Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Last One.
Hold on this is a stunner
What would you do if you woke up while on vacation on a luxury liner to find the ship empty.
You would think you were dreaming but Caz soon finds she is alone.
She searches the ship and soon meets 3 other passengers who are also on board.
And the table is flipped very quickly. With no food or water the survivors are in a battle with forces that are determined to break them until……
Wow this was so different and a very scary read.
5 stars. Recommend!

This novel is a fast paced, intense locked-room thriller.

From the initial description I had formed several guesses as to what could have happened. I was wrong all on accounts which I thoroughly enjoyed. The storyline is unique, different and gripping. I read it one session, in my opinion it was unputdownable.

This was definitely one of my favorite reads so far in 2023!

Thank you to Net Galley, Atria Books and Will Dean for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

Review posted to Goodreads.
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A BIG thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me a copy of The Last One. I read The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean last year and thought it was great, so I was really looking forward to reading this!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5, rounded up.

The good:

-I loved the unique premise of the book and did not see the story line going where it did mid-book. I was hooked after that point and this was a really fast paced read for me.

-I did NOT see the very last twist coming. It was really fun and I thought about it even after finishing the book.

The bad:

-The character is supposed to be 49 or 50 and I just found that totally unbelievable, her thoughts seemed like that of a much younger woman, 25 or so.
-The back-story about the main character's father's gambling addiction was too heavily discussed and it got VERY dull and tiring to read about by the end.
-I am a big fan of short chapters and prefer them in my books... but there is (not exaggerating) 133 chapters in this 448 page book. The chapters were so short that it sometimes felt as though it was interrupting the flow of the story.

Overall, I think this would make a good beach (or cruise ship) read, but its not one I would rave about or go back and read again.

Will Dean's prose in The Last One skims along at 29 knots per hour. The character motivations are well-defined. Dean ratchets up the tension in each chapter as the danger — both physical and psychological — mounts. However, I found that the ending felt like a move that was done for the writer, rather than the reader in order to push the implications of the title. I would have wished for more closure. Nevertheless, this is a great example of an expertly executed high-concept thriller.

Wow…I think I’m still suffering from my own form of shock. The Last One is an exceptionally unique and utterly gripping locked-room thriller. I was so immersed in this story I had to keep reminding myself it wasn’t real.

I am huge fan of Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell, so the premise seemed like it’d be right up my alley. Given the description, I confess I was expecting some sort of dystopian science fiction novel. I certainly didn’t see that twist coming. While there are some pretty sizable plot holes, and I had to suspend my own beliefs and reality, I could not turn the pages fast enough. It’s just one intense event after another.

And that ending…I’m torn between its sheer brilliance and my disappointment there wasn’t more closure.

The plot holes, lingering questions, and my internal debate over the ending are the only reasons I’m not giving this five stars. This is one of those books you’re so terrified by (I mean this in the best sense) that you can’t help but to keep thinking about it. I fully expect to have nightmares tonight.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book succeeds in two areas; the pacing and the concept. The story moves tense and quickly from event to event and each chapter is just the right amount for the "just one more chapter" readers out there to pull you in to see what happens next. I genuinely could not put this book down, and that is hard to do. The concept for the book is unique and the overall idea does provide you with a thrilling mystery as to what happens next. That's where this book gets two stars, and everything else is what detracts from this book.

The idea is one thing - its execution is another entirely. Yes, there are many developments and choices that make you constantly wonder, "What is happening?" But by the final page, there are far too many unanswered developments to make the plot believable or enjoyable.

My feedback for the publisher centers around the idea that there are things mentioned far too often, and things mentioned that REQUIRE further explanation to satisfy the narrative that are never mentioned again. This includes key plot points and character elements.

The ending to me is not an emotionally satisfying one for the reader.

"We'll see each other's shadows in the coming days." Her voice is unsteady. "See our own shadows even, true shadows, perhaps for the first time. We can hide them for a while but eventually, under these conditions, they'll rise to the surface."

The Last One truly gave me nightmares. It made me gnaw off all my fingernails. My husband likes to goad me because I say I will never take a cruise. “But you love the ocean,” he says. You can’t love the ocean without fearing it. And I’m no fool to think that humans can control the sea. But now I have two reasons to never go on a cruise: this book. This story is terrifying, I was shocked until the very. last. sentence. What a feat. Will Dean’s mind must be a maze of darkness to come up with stories like this.

I read “The Last One” in basically one sitting because it was that suspenseful. Caroline Ripley is on a cruise in the middle of the Atlantic and wakes up to find it completely abandoned or all passengers and crew. It’s better to not reveal anything else for fear of spoilers. I couldn’t put this down, the writing was okay, just takes a willing suspension of disbelief in some of the plot twists.

I have really mixed feelings about The Last One. The pacing and suspense are both incredible. The reader truly can't predict anything that happens and the plot is so nuts that you just have to roll with it. I read this book in almost one sitting because it was that gripping.

However, it still needs another strong edit. There are a lot of plot holes (other reviewers also noticed the ignored leak in the ship and Smith's disregarded history) and while the ending is jaw-dropping, readers deserve more closure than what we got. (To be clear, I think the book could have still ended the same way, but the loose ends didn't tie up in a way that made it work.)

The premise of this is fantastic and really drew me in. However, there were multiple issues I had while reading. (spoilers) One or two sentences are repeated word for word for no seeable reason. I do not care about how much Smith paid to be on the boat; he talks about that way too much. The characters lack depth; I never really felt like I knew Daniel, and I kept forgetting about him. The outer monologues from each character were a little much; maybe shorten some of the dialogue and show that information elsewhere? I didn't really feel the pressure for a lot of the book. There were things that weren't really explained or ever followed up on. Like that water that could've been a leak? Never explained, but I think it could've been used to apply pressure elsewhere and maybe up the pacing a bit.

With all that being said, I again loved the premise. I do feel like the atmosphere of the book is creepy. The author does a great job with setting and describing surroundings. I really felt uncomfortable imagining being stuck on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Once the book picked up towards the end, the twist really caught me as I had been bouncing back and forth trying to guess the ending of the book. The cliffhanger afterwards threw me for a loop and now I really wanna know if there is another book coming.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Atria Books for sending me an arc of The Last One in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a wild ride. you want a thriller that sends you on an emotional roller coaster. i present this book, i truly had no idea that this was going to take the direction it did and ended up loving it even more.

the only thing that kept me from rating this 5 stars is the last page. it takes away from the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Will Dean & Atria Books for an arc of The Last One in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

I LOVED First Born last year so I was super excited to get an advance copy of Will Dean’s latest novel!

Caz and her boyfriend Pete take a cruise upon the Atlantica. They have a fabulous first night filed with dancing, good food and even new friends. And then it gets weird. When Caz wakes up the next morning, Pete has vanished. Even more weird, all of the cabin doors are open and there is not another soul on the Atlantica. No passengers, no crew – just Caz. With the ship sailing into the Atlantic Ocean, Caz is trapped and in a race to figure out what exactly is going on.

First of all, the description would have grabbed me even if I hadn’t read Will Dean’s work before. This just sounded soooooo interesting and different than anything else I’ve read recently or ever. And when the Queen herself (Lisa Jewell) blesses it, you may as well just tattoo the book on me at that point!

If I were to choose one word to summarize this story, it would be “WOW!”

This was utter perfection – the writing, the plot, the pacing, the setting, the atmosphere, the characters, the twists, the turns, the ending – EVERYTHING. This was so intense and completely unpredictable. I can guarantee that it will be in my Top 10 on the year and likely yours as well! After this one, Will Dean is an auto-read for me.

5++++++++ Stars – Grab this book on August 8th when it release, better yet, pre-order it NOW.

I was so excited to see a new book from one of my favorite authors, Will Dean! I started The Last One on a rainy afternoon, and it pulled me in so quickly I had to finish it to be able to sleep that night. When Caz decided to go on a luxury cruise with her boyfriend, Peter, she is looking forward to relaxing and forgetting about the problems that she left behind. When she awakes, it appears that she is the only person on the ship! No crew, no captain, no passengers and no Peter. What happens next is so intense, you may never want to take a cruise again!

Fast-paced and fun, this is an excellent beach read for those who prefer mystery to romance. A recommended purchase for collections where the genre is popular.

After reading her first book, First Born, Will Dean was on my list of favorite authors! Much like First Born, this book did not disappoint! I love books that revolve around the sea and this book was truly unputdownable! Kept me guessing until the very last page.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
So this was a very bizarre book. A full ship of passengers sets out for NY and the. Suddenly only four of them are left the next day and suddenly they have to fight to survive. This was one of those books that I didn’t think was amazing but I still couldn’t put it down because it was so out there and I needed to know how it ended.
Ending was different but decent. The last bit of the ending really wasn’t a surprise. I had already guessed what was going to happen at the very end. Ok book. Quick and easy read.

Infuriating!!! The premise of this book was infuriating and I would have lost it!

Caz is on an ocean liner with her boyfriend, Pete setting sail on vacation. But after just one night aboard the RMS Atlantica, she wakes up to find that she is utterly alone on the ship…

This starts off strong! I really wondered where the author was going to take this story, but I honestly wasn’t expecting that… I take major personal issue with plot that takes complete control and autonomy away from the protagonist and this book goes there. While I was annoyed, I still very much enjoyed so many aspects of this book.

This was a pretty unique story and I am glad I read it. It was very well written. I was definitely on my toes throughout. That ending though…

“I wish you fair winds and calm seas…”

Personal Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For fans of escape rooms, locked room mysteries, and ocean liner vibes, this book left me shook. The general premise is that 4 strangers wake up on a cruise liner set from the UK to NYC completely alone, their traveling partners and fellow cruisers gone, freshwater - nonexistent, food - locked away, the 4 must find a way out and the reason they are there. I don’t want to give too much away, as I went in this blind with the description that it’s a mystery that takes place on the cruise liner - The Atlantica. Personally,I could have lived without the last chapter, but perhaps Will Dean is preparing for a sequel? This was a fun sophomore novel for this author and I fully expect it to be a repeat Book of the Month Selection in August when it releases. Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Synopsis :
When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing. And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board.

It's an exclusive cruise, a vacation of a lifetime, but when Caroline "Caz" wakes up, everyone is gone. The entire cruise-like ship is deserted. She very quickly begins to search the boat and what she finds will absolutely blow your mind!

Will Dean has created a completely believable horror/thriller novel. You will certainly think twice before you go on a cruise!

I found Smith to be too one dimensional for my liking, but enjoyed all of the other characters, the plot and even the ending (Dean created such a gripping thriller that you aren't sure how it could end). If you like vacations-gone-wrong, locked room mysteries and like shows or books with themes like Squid game, The Last One is for you!
#atria #TheLastOne #WillDean