Will Dean never feels too deliver …. they are almost all home runs but this one most definately is….It’s def one of my top 3 they’ve written and that is saying a ton!! I’ll be recommending this specific book to everyone so know.. instead of just this author in general … seriously such a talented author , they seriously never miss !!! 5 star read in my opinion and I give them sparingly!

I am again in the minority with a Will Dean book. I did not enjoy this book. Yes it had some very intense things going on but it was so unrealistic. I didn't for a second believe one bit of this story. Not that any of it was true but still. Usually you get a realistic sense with a book.

A couple, Pete and Caz, board a ship for a much needed cruise. They have a great first night. But what comes next is nothing but horrific. No matter how you read it, it's horrible. Caz wakes up and no one is on this ship. Not one single person. All the cabin doors are open and the rooms empty. The thousands of people are all gone. Including her love Pete. What the heck? What is everyone?

Then of course there are three others who were left behind. Frannie, Daniel and Walter Smith who goes by Smith. They are informed that they are now the participants of a reality tv show and have to complete tasks. Whoever does the best will win a significant sum of money. But they are first starved, left thirsty, cold, and so alone. On a huge cruise liner they are abandoned. Each is giving a task to complete. Some may not even survive.

You meet each of these people and as a group how they work together to make it through. After a devastating loss it's finally down to two. Walter and Caz.

Caz spends a lot of time on the water before she is finally rescued. Now the part I really did not like. I can't tell you all or I give away many secrets. I did figure this out even the very ending which was another unbelievable storyline.

I read this hoping it would grab me and make me enjoy it but that never happened. It is very well written and would probably make a great movie but as a book I just didn't enjoy it. If this happened I would NEVER leave my significant other. It just would not happen. Yet Pete left. Of course it was not what he wanted to do. He was swept up in a mob but still.. I would have fought.

Thank you #NetGalley, #WillDean, #Atria/EmilyBestlerBooks for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

3 stars from me. Read it and decide for yourself. You may love it. I didn't.

SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD:

Well, this was a complicated book. I can't express my feelings without commenting on the ending, and without giving it completely away I will say it felt rather unbelievable and undermined everything the characters had been going through up till the last chapters.
The writing was fine. However, this book was exceptionally long, which felt even worse once I reached the ending.
Although the concept was sound it was not built up to in a way that made sense. I was left a little confused by the last line of the book.
Mostly it's a good idea but not a great execution.

Star Rating: 2/5

A cruise with a new, romantic interest that sounds wonderful! This is the vacation of a lifetime and definitely not something they can pass up. Things are going great until the day after the first night when our main character wakes up, and her love interest is missing. She walks out of the room to explore to figure out where her boyfriend went and finds that there’s nobody on this cruise ship except for her, she’s mid ocean and doesn’t know what to do.

I was really excited for this book after I heard some of my favorite Youtubers give it really high praise. I think that it’s good to go into this book knowing pretty much nothing and it definitely is a long book and it takes you on this slow burn ride, but it’s completely worth it. This is so much fun and I highly recommend it for any mystery, thriller readers, and people who enjoy survival stories.

Overall, I had a really fun time with this book, and I will definitely be reading from the author again. Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for the e-arc.

Perfect palette cleanser. Wasn’t my favorite but wasn’t bad! Little too cheesy for my taste. It would be a perfect vacation read.

This book was more addicting than any reality TV show! I was intrigued by the premise of the book and wondered how the author was going to keep the story going for an entire novel BUT he did. Just like reality TV, once I was hooked, I binge read the entire thing. I couldn’t put it down. I HAD to know how it ended - knowing full well the ending would most likely tick me off just like the final episode of every reality show I’ve ever watched. The author had a very unique idea and told the story well. I highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGallery with providing me with an advanced copy. I was enticed to start this book with the description, but unfortunately DNF. I quickly lost interest with the story line as well as the switching points of view.

What a rollercoaster! This is unlike any thriller I've read before. This was a fast paced read full of twists and turns. I'm not completely sure if I liked it or not but it kept my attention. The main character wakes up to find herself alone on a ship in the Atlantic and that's just the beginning of the crazy.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

What a wild ride! A woman wakes up in an abandoned cruise ship and craziness ensues.

Super unique and gripping, and some parts had me on the edge of my seat. Loved the characters of Caz and Smith. I did find some of Caz’s stories and memories and life experiences a bit boring, and would skim some of them to get to the action. I don’t find gambling issues to be that interesting, so I just found it very repetitive and a little unnecessary, but I did think the character development was great.

That ending made me extremely annoyed and left me wondering what the heck happened. We’ve gone through so much that I would’ve liked to know with certainty what was real or not. Otherwise, I enjoyed it!

Thanks to Net Galley for letting me read this one! I’ll be thinking about The Atlantica for a long time.

I’m a huge believer in always reading the synopsis. Movies, TV, books, it doesn’t matter. The more detailed the better. I like to know what I’m about to spend hours reading or watching.

Which is why I’m surprised I loved The Last One as much as I did. All you know is that the main character Caz boards a ship with her boyfriend and hundreds of other passengers and the next morning wakes to find herself alone on the vessel. So much happens after that (including some MAJOR twists) but this book is best experienced when you don’t know what’s coming.

Parts of this story terrified me, but I still had a hard time putting it down. The action, mixed with short chapters make it a true pageturner that I think fans of Squid Game and Black Mirror will enjoy. And that ending!?! It’s a shock that only Will Dean could deliver. The Last One is a must read for thriller fans looking for a

The Last One is out August 8th. Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Last One, the latest release from Will Dean, is the epitome of a book you want to go into blind. Trust me on this, the less you know about the story, the better. I first heard of this book via my friend, Holly's, review. Within her first two paragraphs, I learned this was set on a cruise ship and frankly, that was all I needed. I was sold. Cruise Ship + Thriller = Something I'm Gonna Read.

I requested this one from the publisher and was so excited when they approved me for a copy. I started it pretty quickly after that, because it seemed like a perfect Summer Thriller. Spoiler alert: I was right.

I was immediately intrigued and by the 8%-mark, my jaw was on the floor. What the heck had I gotten myself into? Dean wastes no time getting the ball rolling. It went in a direction that I never in a million years would have expected. It was giving me eerie, Twilight Zone vibes and I was over the moon about it.

I read this so quickly. I couldn't put it down once the suspense sets in. I had to know what was at the heart of this story and even after I found out, it didn't answer everything. In fact, it got even more perplexing. I just had a complete blast reading it. Fun, fast-paced, original and entertaining as heck. I also liked how, without giving too much away, it shined a light a bit on modern life; the way we function day-to-day as humans.

Finally, that ending. Oh my word! That was great. I love a story that can leave me with a little sinister smile on my face at the end and this one absolutely did. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an out of the box Thriller, especially if you think a Cruise Ship setting sounds enticing.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This one was ever more fun than I expected. I'm looking forward to picking up more from this author!

What a wild ride!! I read this entire book in one day, it was such a page turner. I really enjoyed the twist on a locked room mystery. The main character was well done, I felt like she reacted realistically to her situation. I went into this one totally blind and definitely didn’t see the twists coming. I do think it perhaps went one twist too far and the ending took me out of the story a bit. But overall I was very entertained and was kept guessing the whole time!

This was a wild ride. I feel like it could have been shorter (we get it, everything is miserable), and there were a few gaping plot holes, but it was a unique idea and had some fun twists. 3.5 rounded up for the ARC.

What can I even say about this twisty book?! I don't want to spill even a tiny drop of a spoiler, so let me say I had no idea where this book was going. I was constantly on guard, increasingly sick with dread, and loved every second. Will Dean does not hold back and is now an autobuy must read author for me. This book was incredibly unique and perfectly constructed for maximum drama. I could feel the drop in my stomach every time something went wrong and the tense atmosphere of this psychological thriller hooked me the entire time. If I was able I would have sat down and read this entire book without moving. I love the look at how a seemingly innocuous thing could lead to such intense possibilities / consequences. What a fabulous book.

I literally have no words! This was more than a book for me but more like an experience! You know those books you wish you could experience again for the first time??? Yeah, this is one of them.

After reading the synopsis I knew I instantly wanted to read this book but I NEVER in a million years could have dreamed up what would happen. Will Dean is a literal genius! I was most definitely white knuckling my kindle the whole dang time reading this book. There is SOOO much more I could say about this book (fear of saying too much & spoiling it) but this one is definitely better going in blind, I promise! Do yourself a favor & move this to the top of your TBR. Honestly if I could give it more than 5 stars, I would 5 million times over. & with that I wish you fair winds and calm seas while reading!

Thanks to NetGalley & Atria Books for an eARC of this title! & of course to Will Dean for writing such a masterpiece.

What a creative story!

While I did think it took a bit too long for this one to really get going (almost a third into the book), I absolutely LOVED the direction it went in and it surprised the hell out of me.

That being said, I felt this book was about 100-150 pages too long. It became too much of the same, but it was engaging enough that I kept reading.

Overall, I think fans of John Marrs & slow-burns will enjoy this one.

3.75 stars rounded up

The Last One by Will Dean was not what I thought it would be based on the book's description. I envisioned Caz being alone and trying to navigate the ship and survive on her own. Without giving any spoilers, I will say that she is not quite alone.

When the book took a sharp turn, I realized that I was not the right reader for this book. Had I known the actual plot, I would not have selected it. The plot was suspenseful enough that I wanted to know what happened, so I continued and continued - through all 445 pages, many of which were unnecessary due to some circular plot points.

3.5 stars rounded down for a misleading premise. Despite this, I will recommend this to readers who like books about . . . this topic;)

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars*
this is sort of a tough book for me to rate. on one hand, i really enjoyed a good portion of this book. the concept is really cool, and i love how intentionally vague the synopsis is. you don’t figure out the main concept/idea of this book until a third of the way through (for the sake of spoilers, i will not be discussing what the main part of the story is). on the other hand, this book was a bit too meandering at times, and i didn’t get attached to any of the characters. we are in the head of the main character, Caz, the whole time. she got tiresome after a while with all the complaining she did about her life. it was constant and overbearing, in my opinion. i feel bad saying that because she’s clearly trying to come to terms with some trauma, but after a point i was like “okay, i get it!” i’ve just read thrillers that portrayed female main characters with baggage much better (i’m looking at you, The Last Word!).

i will say that there were some reveals that took me by surprise and some parts that were rather clever. however, there were other parts of this book that seemed to try too hard to be philosophical and have conversations about certain topics (can’t say which topics because of spoilers), but didn’t really make me think much. these weren’t any new or different topics of conversation for me. it felt like it was trying to be thought-provoking, but it just wasn’t really (it wasn’t as pretentious/bad as I’m Thinking of Ending Things, i will say. i hated that book).

anyway, i did overall enjoy this. i read it rather quickly for an almost 500 pg. book. i would recommend it if you like:
🛳️books set on cruise chips
👤first person POV
🏝️survival stories

i would read from this author again, although i enjoyed The Last Thing to Burn more. thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

what a creative and bizarre story!! it definitely gave me MAJOR manifest vibes with how eerie and unbelievable the plot was! I mean, if you woke up to a completely deserted cruise ship, I think I would just simply lose my mind 🤯

I have no idea what I was expecting from this one after will dean’s previous novel FIRST BORN completely blew me away, but going in blind to this one was well worth it!

this slow-burn thriller left a bunch of clues throughout, like bread crumbs, but it left me feeling very unsatisfied in the end… the plot twists didn’t give a satisfied conclusion, in my opinion, and I felt just as discombobulated as MC caz was. I just couldn’t get around the legal ramifications of this and how f*cked up the entire plot really was.

for me, I tend to enjoy believable thrillers more than those out of left field, and I highly doubt anything like this plot (which I’m leaving out for spoiler purposes) would happen in real life. it was just a little too out there for my taste, BUT it was truly a heart-pounding adventure from start to finish!

thank you to netgalley and atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! I’m addicted to will dean’s writing!!

rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: columbia valley pinot noir

4.5/5!

What a unique book! I had no idea what I was getting into with the synopsis and honestly that’s perfect. So many times they give away clues about the path of the story, but this one was a roller coaster ride I wasn’t expecting. I highly recommend going into this one as blindly as possible and for that reason, I’m going to keep my review vague on plot details.

Dean has created a claustrophobic and atmospheric setting by choosing to set his story on a massive cruise ship. I could feel the discomfort radiating from Caz throughout the story, which added to the tension and suspense of what was coming next. Dean takes advantage of this by dropping twists when the reader doesn’t expect them. There were a few I saw coming right before they happened, but that didn’t stop the shock of watching them play out.

The Last One moves at a fast pace with lots of cliffhanger chapter endings that keep you glued to the pages. This is one of those books that I thought about while I wasn’t reading it, wondering what would happen next and how things would ultimately end. And speaking of the ending…could there be a sequel coming? I’m keeping my fingers crossed the answer is yes!

A huge thank you to Atria Books for my gifted copy!