3.5 stars. The city of San Sirico is sinking. The basement of Dr. Tamsin Rivers is sinking much more quickly. Dr. Rivers is the researcher tasked with finding out why the city is sinking and how it can be stopped. Her basement, seems to have stretched and now a door has appeared that wasn't there before. A perfect replica of Dr. Rivers walks out of it one evening. Every test that Tamsin can devise proves that the doppelganger is completely human. But the more the double is in the real world, Tamsin starts to forget pieces of herself until she doesn't know what end is up anymore. A very cool concept and a satisfying ending.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.*

LAST TO LEAVE THE ROOM by Caitlin Starling and narrated by Xe Sands was another creepy, disturbing, and absolutely compelling story!

First, I loved The Death of Jane Lawrence. If you haven't yet read that speculative spooky story, it is worth it. Because I enjoyed the ending of Jane so much, I was so excited to get to listen to another speculative horror/suspense of Starlings.

This is a story of Dr. Tamsin Rivers, who is studying a strange phenomenon of mass sinking in her city. It is profoundly prominent in her basement where a door appears and a doppelganger emerges. This copy is the same in all but personality as Tamsin is not at all the sweet, docile creature that the copy seems to be. Seems...

I knew going in that trying to decipher where this would take me would be fruitless. I let the growing dread build. I loved how Xe Sands narrates, and she did a fantastic job with this. The slow disintegration of Tamsin and her responses were captured well.

This is a story for the slow burn fan who can let the tension build and build. While it is labeled as a horror, and it has its elements, it felt more a speculative suspense to me.

Thank you to @netgalley & @macmillan.audio for @stmartinspress for sharing this ALC and letting me share my thoughts! This will be out on October 10th and a great Sci-fi-ish spine tingling story for the season.

Well well well, if this wasn't one of the most unsettling books I've read this year. I went in entirely blind and while it's listed under "Mystery & Thrillers" there is definitely a sci-fi element to it. I don't want to go to my basement now! The audio was fantastic and helped set the creepy mood! Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

This book just really wasn't my jam and I was super bored by it. But it's probably a me problem and not an author or book issue.

This is a review of the audiobook of Last to Leave the Room. I really hate to say things like this because I never want to bring down people's work. The narration for this was hard to get into. I felt that narrator Xe Sands was whispering rather than talking and it was not always clear. I usually do not have to slow down speed or replay segments but I found myself doing that a lot during this book. With this narration unfortunately I kept getting pulled out of the story.

The premise of this book was strange and intriguing. Doctor Tamsin Rivers opens a door to find an exact physical copy of herself. Their personalities are polar opposites but their appearance is a perfect match. As the doppelgänger is out Tamsin starts to forget parts of her life and lose track of time making for what should have been an interesting story.

This was listed as a horror book but at no point did I feel this was horror. I was confused for most of this book and I didn’t feel the resolution answered most of my questions. Tamsin is not a good person and while that doesn’t always mean they will be a bad lead, I found Tamsin to be a rough character to follow.

While this book was a miss for me and I do not recommend it I would love to try another book by Caitlin Starling and listen to another narration by Xe Sands. I will always give another chance to enjoy someone’s hard work.

This was a weird book...

Dr. Tamsin Rivers is doing some secretive science work when title becomes clear that the city she lives in is sinking. Which on its own is an issue because she might be responsible for it. But her attention is drawn away onto her basement that is also sinking and the door that has mysteriously appeared there. And then a woman comes out the door throwing her life into complete chaos. The woman looks just like her thinks like her and seems to be her. As the doppelgänger becomes more like her Tamsin starts to lose herself more and more...

To be honest I only wanted to read this book because it’s the pick for a book box I’m subscribed to. Without that factor I wouldn’t have been interested in this book at all. Horror? Suspense? Thriller? It was none of those...it was basically a whole lot of nothing happening. Throughout the whole book we are trapped inside Tamsin’s head as she seems to be losing her mind. 90% of the book takes place in her house with just Tamsin and Prime (the doppelgänger). It would have actually been more interesting if none of it was real. As for the mystery? It’s never really explained why the door appears or if other doubles come out of other doors (there’s only one situation where this even comes up). The nature of her work is never explained... there’s just a whole lot of nothing.

So if you want to be bored and observe to a very unlikable person with zero redeeming qualities slowly lose her mind and her whole sense of self then do read this book. Just beware that nothing happens and anything that might have been interesting is just casually brushed aside. Lachlan though was an interesting person and I would love her story, it would be way more entertaining I imagine than anything to do with Tamsin.

I wanted to like this but it was boring which sucks because weird can be fun or at least interesting this was weird and boring. A boring book with a wasted premise. Before this book I never heard of the author not certain I am curious enough to read her other work... but I wouldn’t rule it out so maybe I’ll try something else.

My interest throughout this audiobook really waxed and waned. It was a slow burn but one that mostly kept my interest, and then things really started getting exciting when Prime was introduced. I do feel like the ending left me wanting a bit more though and I never connected with the characters. Unreliable narration is always fun but I need to find them at least likable or awful in order to care. Clearly very split on my feelings here.

The plot was easy enough to follow, and readers of Rory Power, Andrew Joseph White, and Blake Crouch may enjoy this read. I was not a huge fan of the audiobook, narrator, but that is definitely personal preference. I prefer a more expressive, bold narrator. This felt like a husky whisper (which maybe adds to the atmosphere?).

This genre of thriller/science fiction is my jam. I love books that stretch the laws of reality without going off the deep and going full fantasy. The protagonist was annoying at times but not in a bad way. More in the way that she was human (we think?) and kept doing things that real people would likely do. I do like that she evolved throughout the novel.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but the twists were great. There were a few “oh S@$*” moments which I always appreciate. The performance was good on audio as well. There were a few lag moment between end of chapters that when listening on a walk, I could tell if the chapter was over or if it a glitch in the production. Nothing too frustrating but worth noting.

There were a few times during major plot points in the book where I felt like it was rushed and could have been dragged out a bit more to explain what was happening. But, that could also be a preference thing for me. Anyway, I loved the book and look forward to seeing something new from this author in the future in a similar genre.

Thank you so much for providing me an advanced copy of this book via Audio, it was greatly appreciated!

I would rate this book a 3.5/5 stars, because while there were many elements I enjoyed about the story, I felt that there were several areas that needed improvement to make this a stand out book.

Firstly, the things I enjoyed -- I loved the Mad Scientist vibe of the protagonist, and I also enjoyed the scientific language that was present throughout the book, it made for a unique character POV. I thought the premise was very intriguing and engaging, and though it hinges on a well known and frequently used SciFi trope, I felt that it did take it in a different direction than I'd seen before. I was engaged by the plot of the book, wanted to continue reading to get to the answers, and I even enjoyed the romantic subplot between Tamsin & Locklan.

As for my critiques -- Because the Doppelgänger trope is such a well known staple of the genre, I feel that it needs to bring something really fresh to the table. My issue with this book was that it used the trope without delving further into the themes often associated with it. While not every book needs a heavy thematic discussion, I was left asking "What is this book trying to tell me about humanity & personhood via this story?" I felt that I was missing the heart of this book. I felt that this book fell into the classic trap of "And then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened," rather than what I wanted, which was "Because this happened".

I don't understand Tamsin's arc in this story, and what Prime's entry into her life changed about her. She was a workaholic with a cold demeanor, was forced through trauma, and became... what exactly? It didn't feel as though she truly engaged with the threat of "herself", but was rather just pushed through the events of the second half of the story without agency.

Lastly, I felt there were a few too many choices that were made not out of logic but out of plot necessity. There were many times that I found myself questioning Tamsin's choices and finding it difficult to understand her reasoning, though she does explain her thinking in depth constantly.

At a 3.5 rating, I don't think this was a bad book by any means, but ultimately it left me asking why we'd gone on that journey, what I was supposed to take away from the story. It was entertaining enough, but lacking the thematic depth that leads to a strong payoff.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Xe Sands narration on this book is stellar! I imagine it can’t be easy voicing multiple characters, even more so when you have duplicates of the same character and have to make slight changes in tone and influxes! The story is about a scientist that gets trapped in her own head a lot while researching certain events, such as a sinking house and a door that just appears but has no way to open. I found the story incredibly intriguing and it held my attention the entire time! I would definitely recommend to anyone who like science fiction and mysteries!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Story: 🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟

Last to Leave the Room is the new speculative horror novel from Caitlin Starling. It is about Dr. Tamsin Rivers, the head researcher who is trying to figure out why the city of San Siroca is sinking. When working on a mysterious room at the bottom of the stairs, she finds an exact copy of herself. Tamsin begins studying the creature, but the longer it exists, the more of Tamsin’s life she is forgetting.

I loved Stirling’s last novel, The Death of Jane Lawrence, but I struggled with this one. Mainly, I struggled to follow the plot. There was lots of science jargon, when I was expecting more horror. I was intrigued, but ultimately, it never grabbed me. Xe Sands was excellent as always.

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

My first Starling book! I’ve heard mix reviews about her previous title but I won an arc in a goodreads giveaway and got approved for the ALC so I figured it was time to give her a shot. I’m a fan of speculative fiction, especially when it leans towards sci-fi, and this premise was too good to pass up. The beginning is a bit dense, and I’m a science major, so I can see it being difficult to get into. Thankfully one we get to about the 25% mark, things get really interesting! The story was definitely unique and captivating but the pacing of the story and isolation of the character made it hard to stay invested. The last 25% of the book was the best part, psychologically creepy and action-packed. I think I liked the ending? I’m not entirely sure. It felt cool at the time and I was like ‘omg!’ but this book left so many questions and I find I’m a bit unsatisfied. Overall, worth checking oht if you like books with science jargon, doppelgänger plots, and unreliable characters.

The narration was fantastic. Definitely a narrator I’ll keep an eye out for.

Tamsin Rivers' life is falling apart. She's trying to figure out why her basement is sinking faster than the rest of the city. She's trying to figure out why there is a door in said basement that was not there before. And now, she's trying to figure out what to do with the other Her. The Tamsin who has just walked through that door. An exact copy, except she's nice and sweet where OG Tamsin is cold and cruel.

First, she names Tamsin 2.0 "Prime", then she starts having Prime do the more menial stuff so Tamsin can focus of the big stuff. And then, well, then stuff goes even more sideways.

Caitlin Starling is so good at writing stories that immerse the reader in the world of her book. From the sterile atmosphere of Tamsin's home, to the business meetings filled with tension and threat, to the desperation of our lead - I can't call her heroine because she's so horrible - you can feel it all.

I will admit the narration wasn't my favorite, at times I had to go back because the narrator was just not holding my attention.

I think it's time for me to accept that me and Caitlin Starling don't ever seem to be on the same wavelength. We have the interesting dynamics in which her concepts always draw me in, and her books are good enough reads, but they never quite seem to live up to what I wanted from them.
This book was a mindfuck in the best kind of way (so it delivers what it promises on the tin very well!), and I am a big fan of Natalie Naudus' audio narratio, which really helped the story come to life so much so that I would find it very difficult to imagine this story told by anyone else. However, while I was always intrigued by the story and the protagonist, I never quite got to the point of being fully invested.
A quick, gripping read, but not quite a new favourite.

Speculative horror is a completely unique genre, and I cannot wait to read more. The twists and turns within this book will leave you second-guessing as to what you actually read, and the plot upsets will leave you shaken and shocked. The nuances of character development between Tamsin and Prime in the story and the other anomalies that present left me with many thoughts about what makes reality real and what exists beyond our level of understanding.

The narrator seemed a little flat in tone, but also, it could be that she’s voicing two people who are supposed to be the same person.

Bad one line review:
Invasion of the body snatchers meets How it Ends, with murder and science that is also a total mindf*ck.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
RCRS: 3/10 (one scene)

Dr Tamsin Rivers works hard. She's a bit ruthless, and very determined and her current project revolves around determining why the parts of the city appear to be sinking.
And whether or not this sinking it connected to the mysterious door that has appeared in her own basement and now has become her own personal obsession- especially as someone has walked through that impossible door.
A someone who looks exactly like Tamsin herself.
This was a great read. Weird, a little horrifying, a borderline supernatural, it unfolded slowly as Tamsin figured out what was going on herself and lost herself and found herself again.

The audiobook's narrator was great.

I'm glad I didn't look back at the blurb of this when I started it because wow, it gives so much away. But honestly, the cover gives a lot away, too. I don't think this book is concerned with giving you twists, so perhaps it's better described as suspense than thriller. Certainly psychological horror. And a character study of Tamsin Rivers.

Tamsin is an ambitious, cutthroat scientist running experiments deep in the ground, and those experiments correlate to a "subsidence" happening around the city. Then a door appears in her basement that wasn't there before... And personally I think that's all you should know going into it!

I read this via audiobook, and the beginning chapters are a bit dense, so I struggled. But I kept going and the story starts to zero in on Tamsin and her basement, which was perfect. The audiobook narrator was great. I never really noticed her voice, which is a good thing. I often get annoyed by a narrator's style or voice acting choices, but not here.

I enjoyed Tamsin as the narrator, and I enjoyed her voice. Her personality shift over the course of the book is so well done. It's weird to get to the end and think back to where she started. It's incremental enough to work. The slow escalation of the situation was handled well, too, and helped me stay invested. I'd tried Starling's The Luminous Dead in the past, but DNFed it because it felt far too repetitive in the middle. I think I could have loved that one as a novella. This one felt like it warranted a novel, though I still think it was too long. She dwells too much on the science and explanation of what's going on when it doesn't really matter.

The way everything plays out with Lachlan was unexpected but fascinating. I could've used more of their relationship in the book. There are interesting power dynamics and desires at play.

There's one assumption that Tamsin makes at the end that causes her to make a certain choice... and I didn't like it. It didn't make sense to me. I think you could get Tamsin to the same place without having her make such a weird mental leap.

Stories of mentally spiraling downward are my kind of thing, so this worked for me. I'd compare the tone of this to the movies Resurrection and The Novice. I'm struggling to think of a book to compare it to because most thrillers I read are more twisty, and this just isn't. I am reminded of The Anomaly by Le Tellier, but this has more horror and action. I also think of Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin because of the mental disorientation the narrator experiences.

I'm very happy to have had a good time with this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

At no point in this book did I have any idea what was going on nor what the premise of the book actually was. The city is sinking because there are doors leading to doppelgängers?

It is listed as a mystery/thriller, but it was way more sci-fi than anything else, in my opinion. I just could not get into it, and the narrator was painfully monotone. This was almost a DNF for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really like Caitlin Starling’s writing style but I feel like I haven’t fully connected with her stories yet. I wish I could put my finger on why. I have enjoyed everything well enough but just can’t engage all cylinders.

This one was much the same - a little slow going at first with a lot going in the background that could have used a wee more depth. I was intrigued by the “double” story line and it pulled me through the rest of the story but again I just couldn’t fully engage. It was still a 3-star read for me which says something about the writing. The narrator killed it btw.