Wow, what a page turner. I kept me wondering just where this was going. Lots of twists and I didn't guess the ending at all. If you like psychological thrillers with a completely different twist, I think you're in for a treat. 4.5 stars rounded up for originality.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars! This book had me HOOKED! I had no idea the wild ride I was in for. This gave me Black Mirror vibes with an air of Alice in Borderlands. And that ending...This is a must read if you enjoy psychological thrillers!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Emily Bestler Books for an Advance Readers Copy (ARC)!

Will Dean is an auto-buy author for me so I’ve been itching to read this book! While I prefer not to go into books blind, I didn’t have much choice with this one. Everything in the synopsis describes just the first few chapters and then the rest was a mystery. Lucky for me, I love both locked-room and survival thrillers, so this was right up my alley. I was so intrigued by the plot that I couldn’t put the book down. I just had to know what was really going on. Thank goodness I waited to pick this up until I was on a break from work because I stayed up way too late binging this one!

While it may be a tad far-fetched for some readers, I was entertained by every single page. The twists and turns were so shocking and original that I had no clue what to expect as the story progressed. The ending may or may not have maxed out my anxiety, but that’s proof that it was the ultimate suspenseful thrill ride! If you haven’t read this one yet, I highly recommend it, but only if your schedule is clear because you won’t want to stop reading!

Wow, this one was a page turner!! I could hardly put it down, I had to keep seeing what would happen next. And, very scary to think that something like this could actually happen in the world we live in. Highly recommend as a great suspense read.

This was such a good read but also felt that it was a little bit too long. What a crazy ending to the book - didn't see it coming!

I was really excited going into this one. An abandoned cruise ship, the final girl, what more do you need? A lot more actually. I quickly lost interest after the reveal at the beginning. I feel this was way too long for the story. The ending didn't work as much as I would think it would. I was a little furious after the last two pages.

This was a fast-paced read with a super intriguing premise. The plot is like Hunger Games mixed with a cruise line and social media. I deducted a star for the ending which I found to be ***mild spoiler***





Like the ending of a 5th grader’s essay where they say “It was all a dream.” I wanted more from the ending without taking the easy route to explain everything that happened.

This one was hard for me because it was so far from reality, I had a really hard time connecting and finishing. I felt like the best way to describe is that it was just bizarre.

The Must Read Thriller Books of Summer 2023

The Last One by Will Dean

Cruises are creepy AF, and unfortunately, you don’t even need to venture into fiction to find horror stories of unfortunate souls falling overboard and being left behind in a luxury boat’s wake. But what if the reverse happened?

In Will Dean’s summer thriller The Last One, Caz (short for Caroline) wakes up on the first day of her romantic voyage on the RMS Atlantica with her boyfriend Pete to discover that not only is he missing… but so is every other fellow passenger, and every member of the crew. So is the Atlantica a (figurative or literal) ghost ship, and she’s the only one haunting it? Or is there some massive conspiracy at work to make Caz feel the gripping terror of being truly alone in the middle of the sea?

This started off hot and while the plot seemed a bit unrealistic I still enjoyed reading it. The ending though was too much for me and made me throw my kindle. I would still read more by the author.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me and was a DNF but I am sure other readers will feel differently! Thank you for the ARC!

What did I just read?
It’s like everyone’s worst fear coming true.
I was completely immersed and terrified at the same time.
My exact words when I finished the book!…what?! So stupid! Haahaa!! That ending!

I simply cannot recommend this book enough. The book was propulsive, the plot was engaging, and the ending left my jaw on the floor. If you are searching for the next great thriller, this is it! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 rounded up. This just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, so I didn’t really care what happened and it made me not want to pick the book back up. It was also waay too long.

I finished this book with a feeling of “that was horrible” and “that was awesome” with a side of “wtf did I just read”. To say I finished this book in a conflicted manner is an understatement! I was completely invested in this book from the get go. I could not put it down! I was enthralled and frantically turning pages. I never saw the ending coming and had my mind blown! The author really got me on this one. It was unique, dark, pulse pounding, and twisty.

I knew absolutely nothing about this book before reading it. This book was wonderful! Kept my attention and I would definitely recommend to others.

The Last One
Will Dean @willrdean
Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Think Death Race meets Titanic

“That part of the ocean. Marine biologists and oceanographers call it the midnight or bathyal zone. It’s constantly very cold, just above zero, and the life down there is unearthly. Needle-teethed viperfish, giant squid and anglerfish. Translucent amphipods. There are eel-like frill sharks down there that people call living fossils on account of their brown skin and blank eyes. They are the depths where no sunlight can ever reach.”

MAYDAY MAYDAY please send search and rescue, I'm going to be walking around aimlessly unable to stop thinking about this book for a very long time.

I'm sorry, WHAT!?! I finished this late last night and my heart is still racing. Well done Dean, Well Done.

Before I go any further I have to say GO IN BLIND. Seriously skip the synopsis just dive right in ,you'll thank me later.

To say I was stressed the eff out during the entirety of this book would be a huge understatement. And we won't even talk about the amount of times my jaw hit the floor in genuine shock of what the heck was conspiring inside the pages of this book.

Caz is one badass female lead character. Battling against all odds to survive. And danm she really went through it.

The atmospheric descriptions y'all. Top tier. Grab those sea sickness pills because in no time you will be transported straight aboard The Atlantica cruise ship, smelling the fresh sea air, hearing waves splashing against the ship, wind blowing thru your hair. With claustrophobia and panic not far behind.

Go read it I promise you won't be disappointed.

"I wish you all fair winds and calm seas.”

Thank you to @netgalley @atriabooks
@simonandschuster
For the advanced copy in exchange for my honost review.

I'm not sure what I was expecting with this one but what I got was not that. It was more of a locked-room thriller when was expecting more of a locked-room mystery. And the concept was amazing but the execution wasn't quite as was a bit more challenging for me. The premise was out of the box interesting and I was all in initially. I was totally engaged but then it began to fall apart a bit for me. I don't want to ruin it for other readers as going in without a lot of information was key to the entire book, in my opinion. I think my expectations for a mystery are part of the reason I was a little frustrated with the novel. If you go in expecting a thriller, I think you'll enjoy it more. I liked this and definitely recommend it but want to be sure the reader knows what to expect so they aren't off put like I was with it being a thriller. MANY others have adored it so it may be just me and my initial expectations. So, I definitely recommend it if the premise and the idea of a locked room thriller speaks to you!

A page turning thriller with an engaging mystery and amazing twists.
Many thanks to Atria and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Survivor & Big Brother meet!

I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise but have not yet had the chance & The Last One just unlocked a new fear!

Caz & her boyfriend, Pete, have just boarded the RMS Atlántica for a cruise to the Atlantic coast of America! However, when Caz wakes up on the first morning she finds she is the only one on the entire ship. Confused and scared she starts searching the ship for others and luckily she finds 3 others. And so the fight for survival starts!

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was good. The short chapters kept me hooked and helped move the story along while keeping me intrigued.

The ending has me so excited for what is next. I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more from Will Dean!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an ARC of The Last One.