I went into The Last One completely blind and I thought that was the perfect way to dive into it. So, just stop reading now if you enjoy fast-paced unique thriller/suspense plots and just add to your TBR. This is the first book I’ve read by Will Dean, though I have his earlier novel, First Born, on my physical TBR shelf, and will be getting to that one sooner rather than later!

This book has total 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘳 vibes— but with a cruise ship setting— so this will be right up your alley if you’re into that show or ones like it. It sucked me in from the very beginning and I just had to keep going to find out what in the world was happening. I planned on sharing more about the main character Caz and her struggles on this ship, but I honestly feel you should just jump right in. The full synopsis is short for a reason. There are some big twists and turns that are pretty shocking and I don’t want to ruin the element of surprise! Oh and that ending… woah. That’s all I’ll say about that.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🕰️ Short chapters
📺 Reality TV
🤯 Mind games
🔒 Locked room mystery
📄 Fast paced, page turning thrillers

A huge thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars. I liked the premise of this book, and some parts of this book were good, but overall it didnt work for me. Caz and Pete were taking a much needed vacation and Caz wakes up the next morning and everyone is gone and she’s trying to figure out what happened. This book started off good, but the ending just wasn’t for me.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

I went into The Last One expecting a book similar to The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. While it definitely started with similar vibes it quickly took a very different direction. This book had me questioning everything and everyone. I could not have guessed these plot twists. And the ending left me with my jaw on the floor. It was a very entertaining read, though, I do think it was a little longer than it needed to be.

I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Prepare for a non-stop, heart-pounding, action-packed thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This was a wild ride! The anxiety-inducing plot and short chapters will leave you craving more, making it impossible to put this book down. It's definitely a binge-worthy experience, and I'm genuinely sad that it's over.

One of the best thrillers I've read in a long time, but be prepared for a truly criminal ending. What was that? How could you do that to us, Will Dean?

3.5⭐
Genre ~ thriller
Setting ~ The Atlantic Ocean
Publication date ~ August 8, 2023
Page Count ~ 445 (133 chapters)
Audio length ~ 12 hours 48 minutes
Narrator ~ Jenny Funnell
POV ~ single 1st, present tense
Featuring ~ locked room, being stranded, short chapters

Loved that there was a picture of the RMS Atlantica showing us where everything is located that we'll read about.

Caroline's/Caz's boyfriend, Pete, has booked them on a cruise. How exciting! But when she wakes up the first morning she seems to be the only passenger. She starts to freak out and frantically goes deck to deck and room to room to find any signs of life. Is she really stuck out here in the middle of the ocean all alone? Where could everyone have vanished to in the night?! Luckily she finds 3 out of the 1,000 passengers, so she's not alone.

This one started out great for me and the tension was high. I expected to be on the edge of my deck chair throughout and I liked this one well enough, but I wasn't as thrilled about where the plot takes us as I hoped I would be. It was really long, but the chapters were short, so that helped me stay interested. The cover is eye catching. The last chapter did make me intrigued to see what this author writes next.

I started out reading this one, then saw it was available on Libby, so I listened to some of it while I scrubbed my bathroom grout with a toothbrush.
Narration notes:
Jenny did fine for Caz, but her other characters were meh. I especially could not stand when she spoke for the 60 year old man, Smith, oof.

I have enjoyed the story that Will Dean crafts and creates. I'm about halfway through this book and I still have no idea what will happen which is a quality of his thrillers that I love! Once finishing this one I plan on reading First Born (his first novel) and have no doubt it will be a big hit for me as well.

A great summer thriller- atmospheric, claustrophobic, whodunit that had me on the edge of my seat. Well written and richly developed- with an intense build and a satisfying ending I didn't see coming. I love it when a thriller can suprise me or suspend my disbelief. Entertaining read overall

I thought this book's concept was very intriguing but it was a little too slow for me. The ending though. I mean, what the heck! I am interested in reading more from this author.

When I skim to the end of a book, I don't often post about it.
However, my experience with The Last One lends to listing pros and cons.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for my eARC for review.
Caz and her new-ish bf Pete board a cruise ship and when she wakes up the next morning, absolutely nothing is as it was the day before.
Pros:
- short chapters usually ending on a cliffhanger.
- unique take on a locked-room (ship) mystery.
- a big twist happens very early on to set the stage for what's to come, then another about 1/3 in.
- the ending - yikes!
Cons:
- after the first few chapters, the action wasn't sustained for me.
- I really enjoyed the author's previous The Last Thing To Burn, but this didn't work for me like that one did.
- much longer than I anticipated, with characters I never really connected with.
- a lot of ruminating from Caz about her family life that bogged the story down for me.
But don't go by my opinions. There are many a mixed review on this one, so check it out for something different!
Released on Aug. 8.

My first Will Dean! This concept was pure insanity but I had to keep reading to see what happened next. The middle dragged a bit but once I hit the last quarter I could not put it down. The characters were unique and the ending was enraging yet satisfying. Would definitely read anything else by this author!

This was a gripping, suspenseful, anxiety inducing thriller and I loved every moment of it!!! After reading this I have no intention of boarding a cruise ship ever. The twist kept me up ant night turning the pages and the ending jaw dropping good. Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Loved this book! The premise was insane. A woman wakes up on her vacation on a cruise to find that she’s alone. What the hell is going on!! My only issue with this book was the slow start. I considered not finishing because I was bored for a while. But I’m glad I didn’t because I loved it. The ending was absolutely perfect for me but I can see how a lot people might not love it

This book was pretty good. I liked his first book and I felt like this was a good follow up. I would recommend if you liked first born.

I really liked the idea of this story as it definitely is terrifying at the thought of it. I feel it was a big long winded at times just for the ending to wrap up too quickly. Overall, I liked it.

I have heard so much about this seen so much about this that when i got to read oh boy was i blown away. I never read anything from this author but wow i loved it such an interesting story. One i would love to read over and over. I would read another like this from this author for sure.

Caz is so excited when her boyfriend, Pete, takes her on vacation aboard the luxury cruise liner, RMS Atlantica. They have a great first night, but when Caz wakes up the next morning and reaches for Pete, he's not there. As she leaves their room to look, she realizes that the ship is empty. Not empty, as in the passengers are elsewhere, but empty empty. No passengers, no crew. The giant ship is in the middle of the ocean, and Caz is all alone on it. I won't say much more to avoid spoilers, but this is a crazy read. It has a tense, eerie feel-- you rarely get a "locked cruise ship" story, but that's what we have here. The story certainly keeps you wondering, and it offers an interesting, timely commentary on society. I won't say on what. ;)

I found this book hard to put down, and the story is really unique. Those are all major plusses. It goes a little off the rails as it continues, though. And there are a lot of unresolved plot points that made me feel as if the story didn't truly finish. (The actual ending is also cray cray.)

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC.
I believe this is my first Will Dean book and from the beginning I was hooked. I loved the short chapters and the suspense being built on this cruise ship. You really do have to suspend your belief reading this though and let the book take you for a ride. I liked/disliked every character in this book at various points, with the exception of Smith. Didn’t care for him at all lol. The ending really lost me though. That was really my only disappointment and I wished there was more resolution.

One of the craziest books I've read, this is a locked room mystery on a cruise ship. Unlikeable characters, crazy plot twists, it's one of a kind and deserves a lot of buzz!

OH MY GOSH I really liked this book! It had me hooked from the beginning and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next!