I appreciated the opportunity to read The Last Girl Left. This book follows Tessa, who struggles with fear and anxiety after surviving a horrific trauma in her past. During a beach vacation five years ago, Tessa was the lone survivor in a massacre that left her friends dead. Seeking to overcome this fear, she returns to the beach house to write a book about her experiences. She soon finds, however, that her past isn’t quite done with her yet.

I genuinely enjoyed the premise and the plot line of this book. The first chapter gripped me right away, and there are some genuinely unsettling moments throughout. It’s also a quick, engaging read. I did find that the writing style wasn’t a perfect fit for me – there were enough little “jump scare” moments that they begin to lose their power, and the reveal at the end felt a bit anticlimactic (due more to the writing style then the twist itself). Overall, however, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others who enjoy a creepy psychological thriller.

Where do I start with this review? Tessa goes back to the island and house where she almost lost her life. That is where the story starts to evolve and the creepiness begins. Many times during this book I found myself looking over my shoulder or checking my surroundings convinced someone was watching me! This is a must read that leaves you guessing until the end.

I wasn’t a complete fan of this book I feel like I’ve read this a few times before. It was entertaining and I loved how it wrapped up in the end I absolutely loved the cover of the book.

This thriller tells the story of Tessa, the sole survivor of a triple murder who returns to the scene of the crime to help her face her fears. The authors did a good job of exploring the long lasting aftermath of crime on the people involved- the victim, family of the murderer and community. It also touches on the impact of murder tourism.

Set on Cassadaga Island a remote island, getting ready to close down for the winter period. It certainly made for a creepy atmosphere. A number of little things start to happen in the home and you are left wondering how reliable Tessa is as a narrator. Her paranoia certainly added to the tension. There was also a bit of a Rear Window vibe that I liked.

Tessa was an interesting character as she tried to face up to her past. There were a host of characters on the island ranging from those who seemed too good to be true to those that were very creepy. I think I suspected everyone at some point!

The novel keeps up a cracking pace the whole way through and I was taken by a few of the twists at the end. Written by a husband and wife duo, the writing was seamless, you couldn’t tell that there were two writers. I did struggle a bit at the end where a lot of the reveal was done via dialogue. I much prefer to be shown rather than be told, however, it didn’t take away from it being a solid thriller. Look forward to reading more from this duo.

This fast paced thriller was our book club pick for January. I couldn't put it down! Short chapters and lots of characters to be considered for the mystery. I loved the winter setting and heart racing scenes!

After being the only survivor of a mass murder 5 years ago, Tessa decides the best way to face her trauma is head on. She accepts an offer from a publisher and returns to the scene of the murders to stay for a month to finally write the story of what happened that night. Will this be what she needs to finally move on? Or will this deserted island intensify her paranoia and fears? Or is there actually something worse lurking in the shadows?

I really enjoyed the set up for this one, particularly as the full story of what happened is balanced by my initial mistrust of Tessa as a flawed narrator. As a protagonist she can be kind of annoying, and I certainly wanted to shout at her several times for making what seemed like incredibly bad decisions.

There are definitely some twists and turns, and a few surprises throughout, and I really loved the creepy island setting and the house itself. It would make a great beach read (as long as you are not staying in an isolated house on an island with no phone service of course!)

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.
3.5 stars

Tessa goes on a search of herself after a tragedy claims who she use to be. In this thrilling page turner, you will be wondering what’s going on until the end. A fast paced read with a lot of twists and turns.

3.75/5 ⭐️

Tessa- the lone survivor of a girls trip gone fatal- comes face to face with her memories, fears and demons. After 5 years of hiding away, scared of every sound and stranger Tessa goes back to where it all began- the rental house on the island she was almost killed at.

Things that worked for me:
• Each character involved played a helpful role in bringing the story full circle
• The story wasn’t easy to figure out early on, I was able to guess a part of the twist but not the big picture which I was pleasantly surprised by!
• The imagery of the setting made it easy to follow along with the story, picturing each step along the way
• Slow build and twisty end

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheLastGirlLeft

The Last Girl Left" by A.M. Strong is a roller coaster ride through the darkest tunnels of psychological suspense, and it's not for the faint of heart. Picture yourself wrapped in a blanket on a stormy night, every creak of your house making you jump – that's this book in a nutshell.

Tessa Chamberlain, our brave yet haunted protagonist, does what most of us would never dare – she returns to the scene of a beach house massacre that she miraculously survived five years earlier. The setting? Cassadaga Island off the coast of Maine, which sounds like it was plucked straight out of a Stephen King novel. As Tessa settles into the beach house, with the tourist season long gone and a fog that seems to hold secrets, the atmosphere is so thick with suspense, you could cut it with a knife.

Strong's writing style is a mix of chilling narrative and beautifully crafted descriptions that bring Cassadaga Island to life – or should I say, to a hauntingly eerie existence. The creaks, the footsteps, the feeling of being watched – it’s all there, making you turn the pages faster than Tessa's racing heart. The brilliance of this book lies in its ability to make you question what's real and what's a figment of Tessa's traumatized mind.

What sets "The Last Girl Left" apart is its exploration of fear and survival. It’s not just about the spine-tingling scares; it’s about Tessa's journey, confronting her past, and facing her fears head-on. As the story progresses, the line between reality and paranoia blurs, and you find yourself rooting for Tessa, hoping she’ll once again be the survivor.

In conclusion, "The Last Girl Left" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. A.M. Strong has crafted a novel that's as haunting as it is enthralling, with a protagonist whose courage is as commendable as it is relatable. So, grab your flashlight, check the locks on your doors, and dive into this thrilling tale. Just a heads-up: you might want to leave the lights on for this one!

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action packed, intrigue, mystery, murder, a fantastic who done it that I never would have guessed! , great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle!! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Unfortunately, this didn't work for me as much as I wanted it to. I liked the story well enough, but Tessa is too often confounding in her actions and thought processes. Like, she's too scared even to sleep in the bedrooms of the murder house, she can barely handle being in the same place as a man, but she doesn't blink at a jaunt through the woods alone? Sure. That's just one example of a few things that didn't make any sense to me, even with her prior trauma. It just didn't ring true.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital arc!

This was a traumatizing thriller that had enough misdirections that I didn’t trust my instincts in where it was going which is a win! Quick read.

TW: SA, murder, assault, b&e

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing an arc for me to review!

I absolutely loved this and really struggled to put it down. For me, it was the perfect thriller, fast paced with twists and turns at every possibility. I loved how the book jumped straight in with no slow starts but didn't reveal everything straight away allowing the reader to wonder 'what really did happen?'

It had great character development which I feel really allowed me to really feel the trauma and PTSD that the main character Tessa experienced. The story had me guessing as to what the ending would be and I really did not see it coming like you sometimes do with other thrillers. Some chapters had me feeling eery and anxious thinking about what was going to happen - I thoroughly enjoyed every page.

This was definitely one of my favourites reads this year and is one of the best thrillers I have read - I will definitely be recommending this to my friends!

This book wasn’t for me. The premise was good and well thought out, but lacked execution. The plot doesn’t really pick up until the last 50 or so pages. The FMC is really unlikeable despite her ordeal I couldn’t find myself caring about her fate. The other characters are much the same, and lack empathy for the FMC which makes them further unlikeable. I feel like some of the subject matter deserves some content warnings and there were none. I didn’t enjoy how this book spoke about mental health and assault survivors. It felt very insensitive to anyone reading it who may have suffered with either issue. It felt like ninety percent of the book was filler, which was also very predictable too, with the only really interesting part happening in the last few pages. This book wasn’t an enjoyable reading experience for me and I had to force myself to keep reading multiple times. Definitely wouldn’t pick it up if I could go back in time.

Overall rating: 1.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Girl Left was a thrilling, suspenseful ride that kept me on the edge of my seat. The setting was perfect and the book delivered the horror and fear wonderfully. I really enjoyed the book and I would recommend it to anyone who loves thrilling, suspenseful mysteries with an unsuspecting twist.
I just reviewed The Last Girl Left by A.M. Strong; Sonya Sargent. #TheLastGirlLeft #NetGalley

*This is an ARC provided by Netgalley. This review is my own, with no influences*

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC. This book had a good plot point. However, there were some flaws. The constant reiteration of 'facing my fears' had my eyes rolling. The storyline was good but if they added more characters, the ending would not be so predictable. Also, I wish we had a backstory on what Kyla was going to share with Tessa. Furthermore, Tessa's sister knew what was happening, why didn't she or her boyfriend try to get to the beach house?? All in all, this book was an okay read if you like mysteries, but if you are someone who can pinpoint the killer easily, I'd stay away from this one.

This not something you'd want to read while on vacation alone! This a healing but very scary story of Fun with friends gone wrong. How do deal with trauma, not like this! Maybe she should of tried talking?

Many thanks to #NetFalley and publishers for an #ARC of #TheLastGirlLeft.
Tessa and her 3 friends take a trip together, but only Tessa survives. A killer targets the women and kills them all, or so he thinks. Five years later and Tessa is only living a half a life. Traumatised by her past, and attacking her sisters cat, push Tessa to return to the scene of the crime-literally.

This book borders on the brink of paranoia, I suspected everyone-and even now when I'm finished the book I still trust no one! Anxiety inducing, paranoia causing writing which kept me on the edge of my seat. Is Tessa paranoid? Is someone messing with her? Who can she trust?
I delved so deep into this book, I forgot there were people in the house with me and I jumped when I realised I wasn't alone (in a house on an island in Maine!!) I was in the book beside Tessa. The writing was incredible, I can imagine being there-I was there. Highly recommend, but read with the lights on!

Five years ago, Theresa went to a beach house with her three friends where they meet the charming Patrick. Later that night Patrick murders her friends and attempts to murder Theresa. Now, five years later Theresa (who now goes by Tessa) is stuck in fear and have severe PTSD. In order to help overcome her intense fears, Tessa decides to book a month long trip to the same island where her friends died and stays even in the same house.

Staying at the house isn’t easy for Tessa and weird things keep happening in the house; footsteps walking on the porch at night, her next door neighbor screaming and then disappearing and doors becoming unlocked even when Tessa knows she locked it. Everyone tells Tessa she is paranoid because of her past attack and the trauma she has associated with the house but Tessa knows that there is something off and there is someone that is watching her.

This book was suspenseful and eerie. However, there were so many times something spooky was happening and it ended up being nothing that I started to feel less on the edge of my seat because I knew nothing was going to happen. I will say the ending was well done and there wasn’t a moment in the book where I knew exactly what was going to happens until the very end. Overall, this is a good psychological thriller and a decently fast- paced read.

Five years ago, Tessa was the sole survivor of the worst crime Cassadaga Island has ever seen. Since then, she's been struggling to keep her head above water. As a last-ditch attempt to finally put the murder that killed her friends behind her, she decides to take the biggest leap she can—to rent the same house. For a month. In November, and on an island—with no easy way off. The murderer is dead, and so it should just be her friends' ghosts haunting the place...but something is not...quite...right.

I read this partly because it reminded me of Riley Sager's "Final Girls". Not sure what it is about human nature that makes it appealing to read about someone who has already survived something horrific again being subjected to, well, something horrific, but a well-done thriller set in an isolated house is deeply satisfying (and I can't be the only one who thinks that way, or...books like this wouldn't exist).

The book is a little slow to get started—Tessa's interactions with her sister read rather like throat-clearing en route to the bulk of the story—but once she's on the island and back in the house things pick up. I wondered at times whether bringing Tessa's sister to the island might have upped the stakes, but having Tessa be so isolated definitely upped a different kind of stakes. There are some solid red herrings in place, but in a way that doesn't feel too surprising when we learn the truth (a good thing—I'm not a fan of mystery resolutions that come out of nowhere). I had my suspicions, some but not all of which proved correct, but the exact details are locked up well enough until the reveal to keep the reader guessing.

In places I'm not fully convinced: first, I think the tension could have been ramped up even more before the climax. It's a long simmer before an abrupt boil, and I wonder whether that could have been heightened by, e.g., Tessa gradually remembering bits and pieces of what happened five years ago. (She gets flashbacks, but it's not really presented as an experience of putting things together.) I'm also on record many times as not liking Evil Villains Who Are Evil, and...we have one of those here. And finally, I'd like to know if the original investigators ever did, you know, the slightest shred of investigating, because (vaguesauce to avoid spoilers) it seems that they missed some pretty major things.

With that in mind: if you're into thrillers set in isolated locations, and final girls trying to survive yet again—not to mention things that go bump in the night—this is a very solid quick read of a book. Maybe don't take it on your next beach vacation...

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.