At first, I was into this book. I was intrigued by the idea and the direction it was taking. It seemed like a standard murder plot but we're looking into motivations, maybe conspiracy. That narrative shift though, is a bit tiring. And the characters have little depth which makes it hard to keep reading. And the final turn complete unravels the plot.

I started mentally checking out when the author decided we needed to spend precious reading time even 10% of the way in to the story watching the main character unpack her toiletries--her SECRET brand deodorant and her NIKE outfits, no less--and discuss the importance of serums and sunblock, but then the cringey Gen Z conversations (or, LBR, probably a fellow Millennial trying to write Gen Z style conversations) had me losing all interest in continuing. A mixture of It's Not For Me as an Old reading YA and also just not very snappy writing. I also skimmed to see the end and confirmed that this is an unreliable narrator type story, which...isn't my personal jam. Oh well, I tried!

Though I recognized the titles of some of her previous works—Hot Dog Girl and Some Girls Do, as well as her graphic novel Coven—this was the first book I’ve actually read by author Jennifer Dugan, and I was instantly surprised by how real, how genuine her young protagonists felt. I also admired how she weaved a taut narrative throughout the book’s 300ish pages that kept me guessing until the very end.

Described as a “queer YA psychological thriller,” The Last Girls Standing takes elements from the slasher film genre—both the final girl and the masked killer—and mixes in a heaping helping of conspiracy horror for a fresh new take.

It tells the story of Sloan and Cherry, two survivors of a summer camp massacre that left all their fellow counselors dead. Picking up well after the chilling event itself, the girls are now bonded in love and trauma, even as they try to sort out their complicated, conflicting feelings of survivor’s guilt.

As our heroines comb news sites and Reddit communities trying and make sense of the slaughter, a solitary revelation threatens to tear them apart. At its heart is a sinister eco-cult with an apocalyptic vision, and the further Sloan digs, the more it begins to seem like Cherry and her mother (and perhaps even Sloan’s own birth parents) may be involved.

Dugan ably walks a narrative tightrope between supernatural prophecy and simple self-delusion, between banal coincidence and malicious gaslighting, right up to the book’s abrupt and startling conclusion, but along the way, she also paints a picture of a hungry, tragic young love and of two very different families dealing with the same great tragedy.

Does Cherry’s free-spirited, bohemian mom understand more than she lets own? Does Sloan’s comparatively milquetoast adoptive family object to her shared obsession with a cadre of animal-masked, machete-wielding killers, or is it Sloan’s queer identity that truly makes them so uncomfortable?

These questions and more bubble over in the third act and, to her credit, the author leaves the bulk of their answers up to the reader to decide. This makes for a brutal, ambivalent ending that certainly won’t please everyone, but I found it to be a satisfying big swing—especially in a literary landscape where publishers seem to want either A) a tidy resolution or B) an obvious setup for a sequel.

The Last Girls Standing offers neither, and I feel the book is all the better for it.

I had a lot of fun with The Last Girls Standing, but by no means is it Jennifer Dugan's best work. I am excited to see how she develops further as a writer in the genre.

I am a really big fan of Jennifer Dugan's YA romcoms. This however did not work for me. It felt like a 300 page psychotic break. Even if that's what Dugan was going for, I don't think she did it well. Also, the MC's relationship with her girlfriend was so codependent and toxic but I never felt like that was addressed.

I would not recommend this one, but I will continue to read her other works.

I loved the beginning and the premise, but the third act seemed very rushed and unsatisfying. I don't think it's a writing issue because I liked the build up very much and there was mystery and loneliness and a spooky air in every page, but the third act was utterly unsatisfying and I think it's an editing issue.

The unreliable narrator trope is a hard, but deserving trope to pull off. However, this book did not do that. It took me over the course of weeks to finally finish this book, and I still have no recollection of what happened. The characters were annoying, and only half built, and the plot was severely lacking. I am always look for good books with LGBTQIA+ representation, so it is a shame that this book could not be one of those.

✨ 5 STARS ✨

i genuinely loved this book a lot. it had a slower start for me but once it picked up, i was obsessed. the story follows cherry and sloan, a set of girlfriends who survive a mass murder together at their summer camp. sloan is numb, lost with no memories with only cherry to guide her with hers. as they try to go back to being normal people, sloan spirals trying to gain her own memories back and trying to find all the answers to their victimization, always needing more. after all, they were the last girls standing.

i loved seeing queer teens in a thriller book. all of the characters had enough depth to them to make you question the massacre and want answers yourself, following along with sloan as she was trying to piece her world back together. the twist at the end was amazing and as i understand why it ended the way it did, i definitely wished there was more.

overall, it was a great book for being the author’s first thriller and it is one of those books that would be a great movie or tv show, which i always seem to enjoy.

Small spoilers:
Having read all of Jennifer Dugan's YA romances, I was really excited to see something new from the author and holy hell is this something different. The only two survivors of a summer camp killing spree by a doomsday cult, Sloan and Cherry are just trying to recover. This is easier said than done for Sloan who is left with so many questions after she blacked out her memories of the night. In a desperate hunt to find answers, Sloan begins to fall down a tangled web of the cult's making and unfortunately, Cherry must be involved somehow.

This book was so different from anything Dugan's released in the past. With YA thrillers growing in popularity, it is no surprise an established teen author would try her hand at the genre, but I will say, this is something different than I've seen from the genre. While I knew this book was going to lean to psychological thriller, I did not see Sloan's descent into madness coming. I thought I knew where it was going from the very beginning, but I was not prepared for how far she would fall. Dugan's ability to keep the reader questioning until the very end is a marvel and I cannot wait to see what more the author has in store.

I feel like most of my frustration with the new Jennifer Dugan novel stems from the way it was marketed.

I was under the impression that we were in for a gory horror thrill ride in the vein of “Final Girls Support Group.” But “The Last Girls Standing” is not your typical slasher.

In fact, the book starts weeks after Sloan and her girlfriend Cherry emerge as the sole survivors of a ruthless sleepaway camp massacre.

“The Last Girls Standing” is more of a character study than a psychological thriller, focusing primarily on Sloan’s recovery after trauma, and the setbacks she experiences as a result of her selective memory loss and paranoia.

The writing was strong, as to be expected from this author, but there were definitely some cringy moments throughout, especially surrounding mental health professionals.

And the end is just bonkers.

3.5/5⭐️

I’m very conflicted in how I feel about this book. On the one hand, it’s a sapphic horror thriller about a summer camp massacre - what’s not to love? Also, I did NOT see the ending coming at all. That being said, the ending left me feeling unsatisfied in a way and whether that’s by design or not, I wish there was a more resolute and satisfying ending. It just gave more of a commentary on trauma and recovery than psychological thriller twist ending, which is fine but not what it was marketed as nor what I was expecting.

In summary, this was an enjoyable YA mystery with a queer storyline but an unsatisfying ending that leaves readers (or at least me) wishing it was more psychological slasher and less mental trauma focused.

If you’re looking for queer Friday the 13th (which I ALWAYS am), this unfortunately is not quite it but still a good read!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jennifer Dugan's previous YA queer romance novels, including "Hot Dog Girl" and "Some Girls Do." When I discovered that she had ventured into the thriller genre, drawing inspiration from 80s teen slashers like Friday the 13th while incorporating queer/LGBTQ representation, I was instantly intrigued. Without reading any comments or reviews, I eagerly embarked on this chilling ride, ready to be captivated.

Throughout the narrative, Dugan skillfully pays homage to the classic 80s slashers, weaving in references and nods that will delight horror aficionados. As a fan of those iconic movies myself, I relished in the familiar tropes and atmosphere that she expertly recreated. It's evident that Dugan has a deep appreciation for the genre, and her homage to the era shines through.

this was the first novel i read by jennifer dugan but it was a great place for me to start. i really enjoyed the suspense and sloan and cherry's characters. i read this one pretty quickly and really liked the overall creepy vibe of it.

This is a solid YA Contemporary story focusing on trauma recovery and featuring a Sapphic Romance. Unfortunately, I went into this expecting a Psychological Thriller with a Teen Slasher Twist.

In this story we follow Sloan and Cherry, girlfriends who are the sole survivors of a massacre at a summer camp. Both girls were counselors. In the aftermath, Sloan, who remembers no tangible details, has been struggling to put the event behind her. She feels like the black spots in her memory are haunting her and she doesn't feel like she can move on until she has answers.

Her girlfriend, Cherry, the only person Sloan feels understands what she's been through, tries to be supportive. She also tries to make Sloan feel safe, but for her part, Cherry is ready to move on. They survived. They need to continue living instead of reliving the past. As Sloan continues her search for answers, Cherry is right at her side, but after new evidence is revealed, Sloan begins to question just how well she knows Cherry.

The girls only met a few short days before the trauma that ultimately bound them together. Seeing things from a new perspective, Sloan fears that Cherry may have actually been involved in the massacre. Will Sloan be able to figure out the truth before it's too late, or will Cherry end up being the last girl standing?

This book has a lot of strengths. I did appreciate the story that Dugan created here and I think if you go into it with the right mindset, you could really, really enjoy it. Sadly, for me, I saved this for Spooky Season, thinking it was more of a Psychological Thriller than an intimate examination of trauma recovery. That may be on me, but a little bit could be blamed on the marketing, IMO.

I did like Dugan's writing. Also, the relationship between Sloan and Cherry felt very real, especially their bond based on their shared trauma. Even though it started quite slow, I was interested in learning more about the characters.

The slow pace continues for the most part, although it does pick up a bit in the later half. The narrative also focuses much more heavily on emotion than action, so be aware of that. Although, for the most part, well executed, it was not what I was expecting, nor in the mood for and I believe my experience was impacted because of that.

I think for Readers who enjoy YA Contemporary stories that focus on trauma and mental health, this could work well. I think a lot of Readers will be intrigued about the mystery surrounding Sloan's missing memories and the truth of what happened at the camp that day.

I will say that the ending was fantastic. The final chapter was my favorite chapter by far. I wish it could have had that level of dark intensity throughout.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. While this wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, I know a lot of Readers out there will enjoy this one!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan which felt much like reading an 80s slasher thriller.
Our journey begins with Sloan and Cherry two summer camp counselors who develop feelings for one another. While preparing for the campers and binding with the other counselors, the unsuspecting camp is attacked one night by a madman wearing rabbit’s mask and wielding a hatchet.
Sloan and Cherry are the last girls standing.

Sloan and Cherry hold to each other to recover from the trauma. Cherry is Sloan’s rock partially because Sloan is left with bits and pieces of memory of the horrific night. She knows what Cherry has told her, that Cherry saved Sloan’s life.
On a quest to stop the incessant nightmares and unlock her memories, Sloan tries hypnotherapy. Overtime, Sloan vegans to pick at the holes in Cherry’s recounting of the events.

This story would be a great fit for fans of classic slasher thrillers during Halloween/spooky season.

The critiques I have with the story lie in the pacing. At times the momentum slowed greatly but the payoff was worth it to me.


Big thanks to “Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group” and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this thriller as an ARC.

I give The Last Girls Standing a solid three stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

I love Jennifer Dugan's other sapphic ya books, but her attempt at ya horror kinda fell flat for me. Sloan and Cherry did not have a healthy relationship at all and it threw me out of the story a few times. I was hoping for more time at the summer camp, but I did enjoy the culty aspect of the plot. The ending was a ride for sure, though.

Whoa. That was a trip.

I was drawn to this book since the cover and description was clearly giving "Final Girl" and old school camp horror vibes and that's always been the kind of horror that I've been into. But this book turned out to be much more than just a campy, camp horror. This is what happens after the blood bath and how it can be even more traumatic when you don't exactly remember what happened.

This book definitely leans on the psychological aspect of trauma and how memories can be shaky when they involve traumatic events. And it was so well done that I, along with the main character, wasn't sure what to believe. Honestly, I finished the book and I'm still uncertain what the real story was! Sometimes the ambiguous endings bother me but in this case I think it worked perfectly.

The Last Girls Standing

This was good, entertaining and thrilling but that ending did me dirty! Ok, not really, but what a dang twist!
When two girls, Sloan and Cherry, survive a summer camp massacre, they rely on each other to get through the utter trauma and devastation they face.

Sloan has a more difficult time coping than Cherry and as they grow closer, Sloan begins to think that maybe Cherry knows more about the attack than she’s letting on, but does she?

Read this one and find out!

My thanks to Penguin Teen for this gifted copy!

3.5/5 Stars

Sloan and Cherry are the sole survivors of a summer camp massacre where all their fellow counsellors were slaughtered. Now, months later they are inseparable, after bonding over their shared trauma. Sloan can't remember much from the incident, but Cherry is there to fill in the gaps. When new evidence comes to light, Sloan begins to think that Cherry may have been involved in the murders as the story she's been told doesn't quite add up.

Cults are one of my buzz words - so I was definitely intrigued to pick this one up. It was a very fast read, that I finished in one sitting. I enjoyed this for what it was. I thought it was a fun thriller, although a bit predictable. It kept me interested enough to want to keep reading to figure out what was going to happen in the end. Although I must say, I was not the biggest fan of the abrupt ending and I wish there had been more of an epilogue so we could see what happened after the ending. I didn't like these two together, and felt that their relationship was extremely toxic... but maybe that was the point... I honestly can't tell if I was supposed to root for them or not.

We follow Sloane and Cherry, two girls who were the only survivors of a masked killer.

I wanted to love this book but I felt like it just dragged on for me. The pacing definitely left much to be desired.