Loved!

“When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing.

And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board. But that’s just the beginning of the terrifying journey she finds herself trapped on in this white-knuckled mystery.”

Thank you to NetGalley for this E-ARC.

This book is insane. This is now one of my forever top reads. The suspense, the insanity, the extreme level of detail that this book has. Wow. To be able to write a book that actually had me stressed and holding my breath. Applause to Will Dean.

Caz and her partner Pete book a cruise. It’s lovely and romantic and Caz thinks Pete might propose. But he doesn’t. Instead he disappears in the middle of the night from the cruise. And so does everyone else. Caz is alone on the massive ship cruising along in the Atlantic. There’s nobody in the other guest rooms. There’s no servers or bartenders. There’s nobody to man the ship. Just Caz.
How intensely suspenseful. You have no idea. I am so sad that I waited so long to read this book. What an amazing read.

The Last One was one heck of a ride. I don't know what I expected going in, but what I got was definitely not it. I would recommend avoiding spoilers if you want to get the most out of the story. The beginning was a little slow and the book is probably 50 pages longer than it needs to be, but the second half was full of tension. The ending was a mixed bag but I thought the final twist was a lot of fun. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Will Dean’s The Last One is a taut and gripping psychological thriller that immerses readers in a chilling tale of isolation and survival. Set against the backdrop of a remote Swedish wilderness, the story follows a woman named Tuva who becomes trapped in a small cabin after a mysterious incident occurs during a hiking trip.

Dean’s writing is atmospheric and suspenseful, effectively capturing the stark beauty of the landscape while simultaneously heightening the sense of dread. The protagonist is well-developed, grappling with her past and her survival instincts as she faces both external threats and her inner demons.

The pacing is expertly crafted, with twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Themes of trust, betrayal, and the human psyche's fragility are woven throughout, prompting deep reflection on the nature of isolation and connection.

Overall, The Last One is a compelling and immersive read that will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers and survival narratives. Dean’s skillful storytelling and atmospheric detail make this a gripping page-turner that lingers long after the final chapter.

The Last One reads like your favorite tv mini-series. Maybe that's. because it partly takes place as a reality competition. Imagine this, you are going on the cruise of your dreams with your amazing boyfriend. It is your first vacation together. You are excited to spend quality time on the ocean. But then...you wake up alone. The ship is abandoned except for a select few. What has happened? Where is everyone? Who is running the ship? As if that is not enough, you find out that the ship is the setting for a reality competition tv show that is being broadcast globally.

I loved this book. It was unique and thrilling. I did not see the ending coming at all. I recommend this book to everyone. The biggest badge of honor I can give this book is that the second I finished I turned around and re-read the whole thing again.

When I read the snippet for The Last One, I was absolutely engrossed. I am an avid traveler, and anything related to cruises as a storyline, I gobble up. Unfortunately, this one hit a little low for me. I know it is fiction but it was so beyond bizarre, I had a really hard time with it. I didn't feel a connection to the characters which was the biggest struggle. I think this is more on a sci-fi verge than thriller, so definitely will interest some.

This is a creepy and gripping quick thriller to read. Once you start, you're not going to want to stop until you know what happens. It gave The Twilight Zone vibes which I enjoyed. This was full of cliff hangers, like almost every single chapter ended with a cliff hanger which just kept you wanting to read more and more.

My main complaint was the length of the book, which goes hand in hand with my second complaint, Caz's character and specifically her inner monologue. If that would have been cut down by just half, the book would've been much shorter. I don't mind a long book., don't get me wrong, but I struggle with long books from unnecessary additions. If Caz's inner monologue had been cut down significantly, it would not have taken away from the plot at all.

All in all, this was a solid thriller that I enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WHAT did I just read?!

This is one of those books that leave you scratching your head at the end. While many other reviewers note that this book is too long, I don’t find that as problematic as the overall plot. This novel was a quick read for me, and the short chapters compelled me to keep going until the last page.

There are a couple gory parts that felt completely unnecessary as well. And the end? Annoying to say the least. This wasn't the book for me.

This would have been a one-star review BUT because it held my attention in basically one sitting, I’ll give it 3 stars.

No, thank you! This was absolutely not for me. Such a disappointment. This one will be very polarizing for readers. This was not thrilling, and I did not like any of the characters. The ending was my biggest "eye roll" of the year this far. I loved Will Dean's previous book, so I am not giving up on him as an author.

Devoured this one. It was on the longer side but I didnt feel it. The twists were wild. I loved the characters and even tho I figured out a lot of what was going to happen it still surprised me in newer more elaborate ways than I thought. Will always recommend this one!

I feel like I have been reading so many romance related books or lighthearted story lines lately, that I definitely appreciated this as a palate cleanser, even though it left me feeling conflicted. 😅

🛳 The locked in vibes taking place on a cruise ship definitely added to the setting in a way that made the twists even more eerie.

🛳 I found the story to be action-packed, but somewhat drawn out, in my opinion. Not to mention, I feel that I didn't connect with the characters, which made it hard for me to enjoy the book.

🛳 Now that ending...I don't understand why it had to end the way it did, and I don't want to spoil anything, so if you've read this one make sure to buckle up, especially when it comes to the very last line!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This one was a weird one….. I don’t typically read sci-fi and this wasn’t the mystery/ thriller I was expecting. The premise was so exciting and fast paced but then it just got weird. It dragged on in parts I would wish it would move on and the plot holes were glaring and confusing. I hope this is other people’s cup of tea but I can’t get behind a book I really just dont understand

After hearing so much amazing feedback about this one, I’m not sure why it took me so long to pick it up. All I know is, once I did, I could not put it down!

I loved the premise, passengers embark on a what they think will be a relaxing cruise and wake up realizing they are completely alone. No other passengers, no staff, no access to food and water. The only positive is there are 3 other passengers that as just as confused.

The twists and turns kept me so engaged in the story. I have read a few other of Will Dean’s books and will continue to pick them up in the future.

Oh wow. I do not feel good after reading this one. When I first read the premise for The Last One I knew I had to read it. It sounded so intriguing and so different. About half way through I started to feel like it wasn't what I was really expecting, and not in a good way. I pushed through because I was hoping there would be some big twist that I didn't see coming or something that would give me the brain tingles I usually get from a psychological thriller that I've loved. But that never happened. This book had lots of promise but ultimately fell short.

I will not be sharing my review of this book on any other platforms.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is such an underrated thriller.
A woman and her boyfriend go on a cruise along with thousands of others. She wakes up one day to find that every single person on the ship is gone and she's alone.
This is a locked-room type of thriller which I haven't read much of. I was super intrigued to continue reading - wanting to find out what was going on.
I loved that the chapters were so short, and I loved that the entire book kept me in suspense. There was truly something crazy happening on every page. No dull moments.
I'd love to see this made into a movie!

What a ride this book was! I'm going to be very careful with my review because I definitely don't want to spoil anything for other readers with this one. The less that you know going in, the better in my opinion. So the premise of this book is obviously very intriguing...what happened to everyone else? I completely didn't expect the direction that this book too at all - and I'm going to leave it at that. I found that the short chapters and all of the questions had me flying through the pages of this book unwilling to set it down for too long. This was a very compelling read although I found it slightly stressful at times just because I was so invested. And I didn't love the ending - I didn't hate it but especially with the last line found it too unbelievable. This was still a fun read/ride though and one that I would recommend.

Readers who enjoy page turning thrillers that they cannot set down should give this book a try. This is my first read by this author but it certainly won't be my last. Four stars overall and it's quite the ride the author takes you on.

At the surface, Will Dean’s The Last One seems like a book that would be right up my alley. I love a good survival story … and one set at sea? Count me in! I am fascinated by the ocean and everything that it holds within its depths, and I can hardly imagine anything more terrifying than being lost at sea with no help in sight.

The Last One plays on this stranded at sea phobia in quite the unusual way. Caz and her boyfriend Pete have set sail on a luxury cruise liner called the RMS Atlantica, but when she awakes the morning after setting sail, Caz is surprised to discover that all of the ship’s passengers have disappeared. She is completely alone on this ship, which continues sailing forth in the ocean. This certainly sounds like an episode of the Twilight Zone, but as Caz explores the cruise liner, her circumstances become more clear … and dire.

It should be said that The Last One is a wholly unique novel with an explosive twist. You won’t quite know what you are reading … that is, until you do. I am of the opinion that this book’s twist has the potential to be quite divisive because it essentially causes a subtle shift in genre. Some readers may feel that this is not what they signed up for; however, if you like to read with an open mind, The Last One is an intriguing book to try.

In all honesty, The Last One has many of the ingredients that I love in a book; however, I suffered from a major disconnect while reading, which thoroughly dampened my enjoyment of this book. I loved the setting and didn’t mind the twist; but the characters were written in a distant, stand-offish way that really took me out of the story. As someone who loves character-driven novels, I need there to be a little something there in terms of forming a bond with the people in a story. Will Dean lost me in that regard.

Recommended to fans of Ruth Ware’s One Perfect Couple.

Loved this mystery with a unique twist!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #AtriaBooks for a free copy of #TheLastOne by Will Dean. All opinions are my own.

Book Review:
Title: The Last One
Author: Will Dean
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

I'm glad I didn't read the reviews before starting this one because I might not have given it a chance and missed out! I LOVED this book! Some of the scenes were giving me literal goosebumps! 😱 I really wish they'd adapt this one into a horror movie. This book combines my favorites, reality TV and horror!

Caz and Pete board, the Atlantica, a luxury cruise liner, for a dream vacation. When Caz wakes up the first morning, Pete and all of the other guests on the cruise have disappeared as well as the crew. What the heck happened overnight?! Where did hundreds of people go without Caz hearing or seeing something? There are jaw dropping, terrifying scenes throughout the boat. A huge twist about 1/2 way through that is just weird and crazy but I loved it! I can't justify my love for this book. It is what it is!

Published: August 8th, 2023

Thank you, @netgalley and @atriabooks, for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It was going so good - up until 40% in. And I was out. I did not care for the extreme game show aspect of the plot.