I thoroughly enjoyed this novel provided courtesy of NetGalley. It was an original premise, to me, and while the outcome was sort of predictable, it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the book. The main protagonist, was likable and complicated enough of a character.

The setting was a spooky abandoned cruise liner which was unique enough. I was a little annoyed that every time the main character said something couldn’t happen, it essentially did. The thing I liked most about the novel was the statement made about a certain industry which I will abstain from mentioning to keep from spoiling the outcome. I was disappointed that this seems like the first of a series. I think the author should have spent more effort with the detail of this book, which would have made it more epic. It goes by so quick that I’m left thinking it was more a premise for a film rather than a novel. Ultimately, that is a characteristic of good writing. Wanting to spend more time in a created world, rather than rushing to the ending.

I did not just read all of this for THAT to be the ending. 🙄

I swear there were like 7,000 twists in this book. Every time you think you might slightly know what is going on, something else happens and the book changes. It definitely keeps you hooked but not always in the best way.

This book just kept pissing me off. I’m not sure if the author intentionally wrote the characters to be somewhat dumb or if the author the self didn’t know that you can boil seawater and make it drinkable… So many times the characters were worried about not having enough water to drink. While in the middle of the ocean. And access to fire. And pots. But nooooo! They would, however, boil the rainwater they collected. Clearly I have thoughts and feelings about this 😂

This book was a lot. I’m going to go read something light and fluffy now.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Need something you can’t put down? Something that grabs you right off and you just have to get to the next chapter. Ok just one more! And another! This is it! This was a fantastic book and well written! This definitely is my favorite Will Dean book that I’ve read. Imagine you get to take a long overdue holiday on a pristine cruise liner with your wonderful boyfriend. What could be better right?? You go to bed and wake up to find every single person on the ship is gone!!!! The ending …….. well you’ll need to read it to find out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Last One
By Will Dean
Pub Date: 8/8/23
Publisher: Atria

Caz and her boyfriend Pete are headed out on a luxury cruise. The first night is absolutely perfect.
But Caz wakes up on the second day she finds herself completely alone. No Pete, no crew…nobody. As she begins to search for Pete she realizes it looks like no one has ever been there. She’s completely alone on the RMS Atlantic in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
This was such an intense read. You never knew what was coming next! It was very easy to put yourself in Caz’s shoes and experience the book from her vantage point. Fingers crossed there will be a second book.

When Caz steps onboard the cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s for the vacation of a lifetime. In her fifties, she thinks she has finally met her life partner in Pete and is looking forward to spending this trip with him. However, when Caz wakes up on their second day out at sea, she comes to the realization that she’s the only one on the ship.

THE LAST ONE by Will Dean is my first read by him and was such a crazy ride!

This one is best to go in blind with (and the synopsis does a great job of revealing the bare minimum!) and is such a wild, claustrophobic story that was very difficult to put down.

The short chapters made it easy to binge (even at a whopping 448 pages) and the characters were interesting enough to keep me caring and wanting to engage with them.

Definitely excited to read Dean’s backlog after enjoying this one!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: August 8

Wow! I am never shocked by books anymore…until today. I’d give this book 6 stars if I could!

Caroline (Caz) is on a cruise with her boyfriend, Pete. On day 2, she wakes up and Pete is nowhere to be found. In fact, she soon discovers that there are no other people on the ship; No crew, no passengers, she is completely alone…..and the ship is moving full speed ahead. Where did everyone go?

This book had me hooked from the very beginning and gripped me until the last word. Twists? Oh my goodness, too many to count and I didn’t see ANY of them coming.

I am so sad it took me so long to read this ARC! Don’t let the page count deter you. It is so fast paced, I read this in one sitting. I did not want to put the book down. I even had my dinner delivered because I didn’t want to stop reading so I could cook.

This is the first book I have ever read by Will Dean. You better believe that after I type this review, I’m going to go buy more of his books!

I am so sad that the book is over.

I felt like the rug was being pulled out from underneath me REPEATEDLY and I loved every second of it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were well developed and the story was engaging. I recommend that others try this book as well. Well done!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I still can't decide if I love the ending or if I'm mad about it. I guess I could be both.

There was no way that I could predict the big twist in this book. That big twist took this book from a person stranded to something completely different. Something I don't think I've ever read before. I enjoyed it immensely.

This book had very very small chapters that made it very easy to say oh I'll just read one more and then you've read another 5 chapters without realizing it. The one drawback for me with the short chapters though is that the book did feel a little long.

Caroline and her boyfriend head on a cruise aboard the RMS Atlantica. The ship has all the amenities you can think of, so Caz and Pete eat, drink, and dance their hearts out on the first night. Caz wakes up with a splitting hangover and Pete nowhere to be found. She looks around the ship for him, but…no one else is there either. She heads to the captain’s quarters and no one is steering the boat! She’s alone on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean.

This turns into a Survivor-like adventure with a lot of twists and turns. Overall the ending had me like “WHAT THE HECK” and I won’t take a cruise any time soon!

Thanks to Net Galley and Atria books for my ARC! Pub date 8/8/23!

Tired of reading the same thrillers all summer long? Ready for something completely different?

An ocean liner steams its way to New York. Thousands of guests on-board enjoying the luxuries from Gold level status on up!

After the evenings first party on the ship, Caz slowly wakes and automatically reaches for her boyfriend. He’s not there. Not on the balcony, not in the bathroom. Totally confused, she emerges from her suite and notices all the cabin doors are ajar and not a soul in site.

Turns out all but four (not so) lucky travelers are all the only ones left on board. On the bridge, no captain piloting the ship…no engineer to keep the boat running. Nothing. No one.

Where is everyone? Why are these four the only ones left on board? How do they get off this ship?

Eventually they discover there is more at play here. Now the question is, will they work together or will it all descend into primal survival with everyone for themselves?

I’m staying quiet and saying nothing more because this is one that is best to go in blind!

Is it over the top? Yes! Do all the pieces fit together? Well mostly. Did any of that take away from my enjoyment? Not one little bit!

There I was, thinking finally… a book to get me out of my recent reading slump. Clearly a solid four, maybe even 4 and ½ star read.

Then came the ending!🤯😱 OMG!! One of the best endings ever!🙌🏼
Deserves all the stars!🤩

Will Dean is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books

I'm so sorry to say that I truly disliked this. I was drawn in by the synopsis of a woman trapped alone on a rogue cruise ship (which is negated just a few chapters in), but the execution ultimately felt silly and nonsensical. The tension was mostly sapped by repetitive scenes and internal monologues and a bloated page length, and that final scene was.... not it.

The premise got me. Caz wakes up on a cruise ship and it's deserted? No boyfriend, no crew, no other passengers. What the heck happened? It's got to be ghosts, or Bermuda Triangle, or some otherworldly supernatural, right? This hook is what pulled me into this book. One star for the hook. The vanishing happens pretty quickly.

Incredibly short chapters led to propulsive reading. One star for the short chapters.

This is going to be 100% non-spoilery while I review what I didn't like. We don't know enough about Caz to care that much. We're not that invested in her while she tries to figure out what's happening and her backstory is square pegged into the current story and I didn't find it that compelling. The narrative felt derivative of some pop culture events of the past few years, and a Mötley Crüe concert I went to in the 80s (heh). And other movies. Some great, some not-so-great and that's all I'll say about that. Finally, the events are mean, cruel, and go from bad to worse to just nope. I thought about putting it down many many times, but, short chapters!

So I did make it to the bitter end. One star for finishing! [Actually that star should go to me.]

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC. The Last One will be published in August 2023.

I am extremely disappointed to say this, seeing as First Born was one of my favorite books of 2022, but I struggled unbelievably with this one. I was so bored and I had to will myself to keep reading. I had high hopes for this one, but it just missed the mark for me.

*4.5 stars rounded up*

The Last One follows Caz as she boards a cruise ship to New York with her boyfriend. Everything is going great until she wakes up all alone on the ship. There are no other passengers or crew members. Where did everyone go and how is she going to survive alone? From there, things take a wild turn and the rest of the story unfolds crazily.

I enjoyed this book! It was a unique story. The synopsis did not hint at the actual stuff going on. I was shocked in many different parts of the book and the ending left me with my jaw hanging open! I can't talk too much about this book without spoiling it. I recommend it if you like locked-room mysteries.

I will say that the book did seem a bit too long. I don't think it needed to be over 400 pages. I think if this book was 100 pages left, it would've been a 5 star for me.

Thanks so much to netgalley and Atria books for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

OK, what?! This book was insanity and suspense the whole way through! There was a point where I was actually getting scared and unsure if this was the book for me, but then literally the next page flipped the whole story upside down and I was hooked. I don't want to give much away, but things in Caz's situation just keep getting worse.. And worse.. And worse. I found that even though there were a couple of characters I really didn't like, I still was rooting for everyone! This book really made me think about things like consent, social media influence, bystander apathy, and how we realize what is truly important to us when pushed to extremes. I have mixed feelings about the ending! But let me say this- The Last One will be released on August 8, and it would be great if we could arrange a sequel to be released on August 9 😂

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5

So grateful for this ARC provided to me by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Gosh this was a lot to process and to long in my opinion. I did some skimming of the descriptions and the flashbacks that were just randomly scattered throughout the book way to many times referencing Caroline’s dads gambling past or her mothers illness. These occurred way to often for me and confusing to be just in the middle of a chapter, glad I wasn’t listening to the audio for this reason.

So Caroline and her boyfriend are on board an oceanic cruise liner, after the first night she wakes up and there are only 4 people left on board with no explanation as to why. A severely twisted “game” unfolds that they did not willingly want to participate in. The game is over the top to say the least—hard to wrap your head around the tasks/events at times. Writing builds tension well, lots of things occurring, the characters flip/flop often which kinda prevents you relating to them much. Without giving away to much, the storyline is not like anything I’ve read and definitely would not want to experience in real life, almost makes it hard to imagine.

I debated on 2 or 4 stars because I truthfully didn’t “enjoy” this wild ride, it did take a crazy imagination to write this story—and that I respect, but feel several things could have been better, it did invoke lord of different emotions while reading—-overall I probably wouldn’t recommend this book to just anyone though.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Will Dean takes you on a devilish cruise of epic proportions in The Last One. Caz Ripley is in for a trip that will leave her questioning everything and just as fearful and confused.

Carolina ‘Caz’ Ripley boards a majestic cruise ship in Southampton to experience a once-in-a-lifetime excursion with her beau Pete. After an evening of living it up on the open ocean, Ripley awakes to an empty bed, Pete nowhere to be found. Exiting her room to try and track him down, she immediately realizes that there is more amiss than she originally thought. Traversing every deck and location possible, she continues to come up empty until she’s rewarded with a random noise that leads to a gentleman who is also on his own.

What is he doing by himself? Is there anyone else still on the ship? More importantly, where did everyone else go? Why is there no one driving the ship? These are all questions you’re going to ask yourself and most likely the book itself. I found myself more than once, attempting to speak to Dean through the pages and ask him what the heck he was thinking.

Will Dean delivers an alluring and mind-altering adventure that will leave you exhausted. This is one of the most exhilarating adventures I’ve been on in some time, as you have no idea how Dean keeps one-upping himself. His creativity and unique storytelling ability cleverly come to a crescendo when he’s ready. There’s no divulging the ending quickly, he continually leaves fragments that will and will not help you with your sleuthing skills as you work your way to the ending.

This is an extremely detailed adventure that you don’t want to miss. In the game of life, you only get one chance, no mulligans. Will Caz Ripley survive hers and what will come from her nightmare journey?

Wow! I loved this book so much!!!! So freaking fantastic!! A total page turner!! I can't recommend this enough! And that ending!!! I honestly thought it was pure genius!!! 👏 👏 👏 I will be very disappointed if there is not a sequel.

Suspenseful and seriously addicting. It has short cliffhanger chapters and the story was so engrossing, it was very hard to put down. The pages were flying by. I almost felt like I was running on adrenaline while reading. Like a frantic kind of energy, reading more than I intended to because I HAD to know what happened next! I actually caught myself gasping at one point, which may be a first for me.

My best advice is to go into this without reading too many reviews or you'll run the risk of finding out too early what happened to all the passengers on the ship. You DO NOT want any spoilers on this one. It's a wild ride and so worth it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC.

What in the world did I just read??
Thank you, Atria Books, for the gifted copy of The Last One {partner}

Genre: Mystery
Trope: Locked Room
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 8.8.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

Alright, so in full transparency, I am still unsure about what I read and whether or not it was worth it, but here are my thoughts on this twisty, locked-room mystery set on the high seas.

The first 25-30% of The Last One was pure thriller perfection. It had me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, trying to figure out what was happening. Was Cat the only passenger left on the ship? How did she sleep through all of the other passengers disappearing? Also, what will the author do with the rest of this book (because there was a chunk left)? But, I was fascinated by the story. So, I kept going.

Then there was a twist - and wait... what? This makes no sense. So, what I’m understanding is this is all... wow! Okay, well, let’s see where it goes. I adjusted and fell back into step with the story, eager to learn more.

Another twist? Well, this is twistier than the new Twister movie - but wait, again. Excuse me? Unfortunately, I didn’t quite recover with this twist because it was just too much for me. It was utterly unbelievable, and I felt bamboozled.

Then, that ending - does this mean there will be a second book? Or is the ending more depressing? I don’t know.

For me, The Last One had a lot of potential, but it just flopped. The author took on one too many outrageous turns that left me unable to follow the story. It’s one of those I truly wanted to love, but it didn’t do anything for me. Was it memorable? Absolutely.

I recommend reading The Last One if you enjoyed reading The Family Game by Catherine Steadman.

I don’t even know how to describe this book. Thriller? Horror? It’s definitely claustrophobic and terrifying. Imagine going to sleep on a luxury passenger ship and waking up alone with all of the food and water missing. Slowly you find other passengers, but who can you trust? This book was horrifying and propulsive, and I read it in one sitting without stop. I’m gonna go take a Xanax now, so I can calm down.