Thank you Atria/Emily Bestler Books, Will Dean and Netgally for this ARC of The last one.

This closed room thriller was super fast paced and leaving you wanting more to know more. I did connect with the characters which made me want to know what happened and what would be their end. I could not put this down and just could not take this as a slow ride.

Once you know what’s going on, the book takes you in a whole other direction.

The only part of this book that I didn’t care for was the ending but it was not enough to say don’t read this book cause I will tell you READ THIS BOOK!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 4
Plot development: 5
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for this ARC.

The story was amazing, the characters and emotions were raw and I was immersed from the beginning.
The chapters are quick so it makes it near impossible to put down because you get desperate to find out what's next because each chapter ends with a cliffhanger.
This was honestly for me one of the best books this year, that its .... until the END.

I just wanted to throw my kindle after I read that last chapter, it changed from something amazing to something unbelievably frustrating. It just didn't make sense AT ALL. Everything was already explained so it made no sense for that to continue.

4 out 5 because 95% of the book was amazing but that ending just ruined it.

I first wanted to read this book when I was planning on going on my own first cruise. What a great read - about a cruise while actually *on* a cruise. I'm so glad that I didn't get it in time! I'm not going to give any spoilers but even the summary tells that this is about waking up to find that all other passengers and crew have disappeared. I just didn't expect that to happen right away. It did have me guessing some. There were many times that I was going to put the book away but I did want to find out if I had guessed correctly as to what happened. There were also quite a few times that I might have talked out loud to the characters (they should've listed to my advice!!). It is a quick read because the chapters are so short. It is a great quick summer read....especially if you want to go on a cruise :)

Thanks so much for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. It was a ton of fun! The following review will appear on episode 17 of the podcast. This episode will drop on Monday, July 17. The review will also appear on the website when the episode drops (link attached) and I will add it to Goodreads and share a post on Instagram. I loved this one so much I also plan to give it a shout out the week before and on publication day. Below is the text of the review:
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This is going to be a tough one to review because so much craziness happens in this book, and I don’t want to give it away. There are so many twists and turns and I don’t want to ruin the fun, so bear with me.

First of all, you need to go into this one willing to suspend disbelief. It’s imperative that you let go of that annoying little voice that insists you stay grounded in reality. You’ll enjoy this so much more if you do.

The basic premise is Caroline (Caz) and her newish boyfriend Peter have boarded a state-of-the-art luxury liner in England. They are making a cross-Atlantic trek to the US for some much needed R&R. They have a lovely first night together on the ship, but then the next day, Caz awakens to find that Peter is not in bed. She gets dressed and steps out to go look for him and finds that the halls are empty. No one is in any of the dining rooms and the decks are empty - to make matters worse - no one is steering the ship. She is alone in the middle of the friggin Atlantic ocean hurtling toward God knows where.

Can you imagine? For someone like me who is terrified of getting on a cruise ship, this was my worst nightmare realized. Being lost at sea - be it on a raft or a luxury liner is NOT something I have on my bucket list. Between Jaws and Titanic I am forever afraid of the ocean. There are far too many nibbley, bitey, chompy things that you have to worry about on top of the big fear - drowning. Then again, I don’t know what’s worse - drowning or being nibbled to death; neither sounds fun.

Anyway, Caz soon finds three other people on the ship, and none of them know WTF is happening. How could hundreds of passengers vanish? Why can’t they stop the ship? Where are they? Everything they try to contact help goes awry and when the power goes out and their access to the food supply is lost, they know their days are numbered.

That’s all I’m going to say about the plot because this is definitely one that needs to be read. The book is filled with all kinds of crazy twists and turns and I found myself gasping frequently. Once I started, I couldn’t put this one down. I’m glad I chose this as a vacation read because waiting to finish work so I could get back to it would have been torture. I can also say that the end made me scream “Holy Sh*t” so loud I’m sure I woke my neighbors.

Poor Caz is put through the ringer. I’ve read books where the author puts their main character through some stuff, but this one pretty much takes the cake. If you prefer a more character-driven novel, this probably isn’t for you. I cared for the characters well enough, but what kept me reading was the crazy plot twists and a need to find out how (or if) these people would ever get off this damn boat. The chapters are short (which I loved) and the action is non-stop. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a fun, fast-paced thriller. Buckle up and dive in and then thank me later.

This was my first read by Will Dean. The summary sounded super interesting and I was curious how it could play out. I was so surprised by many of the twists and turns this book took. I read it in a couple nights, which is much quicker than normal for me. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. The story was high energy and fast paced. I really enjoyed it. I can see this being a made for streaming movie some time soon. Thanks to the publisher and net galley for the advanced copy.

Easily one of my top ten books for 2023! A lot of times thrillers can have similar vibes/story lines but this one was so different! Caroline(Caz) decides to embark on a cruise with her significant other and wakes up to find everyone is gone. After a little while she ends up finding 3 others on the ship with her and what follows is a series of events that will have you on the edge of your seat. I do wish the ending would have been different but overall this was a 5 star read and I’ll definitely be checking out other books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I really loved this book, the feeling of being locked in, and confused as to what has happening was intense. I loved how everything ended and was wrapped up, almost making me want to read it again with what I now know...the only thing preventing this from being 5 stars, are the last few pages....just when i was comfortable with all explanations...what does the last few pages in the book mean for Caz. I never wanted to slam my kindle down harder, i loved the book so much, but the last few pages left me upset and confused! Still I would recommend this book, one of my favorites, it's pretty long, but never did it stall or stop being entertaining!

Caz is finally on an international holiday with her boyfriend. What should be an exciting and well-deserved break from her life back home turns sinister when Caz awakes to find the ship deserted except for her. Or is it?

***

*2.5 stars rounded up*

This was a 5 star book for me until the last few chapters. Despite Caz constantly reminding us about her father being a gambler, I generally found this book to be well written and fun to read. It escalated quite nicely, and you were definitely left guessing up until the very end.

However, is it too late for the author to change the ending? Are we getting a sequel so we can torture this sad, unfortunate victim?

Spoilers and some thoughts and questions that are driving me nuts:

<spoiler>
*Look, I know that these actors didn't know that Caz's father committed suicide by walking off a bridge...but c'mon. Having Frannie mirror that just a coincidence? Which leads me to...
*So Caz's boyfriend is like the mastermind right? He def knew about Caz's father and was like let's have Frannie walk right off the boat the same way her dad died? HAHAHA. Psychopath. Seriously.
*While I'm sure the show's creators knew how traumatizing this was, can none of the actors (Michelle, Frannie/Jen, etc.) understand just how freaking AWFUL this would be to do to someone? And Smith/Walter was only going to get $25K??
*Also, why did they leave Caz in the water so long after Smith "drowned"? Why was Smith the one who randomly drowned when they both jumped off the boat? He picked the wrong life safety device, so Caz just automatically wins? (Even though she totally deserved to, because everything she went through was way worse than everyone else.)
*There's a lot we have to suspend belief about here, but the actors who they had in the ballroom? That takes the cake. Look, I get that we had to start questioning if this was all really a game, or the work of one really powerful psychopath, but it would have been easier to assume dummies, then having that many actors moving about the boat like that without the others noticing. B+ for the helpful wrench it put into the reader's perspective though.
*Speaking of suspending belief, the boat thing, fine whatever, they was passed out. Got everyone off. Blah. Blah. But the plane thing? C'mon. There's no way that in the time she was in the bathroom they were able to just abandon her there. That's nuts. And what would they have done if she never fell asleep or went to the bathroom? And what is the end game when she completes this challenge? This chick will never eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom again. I'm going to have to just believe that she is having a bad dream on the plane and is just totally ruined by the PTSD.
*THE BOX. No one opened the box, right? Or the viewers decided to open it? IDK! Stupid box.
</spoiler>

All in all, this one is going to leave me banging my head against the wall for a longtime, but I couldn't help but love what it did to me just a little bit.

Woooowwww! What a ride! Caz wakes up after her first night on a cruise ship alone. All the other passengers have disappeared. She finally finds three other passengers, but what has happened to the rest? This is just the beginning of the terror that is awaiting her.

✨RATING: 4.5⭐️

✨REVIEW: Thank you @netgalley for my advanced eCopy of this one! Personally I felt as though it was an extremely slow start, however, that didn’t stop me from constantly going “WTF” from page 1 😅 I had multiple jaw dropping moments, cringing moments, and felt like I was right there with Caz all along and it wasn’t a fun place to be 😅I don’t want to say too much about the story because it’s not shown in the description and I feel like you have to read it for yourself and experience the shock factor! But I can say I don’t really wish to go on a cruise any longer 😅
Knocked down .5⭐️ because I felt like it was that art project that should’ve stopped one bottle of glitter earlier. It was 50 pages too long, but overall did exactly what it needed to and I LOVED it.

✨PROS: SHORT - I mean 1-3 pages SHORT chapters! While I called some of the “twists” I wasn’t mad when it happened 🤣

🚨WARNING: Potential triggers include abandonment/feeling alone… cruise ships? 😅

Well this one will sure make you debate getting on a cruise ship! It was an intense ride with likable characters that Will Dean really brought to life! I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book!

*Outlier Opinion*!

This book has A LOT of 5 star reviews but every book needs an outlier so, 👋🏻 here I am!!

Caz and her new love, Pete, enjoy a wonderful first evening aboard the luxury cruise liner, the RMS Atlantica, but when she awakens the next morning, Pete is gone.

In fact, as she enters the corridor, she finds that all of the cabin doors are open, and the ship’s crew and its remaining passengers are all missing.

Described as a locked room mystery, I expected an atmospheric tale, which might be Dystopian or perhaps be a reimagining of what might have happened to the real life Merchant ship, the Mary Celeste-found adrift in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. ( It was in excellent shape, with months of provisions aboard, but no Captain or crew, and they were never seen or heard from again, and it remains an unsolved mystery.)

“I WISH YOU FAIR WINDS AND CALM SEAS”

The book synopsis doesn’t say much more than what I wrote above in the first few sentences, and you won’t learn what is ACTUALLY going on until the 33% point, so, I won’t spoil this for fans of the author who are looking forward to reading this.

But, I will say that it is much more of a “Beat the Odds” kind of survival book, than it is a locked room mystery,(think Hunger Games) - so it didn’t work for my personal tastes.

It wasn’t what I was hoping for or expecting.

I also don’t think ANY book needs to be 448 pages in length-It’s hard to sustain interest for that long!

I am going to play with the title of the U.S. release here and say that THE LAST ONE (as in the last chapter) has been VERY polarizing in the reviews that I have read.

Will you be #TeamLovedIt or #TeamHatedIt?

It’s the ONE part of the book, I actually DID find very CLEVER, so count me in as #TeamLovedIt!
But, unfortunately, it could not save the rest of the book for me.

Find out on August 8, 2023. (U.S. release date)

This title has also been released as “The Last Passenger” in markets abroad.

Thank You to Atria for the gifted ARC, provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

I really liked this novel and would highly recommend. I felt it was realistic and so realistic I’m still thinking about it. I liked that it was unpredictable and full of suspense. There’s nothing I would change about the plot or climax. Excellent, engaging writing… I’m hoping for a part two.

I might have liked this book more if the description actually described what this book was really about.

Everything that is in the description is only accurate from chapter 2 until the end of chapter 4. And considering there’s 133 chapters, obviously that’s a very small portion of the book.

I feel like the actual story would appeal to a lot of readers, who may not pick this up because they don’t actually know that that’s what this is about. I don’t want to give spoilers, so I’ll just say that it was just SUCH a different story than I expected / wanted when I read this, that it instantly soured my experience. So I never got on board with it.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was actually unexpectedly fun and different. Pretty unique for a mystery/thriller.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919433

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the copy of The Last One by Will Dean. I don’t know if I loved this book or hated it, but I know I can’t feel indifferent to it! The writing was as great as I expected, and the story started out so interesting I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on! Then the story took a really unexpected turn and it felt like a horror novel. Horror isn't necessarily bad, I just wasn’t prepared for how dark the story got. I know the characters were stressed but there were some things going on that they should have at least considered some possibilities about what was going on. Then the big reveal happened and it was completely implausible. If you like a big shocking ending you will love this book, but to me it was over the top. It was still a suspenseful, engrossing read! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Ok I absolutely loved this but hated the ending, like the last 5 pages. I don’t fully get it. Is it happening again? Is it leading to another book? I would have given this 5 stars minus the last 5 pages. I liked the plot and characters. Even Mr smith was likable. It was a different plot from other books. I would still recommend even though I didn’t like the very ending.

Wow this was one scary, twisted book that I devoured in one sitting as I couldn’t wait to see what happens next. I felt for CAZ immediately as her fear of traveling and she goes to bed and then wakes up and everyone is gone. My anxiety spiked just reading that and I felt her panic as she desperately searched for people and a clue to what happened.

Somehow she is in a new reality show which is terrifying. The challenges and things they must endure are horrendous. I am not sure which would be worse doing the challenge or being held captive in a locked room knowing only someone else could let you out. Each challenge building and getting more and more outrageous and terrifying.

Daniel, Frannie, CAZ, and Smith try and survive the best they can. This had so many shocks, twists and moments that horrified me that I loved it!

The ending just brilliant!

4.5 rounded up! What an insane ride. I could not have guessed any of the twists with a gun to my head. Yes, some of the logistics behind things made me scratch my head but I was so engrossed in the story that I didn’t even care. The last page (or sentence, really) was almost a little TOO much, though.

SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD.


There were too many characters mentioning estranged children for that to not have been connected to the plot whatsoever. I was convinced it would have something to do with why they were chosen but nope, it was never brought up again? Weird move.