This was my first Riley Sager novel, and it will not be my last. I loved this book!

Kit is a 30-something woman whose life has gone sadly awry. She has no choice but to take a job caretaking for an old woman accused of murdering her entire family in a crumbling old mansion on a cliff. Once there she encounters a suspicious cast of characters, alongside said old woman, where she learns all is not as it appears. The twists and turns of this story kept me guessing, and while I did correctly guess parts of the ending, some of it was a total surprise. An incredible ride!

Atmospheric, twisty, and downright creepy, Riley Sager delivers with this one! This has been one of my most anticipated reads of the summer and it is deserving of ALL the hype! The vibe is spooky from the very beginning and the suspense builds the entire time but the twists! Those are what had my jaw on the floor, especially in the last 100 pages! Unreliable narrators, misinformation, and a few unlikeable characters really enhance the reading experience. If this one isn’t yet on your radar, it should be!

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

"At Hope's End, the past is always present."
3.5 stars rounded up.

This mystery thriller had more twists and turns than a wild rollercoaster! Just when you think you have finally gotten the real story and have figured it all out, there's a new disclosure taking you by surprise. The narrative definitely kept me glued to the pages as I tried to make guesses about the truth. I'd say I didn't quite predict it all.

With a menacing Gothic atmosphere, the house named Hope's End is practically a character itself. Once a magnificent cliffside mansion, it's now barely hanging on to the edge, teetering and threatening to tumble into the ocean below. It's where the murders occurred.

In 1929, when the Hope family lived there, their wealthy peace was shattered when then 17-year-old Lenora Hope was thought responsible for the killing of her parents and younger sister, Virginia. Circumstances prevented an arrest or conviction, and Lenora never left the house again. No one knew what happened there that night.

Then, in 1985, Kit McDeere, a caregiver, is hired to give nursing care to Lenora, in her seventies, who is confined to her room and bed after a series of strokes has resulted in her needing assistance with activities of daily living. She cannot speak but she is able to "talk" with a typewriter. And... the tales she tells leave Kit reeling. But Kit is not sure she can trust what she's reading.

No spoilers. Suffice to say that this was a fun, fast read. I grew to like Kit more as I got to know her better. The others in the story were also interesting as the layers of the past fall away in the revelations.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

The Only One Left was a fun story. The twists and turns that came at you rapid fire made this an easy book to binge. The house was another character and created such a spooky atmosphere. I’m sad I read this so fast because now I have to wait another year for a Sager book.

Sager is always so good at building suspense slowly and then all at once. There are twists and turns the whole way through, and the setting creates a thrilling atmosphere from the beginning. Not to mention the LORE surrounding the story to begin with (the poem? So Lizzy Borden!). I will recommend.

Having never read a Riley Sager book before, I wasn't actually sure what to expect. I am a huge fan of suspense/thrillers, but every author has a different way of telling the narrative.

This book strongly reminded me of "The Death of Mrs. Westaway" by Ruth Ware. There is family trauma, questionable identities, and a whole lot of unreliable characters. Sager's book, however, held my interest like no other book I've read this year.

I was absolutely hooked from the moment I read the creepy schoolyard chant inspired by one of the book's main characters: "At seventeen, Lenora Hope / Hung her sister with a rope / Stabbed her father with a knife / Took her mother's happy life / 'It wasn't me,' Lenora said / But she's the only one not dead."

How could you not be intrigued?! Every aspect of this book was executed to near-perfection, from the gothic house with mysterious hauntings to the plot twists I could genuinely not see coming.

I will be recommending this book to everyone, especially fans of Ruth Ware.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sager's best yet! I love any book where the setting is a character, and Hope's End definitely fits that criteria. I can't wait to recommend this title!

RILEY SAGER DOES IT AGAIN.

FINALLY, a mystery/thriller that doesn't use substance abuse as a means of making a narrator unreliable. This book had me audibly gasping and saying "What the ____?!" more times than I can count.

The Only One Left is absolutely one of the best books of 2023, and I'll tell everyone to read it.

Riley Sager’s books are always hit or miss for me. This one landed somewhere in the middle: I didn’t love it as much as past favorites but I liked it more than last year’s release. I went into it with not high expectations, just wanting an easy, milkshake-y book to kick off some summer vacation reading, and it delivered that for me.

I liked the first 50% a lot; I found myself very invested in the old crime that took plane in this house and the family involved, and really driven to get to the bottom of what happened. I was less into the protagonist herself and didn’t quite understand her own motivations and sometimes outright demanding of information from these people—all very old people—she suddenly found herself working for. I loved one big twist but then by the end thought the several other additional twists were unnecessary and too coincidental to not roll my eyes at. Most of the characters themselves and their motivations were a bit flat.

Overall I’m glad I still gave this one a try and I’ll continue the annual book roulette journey he provides. I think it’s worth giving a shot if you like: his book Home Before Dark; The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James; the TV version of The Haunting of Hill House; Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier; The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware.

This gothic thriller follows a caregiver who is forced to work for an old woman who is suspected of murdering her entire family when she was younger. As the MC uncovers the truth about the woman's past, they are met with many obstacles along the way. It's the kind of story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning the pages to see what happens next. I especially enjoyed how the chapters were a mix of both present and past, which added an extra layer of complexity to the narrative. However, I was able to predict the plot twist before the end of the book. While this was a bit disappointing, I still found that the book was an enjoyable read..

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Only One Left is by far my favorite book that Riley Sager has released to date! I absolutely loved it! The twists just kept coming and I had so many theories and I love that I was wrong about several of those theories. That is how I know this was a great book; I love books where I can't guess the end and the twist.

This book had everything I enjoy in my thrillers; a spooky, gothic mansion set on a rocky cliff, a decade old murder mystery, a town legend, and psychological elements that keep you guessing. Honestly every time I thought I knew what was happening, Sager proved me wrong!

If you are a thriller reader, you NEED this book. You won't be disappointed!

At the heart of this story is Lenora Hope, a woman never held accountable by law but believed to have killed her family. Now an old woman, confined to a wheelchair and in declining health she requires the assistance of a home care aid. Kit McDeere is a caregiver who takes on the job to care for Lenora even though she is somewhat reluctant and cautious to take care of a murderer. As their bond develops and Kit allows Lenora to communicate her story via typewriter, the creepy tale begins to unfold.

If you enjoy a novel filled with intrigue, clever twists and a touch of horror then this is a good addition to your reading list. Riles Sager did a masterful job of blending some rather unsavoury characters, a creepy mansion and a constant eerie atmosphere into a twisty thriller that kept me turning the pages.

As always, Riley Sager knows exactly how to take readers for a riiiide.

Bingeable & twisted, The Only One Left gave me all the dark and spooky vibes I want in a thriller.

While I enjoyed it to very end, there is a major plot point that feels very reminiscent of a very popular thriller and it irked me at first, but as the story continued I was able to ignore that similarity and enjoy the ride.

I love Riley Sagers books and this one was no different! That’s it, that’s the review🔥

Thank you so much Netgalley and Dutton Books for my ARC!

Kit McDeere grew up hearing the schoolyard chant about Lenora Hope and the murders at the cliff side mansion, Hope’s End. Lenora was accused of killing her entire family that night, but due to lack of evidence was never charged and has never spoken publicly about the accusations.
Decades after the infamous murders at the Hope’s End. Kit finds herself accepting a job there as caregiver to Lenora Hope after the previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In the years since, Lenora has become paralyzed except for her left hand and is unable to speak. However, Kit and Lenora soon find a way to communicate using a typewriter. As Lenora reveals what happened the night of the murders, Kit realizes that there is more to the story than anyone could have guessed. When the truth about the previous nurse’s departure is discovered, Kit fears that Lenora may be more dangerous than she appears.

This book is everything I want in a thriller- engaging plot line, questionable narrators, and twists that made me gasp. I was suspicious of every character in this story and still didn’t see the twists coming. I loved the multiple perspectives and timelines and how they played off each other and kept me guessing. I thought the pacing was spot on. The setting is almost its own character- the deterioration of the house ramps up the tension as the plot comes to a head.

In my opinion, this book is among Riley Sager’s best, in the vein of Home Before Dark. Whether you’re a thriller newbie or a seasoned fan of the genre, I think you’ll find this one to be quite satisfying!

Thank you to Dutton publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a truthful review!

Oh, boy! Heck, this book had me on the hook the whole time!
I've read a couple of Sager's other books, but this one has become my favorite of his immediately.
It's got a bit of Jane Eyre, a bit of the Fall of the House of Usher, a bit Agatha Christie. Fantastic.
The whole way through, I was trying to sort out who to believe, who to mistrust, who was lying to our main character Kit (who I wasn't sure if they were a man or woman until they were introduced to the housekeeper and they referred to Kit as 'Miss').
Every person has their own drive and reasons in this house, and Kit shouldn't take any of it on face value... but she does. Mostly. Occasionally this was infuriating, especially given her history, but she's a bit of an naïve gal.
I had a very hard time putting this book down at points. Once stories started to unfold, it really got rolling... all the way to the bottom of the cliff. Definitely looking forward to recommending this one to so many folks who are looking to dip a toe into gothic possibly-haunted house horror without a bloody mess.

thank you so much to netgalley for a e arc of The only one left by Riley sager I love all of Riley sager other books and this one one is no different the creepy vibes were top tear I'm going to definitely get a physical copy to add to my library!

Riley Sager does it again. This time, we meet Lenora Hope an elderly stroke victim who is the only survivor of her family, a family whom she is suspected of killing. She’s infamous, there’s even a Lizzie Borden-type children’s rhyme about her. Enter her new caregiver, Kit, who also has a questionable past. What happens when this pair gets together? Read and find out! 5 stars from me!

My favorite Riley Sager to date. Lenora Hope lives in a mansion precariously perched on top of a cliff. She is believed to have killed her family in 1929. The police could never prove that Lenora committed the murders but the community believes she did it enough to create a rhyme

At seventeen Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mothers happy life

Flash forward to 1983, Kit McDeere is a home health care aid that has baggage of her own.Now in her seventies Lenora has been stricken with several strokes that left her mute and paralyzed. Her only means of communication is knocking with her one usable hand and typing on an old typewriter. The previous nurse left unexpectedly and this might be the only way that Kit can salvage her career. Strange things begin to happen and Lenora is trying to tell Kit what happened that dreadful night.

This caught me by surprise. I did not see the ending coming and enjoyed every minute of this rollercoaster ride. So many secrets, revelations and twists. Hitchcock vibes, loved it 🥰

5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #RileySager #TheOnlyOneLeft

Believe it or not, this was my very first Riley Sager novel I have picked up. After hearing mixed things about his other novels, I was apprehensive to dive into this one, but something about the synopsis really called to me and made me want to give it a chance. And I am glad I did!

As a long-time fan of the Lizzie Borden case, the premise of The Only One Left really stood out to me. A creepy old lady with a story to tell about a heinous crime she claims to have never committed?? Sign me up. Not only that, but I love when we have this sense of distrust in every single person we encounter along the way as the story unfolds, which was the case with this novel. From the gardener to the maid, I wasn't sure who was even trustworthy or if they, too, had something to hide.

Based on my enjoyment of this novel, I am looking forward to diving into Sager's backlist and whatever he comes out with next.