This is such an underrated thriller.
A woman and her boyfriend go on a cruise along with thousands of others. She wakes up one day to find that every single person on the ship is gone and she's alone.
This is a locked-room type of thriller which I haven't read much of. I was super intrigued to continue reading - wanting to find out what was going on.
I loved that the chapters were so short, and I loved that the entire book kept me in suspense. There was truly something crazy happening on every page. No dull moments.
I'd love to see this made into a movie!

What a ride this book was! I'm going to be very careful with my review because I definitely don't want to spoil anything for other readers with this one. The less that you know going in, the better in my opinion. So the premise of this book is obviously very intriguing...what happened to everyone else? I completely didn't expect the direction that this book too at all - and I'm going to leave it at that. I found that the short chapters and all of the questions had me flying through the pages of this book unwilling to set it down for too long. This was a very compelling read although I found it slightly stressful at times just because I was so invested. And I didn't love the ending - I didn't hate it but especially with the last line found it too unbelievable. This was still a fun read/ride though and one that I would recommend.

Readers who enjoy page turning thrillers that they cannot set down should give this book a try. This is my first read by this author but it certainly won't be my last. Four stars overall and it's quite the ride the author takes you on.

At the surface, Will Dean’s The Last One seems like a book that would be right up my alley. I love a good survival story … and one set at sea? Count me in! I am fascinated by the ocean and everything that it holds within its depths, and I can hardly imagine anything more terrifying than being lost at sea with no help in sight.

The Last One plays on this stranded at sea phobia in quite the unusual way. Caz and her boyfriend Pete have set sail on a luxury cruise liner called the RMS Atlantica, but when she awakes the morning after setting sail, Caz is surprised to discover that all of the ship’s passengers have disappeared. She is completely alone on this ship, which continues sailing forth in the ocean. This certainly sounds like an episode of the Twilight Zone, but as Caz explores the cruise liner, her circumstances become more clear … and dire.

It should be said that The Last One is a wholly unique novel with an explosive twist. You won’t quite know what you are reading … that is, until you do. I am of the opinion that this book’s twist has the potential to be quite divisive because it essentially causes a subtle shift in genre. Some readers may feel that this is not what they signed up for; however, if you like to read with an open mind, The Last One is an intriguing book to try.

In all honesty, The Last One has many of the ingredients that I love in a book; however, I suffered from a major disconnect while reading, which thoroughly dampened my enjoyment of this book. I loved the setting and didn’t mind the twist; but the characters were written in a distant, stand-offish way that really took me out of the story. As someone who loves character-driven novels, I need there to be a little something there in terms of forming a bond with the people in a story. Will Dean lost me in that regard.

Recommended to fans of Ruth Ware’s One Perfect Couple.

Loved this mystery with a unique twist!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #AtriaBooks for a free copy of #TheLastOne by Will Dean. All opinions are my own.

Book Review:
Title: The Last One
Author: Will Dean
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

I'm glad I didn't read the reviews before starting this one because I might not have given it a chance and missed out! I LOVED this book! Some of the scenes were giving me literal goosebumps! 😱 I really wish they'd adapt this one into a horror movie. This book combines my favorites, reality TV and horror!

Caz and Pete board, the Atlantica, a luxury cruise liner, for a dream vacation. When Caz wakes up the first morning, Pete and all of the other guests on the cruise have disappeared as well as the crew. What the heck happened overnight?! Where did hundreds of people go without Caz hearing or seeing something? There are jaw dropping, terrifying scenes throughout the boat. A huge twist about 1/2 way through that is just weird and crazy but I loved it! I can't justify my love for this book. It is what it is!

Published: August 8th, 2023

Thank you, @netgalley and @atriabooks, for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It was going so good - up until 40% in. And I was out. I did not care for the extreme game show aspect of the plot.

I've read some of Will Dean's earlier books and loved "The Last Thing to Burn," a dark, creepy, nearly perfect thriller. I highly recommend it. "The Last One" is equally gripping, with unstoppable pacing and a haunting atmosphere, and your enjoyment will depend on how well you like the ending.

Caz and Pete embark on a dream cruise, but the next morning Pete is missing, and Caz finds all the cabin doors open and the ship empty, still barreling out to sea. Can you imagine? This story triggered all my worst fears.

Caz discovers there's no food, water, or basic amenities and has to survive from there. I really enjoyed!

I absolutely hated this book. I can't rate it zero stars or I would.
It was not anything that I expected given the completely disingenuous and misleading synopsis.
From almost the beginning when Caz wakes alone I had an idea where this was going.
Yes, I finished it but that is a couple hours of my life I will never get back.
And I will always be a bit leery about this publisher's book descriptions again.

And to make it all even worse, the narrator of this audiobook was horrible. Her accent and the way she tried to voice the other characters was extremely irksome and I finally had to stop listening. The way she pronounced certain words was so bad that if I had not been following along in the e-book, I would have not understood anything.

Regardless, this is a book (in either format) I wouldn't recommend to anyone.

Let me first say that you have to prepare yourself for a very unlikely plot. Also, prepare yourself for being thoroughly entertained. I loved the trope, as I always do (I always feel nervous when enclosed spaces are described) so that spoke in its favor. I still felt it went a bit too far, and when the words came I thought; oh, man!! I also found the backstory unnecessarily long, but I did sympathize with the main character and liked her.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Caz (Caroline) goes on a once in a lifetime luxury cruise with her new boyfriend, Pete. The first night is awesome but in the morning, she wakes up to an empty bed and an empty ship. And it is incredibly difficult to say much else without spoilers.

I was so intrigued with this premise. And the beginning of the book did not disappoint; I was hooked right away. Then it turned into such a slog. This is a nearly 500-page book, and I wish it had not been. I understand the mundanity of the situation; however, I was largely uninterested from about the 20-60% mark. Caz's character was likeable but her backstory was so dull. We understand her drive and motivations early on, then the same information is recycled over and over again. I could have personally done without. I don't feel like I ever figured out anything new or interesting about her.

I did become reconnected with the story again towards the last third of the book. I still think it took longer than needed to get there, but I was legitimately surprised by a couple of the twists. And the ending is really something. Love it or hate it, I think it was an interesting way to go with the story.

omg... that was one of the craziest books I've ever read...
I kinda guessed it 'd be some type of show but how everything was extraaaaaa.
I don't know how I feel about the finality of the book... I wished she could have just gotten to go home but I expected that ending... i felt bad for her like damnit leave that poor woman alone. this book will forever be in my mind. this was definitely one of those can't sleep until you finish it, need to know what happened type of reads.
Part of you will wonder the whole book like this has to be an elaborate show but you just think nooooo no way they couldn't do that to them no way. Another part of you is thinking could people really be that cruel? Is that what people would really do? Is there such a thing as a red room and the morbidity of something like that? How would i react? Could I survive all that Caz endures? Sooo many questions go through your mind the whole time.... This book was WILD.

This was an average thriller with a unique concept. The book started out fast paced and slowed down for about 100 pages in the middle. The book seemed to drag in the middle with no real purpose. I would have enjoyed the characters back story and why they were chosen for the TV show rather than the characters arguing about lighting recliners on fire. The characters needed more depth to get attached to them. Thrillers do not need to be that long, but the short chapters definitely made it seem quicker.

The ending with the main character stuck on a empty plane seemed like the book could have been set up for a book 2. Overall, still kept me engaged.

Oh my, this book....

When Caz wakes up alone on a completely deserted cruise liner, she is understandably shaken. With no idea where all the other passengers have gone, including her partner, Caz is forced to navigate the massive ship alone... or is she?

This book took off right from the get-go. With short chapters that often ended in cliffhangers, I found myself unable to put this book down. As soon as you think you have it figured out, you'll realize you don't. The characters had me second guessing everything - who can Caz trust, are the others really who they say they are, what happened to the hundreds of other passengers? This book will keep you guessing, and guessing and guessing. I highly recommend this page turner and hope to God Will Dean writes a sequel!

A big thank you to Will and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review of The Last One by Will Dean. #TheLastOne #WillDean #NetGalley

Ugh. I really hoped for more from this one. I'll start by saying that this book really hooked me in the beginning, I was flying through it until around 50% when I got stuck and actually put the book down for well... 3 months. I finally picked it back up to finish it and just felt like I was ready for the end to come already. The overall concept of this book is super unique and unlike anything I've read before but for me it seemed wayyyy to far fetched at some points. Unfortunately it just wasn't my cup of tea. BUT I can totally see how some reader would absolutely love this, so don't let me keep you from reading it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

3.5

The flow was a little off for this one. At 7% we find Caz alone and the plot really starts, but by 32% we were still waiting for the story to really start.
A unique premise but it did drag on a bit.
Cliff hanger ending that I loved and made me wonder what was happening or if it was all real or made-up.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

THIS BOOK

I had no idea when I started reading this book that it was going to take the turn it took. My jaw was on the floor. And then it hit the floor even more (is that even possible). Then when I thought I could pick it up, it fell all the way to the basement.

I will reread and reread and reread this book. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. I will gift this book to all my friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of The Last One by Will Dean in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This sounded fantastic and let me tell you that it was! This is one action packed, suspenseful, page turning quickly book! I couldn't read this fast enough to find out what was going to happen next. I will say at times I thought it was on the border of being sci-fi which I'm not a huge fan of but I did thoroughly enjoy this book.

Will Dean is a very good writer and I enjoyed his last two books, especially the Last Thing to Burn. Unfortunately, this book was more of a miss.

The premise of a passenger on a ship waking up to find the boat mostly abandoned was intriguing. The reason behind the abandonment is best left for the reader to discover within the book. The first person narrator's reference to past trauma seemed disconnected to the happenings on the ship, and the book would have been more successful if some additional background was provided prior to the ship experience.

I normally do not mind endings that are unresolved. This book had so much drama that a closed ending would have been preferable to wrap up this book, unless a sequel is planned (which I assume is not, based on the author's unrelated upcoming novel).

What a wild ride. The longer you read it the more confused and involved you were. Waking up and finding most of a cruise ship gone with limited supply is a bananas plot and so unique. I had no idea where it was going or why. I can't say I was a big fan of the ending and how it was all wrapped up but props to the author for finding a unique story and writing it in a way that didn't border on absurd,

This book was really gripping from the start! I didn’t know what direction the story would go when Caz woke up alone. I still can’t believe the production for the reality show was allowed to do what they did! The bodies in the ballroom was too much to put them through! The ending did feel a little rushed but overall it was a great read.