Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3.5 stars

I liked this book well enough but I did have a couple of problems with it. First, I think the synopsis is misleading. The whole premise of the book is thrown off in the beginning. I was expecting a sort of locked room mystery and what I got was not that at all. Despite that, I kept reading because I was interested in how things would end up. That leads me to my second problem, it is very repetitive. I was tired of hearing about Caz's dad and that was all her backstory comprised of. The third problem was the characters. I honestly didn't connect to any of them. They were one dimensional and they went on long monologues about things regular people would have no knowledge of. The fourth thing is that this ended up being not a mystery or even a thriller in my opinion. It was more like survival or something.

This book also dragged. It felt too long but I was compelled to see it through to the end. I think that was in part because I was hoping things would turn out differently or I was wanting more from it.

All in all I did like this book. I think it was orginal (at least I've never read anything like it). I think the ending will be polarizing but I didn't mind it because I think I was just ready to be done at that point. I do think it will get people talking, but that isn't always a good thing.

This was my first Will Dean book and I would be interested in reading more from him in the future.

I found this book boring with bland character and I couldn’t finish. Way too drawn out. Thank you for letting me try it, but it’s not for me.

I won’t leave a bad review anywhere, but doubt I’ll try another of his books.

Will Dean never ceases to amaze me with his talent at writing suspense. I went into this book blind, because he’s now an auto read author for me, but had I read the synopsis first I may not have wanted to read this book. It isn’t something that would have caught my interest. However, I’m so glad that I did read it because I could not put it down. This was an easy five star read for me. I really don’t have anything bad to say about it.

While the premise of the story is a tad far-fetched, Dean did a fantastic job reeling it back in and giving substance to make it more possible. That possibility made it scary at some points. At the heart of this book, there is some serious thought-provoking content about our culture and its obsession with celebrity, entertainment, social media, and a need for fast changing newness. We are a culture that is never satisfied, that is never at rest, that is never content. This book took it to new levels by literally sacrificing two peoples lives for the sake of a new spin on reality TV.

As far as thriller books, go, this one is at the top! The chapters are short and nearly every chapter ends in a cliffhanger. Literally, something was always happening and there was never a dull moment. Something else that I feel Dean did a good job with was give enough backstory to each character to give them some substance and add a little more meaning to the book without going overboard with it. I don’t like when a thriller with a very exciting premise turns into long drawn out chapters of backstory. That was not the case here: little paragraphs here and there help give more explanation to the characters, but it never took over.

Like I said, I don’t have a bad thing to say about this book. It’s fun, fast, and thought-provoking! Loved it!

Y’allllll…this book is coukoo for Coco Pops in the best way. Caz and Pete go on a fancy cruise together and after dinner they go to bed. The next morning, Caz wakes up and finds that Pete isn’t in bed with her. She goes out in the hallway and realizes that the entire ship is empty. Not a single person on this ship. I am not going to say anything else about this plot because SPOILERS, but this is going to be my favorite book of the year. (BTW, I’ve noticed that folks either hate or love this book, no in between)

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Will Dean for this ARC! Oh my - this was FANTASTIC! I have obtained a new irrational fear and the thought of being stranded on a cruise ship gave me nightmares. I can not imagine when Caz went through! I was so attached to Caz and true worry for a fictional character. I really hope there could possible be a sequel. I wasn’t sure really what this book was about at first - I saw Will Dean and said absolutely and so glad I was able to review this. This is a summer must read!

This book was a fantastic read. Such a fun ride. Loved the short chapters and how I was never once bored. Well done Dean!!!

Four people find themselves the only passengers left on a large luxury ocean liner. What happened to the other passengers? As the truth is revealed, things only become more confusing - and dire.

I loved this book! Very short chapters and every single one had a cliff hanger. It was non-stop action, horror and WTF moments. The ending was pretty trippy. 5 out 5 read for me.

Definitely check this one out!!

Having just returned from an Alaskan cruise last week, this book hit a little bit close to home! I'm glad I read this book AFTER I got home. This book was terrifying. The tension and suspense were so well done. It's one of those books where it doesn't make sense but you just keep going and then finally, it all falls into place. While I didn't love the ending, getting there was a trip and I'd still recommend giving this book a read.

4 out of 5 stars for me on this one. It took me a couple chapters to really get into it but once I did it was a page turner for sure.

Thank you to #AtriaBooks #Atria/EmilyBestlerBooks and #WillDean for the ARC of #TheLastOne. This, and I do not say this lightly, is one of the best books I have read in YEARS. I just can’t. Caroline (“Call me Caz”), and her new love, Pete set off on a cruise. They wine and dine and have a lovely first night on the ship, but when Caz wakes up on the first morning at sea, Pete is gone – but so is everyone else. What follows, is a gripping, often terrifying adventure at sea. Caz finds several other equally bewildered guests onboard, and together they forge a bond, determined to figure out why they were left behind. I. Could. Not. Put. This. Book. Down. This is a solid recommendation if you like a good locked-room mystery.

While it's not categorized as horror, The Last One scared me to death. It is so well written that I can absolutely see something like it happening as we move ever closer to Black Mirror territory!

This book was hard to put down with every chapter ending in a cliffhanger. With how many “reality” tv shows there are now, it’s scary to think that this might be possible in the future.. but how far in the future?

This book had me hooked from the very beginning. Very engaging and action packed! Trust no one! The ending kinda irritated me, the airplane, IYKYK. Overall, an unputdownable book!

I've seen some AMAZING early reviews for this book so I feel like I'm a big outlier here, but this book just wasn't for me.

I really did love the initial premise of the book. I'm already afraid of vast water, so being stuck on a cruise ship alone is pretty much the thing nightmares are made of (sorry step=grandpa Rich, but I'm ending that sentence with a preposition because I don't know how else to phrase it LOL). I was SO EAGER to know why!? What happened!? How does everyone just disappear?! I actually can't remember the last time I was that eager to know why or how something was happening in a book.

But the book dragged....and dragged.... and dragged and all the excitement I had just wanned and wanned. The characters were so unlikable, which is fine, some people DO just suck. HOWEVER, if the books going to drag, I need someone to enjoy! I also really couldn't stand to read one more line about Caz's' gambling father. Like we get it.

And then we get to the reason why things were happening on the ship and the following scenes and, oh boy, it was just too much for me. I just couldn't suspend my beliefs enough here, even if it was a work of fiction. The ending definitely ends with a bang which I know many people are going to love, but I hated it (and her shit boyfriend).

In conclusion, this whole book felt like a Black Mirror episode AFTER Netflix took over.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book hooked me from the very beginning. The writing was engaging and kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next. I like how the author didn’t shy away from more gruesome topics like Daniel getting a splinter through his eye or the "bodies" in the ballroom."

There were a lot of twists I did not see coming which really surprised me and that was refreshing. I read a lot of mystery/thriller type books and they can get repetitive. I did guess the ending way earlier in the book. I was between a Manifest or April Fools storyline and settled on it being April Fools about halfway through.

The characters were interesting to some extent, halfway through the book I felt they got kind of bland and repetitive. With Frannie and Daniel being actors, I wish there was some kind of slip up. I also wish they were all more distrustful of each other. They all just accepted each other from the beginning. I also think the author introduced storylines for characters but didn’t execute them the best. It was announced in the youtube comments that Smith is a felon, but they just glossed over that. Daniel had been to prison but that was a small conversation and then moved on from. Frannie was basically just worried about her parents and nothing more. What was the secret she kept from her parents? Not sure that was ever mentioned.

I hated the ending. I said several times I hoped this wasn’t going to end in an April Fools Day way and it did. It made the rest of the book I read seem more dull and boring than if the things really happened. I hated the Frannie and Daniel being actors, if that was the case there should have been more than just her and Smith. Also the final page irritated me, I hate the way the book ends. The rest of the book was so good and the ending ruined the entire thing for me.

If I say anything about this book it will be too much. Go in completely blind. If you are worried it is science fiction, it is not. Just. Read. It. Thank me later. This is going to be at the top of a lot of end of the year lists.

Based on the premise of this book, I thought I would love it. I will first say that I think it is an incredibly unique book, and I see while so many love it.

However, for me it was almost a little too different from what I was expecting based on the synopsis. I don’t want to give too much away, but I kind of wanted a little more explanation at the end. I found the beginning to drag on a little, but was very enticed once the pace picked up. Overall I recommend to those looking for a fast paced book, it just wasn’t necessarily for me.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This novel was really well written, and kept me engaged the entire time. The end wasn't predictable, and I really enjoyed the main character, I felt very invested in her every action.A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

OMG! What did I just read!? My head is spinning and I need more! This was a crazy trip. Trust no one and nothing.