⭐️⭐️⭐️.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.

I just finished this book and I have no words! From the very beginning, I honestly didn’t know what to expect and this lasted throughout the entire book. Up until the very last page, the twists had me reeling and staying up way too late in the night reading! What a ride. I will be recommending this book to everyone! Thank you Net Galley & Atria Books for the advanced copy!

The Last One by Will Dean had an intriguing premise but lacked the “can’t put it down” feeling of a great thriller.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for this EARC in exchange for an honest review.

Caz enjoys her first night on a cross-Atlantic cruise ship with her new partner. However, she wakes up the next day and finds all the cabin doors open and no one else on board. The ship is still sailing but no one is manning the boat, where did everyone go and how will Caz survive?

WOW!! What a true thriller! I was on the edge of my seat this entire book, I had no idea what was coming next. The synopsis of this book is very limited in information and that is a good thing cuz you want to go into this blind.

The only disappointment I had was the ending which felt a little predictable and safe. But MAN was the plot of this book messed the heck up. Every turn in this book I was like this cannot be real. It felt like a very unique premise and ALAS I can’t tell anyone about it lol 😵‍💫. Once y’all read this book come find me so we can discuss!!

If you like Taylor Adams' thrillers, I think you will enjoy this book!

✨New Review!✨

The Last One
By Will Dean
Publish August 8, 2023
Genre: Thriller

Wow! Insane. This book really had me questioning what was going on at every turn of the page. I did not guess or expect what was around any corner at any point. Absolutely disturbing and unputdownable!
I’ll give this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.


All this and more….
🌊 Atlantic Ocean
🛳️ luxury cruise ship
🩳 short chapters
🫣 gripping…can’t look away
🤯 what?!?!?!…incredibly disturbing
🌪️ crazy plot & twists
☝️ single female pov
🎭 two-faced characters
🔒 locked room/isolation scenario
🛟 survival
📺 Big Brother/The Wilds (on Amazon) vibes
📕 Lord of the Flies/Hunger Games vibes

Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster and @atriabooks for the ebook arc! It was thoroughly engrossing and traumatic.


#disturbingbook #traumaticthriller #newrelease #bookreview #grippingnovel #fictionalsurvivalstory #thelastone #willdean #simonandschuster #atriabooks #cruisethrillerbook
#bookrecommendation

The Last One is about a 49 year old woman named Caz who goes on a cruise ship with her boyfriend Pete. This is supposed to be a nice holiday for the couple. They enjoy their first night together on the voyager but by the time Caz awakens the next morning, Pete is gone along with a thousand other passengers and staff. This story follows Caz along with three other survivors and their time on the ship. Caz does a lot of reminiscing about her father and the turmoil she experienced growing up. While this story has a great plot, it feel a little flat for me. The characters were not that interesting to me. There was some repetition that got to be a bit much. But the twist at the end was quite shocking. Over all this book was a 3star book for me.

If you are looking for a summer read with a twist, The Last One by Will Dean is your book. In the novel we are introduced to four people Caroline, Daniel, Smith and Frannie. They find themselves stranded on an ocean liner. They are very inventive in handling all their difficulties, as well as certain challenges given to each of them. We learn the interesting back stories of the four and really get to know them as they share their fears and strengths. They soon begin to rely on each other and form a real bond of friendship. The ending is unbelievable. Enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it as a really different summer read. It will keep you guessing.

Thank you so much to Atria books for my #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!


𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
Oh the joys of a relaxing luxury cruise! I was absolutely HOOKED on this locked room thriller-to start with. A luxury cruise, missing passengers and crew, and one last passenger aboard—what a terrifying scenario and the perfect premise for a thriller. I was completely invested, and devoured this book, but then THAT ENDING came and ruined it for me and left me feeling VERY disappointed with it. I will say that the plot is unique, and clever, and the author did a good job trying something new and outside of the box with this one. I think that many people will love this one, but others will hate it. It was entertaining and it grasped my attention for most of the book, it is just the ending that I have major beef with. Also, the length of this book is LONG, too long at almost 450 pages. Overall, it was okay-minus that painstakingly disappointing conclusion-UGH!

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞?
Fans of Big Brother or Survivor the reality tv shows and fans of locked room mystery/thriller books may enjoy this one.

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️3/5