Caz and her boyfriend enter a luxury ocean liner (a la Titanic) to cross from the UK to US. On the second morning she wakes up to the belief she’s the only passenger. She soon discovers three other passengers who have been left behind. The next week of their journey pushes all physical and mental boundaries.
After finishing this book I’m going to have nightmares and I’m never going to get on a cruise ship! I love thrillers and mysteries but this book crossed into the horror genre (for me anyway) but it was still so good!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

You guys. Excuse my language but, holy sh*t. This book!! This is probably the craziest reading experience I’ve had in a LONG time. It started a little slow but once it gets good, my goodness does it get good. I was questioning reality the entire time and when I finished I’m not kidding, my mouth was literally hanging open. I’ve never read a book by Will but he made me fall in love with the characters, I could picture them in my head like I knew them. I was rooting for them and crying with them. I’m not going to give anything away but trust me when I tell you that if you read any book this year, it needs to be this one. I am in true and utter SHOCK. This book releases August 8 and do not hesitate to pick it up. OMG.

Not at all what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed reading. The premise sounded very intriguing and I went into this thinking it was a thriller. I would say it was more dystopian than anything else. The story did suck me in and I wanted to know what was happening, I just didn't end up liking how it played out. Many people enjoyed the twist of an ending, however I did not. It just angered me and left me with more questions than anything else. It left me hanging which I don't care for.
I did enjoy the characters and watching the "human experiment" play out to see if they would truly help each other or end up every man for themself.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books for a digital ARC.

Wow, what a wild ride!

The story starts with our main character Caz boarding a luxury cruise liner. She is sailing with her boyfriend and all seems to be going well until she wakes up in the morning and there is nobody on the ship. It's completely deserted with the cruise liner still going full steam ahead. What an ominous feeling and it continues throughout the whole book! Once you think you have it figured out, the rug is pulled out from under you.

I do wish the story had gone in a different direction for the 2nd half because I had to suspend belief a little too much. I do not want to spoil anything and think it's better to go in blind.

The ending made me audibly say WTF!

3.75 stars but it was a really fun read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.  


I don't know where to start with this one because I both hated and loved this book.  


Let's start with the negatives.  The synopsis tells you that this book is about a woman who wakes up to find the ocean liner she is on is suddenly completely empty.  Deserted.  And you assume she's going to have to fight to keep the ship on course and navigate the waters to survive on her own while trying to find out what happened to the other passengers and crew.  Very quickly you realize that is completely false.  This book gives nothing of what is advertised.  I wanted to DNF pretty quickly.  


Another negative is the character interactions.  The dialogue is unrealistic, confusing, and bounces all over the place.  Several times while reading the first 60% of the book, it felt like the author thought of a sentence to add to a paragraph and just stuck it in there without reading it over for cohesion.  It was a hot mess to be honest and I was furious.  I cared nothing for the characters and cared even less for the main character's backstory.  I found myself skimming past the constant memories of her life stuck in random places. 1 ⭐ for 60%. 


Then the last 40% happened.  It went from being literally one of the most boring and irritating books I've read in years to one of the BEST endings.  I give 4.5 ⭐ to the last 40%. 


I'm rounding my overall rating of 2.5 ⭐ to 3.

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an e-copy of The Last One by Will Dean in exchange for am honest and unbiased review.

WOW! Do you looooove Black Mirror like I do? Then this is the book for you! The conflict of how far is too far when dealing with humanity. I definitely have a bit of a book hangover after blowing through this twisty and mysterious thriller! The Last One by Will Dean! Fast paced, short chapters and cliff hangers practically every chapter!

Desperate for some R&R, Caroline Ripley aka Caz, and her new boyfriend Pete have booked and boarded a holiday on the ultra luxurious ocean liner, the RMS Atlantica. Destination the Atlantic Coast of America. Posh amenities, World Class Cuisine, Luxurious sleeping accomodations, everything you could dream for on a much needed vacation. Although on the RMS Atlantica, this dream vacation very quickly turns into the ultimate nightmare. First night onboard, Caz wakes to her partner Pete missing, She soon learns it's not just Pete, the entire ship of passengers are gone, just disappeared into thin air. No luggage left behind. What on Earth could've caused everyone to willingly get off the boat without their loved ones? Were they taken? It becomes increasingly apparent that something sinister has happened. A wrongness heavy in the air. As Caz frantically explores the eerily silent corridors she encounters a small group of passengers also completely in the dark on what is going on. They begrudgingly decide they'll survive better together so they begin preparations on managing life for now on this deeply unsettling ship. Once they get into the swing of things and start feeling a little better about being trapped on a luxury liner filled to the brim with fine rare wine and 5 star meals, they find out they were wrong on so many levels regarding this mysterious incident. Sooooo very very very wrong! Their humanity will be tested in ways they never dreamed. I won't give away more because I absolutely believe it would spoil the book and I feel this one is best jumping in blind! It's fantastic, creepy, tense and so exciting. Just perfect for a late summer read! That last line especially....OMG noooooo!!! That was so wrong!!!! I mean it crushed my brain in the best way possible. That last line is the reason I will be thinking of this book for a long time! Well done Will Dean, well done!

This was one of the best books I have read. It gripping right to the very end. I would love to read more books by Will Dean. Awesome!,,

Well, that was one nightmarish, crazy vacation!!

Caz wakes up to an empty ocean liner. Hundreds of people, including her boyfriend and the crew, have vanished without a trace. The ship's route map shows there wasn't a detour and the ship hasn't stopped. The RMS Atlantica is on a week long journey from England to New York and is now sailing on autopilot.

Where did everyone go? What happened while Caz slept? This is only the first chapter or two and saying anything more would be saying too much and spoiling some pretty epic surprises. This is a book best enjoyed knowing as little as possible about the story.

The Last One is a plot driven, gripping thriller with a number of fantastic twists and a strong sense of claustrophobia and mounting tension. The author came up with a plot so crazy I quickly gave up trying to guess what was going on and just settled in to enjoy the unpredictable ride.

Only a couple things held this back from being a 5 star thriller for me. There were some scenes and conversations scattered throughout the book that felt very similar and repetitive. Also, the final chapter. I'm still thinking over that final chapter and trying to decide how I feel about it, but my initial thought is that I would have preferred the story without the final twist. That's just my personal opinion, though. I expect a lot of people will love the final shocker.

Readers who enjoy a thriller that's heavy on edge-of-your-seat, whiplash inducing entertainment, who can fully suspend disbelief, and who appreciate a story for the pure fun escape it provides will have lots to love with this wild book. I found it impossible to set it down, thanks to short chapters often ending with mini cliffhanger moments, and blew thru the entire thing in a day. A perfect addition to the summer thriller reading list!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for providing me a copy to read and review.

I don’t really like writing negative reviews for books. I always feel like despite what the reviews of a book are, it takes talent to write one and I appreciate that.

That being said, The Last One was just not for me. Once I realized where the story was going, I felt like there was some promise, but I just didn’t enjoy it. I almost didn’t finish about halfway through, but I kept going after remembering all the good reviews and talk of a stunning ending.

I feel as though I read a completely different book than most of the other reviewers. However, everyone has their own interests and that’s what makes the art of writing so beautiful!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Can you even imagine the excitement of your first cruise only to wake up in your cabin all alone? I mean ALL ALONE. Everybody.....the other passengers, all the crew, the Captain....GONE. How could that happen? Who's steering the ship? Where is everyone? The thriller/suspense genre is not typical for me but I have discovered that I love all books by Will Dean. And this one did not disappoint! I want to thank Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author Will Dean for this crazy, roller-coaster ride!

#netgalley #Willdean #thelastone #atriabooks

I requested this ARC after seeing another reader recommend it and was so excited to read it. It's about a small business owner who never takes time for herself going on a cruise ship (liner) vacation with her boyfriend. She wakes up on the second day of the voyage to find that everyone has disappeared. Together with the three other passengers left behind, they start to figure out how to survive and uncover what happened. There were several twists in this book to keep the pacing going and decent character development. I read a lot of mystery/thrillers, so none of it was shocking to me and I guessed most of what would happen. I do think this book was different and has an interesting story and therefore I would recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for the advanced readers copy of The Last One by Will Dean. I don’t even know where to begin, this book is a real page turner and psychological thriller. Caroline and her boyfriend Pete set sail on a cruise to New York. In the morning when Caroline wakes up, Pete is nowhere to be found. As she searches for him, she realizes not only is Pete missing, but so is everyone else that was aboard the ship. Unputdownable, must read thriller. Will Dean has written another great book! I looo forward to your next one.

Caz finds herself in a frightening situation. She goes to bed happy with her partner on an ocean liner and wakes up all alone on the ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Where did everybody go?

This is just the start of her troubles. While frantically searching the ship, she finally stumbles upon a few others, and together, they experience the cruise of their nightmares. One bad thing after another keeps happening, and things escalate. Just when Caz and her cohorts get a breather, something more threatening happens to them. Who is the force behind the evils making their lives so difficult?

Anticipation for what is going to happen next makes this a page turner. This might be classified as a psychological thriller or a survival novel. It also captures the idea of making friends with strangers in life and death situations. Who can they trust? The characters begin to have faith in each other; then mysterious things happen to throw them off-kilter, but if they don’t work as a team, they could all die. Will they all die anyway? As some questions are answered, others are presented.

Readers may find themselves thinking about what they would do in this situation. It’s a thinker of a story and filled with surprises. Things aren’t always as they seem. Mixed emotions are inspired, and confusion can set in.

What a big ending this book has, but then the ending, well, let’s just hope the author continues the story.

Caz embarks on a cruise with her boyfriend, Pete..... but wakes up to find herself seemingly alone on the ocean liner.

I absolutely love this author but this one totally bananas. The other two books I have read by this author were quick-start, gritty novels with pretty grounded stories. This was the total opposite. Off to an extremely slow start, I was fully 30% in before the book maybe started to go anywhere. I was fully 50% in when it finally got interesting. Now I love a good locked room mystery, but the sheer magnitude of set up involved in the twist is mind boggling to the point where I found myself distracted from the story by how absolutely preposterous this whole thing was.

While the very end had a pretty interesting twist (though I have SO many questions), this one was as much a nightmare for me as it was for the main character. LOVE Will Dean but hated this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and author Will Dean for this wild rollercoaster of a thriller.

I am as they say, shook from this book! I can imagine a blockbuster movie made from this.
It held me as captive (pun intended) as the Atlantica viewing audience was shown to be.

I am a watcher of reality television even as I loathe all its depictions of flawed human nature.
I am not a fan of social media for its attention-farming greed and hungry-dog demographic viewership.

This story depicted both of those industries and just how pervasive in human existence they have become in our modern online, tele-connected world.

Aside from the moral examination of the above, this book was loaded with action, suspense, horror, and mystery.
The ship itself functioned as tormentor and prisoner.

I was utterly fascinated by the premise and rooted by the physical and emotional torture Caz endures along with her other passengers.

Spoiler:
I did not care for the last page. I would have liked a happy ending after all that I felt *I’d* endured in my reading experience!

Five stars.

Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, just wow. All I can say is this book took my breath away. It gave me Hunger Games vibes and I could easily see this book being adapted into a movie fit for the big screen!

After embarking on a cruise from England heading toward NYC with her new boyfriend Pete, Caroline (who goes by Caz) finally lets herself relax for the week. But relaxation is the opposite of what she gets. She awakes on the cruise liner Antarctica to find that she is the only passenger left on board. How and why is this happening? Well you’re have to read to find out the truth about how it all came to be. And to see how Caroline’s story ends.

This story was intriguing, risky, and had all the components of a truly bone rattling mystery to solve.

Although, I was able to sense the twist that came on the last page I was still left shocked. And I have high hopes that in the future a sequel could be delivered!

Whatever you’re doing, drop it and get your hands on this book!!!!!

Thanks so much Atria Books and NetGalley.

Caz is on this exclusive ocean liner on vacation with her boyfriend, Pete. When she wakes up the next morning, he is missing. In fact, everyone is missing. She's trapped.

I thought this was a fun and thrilling adventure as Caz tries to figure out the mystery of what happened to everyone on board. I thought the ending was way too far fetched and unnecessary.

This book begins with our main character, Caz, boarding a luxury cruise liner with her boyfriend Pete. They are looking forward to a relaxing vacation aboard the Atlantica. The first night on the ship was filled with dinner and dancing. As Caz woke up the next morning Pete was gone. She soon finds out that everyone on the ship is gone as well. How could this happen ?
Soon you are hit with the twist and it was just kinda farfetched for me. I liked the idea of everyone mysteriously disappearing from a ship but this story left me with too many questions.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book for review.

Caroline and Pete set off for adventure on the RMS Atlantica, and exclusive automated cruise liner. Caroline thinks it will be a good way to destress until she wakes up to discover Pete is missing. Upon further inspection she soon discovers all of the passengers aboard the ship have seemed to disappear...a modern day ghost ship

The Last One is a new thriller/mystery by author Will Dean. This author is typically a 4 to 5 star read for me so I was excited to get the chance to get an early look at his newest novel. I have to say this was my least favorite read of all of his novels which was quite disappointing. I wasn't a fan of any of the characters and despite having an interesting plot twist I just didn't find the plot as entertaining as I had hoped. For those who have never read anything by this author; please take this review lightly as I have really loved all of his other novels. I just don't think this particular read was a good fit for me but I look forward to reading future works by this author.

A whiplash ride of a thriller!

Honestly I can't recall the last time I spent so much time picking apart a mystery. This story was the perfect slow drip of character background and current tension that there was always something to discuss. The setting on a cruise ship was incredible, the characters varied and for the most part were likeable, and how the challenges unfolded I really believed the response and reaction by the characters. Some suspension of disbelief was necessary but that didn't affect my enjoyment. As the ending drew near Dean cranked the fear up to 11 and I was all in for whatever was about to happen!!

Except what did happen. The ending would be a 2 star from me. Gosh I loved 95% of this book. I was so excited to have a near perfect 5 star thriller. Sadly the ending did not work for me.

I would still highly recommend this to any thriller reader! The rest of the book is worth it.