‘The Last Girls Standing’ surprised me in its commitment to being a full-blown slasher novel. Quite often throughout the book, I felt like I was watching an old slasher film (think Friday the 13th) as our main character searched for answers on why she was left standing after a surprise attack at the summer camp she was working at. The book follows our MC struggling to make sense of a cult's plotting, her family and girlfriends' relationships with herself, and her own memories of this tragic night.

I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t guess the ending and I loved the queer representation in this book. I’m truly excited to see if Jennifer Dugan will write another slasher/horror book in the future as I’d love to read it.

While I did enjoy the book, I do feel we could have had a bit more character development and more discussion surrounding mental health. I wish the MC had had a better 'therapist' to discuss her experience more thoroughly and I feel the quick mentions to their difficulty coping/trauma/PTSD could have been discussed more and we could have still had the same ending with a more in-depth dive of our MC’s train of thought. However, I feel like this can often be said in the horror/slasher genre - sometimes the deep dive is forsaken in exchange for a surprise ending.

All in all – if you’re not a slasher fan, I wouldn’t recommend. If you love the horror/slasher genre, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with this story. :)

Thank you to Penguin Group and GP Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for the ARC of this!

Whoa this was an absolutely wild ride. I liked it for its queerness, tension and surprises. I don’t normally like an unreliable narrator - Sloan has no memories of the night she was almost killed- but this was ok here. The end was bonkers.

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm going to start this off by saying this book is really, really dark. Readers should know before diving in that the content can be upsetting. The book is about two girls who have gone through something completely horrific; if stuff like gore and violence (and the aftermath of said gore and violence) is something you struggle with as a reader, maybe pass on this one.

Just in case you did not read the summary-- or haven't actually checked out the book yet-- two girls go to camp as counselors one summer, and become survivors of a massacre led by people in animal masks. The tragedy bound them together, but our main character, Sloan, begins to suspect that her girlfriend actually had something to do with said massacre. As Sloan goes deeper into the rabbit hole, she begins to question what is true-- and whether there is anyone that she can truly trust.

When I described the content as upsetting at times, I really meant that AS A COMPLIMENT. I know that sounds really strange-- but the fact that the author was able to imbue THAT much pain and realism into her characters is truly a gift. It can be a little tough to handle at times, but in the sense that the author is doing their job right. The reader hurts for Sloan so much; this is truly an emotional rollercoaster.

Beyond that though, this book is also completely unexpected. Without getting into spoilers (don't want to ruin it for anyone), there was a certain point at which I thought that I understood what was happening. But it was so completely out of the ordinary for this genre that I thought I had to be wrong up until the last possible moment, when we get the whole picture. In that sense, the author does a really great job of subverting audience expectations.

Additionally, I thought it was really interesting how the author handled Sloan's relationships with people who knew her before her trauma. For example, Sloan has a best friend-- Connor-- who seems to really want to help her, but he's not really sure how to. So, sometimes he does things that are really insensitive (like inviting her to see a slasher movie...), even when ultimately, he probably has her best interests at heart (they just graduated high school if that helps contextualize things a bit).

One thing I will say: the description of the book is a little misleading. It specifically describes itself as a:

"queer YA psychological thriller from the author of Some Girls Do, perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, the sole surviving counselors of a summer camp massacre."

It's true that the main characters are queer. But I feel like having that in the first line of the description will lead people to believe that romance is a big part of the plot. And it is in some ways, but not in the "warm, happy fuzzy feelings" sort of way. More so in the "traumatic, this relationship may not be totally healthy," sort of way. To put it in other words: I wouldn't call this a romance story. I honestly probably wouldn't have drawn as much attention to that in the first line of the description because it's not the main part of the story. (This is my own personal opinion, which anyone is of course, free to disagree with).

But beyond that, if dark, psychological thrillers are your thing, I would recommend this book. It is truly heart-wrenching; I needed to take a small break after reading this because it is so emotionally impactful (in a good way!)

Many thanks to Penguin Teen for an arc of this book!

After surviving a summer camp massacre, Sloan clings to her new girlfriend-- and sole other survivor--Cherry in the aftermath. But with no memory of the events that led her to survive, can she really believe Cherry's version of that fateful night?

I loved this book from start to finish! Sloan is an amazing narrator and the fact that her lost memories made her unreliable from the start had me as a reader not only eager to find out the true version of events but wondering if I could even believe any discoveries Sloan made!

I loved the romance, fraught as it was... Very much 'screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain and it's 2 am and I'm cursing your name' vibes for me!

Also like the rabbit trails (pun definitely intended) that Sloan went down had me flipping pages late into the night.

I'm sure the ending will be very controversial for a lot of readers but I absolutely LOVED it. I was so happy it went the direction it did.

Really glad Dugan took this step into horror and super looking forward to what she does next!

CW: death, blood, violence, animal violence (off page, remembered), PTSD

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the advanced copy of this book.

I went into this with such high hopes, but ultimately the book fell flat for me. It honestly dragged out for way too long. The connections between characters felt so shallow and unhealthy. I appreciate the representation as a queer woman, but…. It wasn’t tactfully done and the trauma that both Cherry and Sloan went through had the same flaw. Just very superficial. I’ve liked Dugan’s other books and appreciate her venturing into a new genre. There were elements I appreciated- the dialogue felt realistic, the plot was interesting, and the overarching idea was sound. But that ending was just not it.

Well, I wasn't feeling great about this book but the ending really ruined it for me if I'm honest.

There was SO much potential with this book, but it was just lost, and I feel like I'm standing here with fewer answers than I started with.

Truthfully, this book could have been about half the length if it cut out all of the repetitive conversations between Cherry and Sloan, and all of the repetitive "therapy" sessions with Beth. I know we were supposed to be witnessing Sloan's descent into madness, but I was so bored. More flashbacks, more pieces of information being revealed, anything other than the same conversations in toxic relationships over and over. I found myself wanting the story to be over, and the only reason I ended up as baited as I was was because I was anticipating a big reveal or solve, and it never really came, just that cluster of an ending.

For goodness sakes, I just wanted someone to LISTEN to poor Sloan, instead of just trying to "fix" her as quick as possible.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jennifer Dugan, and the publisher for this ARC! The Last Girls Standing comes out on August 15th 2023!

I REALLY need to start reading the synopsis. I say this with like every book, but then I never do it. But if I had, I think I would have been more prepared for this one and liked it more. This was good, but it was pitched to me as a horror book, not just a psychological thriller, so it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Instead of me getting the massacre as it occurred, it was the aftermath and the girls trying to figure out life after all of this. Did I like it tho? Yes. Was it what I was expecting?

Ok so going in to this I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was not thinking it was going to be the same thing the whole book tho. She was asking the same question and hardly found any evidence to support her claims like the whole book. And then when they started explaining things to her, she still didn’t want to hear it. She needed real help and they insisted on sending her to someone that wasn’t a real doctor. In this situation, girl BFFR. (Also as a side note, I did read a review where someone with PTSD said this was an insensitive description of those with PTSD so I wasn’t a huge fan of that.)

I didn’t care for the romance in this one either. Like these chicks were definitely not together together, they were trauma bonding. And I don’t think either one of them wanted to hear it. I didn’t like that no one was telling them it wasn’t ok. They should have at the very least given them some time apart. Their whole relationship just wasn’t healthy. And none of the adults said anything.

The concept of this book tho was creepy, I’ll give Dugan that. I listened to this until like 3 am and every single creak or groan that my house made, I was creeped out. I remember pausing and looking around a few times. This one is not for the weak y’all. I was just as confused as the MC and I wasn’t sure where the ending was going. I just knew they were going to reveal if she was correct or not in her assumptions. But no, completely different than I thought.

The ending was good af tho. I hate when books are like repetitive and are like basic until the ending. Like why did you do all this extra all that time and then come snatch my wig NOW? It was stupid lol I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. It was hella weird. I don’t like that it was over right after that tho. I still had so many questions. Was she right? Was she just trippin? What happened? I needed to know. But none of that was explained. Is that “all the rave” now for authors to write these open ended books? Or those that like end on this huge thing and then its over? Can we stop this? It’s getting frustrating lol

This wasn’t my favorite Dugan which is sad because I really expected it to be. As a horror girlie I just KNEW this was going to be the best. It had its problems, but it was ok. I do wish it was horror and not thriller, I did enjoy it and I think my teens still will also.

The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan was a phenomenal queer YA psychological thriller.
Solan and Cherry the sole surviving counselors of a summer camp massacre search to uncover the truth of what happened that fateful night, but what they find out might just get them killed. Like woah, I couldn’t stop reading once I started.
Excellent storyline and well-developed characters, as well as phenomenal suspense.
The pacing kept me reading through the night. The writing in this was wonderful.
I freaking love a good YA thriller and this one checked all the boxes.
A fun, dark summer camp tale full of mystery, murder and good whodunnit!
Yes, please!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Through the majority of this book I was SO INTO IT! I loved the journey it took me on! I was constantly guessing. It didn’t drop to 3 stars for me until I finished the book. The ending left me a bit unsatisfied. Without giving any spoilers: through the entire book we are finding clues as to why these 2 girls survived the massacre at the camp they went to over the summer. The build up with all of these clues was huge! Now, after finishing this book, I feel like I still have no answers. I loved where this book was going but I just feel like it could have been tied up at the end a bit differently so that it all made more sense. I enjoyed the journey but not the destination 😕

This was so intense that I genuinely don't know what to say! It felt slow at times, and very predictable at others...but I read the whole thing in a day so I can't exactly complain. I liked it! And the ending was WILD.

[Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!]

I'm such a fan of final girl situations, books and characters and this book delivered on that and the feel good nostalgic trip back to the 80s of my childhood... written amazingly. The story fell a bit flat for me and most of the characters weren't remarkable or memorable so that sucked but it was easy to get through it and I'm glad that I read it

a really fun and escapist read.

i had a few challenges while reading this book. i think it took a while to actually get into the story. we are just kinda thrown into it, and it’s a little staggering at first.

i think the way the author weaved in aspects of 80’s horror was really cool. i enjoyed the characters, and once the book did pick up, i did enjoy the overall arching of the story.

i felt like the exposition was clunky at times, and a little overly explained, but i enjoyed it still.
it was a fun ya horror!

WOW. I’m not even quite sure where to start with this one. The Last Girls Standing was an intense psychological thriller that kept me turning pages wanting to know what happened. With an ending that I did NOT see coming. LGS was an ode to all your favorite slasher movies with a sapphic romance and a splash of dark humor.

Sloan, who’s POV the story is told from, heads to Camp Money Springs to be a counselor for the summer. It’s there that she meets Cherry and they begin what was supposed to be an incredible summer romance. Except a week into the summer…there’s a massacre. And Sloan and Cherry are the only ones who survived it.

I was expecting the story to begin before the camp massacre happened, but it actually starts after the event. Sloan can’t remember what happened that night. She remembers being in her cabin, hearing screams, and seeing a man in a fox mask. But most of her memories are locked away inside her mind. Sloan was also adopted at a young age and can’t remember anything of her birth parents, where she came from, or what her life was like before. Her quest for answers is the driving force behind the plot and I found myself DYING to know the answers just as much as Sloan! On the edge of my seat with each new lead, wondering what it means.

Sloan and Cherry became grossly enmeshed after the massacre. They trauma bonded in a very unhealthy way and the dynamics of their relationship play a huge role in the story.

While this story was not at all what I suspected, and I didn’t get all the answers and cozy solutions I was hoping for, I really enjoyed reading it. It was one heck of a wild ride! 😯🤯

LGS is a book about love, murder, family, conspiracy theories, secrets, trauma, and the search for answers and belonging. It is also a dive into the dangers of cult psychology and how it preys on the most vulnerable people.

MINI SPOILER ALERT - It was NOT an HEA. I had a feeling as I progressed that it wouldn’t be, but I had very different ideas for how I thought it would turn out. I. Was. Wrong. I’m literally still processing the ending…😳

First off, thank you for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was very excited about this book since it features a summer camp mass murder. Not to mention that the cover is hauntingly beautiful. There was so much potential and it was such a great concept, but THE LAST GIRLS STANDING missed the mark plenty of times.

The beginning definitely had me curious, but on the first few pages, it felt too info-dumpy. There were things about Sloan's life that could have been mentioned later in the story. Jennifer Dugan probably put it so early in the book to raise the stakes, but it wasn't the right time to insert those details.

My main concern with the book is that it was very repetitive. Cherry and Sloan would have the same conversation in most of their scenes whenever the massacre is mentioned. I also believe that the idea of Cherry possibly being involved would have been so much more significant if it were mentioned later in the story and wasn't even mentioned in the summary of the book. It would have made such a great potential plot twist/train of thought for Sloan to consider.

I also felt the reveal of the murderers' intentions to be rushed. Dugan did a decent job inserting information bit by bit as the plot progressed, but the overall reveal felt so sudden. That plus the rushed ending ruined it for me. I wasn't a big fan of the ending because it undermines the C-PTSD that Sloan was experiencing. I wish there was a chapter following the events where Sloan tries to regain her life again. This usually happens in thrillers/horrors, but the end being cut off ruined the story for me too.

The reason why I rounded it up to 3 ⭐️ instead of 2.5-2.75 is because Jennifer Dugan did a good job of making me want to find out what happened. Sloan's progress in trying to regain her memories raised the stakes despite the issues I mentioned before. She also did a fair job of portraying trauma bonding and toxic relationships, as they are big parts of the book.

Overall, THE LAST GIRLS STANDING unfortunately did not meet my expectations.

Thank you netgalley for the arc. That was a crazy ending not all what I expected to happen. Crazy! Would recommend.

Gosh, this book was just plain old bad, and what makes it worse is that I think this has A LOT of potential, the ending just flushes it all down the drain. Let's start at the start though. Almost immediately the main character was just absolutely EXHAUSTING. Being in her brain was just A LOT. I could understand where she was coming from though. Especially because she's in an extremely toxic relationship, which I thought was going to be adressed and part of the book but NOPE. I honestly was starting to feel gaslit by this book because how obviously toxic the relationship was and it just never got adressed. They do mention that they are a bit unhealthily codependent but that's only a very small fraction of the toxicity of that relationship. So yeah, keep this away from your teens just for that. They don't need to read this and think a relationship like that is "soulmates". The plot was interesting. I do think about halfway through we started talking in circles, and that got extremely annoying, and then the end was just dog shit. Truly, what the fucking fuck was that? Nothing about it makes sense. It also answers 0 questions that were raised throughout the novel. It was just a big load of nothing. So yeah, this wasn't good at all. I'm sorry.

I don't even know what to believe anymore, apart from that this book becomes more bizarre as it goes on (and it's pretty bizarre from the start). Cherry and Sloan are trauma-bonded after surviving a ritualistic murder spree at a summer camp. But Sloan's memories aren't all there and she quickly begins to spiral. As secrets and lies come between Cherry and Sloan, their relationship begins to unravel. At the end of this, I don't even know what's real. But I do agree with most reviewers in that there should've been more of a focus on mental health as Sloan was clearly suffering from some PTSD, rather than just sending her to an unlicensed hypnotist and letting this wild ride just go on.

*Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

WHAT the FUCK….! I - what - huh - um - what did I just read. WOW. What an ending!!!

You know what, I read most of this like “what a fun YA slasher horror book, good stuff good stuff, love a traumatized girlie trying to figure out if her girlfriend was in on the summer camp mass murder they survived together, what a fun time” but…!!!

Yes that’s the sound of my horrified cackling you’re hearing.

Also fwiw the publication date for this is listed as 8/15 but I absolutely saw it on a display table in a bookstore about (checks phone) three hours ago so your moment is here!!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Jennifer Dugan is one my new favorite writers for LGBTQ+ fiction, and I was intrigued by her transition into thriller with The Last Girls Standing. I was immediately drawn to the creative premise, with the typical “horror movie” event being the backstory of the main characters instead of the main event. While for some, that might be a drawback, I was intrigued by how the story would build from there.
The trauma from that event is central to what bonds Sloan and Cherry. They had a budding relationship prior, but the shared trauma solidified it. Both of them grieve differently, with Sloan being particularly impacted and going off the deep end. While I personally don’t deal with PTSD and have never dealt with anything near what they experienced, I felt the story explored their issues with compassion, especially the survivor’s guilt they each carry.
While it is a thriller, it’s quite insular, focusing a lot on how their lives and relationship are complicated by their experiences, turning their promising budding love into a toxic relationship, especially with Sloan being suspicious of Cherry’s possible involvement. However, even with the real danger in the past, the story remains intriguing, and I remained glued to the pages, even as though I was watching these characters go down a dark path to their own potential destruction.
This is a darkly original take on some familiar tropes, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for a more introspective take on the thriller and horror genres.

I received an uncorrected proof from netgalley for an unbiased review.

This book hooked me from the beginning. I found the premise interesting. I'm not a big horror/thriller fan so ultimately I felt unsettled by this book, which honestly is probably a winning review because of how much of a wuss I am. Considering I read an uncorrected proof, perhaps some of the writing was tightened as parts felt like running in circles a bit. Overall I enjoyed it, but it also left me uncomfortable.

I first came across Dugan's books from listening to the audiobook for "Love at First Set" which I enjoyed a lot! listened to other audiobooks from her as well including "Some Girls Do" and "Hot Dog Girl". This book is tonally different and a bit spooky, so if you're a wuss like me: you've been warned.