Ok, WOW. This was a new author for me, and I was not totally enamored but was not disappointed either. The story is a total trip, and it is best to go in blind like I did. Also, don't expect a believable story, just go with it. If you do these things, you are in for a wild ride. Caz wakes on a cruise to find her boyfriend and pretty much everyone else gone. What follows is a pretty fast-paced, mostly thrilling, dark and disturbing tale. I enjoyed this for the most part. What did I not like? Extremely short chapters. Normally I like that, I just found some of them a bit jarring as each one seemed to end on a major cliffhanger. That was not all bad, though. There is also not a lot of character development and I found it hard to root for Caz. What did I like? Pretty much everything else! I still couldn't put this one down! Give it a chance, as it is very different as locked room thrillers go and I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Will Dean and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and various other retail and social media sites upon publication.

Hoooo. Leeeee. Crap!!!

That was one thrilling, sadistic, just plain messed up roller coaster ride. I devoured it.

I really did not know what to expect - even the description of the book (that I read afterwards, because I like surprises) wouldn’t have ruined anything except for maybe the first 5 percent of the story.

At one point, I thought the book was ruined. I had been guessing and guessing what could possibly be going on and then it was answered. Plain and simple. And I thought it was going to be horrible. I kind of wanted to guess until the end - it was that suspenseful.

But it was crazy good. And bad. Because I felt guilty reading it and enjoying it so much. I can’t explain why to avoid spoilers. Let’s just say I felt like a spectator - and that was wrong. But I know it isn’t real, which is my only defense!

This is a spectacular book. And that ending!?! OMG.

Welcome aboard the RMS Atlantica! Caz and her new boyfriend, Pete, are looking forward to a relaxing vacation as they cruise from Great Britain to New York on the luxury liner. But when Caz wakes up after their first night at sea, it is to an empty bed -- Pete is nowhere to be found. And then she makes an even more startling realization: All of the passengers are missing. Caz is alone on a massive ship in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean.

That's all I'm going to say about the plot, because the less you know going in to this unputdownable book, the better your reading experience will be. Will Dean has taken a traditional locked room thriller to the seas in this intense, adrenaline-fueled thrill ride, and I couldn't devour it fast enough. With short chapters, propulsive writing, and lots of cliffhangers and life-or-death circumstances, this 400+-page book felt much shorter, and I was riveted the entire time.

Dean manages to balance an incredibly exciting plot with rich character development and thought-provoking criticism of certain elements of modern life, and it all makes for a fascinating, dramatic, and at times incredibly dark reading experience. And that ending! I have some theories about what it really meant, but definitely wouldn't be opposed to a sequel.

There are so many twists, there is so much suspense, it's so engaging and has a bit more meat to the characters than I typically find in a locked room thriller. The Last One is exactly the kind of book I love to read in the summertime, preferably with a cold drink in my hand...but definitely not on a cruise ship. Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

Just wow! Will Dean hits it out of the park! Full disclosure I’m exhausted and have a huge book hangover from this book!
The characters were fantastic. This story was off the charts heavy and intense. What a creepy great deep dive of the human mind, heart and soul.
Thank you to NetGalley, Will Dean and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book

Caz wakes up after her first night on a luxury cruise ship to find she is the only one on this ship. What happened? Where is everyone? Who is steering the ship?

To keep this completely spoiler free my review is limited, and you should go into this book knowing nothing other than…

It is supposed to be a very long overdue vacation for Caz, but boy did it take a turn towards terrifying. This one had be strapped in. I could not put it down. The tension was unbearable, never knowing what would come next. The twists were shocking, and the ending left me speechless.

I don’t think I can fully convey how much I enjoyed this book. Will Dean kept me guessing to the very end. It was utterly gripping, and a fresh story filled with thrills, horrors, and suspense. If you’re looking for a book that will have your anxiety at 100, you will love this.

- Short Chapters
- Cliff Hangers
- Unpredictable
- Locked Room Mystery
- Survivor on steroids

This was my first Will Dean novel, and it will not be my last.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *

After boarding a luxury cruise ship with her boyfriend, a woman wakes up the next morning to find that she is the only person left onboard. It’s survivalist story, part locked room mystery, and full blown nuts. The writing is bad, the book is too long, the story is absolutely ridiculous, but I’ll be dammed if I didn’t stay up all night reading this. If nothing else, it’s certainly memorable.

Overall, this was a fun ride. I would advise other readers to go into the story without knowing too much about what is REALLY going on (that is revealed about 30% of the way in). There were some good twists and turns throughout the book. The one thing that didn't work for me were the super short chapters - normally that is catnip for me! But in this case, I think the chapters were so short that it took me out of the action at a few points.

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝘼𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙-𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮, 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡.

I had super high expectations for this book… I honestly recommend going into this one blindly. Everything the synopsis mentions happens in like the first two chapters, so honestly the whole book was super unexpected.

The story is super eerie and creepy. It freaks me out even thinking about being stuck at sea on a cruise ship… and being the only passenger on board when you wake up? Yeah, no thanks!

I’m so glad I didn’t know a single thing aside from what the synopsis mentioned, but oh man, the route the book took was so strange and surprising. I still don’t know whether I liked it or not - I guess I liked certain moments and not others.

This is a survival thriller so your blood will be boiling throughout the book. I can’t say much else about this book because anything could spoil the book - just go read it.

Fast-paced and tense, this is a super entertaining and captivating read. It might not be for everyone, but it was fun getting twist after twist. Again, go into this one not knowing too much. It was such a fun read!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books for the review copies in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed the concept, but it was way too long. It wasn't a book that I was rushing to pick back up.

I just finished this book and...wow. Completely had me guessing till the very end. Perfect beach read or travel book. Thanks to Emily Bestler books for the E-galley.

The Last One requires oodles of suspension of disbelief but remains a compelling thriller.

Caz and her relatively new boyfriend, Pete, board the exclusive RMS Atlantica ocean liner, excited for their journey to NYC. They spend their first evening enjoying the ship and listening to safety drills. The next morning, Caz wakes up to no sign of Pete and soon realizes she may be the only one on the ship. The other cabins are open and empty, with practically no indication that anyone was ever there.

What happened, and where the heck did everyone go?

I thought this thriller would hinge on one of two possibilities, and it turns out one of my guesses was correct. So a point for me.

It’s pretty dark and disturbing, but at the same time, it could have been a lot darker. Caz has a whole backstory of why she wanted to go on the cruise, but I did not find it added anything interesting to the plot.

While this isn’t my favourite thriller, as it’s fairly unrealistic, it is extremely tense and compelling. I enjoyed the author’s last book, First Born, making it two for two, so I think I’ll keep reading his books as they release.

3.5 rounded up.

Thank you to Atria Books for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

I have not been this entertained by a book in a VERY long time! I started reading this one before bed and got such an adrenaline rush that I could not sleep...then I finished it before going to bed and got such an adrenaline rush that I could not sleep! And then there was everything in between. The Last One is a completely nutcase ride and totally puts the thrill in the genre of "thriller." There was a cliffhanger at the end of every (short) chapter and a new twist or turn every few pages. This book was totally different than I expected, but it was in the best possible way. It was much more like The Hunger Games or even The Westing Game or The Inheritance Games than I was expecting, so if you enjoyed these titles and don't mind being a bit squeamish and very stressed out at times, I would definitely recommend this book.

My only critique is that it was quite lengthy and had a LOT going on, but it is hard to even truly complain about these facets because it all contributed to the overall excitement of the novel. If you are looking for a book to totally suck you in and take you on the craziest ride, this one is for you.

What a RIDE! This is absolutely my type of thriller and I enjoyed every second of it. I love the vague yet intriguing synopsis, and I love the direction it went but can also see why some readers won't. I laughed out loud at the very last twist, which is always fun. Is it perfect? No. Was it perfect for my taste? Yes! I'd recommend this to fans of Reckless Girls and other thrillers that have a great atmosphere + over-the-top twists and turns, and if you're willing to suspend your disbelief and questions and just go with it. Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!!

The description of this book does a great job of not letting you know what was going to happen. I did not expect that the reason everyone was gone was a reality show. Had I know, I wouldn’t have read. But I’m glad I did. It was hunger games + squid games and I gasped several times. The ending is still stuck in my head.

I’ll start by saying I love looking at a good book map, and the inclusion of the map of RMS Atlantica in the beginning of the book immediately got me excited to dive into reading!

I never realized how much I fear being completely alone, but this book really drove that point home for me. Just imagine waking up on a massive ship in the middle of the ocean, completely and entirely alone…. Nope!!!

This book had me rethinking my cruise plans for October and unlocked fears for me I didn’t even know existed! The twists kept me hooked and I absolutely needed to see what would happen next on this massive, abandoned ship.

Definitely one of the most suspenseful and shocking books I’ve read this summer and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

The Last One by Will Dean
Publishing Date - 08/08/23
Rating (3.5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you Netgalley, Atria books, and the author for this eARC. This one started off at a slow start , but at about half way through I found myself more interested to find out what happens.

Synopsis - Caz is on a cruise ship with her boyfriend. When she wakes up in the morning she finds him gone. On inspection of the ship she appears to be the only passenger left on board. She eventually finds other passengers and they try to piece together what has happened. Overall , great premise , slow at times , but a wow ending! I think this one will be a hit this August.

Thanks to Atria for the eARC.
This book is truly a wild ride. As soon as I finished, I had a whoa moment and was so impressed with what Dean accomplished here. I highly recommend going into this book without any prior knowledge and just settle in for a wild ride. It does require some suspension of disbelief, but it is so worth it for the edge of the seat feeling you get while reading this book. The ending will be polarizing - as in you'll love or hate it. What I'm truly impressed with is that this was a long book, 448 pages, yet it didn't feel like it at all. So, so impressed with everything here!

Oh. My. God! The Last One by Will Dean was such a crazy, thrill ride of a book! Caz and her boyfriend Pete board the luxury cruise ship RMS Atlantica for a relaxing cruise. The first morning Caz wakes up and Pete is gone…along with everyone else on the ship! What a nightmare! This book had me so disturbed and anxious. Caz was a multi-layered character with a lot of sadness in her past. She is also a strong, bad ass woman! I don’t want to say too much else about the plot and give anything away. Please read this book! You will not be disappointed. I am excited to read more books by Will Dean! Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Last Passenger is a well written, well plotted thriller of a very modern-day concept. The premise of this book had me engaged from the beginning: Caz Ripley goes on a cruise with a thousand other people for some fun and relaxation. She goes to sleep that night with her partner lying beside her, to wake the following morning.... with everyone gone on a ship in the middle of the ocean and the ship headed in a different direction. Fantastically creepy and mysterious, I highly and enthusiastically recommend!

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for my advanced copy.

The Last One by Will Dean
Rating: 2 stars
Pub Date: 8/8

You have to suspend a lot of disbelief to enjoy this one, and unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.

Caz and her boyfriend Pete are on vacation aboard the luxury cruise liner, The RMS Atlantica having a wonderful time. But then Caz wakes up the morning after their first day to find that Pete is gone. And when she goes to investigate, she realizes that every passenger is gone, and she is alone onboard.

That’s all I’ll say about the premise because you need to go into this completely blind. The blurb hooked me, and I was immediately drawn into this story. The beginning promises a suspenseful, locked-room-style thriller as we follow Caz while she tries to understand what is happening to her. It’s kept a secret until about 30%, and then part of the mystery is revealed. This is when things started to go downhill for me.

The characters are all very unlikable, and it’s impossible to connect with or care about any of them. At almost 500 pages, the book is also way too long. The plot moves along quickly, but the backstories of each character and all the extra information they’re sharing are very repetitive, to the point that I started skimming through it.

To top it off, the ending was ridiculous and unbelievable. I wish I had more positive things to say, but this was so disappointing on so many levels.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for my advanced copy.