Wow. Where do I even begin?? I could not put this down. Caz is a new passenger on the RMS Atlantica with her boyfriend, Pete. She wakes up and everyone is gone. She’s alone cruising in the middle of the ocean. I started panicking then and didn’t stop until I put my kindle down. Some of the dialogue was a little strange, and the character building was lacking. I really didn’t connect with Caz that much, but the mystery kept me going. Overall, it was a thrilling voyage and I’m only a little peeved at the ending!! I may have yelled. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for my eARC in exchange for a review.

Wow! This book is so much more than the brief summary suggests. Exciting, but also really disturbing. This was a true can’t-put-it-down page-turner for me. And my stomach dropped at the last page! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a tricky one to review for me as I did not know the plot beforehand. The true plot of the book is not spoiled in the description, which is a good thing and a bad thing. I don't like being spoiled in book descriptions but there could have been a vague description of what the main plot of the book is about in the description as if I knew what the plot was about, I wouldn't have read this book as I don't like the trope that occurs in this book. However, the book is well written and paced in a way that keeps you wanting to read to find out what happens next. A little bit of the chapters became redundant and could have been shortened a bit more.

I'm still reeling a bit from reading this book. The writing is intense, and I was so caught up in the story that I felt like shouting advice to the main character, Caz. And you know that feels I'm sure--because the characters often don't behave the way we think they should.

The author . Will Dean, describes everything so well, that I could picture the surroundings and what it would be like to end up as a passenger who was left behind on a moving cruise liner after all the other passengers vanish. The story escalates quickly into scenes that were thoroughly unexpected, and scary.. After sending my emotions this way and that, Will Dean isn't happy until he finishes with an astonishing final development. Bravo!

Well done. The writing is worth every bit of five stars.

I recently got approved for a net galley that I requested for two reasons its a publishing company that has approved me before and because this book sounded so good!

One thing you may have noticed about me I ending really makes it or breaks it for me and this one had me so mad! I literally said oh for crying out loud, went back a page and reread it just to make sure that really happened.

“I WISH YOU FAIR WINDS AND CALM SEAS…”

What I liked:
- That phrase and circumstances reminded me of hunger games.
- Not what I was expecting at all

Meh:
- Didn’t connect to many characters, disappointed not to feel like I was rooting for a specific person.

Right now I'm seeing stars ⭐️ of fireworks! Seriously, y'all! (Yes, I'm a Texan) I feel like a nuclear bomb exploded from the beginning and somehow I survived the carnage! This book is that powerful! Will Dean held me captive for two whole days... as nothing else mattered except for work and food. It's that powerful. **Takes deep breaths**

Caz and Pete take a holiday on an exclusive cruise liner, the RMS Atlantica. The trip of a lifetime. The next morning Caz awakes where Pete is nowhere to be found. As she investigates the rest of the ship, all passengers and crew have disappeared. That's it. That's all I can tell you. I do apologize in advance but if I tell you anymore it would be considered "spoilers". You will either love it or hate it. There is no in-between. Not even a gray area. Period.

I felt so many emotions while reading this. Exited, hopeful, fury, rage, disbelief, empathy, relief, and many more. At first, I didn't know how to feel about it with first major reveal. Confused for sure. As I trudged on, I knew I just had to finish it. This was my first Will Dean novel and it will not be my last. Bravo, Dean! Well done! 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I would like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for my ARC copy in an exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. I had to know what was going to happen. We start off right away boarding the cruise ship and once we find out what is happening, I had to stick with it even more to find out what she was going to do. Some parts were unrealistic but very entertaining. I felt it fast paced at times with the short chapters but some parts did also drag. I could have done without all the background into Caz’s dad and gambling. It seemed to become repetitive. This made the book seem drawn out at times. It’s hard to say anymore without giving away any spoilers, but this book will keep you guessing.

Loved the ending, showing the distrust and yes it did seem a little rushed but I feel that is how she would have found out what happened. I do feel the cliffhanger at the end was unnecessary and expected.

Thank you NetGalley, Will Dean, and Atria for the eARC.

Will Dean keeps you guessing all the way through The Last One, Twist and turns throughout the entire book that keep you on the edge of your seat and very hard to put down. Thank you to Simon & Shuster, Will Dean and netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller full of twist!

This book had me hooked from the beginning!! So many awesome twists and turns ! The story was easy to follow and loved all the characters especially Caz! Definitely give this book 5 stars !

I've been mad lately at books that hold back critical information just to keep you reading. This book proved it can be done well - very well. Since the characters were just as in the dark as I was, the playing field felt even and I was fully into it.

This is billed as a locked-room mystery and I have generally thought that means someone in the room (or on the boat) with you has committed a crime. It's a way of limiting the suspect pool. This was a different situation, where the characters were locked in, definitely, but not in a way where one of the people there could have orchestrated the whole thing. Speculating as to what on earth could have happened was interesting. I loved the cruise ship setting and the contrast between luxury accommodations and the terror of being far from land. I could have done with less commentary on the clickbait economy and reality TV, but otherwise I could think of nothing else until I finished reading the whole thing.

I felt like this was much longer than it needed to be - it was slow to start and felt drawn out at times. The basics of the story are definitely creepy and eerie (being stranded on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean), but it missed the mark for me on being a captivating thriller. The ending seemed to wrap up quickly and then leaves the reader in a cliffhanger that seems predictable.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for a copy of this to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC and thank you to Atria for the physical ARC!
You know those cheap kindle books you see on Amazon that are always described as “a heart-stopping, jaw-dropping, unputdownable thriller”? This book actually earns that description. I cannot get across enough my inability to put this book down. Between the short chapters and twists at every turn along with never knowing what’s coming next, I was constantly putting my hand over words so that I didn’t read ahead. This was such an engrossing novel and I recommend going in as blind as possible. This was unique compared to every other thriller I’ve read this year! I wish I could give five stars but for reasons that are spoilery, so I won’t list them here, it didn’t hit that level for me. 4.5 stars though! Don’t miss this one - releases August 8, 2023.

While I thoroughly enjoyed First Born, I was less excited by this book.
I started it and then read the synopsis. Ok so it’s not a thriller that I’m used to.
Hunger Games vibes, ok, know what to expect now, once I realized the full premise I could continue.
But the ending? No, made me mad.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this one!

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC*

This is the first book I've read from Will Dean (I requested it based solely on the cover design and plot summary) and wow was I impressed! The writing was a little choppy for me at first (not sure if it was because the author is from the UK and I'm from the US) but once I got used to how he was moving along the story, I was hooked.

The book starts with our protagonist Caz getting on the RMS Atlantica for a trip with her boyfriend, Pete. It's supposed to be a romantic getaway but it quickly takes a turn when she wakes up the next day to find her boyfriend, along with everyone else on the ship, is gone.

There is quite a bit of her backstory mentioned throughout, which brought some depth to the character and a little bit of a reason behind her motivations later on, but some readers might find it to be more info than they needed.

I can't get into the details of what I really loved about the story without spoilers, but I will say there are quite a few twists and turns. There is always something happening and I felt like I flew through the book trying to find out what was going on. The ending will likely be divisive. I enjoyed it, but other might not.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. It hooks you quickly, is fun, atmospheric and a great read for the summer. Not sure I'd recommend reading it on a cruise though! I look forward to checking out more books by the author.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

This book was one hell of a wet and wild ride and I was SO here for every minute of it. When I tell you that the synopsis of the book is masterfully written to not give anything at all away after the first 20ish pages, I am not exaggerating. I totally think thrillers fall victim to their own marketing when a synopsis gives away 90% of the story and then the book itself ends up being underwhelming, but this book really kept it's readers in the dark and kept slapping them with wild twist after twist.

Similarly, I don't want to talk to much about it but if you enjoy books that slowly feed you small pieces of the story before having a grand-er reveal at the end, definitely pick it up! this book was action packed, claustrophobic, and truly feels like you're riding a hellish roller coaster underwater. Not to mention the ending absolutely wracked my brain and had me yelling "WHAT THE HELL?!" during my lunch break at work....in a good way. I've loved both of Dean's books that I've read and can't wait to explore more of his backlist.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria Books for my review copy!

About 3/4 through this book I would have said I am not sure if I loved or hated this book. It definitely gripped me immediately. It was a very good, very unique concept and it was more or less well paced and well written. It was wild start to finish and the hits just kept coming. My jaw legitimately dropped multiple times and sure some of those times were because the twist was comically bad but other times it was true shock. The main problem I have is that at no point in this book did a single character act or think in a logical way. I almost had to pretend this book was set in an alternate universe where logic simply didn't exist. If your favorite part of watching b horror movies is yelling at the characters not to split up or go in that room then this book is for you. If you like characters that act with even an iota of rationality then this book will piss you off. Also this author does not understand contract law and I know that probably doesn't matter to most anyone else but it was just another little illogical cherry on top for me.

I really don't know if I recommend this book or not. I did have a good time reading it for the most part but I also had a bad time reading it. There were times I thought it was 4 starts and times I thought it was two stars. It was a roller coaster but never tied together in a satisfying way and then I was personally victimized by the ending. I want other people to read it so we can be mad together honestly.

Thank you to Atria Books and Net Galley for this ARC.

I was lucky enough to get approved for the ARC copy of The Last One two days before I left for a cruise! Let me tell you... this book will have you staying up all night reading. I could not put this down and what better time than to read it on a cruise! I 10/10 recommend!

I can’t say much about this book because it would be a spoiler. This book opens up with Caroline “Caz” going on a cruise on the ocean liner Atlantica with her boyfriend Pete. They enjoy a nice evening of dining and entertainment and call it a night. When Caz wakes up the next morning she realizes she’s the only one left on the ship and the story evolves from there. I did not see the twists and turns coming in this book and it was a hard read for me to put down. I loved the short chapters and the mini cliffhangers at the end of each one. It made the book feel like it was going by much faster for a longer book. Also, what was that ending?! I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Within the first few chapters I had zero clue how this book was going to come together and how they would explain what had happened. While I appreciated the uniqueness of this storyline, it was too far fetched for my liking. I think I literally rolled my eyes at the last chapter 🙄 I had an okay time reading this book but it’s nothing to write home about unfortunately.

Whoooooa. I needed days to process this book before reviewing it. This book was INSANE. I finished it within a few hours because I literally couldn’t put it down.

The gist of the book is a woman named Caz goes on a cruise with her boyfriend. She wakes up the next day to everyone, including the crew, gone while she’s still in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

The twists and turns gave me whiplash throughout in the best way. My only criticism is that we could’ve saved ourselves 50 pages without repeatedly hearing about Caz’s father and sister over and over. Can’t wait to read more from Will Dean.

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