return. The tension heightens every time Shay turns a corner, and the pace is breakneck throughout most of the novel. Winstead masterfully weaved Shay’s arc into the story to create a memorable and satisfying piece of noir fiction.

WOW!

I honestly do not know how to review The Last Housewife and do it the justice that it deserves. It went straight onto my favourites of 2022 list in February, and it is not out until August! I could not wait any longer to read it, and there was squealing involved when I got approved for an early copy on Edelweiss by Sourcebooks Landmark - thank you, thank you thank you!! I still can't believe I was approved.

So, in 2021, In My Dreams I Hold A Knife was everywhere, and I mean everywhere but Australia! I finally did get my hands on a copy of it and I flew through it, absolutely devouring it. It was amazing. The Last Housewife is brilliant too, and a very different kettle of fish. It is a heavy read, which did leave me emotionally drained. The research that must have gone into writing this book just boggles the mind. It is such a dark subject and yet I could not stop turning the pages.

Add to all that a podcast! I love books that incorporate podcasts, and I think this will make a great audiobook. It is all told from Shay's point of view and it worked so well. She wants to be a writer but has found herself married to a rich man and being a housewife. We learn so much about her and her friends from college, years that changed them all forever.

Ashley Winstead has another hit book on her hands and you all need to read it come August. I will be telling anybody who will listen to me how good this book is for a long time.

I really enjoyed In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Last Housewife. This book was an addicting read, but I couldn’t fully get into it. The storyline was definitely unique. I really enjoyed the cult aspect and the true crime podcast, but I figured out one of the big twists pretty early on, so that definitely took away from the shock-factor for me. Either way, if you are into reading about cults this would be a solid thriller for you. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next!

REVIEW

The Last Housewife ~ Ashley Winstead

READ IF:
* You are intrigued by cults.
* Your college crew has your heart.
* You’ve had a crush on an older man.

SUMMARY: While listening to her favorite true crime podcast, Shay Evans finds out that her college roommate, Laurel has committed suicide. She is immediately flooded with memories from their time together - some of which she would prefer to forget. Shay, Laurel, and other roommate, Clem were coerced and groomed into a dark and sexually-charged underground world and Evans can’t help but think that something more sinister might be at play in Laurel’s death.

REVIEW: SWEET JESUS! This book exceeded every expectation and I already knew before reading it that it was going to be amazing because well, Ashley Winstead, folks! Beyond impressed with her debut, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and loved her attempt at romance with Fool Me Once so this was an auto-get for me and one of my most anticipated of the year. Loved it, did not disappoint, still reeling over it.

Everything about this is what a thriller should be - captivating, propulsive, a little twisty, shockingly dark, and full of surprises. But Winstead took it one step further by challenging themes of misogyny, sex-trafficking, cults, feminism, and coercion. She does the reader justice by giving them something smart and thought-provoking to mull over - never mind the fact that you are beyond entertained in the process. Win win if you ask me - this is a no questions asked read!

Holy moly. What did I just read. I am utterly flabbergasted. I don’t even want to say too much because I went in completely blind, and I honestly think that’s best! Read it!

5 FREAKIN STARS!!!! ASHLEY WINSTEAD CAN DO NO WRONG with a book!!! i'm not even sure how to talk about the book without giving anything away. But read the blurb and then go into it blind. You won't be disappointed. This isn't my first book by Ashley and it certainly isn't my last. It's nothing like Fool Me Once which i also gave 5 stars too. But this was just as good and deserves all the stars.

That last chapter was *chefs kiss*.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐯𝐞
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was one hell of a ride… phew! And I loved every single culty, dark, and twisty thing about it. Ashley Winstead is a master of weaving such creative & incredible stories and this some of the best of her work for sure.

First off, this book isn’t going to be for everyone due to the very dark content matter. If you know me I read dark romance like it’s my job but this was hands down the darkest book I’ve ever read. It’s about control, coercion and abuse that men hold in its deepest darkest roots. But it’s also about badass women and revenge and finding yourself.

I can see that this could be a very plagiarizing book but that being said I truly think this is a book everyone needs to read in their life so if the TW don’t bother you, go pick this up immediately!

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
— dark psychological thrillers
— strong female MCs
— NXIM cult vibes
— true crime podcasts

TW: Rape, cult, physical & sexual abuse, torture, heavy manipulation, misogyny, and self-harm

While in college, Shay and her best friends Laurel and Clem crossed paths with a man that would change their lives together. Captivating them with his almost hypnotic view of the world and commanding presence, he convinced them to believe in his lies. By their senior year, Shay and Laurel were able to escape his grasp parting ways never looking back. 8 years later Shay, married and living in a grand suburban home in Texas gets wind of Laurel’s death via a crime podcast hosted by someone from her past. Suddenly her past come back to haunt her and once again she is pulled back to the one place she vowed never to return to get to the bottom of Laurel’s death, once and for all. With the help of her childhood friend, she embarks on a journey to get answers leading her down a dangerous path towards something bigger than she could ever imagine.

•

Firstly, I cannot stress enough please be VERY wary of the triggers listed above this book depicts some very dark and disturbing moments so I do highly recommend you read with caution. Secondly, after finishing this book, I had to pick my jaw up from the floor and take a moment to gather my thoughts on this intense psychological thriller. I could NOT put this book down, it had my heart pounding and my palms sweating, every situation Shay found herself in I found myself holding my breath to see what would happen next. This book gave me GOOSEBUMPS and chilled me to the core, the horror that the women go through in this book is terrifying. The behavior of men towards women made me so angry that I needed to take small breaks throughout reading.

The writing was amazing and vivid and gave such an in-depth look into Shay’s trauma and guilt. I loved how the story switched between present and then excerpts of Shay’s book and her interview with Jaime, it flowed effortlessly and held the tension throughout. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, Ashley Winstead did not disappoint. This book was a wild ride from beginning to end and I was hooked. I loved the influence of the true crime podcast storyline which I thought was done in a refreshing way. I loved Shay's relationship with Jamie. I totally did not see the twists coming and was frequently surprised. This was an excellent thriller.

Book Review:

The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

Wow! This book is crazy and intense in the best possible ways.
Mysterious suicides/murders ✔️ Submissive women sex cult ✔️ Undercover surveillance ✔️
Childhood friend turned lovers ✔️

I could not put this book down. Shay's journey for answers and the transcriptions of her past with Jamie are fascinating.

Make sure you add this one to the top of your TBR. It releases tomorrow 8/16.

Thanks to @netgalley and @bookmarked for this advanced reader!!

#BookReview #Bookstagram #AshleyWinstead #TheLastHousewife #SourcebooksLandmark #BookishLife #Reading #BookRecommendations #InstaBooks #BookPhotography #Bibliophile #BookNerd #Thriller #ThrillerBooks

Was I up till 5am reading this? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

This book was dark, intense and way heavier than I'd been expecting, but also compulsively bingeable. Ashley Winstead's signature masterful storytelling never ceases to amaze me! The execution was so clever and I love how everything unfolded, with the podcast chapters being especially compelling.

Not only does the author take us into the world of cults and its oppressive pull, she also does a fantastic deep dive into our fixation with beauty, gender inequality and power imbalance, and so much more. Yet it never felt overwhelming and she also delivers plenty of surprises along the way.

I was often quite frustrated with the protagonist for making what felt like one bad decision after another, but her motivations were believable soooo...?? And just like with In My Dreams I Hold A Knife, this might be a thriller but you will end up being very invested in what little hint of romance there is. I know I was!

Despite how uncomfortable The Last Housewife was to read at times, I was also deeply... enthralled. The ending and epilogue were nothing short of wow! 🔥 They certainly made up for whatever minor quibbles I had. What a sharp, hypnotic and well-crafted novel from the phenomenal storyteller that is Ashley Winstead!

Dnf at 50%

Liked:
Podcast element
Friend looking for justice for her friend
Great writing (besides some grammar issues) and character building

The shock factor which I think is part of the lure here missed for me because this book was uncomfortable to read. I can get down w dark and twisty but I don’t need to be reading about rape on what felt like every page.

As a podcast host myself, I can’t tell you how much I loved a novel with a podcast tie-in! Shay Evans is listening to a podcast where she learns that her closest friend in college has passed away. The podcast is hosted by her childhood best friend and she can’t help but think this is call for her to be an active participant in Laurel’s death, which has been deemed a suicide, but Shay thinks otherwise. She leaves her home in Dallas and head to New York to revisit her dark past, and her friends connection to a dark cult that may have taken more than one friend’s life. This is a troubling and dark book about power and friendship. As riveting as it is unsettling. Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

This was one of those books I couldn't put down. The issues this book addresses are sensitive but I couldn't help but appreciate the sharpness of the author. I believe this would an amazing book for a book discussion. A LOT to unfold and to talk about!!

Dark and deeply disturbing, this cult thriller follows Shay, a subservient Texas housewife, as she teams up with a former friend and true crime podcaster to try and expose the sexually abusive and lethal cult she believes was responsible for killing her college roommate.

This book does a great job shining a light on the darkest corners of society and the entrenched misogynism that often gets excused. Smart and unflinching, this is not an easy read but still an important one.

It wasn't my favorite Ashley Winstead book but I'm sure many will love it. Perfect for fans of other cult thrillers like I'll be you or Please join us. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved In My Dreams I Hold A Knife so I requested this one without knowing anything about it. I went in totally blind and suggest that you DON'T do the same if you have any type of triggers please check them before you dive in as this one is dark!

That being said I was absolutely enthralled with this story despite the cringeworthy moments and sadness I felt at times. The main character is well written and FLAWED which I love in a story. The cult like theme was also very much to my liking, I am always intrigued by how they start and work so this really kept me glued.

I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

I had been a huge fan of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and I was so excited to see Ashley return to the world of thrillers. However, this book was a huge miss for me. It's important to note that yes, she did write trigger warnings at the beginning of the book but I need to stress just how heavy these issues truly are. There are a few scenes in the middle of the book that are just beyond what I need to read and left me feeling gross inside. I think that she could've expressed just how dark/dangerous the Paters were without these scenes. I pushed through though and the ending was pretty good so I'm left truly not understanding the point of these scenes. Just a miss for me, and I can't say I'll be recommending it to anyone who isn't expressly looking for dark.

BOOK REVIEW: THE LAST HOUSEWIFE

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Wow! Talk about a binge read! After listening to In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, I knew I had to read the rest of @ashleywinstead books! Her writing will have you fully engrossed in the story and even when you’re not reading the book, you’re thinking about when you can pick it up next (er, maybe that was just me😅🤪)

I will say this one is DARK and twisted- content warnings are provided in the beginning which was amazing. This book def won’t be for everyone, but if you’re in the headspace to read it, I highly recommend!

I went in not reading the synopsis and thought it would be a domestic suspense and ha ha I couldn’t have been more wrong! I really felt like I fell down the rabbit hole the more I read and I was so engrossed in Shay’s world as we got glimpses of her past through what she shared with her friend Jamie for his podcast.

I loved the true crime podcast element, how action packed this one was, and the cult element! But most of all I loved how even when I had some parts of the story figured out, the ending still hit with a BANG!💥

Shay Evans is a former beauty queen who is now married and living in an upscale Texas suburb. She has kept her experiences at Whitney College, in New York’s Hudson Valley, buried deep in her past. Before graduation, her close friend Clem committed suicide. And now, Shay learns that her best friend Laurel Hargrove, who she hadn’t spoken to in years, has also just committed suicide. Jamie Knight, a popular, true crime podcaster who is an old friend of Shay's, doesn’t believe Laurel took her own life. Shay wants to know what happened and heads to her old college to learn more. She teams up with Jamie and together they seek answers. Shay decides to tell Jamie what happened to her and her two friends while they were students. Jamie is shocked but understands that this may unlock the truth behind the fates of the two women and possibly others who have gone missing.


The Last Housewife is not for everyone. It is a dark, dark, dark psychological thriller that delves into a cult-like world that shows how utterly horrible people can be. Trigger warnings are listed before the start of the book which include physical and sexual violence and trauma. You may wonder, with all these warnings, why read this book? Well, if it was written by a different author, I'd probably have run in the opposite direction, but author Ashley Winstead has proven with her last thriller In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, that she is a talent worthy of traveling down even the darkest road. The characters are well developed, the story is engaging, and the book is very well written. It's tense, highly suspenseful and disturbing. Yet I couldn't turn away. Check it out and if you have any misgivings, trust your judgement.

Rated 4.25 stars.