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.⁣
⁣
⁣
Holy cow! This book blew my mind and I have to say might be my favorite Riley Sager book other than Final Girls. ⁣
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In The Only One Left we follow kit she’s been a caregiver for over 12 years but one mistake with her mother and suddenly her life has come crashing down. Her only alternative is to take the job of being Lenora’s Hope caregiver, the only problem is she’s not sure if Lenora can be trusted, after all they do say she murdered her entire family.⁣
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This book is everything you need in a summer read! It’s dark and thrilling and has a gothic theme to it. Once you read this, you won’t want to put it down. I read this on my kindle and I absolutely need a copy of it now. Overall, You do not want to miss out on reading this novel!

A diehard Riley Sager fan from the beginning, my enthusiasm had waned a bit with his last two books. So even though I anxiously awaited his newest novel, I also approached it with some trepidation. Still I was thrilled to be approved for an arc from @netgalley and @duttonbooks .

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

And so begins The Only One Left. The alleged murders referred to in the playground rhyme took place in 1929 and Lenora Hope, the suspected murderess has stayed at the cliffside mansion of Hope’s End ever since. Fast forward to 1983 and Kit, a young caregiver, dealing with her own set of problems, takes a job as a home healthcare aid to the now elderly and bedridden Lenora. Soon, Lenora leaves Kit a type written note telling her that she is ready to tell what happened on that fateful night in 1929.
Clearly drawing his inspiration from the case of Lizzie Borden, Sager soon upends things and creates something uniquely his own.

In the beginning this book read very much like a gothic- an eerie mansion, footsteps in the middle of the night that can’t be accounted for, even a housekeeper to rival Mrs. Danvers. This was clearly going to be right up my alley. Sager lets the atmosphere and story slowly build as tidbits from the past are doled in small increments. I was enthralled and interested to see where it would go.

Then, with about 25 percent left in the book, it changed. Revelations and twists came at a lightening speed and seemed to come out of nowhere. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I almost wanted to laugh at the over the top drama of it all. It was pure camp. Then I thought of old movies and could almost hear the dramatic crescendo of the score every time a new twist or secret was revealed. It was at that moment that I began having fun and wondered if this was the effect Sager intended. I was along for the ride and no matter how ridiculous it became I flipped the pages furiously to see where this it would all end up. And even though I can admit the plot was absurd, it sure was entertaining.

I just adored this Lizzy Borden like story. The characters were great and the plot was just so amazingly well done, that I didn’t have a clue about who had killed Lenora’s family until the big reveal. I also loved the setting and the gothic vibe that it brought to the story.

Kit is the main character who tells most of the story. While I didn’t exactly like Kit, I found her to be a very sympathetic character. She is in a bit of a rough patch in her life, she is somewhat estranged from her father, her mother recently passed away, and the last thing she wanted to do was to take care of a murderer. But she didn’t have a choice. I did like that she had a rebellious streak to her, and a sense of determination to find out the truth about Lenora’s family, but she does tend to bully people at times on her way to finding the truth.

We also hear part of the story from Lenora through what she is typing with the help of Kit. She is also not very likable, but again as her story unfolds you do feel a bit of sympathy towards her and how her family treated her. But I always felt that she wasn’t telling the whole truth, and she was in fact hiding a really big secret.

There are many other minor characters who play their part in this story. For the most part they are likable, but you don’t really get to know them well. They all have a part to play in the story, and some of them are desperate for Lenora to stay silent. The house itself is also sort of a character, as it creaks and moans and shifts at all of the right moments.

The story is very well done, with a fast pace, and lots of twists and turns throughout. I really wasn’t expecting the murders to go down the way they did, and was totally wrong about who killed who. The only thing I got right was that Mrs. Baker, the housekeeper, wasn’t who we are lead to think she is. The big reveal was well done and I really loved the story up to that point. I was a bit disappointed with the epilogue though, it just wasn’t believable and perhaps went a bit to far.

If you have liked Riley Sager’s other books, than you will probably love this one. It is a story that will keep you up at night wondering who really committed those murders. If you have not yet read any of Mr. Sager’s books, you should think about starting with this one. It is one of his best and my favorite so far, even with that weird epilogue.

As a huge Riley Sager fan, getting this ARC made my month!!! Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley!

From the very first page of, “The Only One Left,” you know this is going to be a creepy read. Based on the main character, Kit, a home health aide who is suspected of killing her mom, you never quite know who to trust in this book. The story picks up when Kit is assigned to care for Lenora, who is suspected of killing her parents and sister in a gruesome fashion. To care for Lenora, Kit must move into a creepy, decaying mansion called Hope’s End, which of course is where any character’s hope ends in this book.

The story is woven together so well and in truly Riley fashion the last 25 percent is a roller coaster ride of reveals. I particularly loved the characters and pacing in this book. I can’t wait to see what Riley writes next, and will be anxiously awaiting his next release! This is a must read for summer!

This is by far his best book to date! I was so fully wrapped up in the story, I barely put the book down. So many twists and turns! I needed to know where it ended and it was not where I expected. Wow, just wow. Great job Sager!

At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope

Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it.

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.

“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead

The Only One Left was another winner for Riley Sager, I really enjoyed the premise of an in-home nurse starting work at a gothic mansion with a terrible murderous history. The reader will be pulled in from the jump and in true Sager fashion the last 25% of the novel is a rollercoaster of revelations and twists and turns, so much fun. I will give a trigger warning for people with disabilities, and those with loved ones with disabilities, etc. There is a lot of implied and actual abuse and neglect that happens to one of the main characters that is bedbound most of her life, it's hard to move past that primary piece of the novel and it definitely makes me want to question my rating or at least question who I recommend this book to..

I found this book thrilling. From the beginning I was pulled in by the family secrets and unreliable characters. So much fun! Every time I thought I’d figured it out, there was a plot twist. This will definitely be a fan favorite!

Holy crap this is Riley Sager's best book ever!! I was so creeped out and on the edge of my seat the whole time. I never saw it coming! I loved everything about it not one negative thing to say at all!

I have tried reading many of Riley Sager's books and never quite got hooked on any of them...until The Only One Left. This book instantly drew me in and took me on a crazy ride full of twists and turns. If you thought you had something figure out or something was cleared up, better think again! Sager did an amazing job keeping me on my toes for the entire book! If you have read and enjoyed Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak or the story of Lizzie Bordon, this book is sure to be a win! I give this book a 4.7/5.

The Only One Left was absolutely brilliant! Riley Sager does it again. He wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

The Only One Left is the latest thriller from best-selling author Riley Sager. The book tells the story of Lenora Hope, a Lizzie Borden-esque character, accused of killing her family in 1929. In the current timeline (1983) we follow Kit McDeere as she returns to her caregiver job after forced suspension. Kit is assigned the caregiver position over Lenora Hope and moves into Hope's End, the family estate. Lenora is not the horror figure portrayed in the nursery rhyme that circulates the local schoolyard. She is now in her seventies and bedridden having lost her speech and mobility after polio and several strokes. Now only retaining the use of her left arm, Kit learns to communicate with Lenora through a series of knocks and a typewriter. Little by little Lenora begins to tell the story of what occurred over 50 years ago. Did she really murder her family or could there be more to the story than what the rhyme says. The Only One Left builds and tantalizes until the very end with a fantastic twist ending that is sure to please.

When I started reading this book, I jumped in expecting the worst. Not because I dislike the author, but lately when reading a book, you want something different and unlike anything you've read before. When you're in a reading slump, this is what anybody would want. Riley Sager did not disappoint with this one. After reading this book, I simply looked over at my husband and said "Wow. That was so good." Comparing apples to oranges won't get you far, but by comparing this book to his other books, you get that Riley Sager feel and you know that this book is his baby and he worked his hardest on this masterpiece.

Kit McDeere is an in-home caregiver who has arrived at Hopes End to take care of the bedridden Lenora Hope, who only has the use of her left hand. Lenora Hope also has a past, one where she was accused but never found guilty of killing her father, mother, and sister, but did she really do it? With help from Kit and a typewriter, Lenora starts to retell her story. Kit has her own story to tell. When strange things start happening at night and Lenora's story coming to an end, Kit may have figured it out. Told in two separate timelines, one in the present and one from 1929. Can you figure it out?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advanced copy of The Only One Left by Riley Sager in exchange for my honest review.

🏠THE ONLY ONE LEFT by Riley Sager🏠

📆Pub date: June 20th, 2023
➡️Swipe for synopsis
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: E-book
Read if you like:
2️⃣Dual timeline
🌊Atmospheric settings
📖Thriller genre

Thank you so much @duttonbooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy of The Only One Left! I loved Riley Sager’s last book The House Across the Lake, but unfortunately his newest didn’t live up to my expectations. I started off enjoying the cliff side setting and the dark atmosphere, and I was very curious about how this was going to play out.

It took way too long to get to any reveals, and the twists were so out of left field that they had me shaking my head rather than pleasantly surprised by them. Most thrillers have twists that are somewhat unbelievable, but the ones in this book were too bananas. I still recommend giving it a try if you have it on your radar, but don’t go in with high expectations.

The story of the Hope Family slayings is one Kit has known her whole life. Everyone knows the rhyme. She's never been allowed to go near Hope's End, the massive mansion where one day in 1929 the entire family, save for Lenora Hope, were murdered. After a tragic incident at work, Kit, a caregiver, has been given a new assignment that she has no choice but to take. Much to her dismay, it takes her to Hope's End where she will be Lenora Hope's live-in caregiver. But Kit soon learns all is not as it appears. An interesting read with lots of twists and turns. Close readers will see lots of the twists coming but will enjoy the ride nonetheless.

Riley Sager does it again. This might be my favorite of his to date. This time we are whisked off to a literal crumbling mansion on an equally crumbling cliff by a home-health aide sentenced to care for a legendary ailing woman rumored to have killed her family 50 years ago The twists at the end just kept coming! I thought I had it figured out, but not only was I wrong, I had no idea the reveal would keep tumbling, shocking me more with every page turn. I would put this in the hands of fans of See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt and anyone who loves a gothic twisted tale.

"The Only One Left" is another great novel by Riley Sager. The book immediately hooks readers in and leaves them guessing as to what truly happened to the Hope family. I never suspected the murderer and the eventual reveal left me completely shocked. When Kit goes to work for the Hope family, the reader is instantly drawn into the mystery of what actually happened at the Hope house all those years ago. I never guessed the ending and hope that other readers enjoy the book as much as I did. A great addition to the horror genre and another well-written book by Sager!

I almost really really liked this book. There was so much about the setup to The Only One Left that I really liked. Gothic vibes, big ole house on a cliff, a Lizzie Borden-style murder, slow burn. Check, check, check. Our woman of interest, Lenora, had big Hector Salamanca (from Breaking Bad) vibes, and the way her character was written left the door open to a lot of misdirection, potential lying, and tense situations, which I really dug. Before the twists started, I was poised to give this book a 4 to 4.25 star rating.

But once the twists started, they just. didn't. stop.. Holy contrivances, Batman! Just because I can guess the twist (which I did), doesn't mean you wrote your book poorly, and it sure as hell doesn't mean you should add in four or five more twists just to make SURE I was surprised at least once. I started rolling my eyes instead of gasping. It was just too much; it almost circled back around to being entertaining again, but not in a good way. I absolutely hate it when every character has to be involved in the mystery/inciting incident somehow. Some characters can just be characters.

What a disappointing final 20% to an otherwise great book. Giving it three stars because I did enjoy it most of the way through. You'll probably like this if you're a Sager fan, or if you love books with plot twists *you'll never see coming*.

As always, Riley Sager delivers with a thriller that will have the reader turning pages all night. I read this very quickly, and didn't guess the ending. The setting and characters matched perfectly together.

I highly enjoyed this book! I thought that it was fun and fast-paced, and I found the setting for the story intriguing. I was trying to figure out the mystery along with Kit and began to only scratch the surface of the truth by the time all was revealed. However, I do still have some questions concerning character motives. I can say that I did not see the ending coming, but I also wonder about the plausibility of some of its events. I also liked the found family aspect to the novel and thought that it was a great reverse given the title.
I do not read thrillers often, and I feel that the questions that remain for me may cause more avid readers of thrillers to be harsher in their reviews of the novel. I will still suggest that my library purchase the novel once it is released because I do believe that there is an audience for this story, both thriller and non-thriller readers alike.

Well well well - welcome back Riley Sager. More than pleasantly surprised by this latest thriller - solid mystery, compelling characters and a great twist. Perhaps I will no longer hate read your books.