Reading Between the Wines book review #100/115 for 2023:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: The Last One
Author: Will Dean
Available now!!! Released Aug 8, 2023!

Sipping thoughts: I want to first say I love Will Dean. I found him when I first read The Last Thing to Burn (4 stars) and then I followed that up, just a year later, with First Born (5 stars). I went in with high hopes and expectations. Dean met my expectations with suspense and the way he writes. The short chapters, each ending on a cliffhanger, had me not wanting to put the book down. I enjoyed every minute of the thrills and suspense right up to the end. I thought it was going to be another 5-star book but I just did not like how the mystery turned out. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but it did not deter me from enjoying the rest of the book.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @AtriaBooks for an advanced copy of @TheLastOne.

#TheLastOne #WillDean #AtriaBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Will Dean is a very popular author....or at least in my circle of reading friends.....they all consider him a must read. THE LAST ONE is definitely a unique story line, or it is to me. I personally would be freaked out to find myself in Caz's situation, no one on board except me and no idea how or why. Will Dean rolls out the story a little slowly for my taste but picks up "steam" as the plot progresses. The ending is definitely a game changer. Read on and join the Dean fan club.

I went into this thinking locked room on a cruise ship yes please sign me up, coming out of it I think I'm staying home for the rest of my life.

The premise of this book is bloody brilliant, a luxury cruise filled with shiny happy people, until it isn't until there are only six people on that ship and they're about to have a hell of a time figuring it all out.

With breathtaking intricacies that have you questioning everyone and everything onboard the Atlantica this book will have you in a state of shock, awe, and even terror at specific moments.

And speaking of terror, can we just talk about all of those little clauses in travel documents? After reading this book I will, and then I'll read them again just to be sure.

Thinking about the vastness of the ocean, how small one cruise ship, one group, one person can feel, it's the perfect setting for a thriller of this type, the thought of if no one sees it did it happen, it takes your mind in so many directions, what would I do, who would I sacrifice, what if I found out everything I thought I knew was a lie... I'm still reeling from that ending.

Can we just talk about that last line for a moment, to say my jaw dropped would be an understatement, to say I was internally screaming no would be an understatement, to say I immediately stated googling if there was going to be a series would be accurate because as many ups and downs as this book had I want more, I'm hooked, and while Will Dean is now an auto-read author for me I have so many questions.

If anyone wants to sit and chat about this one let me know because my brain is still swimming... pun fully intended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an advance copy of this E-Book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This new release from Will Dean was quite entertaining!

The plot was pretty farfetched, and that did impact my enjoyment a bit. However, it's still a quick, compelling read, perfect to binge in an afternoon (as long as you don't mind suspending disbelief).

I AM SHOOKETH. I swear on every drop of water in the Atlantic Ocean, this was the most entertaining book I’ve read in a very long time. The action, the pacing, the twists, TOP NOTCH ENTERTAINMENT. 🚢🌊
•
Caz boards a luxury ocean liner with her boyfriend and the next morning when she wakes up, everyone is gone. *poof*
•
She starts exploring and things just go sideways and never really get right again. 🫣 It was such a wild ride. It took one turn that I NEVER SAW, and then ANOTHER, and then one I kind of expected, and then ANOTHER, and then the END 🤯🤯🤯
•
It also has short chapters that end with little mini cliffhangers and if that’s not the perfect formula for a thriller I don’t know what is. 💯
•
Go get this book right now! It’s FIVE ENTHUSIASTIC STARS from me! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced e-copy!

The Last One, is a super fast-paced read, containing very short chapters with cliffhangers at the end of each one. I couldn’t stop flipping the pages to see how this book would end! You will want to pick a day to do nothing but read this book!!! I can't wait to read more of Will Dean's books. I highly recommend this book. You will be guessing all the way to the end!


Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

This book is my first by this authors and it sucked me in immediately. I went into this one completely blind, and I am glad I did. Each time I had to put it down to handle my adult responsibilities, all I could think about is picking this back up to continue reading. The short chapters allowed me to read a couple here and there whenever I had a few minutes. I enjoyed how different each of the main characters were. There were so many twists and there were a few times I outwardly gasped. I had to know what was going to happen next and what the next survival tactic was going to be. I didn’t guess the ending nor the secondary ending so it will be interesting to see if there is a second book. I definitely will be reading more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, this is a voluntary honest review.

I was invested in this story from the first chapter and found it one of the most intense thrillers I have ever read. Much of the intensity comes from the surprises, mostly unpleasant, that are revealed in the short, staccato chapters, punctuated by little cliffhangers at the end of each one. The tension ramps up inexorably to an astounding conclusion, and a final, gut-wrenching twist!
The characters are richly drawn, especially Caz, the protagonist who narrates the whole tale from her first-person POV. As a middle-aged café owner, caring daughter, protective sister of Gemma, and lover of Pete, Caz has plenty of past history and baggage to grapple with as she faces the challenges of this voyage. The vignettes about her past, especially regarding her father, make her character particularly sympathetic, and invite the reader to understand what informs her decisions in the present.
This is a complex tale, an ominously tense thriller. It tackles issues of trust, loyalty, family dynamics, betrayal, gas-lighting, and psychological abuse, in a very contemporary setting. I’m very much looking forward to the next book he writes

Thank you to NetGalley, Will Dean and Atria Books for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I love locked in type thrillers so this was right up my alley. I loved all the twists and the shocking moment. Definitely a quick and binge worthy read.

This book was exactly what it promised to be...

Super fast, absorbing reading experience. When I wasn't reading it, I wanted to be. I haven't felt this driven to finish a book in forever.

It's really difficult to get into the plot without giving spoilers, but I'll say this went in a surprising, and unexpectedly deeper, direction than I expected. It presented some thought-provoking moral dilemmas that made me examine my own behavior.

Short chapters, and short, straightforward sentence structure made it a really low effort, high pay off read. The speed at which I'm able to read a book adds dimension to the experience. In this case, the speediness increased my sense of tension and urgency.

My only complaint is the length. It felt a little too long in places. Primarily, the sections detailing Caz's backstory felt bloated and repetitive and really slowed things down. I understand that we needed her to have a compelling history so that her choices made sense, but I think that could have been accomplished in fewer anecdotes.

That aside, this was really fun. Would recommend to anyone who likes fast paced books, is looking for a thriller with a little more social commentary than what you'd typically expect, and/or those who like to (or are okay with) suspending disbelief.

“𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴…” THE LAST ONE (pub 08.08)⁣
⁣
I don’t read many thrillers, but when my trusted book friend @stephaniehowell raves about a book I tend to listen.⁣
⁣
This novel takes off at an unrelenting and terrifying pace as soon as the ship leaves the dock. The thought of being stranded in large, wide open spaces of water is a very specific fear of mine that makes me anxious. So this book kept me firmly planted on the edge of my seat. ⁣
⁣
There were elements that were almost too bananas but I was too enthralled to care. It kept me guessing and the twists were outrageous in the best way. ⁣
⁣
READ: In print thanks to @atriabooks and audio thanks to @simon.audio I loved having both formats b/c I couldn’t put it down.

The last page made me gasp.

But I’m conflicted.

While the premise and twists were entertaining, I have so many qualms about this story. It certainly was fast-paced and a page-turner with Lost vibes. Yet, it felt rushed and like details were missing. I wasn’t a fan of the characterizations and didn’t really care about what was going (outside of figuring out the twists that everyone raves about).

It’s a fun poolside read for sure but not my favorite.

This was my first Will Dean novel. What drew me to this book was the cover. A lot of my friends added this to their TBR and I followed! I am SO happy I read this! I was. hooked from page 1. This book was fast paced and gave me so much anxiety lol- but in a good way! The author told a great story that was filled with twists and turns and the plot was just perfection. I kept asking myself "what would I do if I woke up to this situation?!"
I have a fear of the deep sea and this book totally freaked me out, yet I kept on reading. That shows how engaging this read was. Thank you netgalley for this ARC.

What would you do if you woke up on a cruise ship to discover you were the only one on board?!

Caz is excited for her vacation with her love, Pete, on the cruise ship, Atlantica. But after their first night aboard Caz wakes up with Pete no where insight. In fact, no one is insight and all the cabin doors are wide open. She is in the middle of the ocean, all alone.

What a plot! I was hooked from the start! Dean weaves a web of tension and suspense, expertly building the atmosphere of isolation and fear that Caz experiences. As she grapples with her newfound reality, you'll find yourself drawn into her world, feeling her confusion, fear, and determination to uncover the truth. I couldn’t help but feel the claustrophobia and unease as I read about the eerie corridors and abandoned spaces, sharing Caz's uneasiness and growing desperation.

This book is out this week, so check it out! If you’re planning on going on a cruise anytime soon though, maybe hold off on reading this until after you’re back on dry land.

Thank you Atria for the advanced copy of this book and to Will Dean for the heart pounding, mind reeling read!

If there's one thing Will Dean has, it's the audacity. What an ending!! I did not see that coming at all. (Had to get that off my chest first, now on to an incredibly vague review!)

The synopsis of THE LAST ONE intrigued me so much when I watched a the booktuber vlog her reading experience. Basically the first 10% of the book is the synopsis and a bunch of other stuff happens after that - I strongly recommend going into this book as blind as you can so I'm definitely not going to share anything else that happens lol. My main theories right off the bat were some of the classics (everyone is dead including the MC, it's all a dream, etc.) - needless to say I won't tell you if anything was right.

I couldn't put this down and finished it in one day. Once some ~things~ happen and are revealed, the book is a pretty slow-ish thriller. It's not fast-paced like many others but I still couldn't stop reading because I was dying to know what would happen next. There are some strong twists but not too many, which was really nice. It's a little slower at parts like I said and thus I think it's a LITTLE too long, but the ending was so good. I can't believe how the author chose to end this lol.

I don't want to say anything else but if you like locked door mysteries (and, like me, never know how they're going to make a whole book centered around one person and one space), you will probably enjoy this one. The ending is definitely going to be divisive but I generally liked it because it made my jaw drop. Highly recommend this!

New fear unlocked...

I have never been on a cruise, and I'm not entirely sure I want to embark on one after reading this. Waking up alone on a massive boat is something I'm not willing to risk 😅

The author did a tremendous job describing the vessel and all of the amenities included. He made it easy to visualize everything. I don't want to say too much due to fear of giving away spoilers... I will say, you won't have to wait until the end of the book to figure out what's happening and why all the passengers are missing. I will admit, the story took a direction that I was not anticipating. I'm not sure how much I love the twist, but it made for a unique read. I really enjoy books that include strategy and puzzles.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #AtriaBooks for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

THIS BOOK. *cue maniacal laughter*

I honestly can't say too much because I don't want to spoil ANYTHING. But imagine waking up on a cruise ship to find that you're the only person aboard. Horrifying. (Uh yeah, I'm literally never going on a cruise ever now. Thanks Will Dean.) It was gripping and truly unputdownable. I switched from audio to ebook 69% of the way in because I just NEEDED to know how it ended. Then I woke up at 5 am and finished the last 5%. And those last 5%, dear god. I demand a sequel!!!

*Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review, Simon Book Club Favorites for the gifted copy, and Simon Audio for the gifted ALC*

Caz and her boyfriend Peter embark on a cruise across the Atlantic, but when she wakes up after the first night everyone is gone. This book had all the makings to be really good, but the ending left me disappointed.

Wow, I got into this book because it was so good. In the same breathe it made me mad, so mad that I made my kids listen to me while I told them about the book. This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride. There were so many twists and turns that happened in this book.
Caz goes on a cruise with her boyfriend Peter. On the first night they go to bed and when Caz wakes up she finds that she is alone on the ship. Pete is gone, when she goes looking for him she find Daniel, Smith, and Frannie. They are on the ship with no food, water, or electricity. That’s all I will say you have to read the book to find out what happens.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC for my honest review.

What a crazy ride! This was one of the most original books I’ve ever read!! It’s a crazy train but in the best way. May have been a bit too long, but I was here for this abandoned cruise ship thriller. Don’t sleep on this one!