While "The Last Word" was great, I think I enjoyed "Hairpin Bridge" such a smidgeon more. Still a fantastic read.

Taylor Adams: I am going to write the most horrifying thing that could happen to a reader - you write a scathing one star review of a book and then the author literally comes to kill you
Taylor Adams: lmao lemme make this author a damn incel

Dude... this could have been so normal. It is a really fascinating concept and pretty timely in a world where authors do sometimes interact with reviewers. But the author in the book is legit a katana-wielding, neck beard-having, fedora-wearing, vape-puffing, Mtn Dew-drinking, "nice guys finish last"-saying, basement-dwelling fucking incel loser??? Like....... and we also have the fatphobia of this guy being "heavyset", "piggy", having "jowls"... like bro literally describes him as 6'3" and 280 pounds... is that just me or is that just a thick man...

Idk the incelification of this character totally cringifies the whole story. Which sucks, because I really liked the action scenes and the twists to be had. It could have been very highly rated and recommended by me. I still think I'd recommend it, with the caveat that the bad guy has a very pointed characterization? But definitely not to the extent I would have otherwise.

Our MC is housesitting and it's pretty apparent she's hiding from something traumatic that happened to her. She's in a pretty remote beach house and the only company she has is the closest neighbor, Deek - and they don't even talk, they just communicate via dry-erase hangman in each other's windows. She's burning through kindle books, and she picks up a book about murder, and finishes it regretting the last few hours of her life. She is the first review, and it's not a good one, and it does not have good consequences.

I will say: THE DOG DOES NOT DIE. I almost put the book down when things seemed dire for the dog. If you find this to be a spoiler, I'm sorry, but more people are likely to actually read the book once I've said this.

Basically... this book could have been so much more serious and creepy if it wasn't for the incel. There is even a fedora-tipping "m'lady" joke.... like I feel like incels physically affected Taylor Adams in some way for him to dunk on them this hard. It's just so fucking weird and I truly cannot get past it lmao. I read this book in one day and thought the action scenes were great - there's even passages where the incel guy has a POV of the same action scenes and makes himself seem far cooler lol so like that's a funny aspect but like overall idk look at this book cover and tell me you expected butter-flavored vape, Mtn Dew, and seppuku to be genuinely discussed in the story.

And I still think it's weird when men with gender neutral names like this mf and Riley Sager etc only write from the female perspective!!!!!!!! I get like knowing your audience is mainly women whatever but you really write women going through hell every time... seek help

I was so excited to see a new thriller from Taylor Adams, as No Exit was one of my favorites of last year. I found it to be an original and unique thriller, which is rarer and rarer to find these days. Same goes here, The Last Word does not disappoint!

I am a huge Taylor Adam's fan. No Exit is still one of my favorite books. When I found out about The Last Word, I had to read it. Emma is hiding from herself in a remote town. She's begun reading books as an escape. She occasionally plays hangman with the neighbor using white boards. Then things get weird. This book packs Adam's normal gore and violent scenes, they are written beautifully. However, this one had me confused a few times. The characters spend a lot of time battling for survival and you're not sure who will. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I couldn't get into this one enough to finish it. I felt like it was very repetitive and wasn't going very far. The main character is house sitting but can tell she is being watched. The only communication she has is with an elderly neighbor through a telescope as they play games and write messages. He tries to warn her but she doesn't listen. The person trying to get her is writing a novel based on what is happening to her. Good idea, the writing just wasn't for me.

QUICK TAKE: Are authors okay?? This was truly bananas. If you liked NO EXIT or HAIRPIN BRIDGE (the author's previous books) then you will like this. It's a bit over-the-top and you definitely need to suspend some belief here (the sword stuff was a bit ridiculous), but I ultimately had a really good time with it.

This was a no from me, I was SO intrigued at first. I was even sharing what was going on with my husband. When I got to the Fed Ex driver being filleted by a katana... I was out. This was just too far for me and too graphically gory... the gore and graphic violence felt gratuitous instead of necessary to the story.

I am such a big fan of Taylor Adams so I was so excited to see he has a new book.
The Last Word is such a scary, fun read!
Emma and her dog Laika are house sitting in an isolated location on Strand Beach after she suffers a traumatic loss. After reading a horror book that her neighbor, via white board recommended, she leaves a one star review. The author personally takes offense at the review and demands that she take it down, which Emma refuses. Things only get worse from there as the author isn't taking no for an answer!
I couldn't put this book down, and I highly recommend it!
Thank you to the publisher and Negalley for allowing me to read this digital arc.

I was excited to read this latest from Taylor Adams, because 'No Exit' was one of my favorite books I read in 2020.

Emma left a one-star review on a book she just finished. No big deal, right? Wrong, the author did not appreciate the one-star review and managed to find her housesitting on a remote island. Chaos ensues.

It was a face paced thriller with a lot of twists and turns. I felt like at the end there were a few too many twists and turns, which is why I only gave it three starts. But Adams does a terrific job making the reader scared and the reader is able to be immersed in the book. It's not as good as 'No Exit' but a quick, suspenseful read for anyone looking for a good thriller.

I really enjoyed the fast-paced thrill ride of Taylor Adams previous novels; No Exit and Hairpin Bridge. I heard about The Last Word in a Book Buzz webinar and was excited to receive a copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

The Last Word is about Emma, who is house-sitting with her dog at the beach. She is surviving on little but her grief, ebooks, and communicating with her neighbor from afar using the white board. He recommends a mystery to her that she leaves a 1-star review. The author immediately responds with threats. Emma soon begins to feel someone watching her. The author couldn't find her that quickly could he?

Like Adams' other works, this quickly becomes an adrenaline rush of a thriller. I stayed up late to finish it to see who would survive and who wouldn't. It was a *little* predictable in my opinion, however, I still enjoyed it.

Recommend to anyone who likes fast-paced thrillers with lots of twists in the plot.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly made me scared to leave a negative review on any author’s book ever! An author takes negative feedback a little too seriously and begins to stalk a woman (who is recovering from her own trauma) staying in a secluded beach house. Read this in one sitting - very quick and intense read! Was not expecting to cry while reading a thriller but the end was surprisingly heartbreaking. No Exit is still my fave, but really enjoyed this one.

This is a horror book within a book, kind of, a unique way of telling the story from two perspectives. The Last Word is what I expect from a horror story, it’s gruesome and creepy, keeping me up at night and closing all the window shades. The characters are well thought out, the plot is interesting and a solid ending leaving me relieved that I will be leaving a higher than one-star rating. 😊

ARC was provided by NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review. Expected Pub Date: April 25, 2023

Emma is house-sitting at the coast in Washington State after suffering a tragic loss. She gets her groceries delivered and has no contact with anyone except via text to the house's owner, plus whiteboard to her neighbor Deek who lives a quarter mile away.
After leaving a one-star review, the author leaves her a nasty message and things escalate between them. Is he the one poking around her house? How does he know so many things about her?
The Last Word is truly a creepy, atmospheric novel with an original concept. It was suspenseful and a quick read.
Highly recommend!

The Last Word is a creepy novel. The setting, the characters and the language are enjoyable and horrifying.

Emma is house-sitting in a remote house in Washington State. Her only companion is her dog. The only neighbor, Deek is far away. Her only other contact is via text messages with the owner of the house, Jules.

Emma reads a book and gives it one star only. The author begins an argument with her about it. He grows increasingly nasty and bad things start happening subsequently to Emma.

She delves into the author's book and finds a long string of horrific murders in his (poorly written) books.

I really enjoyed this book. Of course I would be frightened to give this one star (couldn't resist lol)

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but this was absolutely one of the best thrillers I’ve read all year. It had a creepy atmosphere and the plot with stellar.