After surviving a murder spree that claimed her 3 best friends; Tessa finds herself struggling to overcome the experience 5 years later: She decides the only way to reclaim her life is to go back to the place where it al happened and conquer fears. Upon, returning to the island and staying in the horror house she begins to experience flashbacks as well as becoming acute aware that she might be being watched by an unknown local.
Kept me guessing until the end as it introduced multiple characters who could have ulterior motives

TW: violence, murder, sexual assault

#TheLastGirlLeft #NetGalley

A late night home invasion leaves everyone dead, but one.

This story follows Theresa Tessa who is the lone survivor of a home evasion that left all of her friends dead. She is dealing with some dark demons and decides to face them by going back to the scene of the crime and work through her issues. When she went back to the house, things start to go bump in the night…

I thought at times the plot moved a little slowly and I think we could have used some kind of twist to keep the interest going. Other than that I enjoyed the story and thought it moved quickly. I would recommend this to people who want a quick fast paced thriller. Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this title for review purposes. I will always give my honest opinion.

This is my first book by Strong and Sargent. Usually you can kind of tell with it is a collaboration but not with this one. The writing styles blend beautifully!

The entire way throughout the story I could almost feel Tessa's fear...that's how real it came across.`...although I am pretty (positive) I would not have returned to that house for one night let alone one month!! My only real issue was where were Tessa's parents?? I may have forgotten a mention of why they weren't involved and she only had her sister though. I do have to say that the "culprit" was not who I expected but only because I thought it was too obvious to be them?

Entertaining and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

This was a clever account of a person facing their darkest fears. I’m not sure I would be brave enough to go back to the scene of a crime where I was supposed to be the fourth victim, but Tessa does. And her fear brings so much tension to the book, as it becomes clear that it’s more than just a lingering fear that has her unable to sleep at night.

I enjoyed this story from the beginning. The survivor going back to where it all began angle, and the reason she couldn’t just leave and go home when things got too scary were plausible and set the story up well.

thank you to netgalley and thomas & mercer for sending me an arc !! the last girl left is gonna be released on april 23rd.

theresa chamberlain, but now tessa montgomery, went through the biggest trauma of her life. five years ago three of her friends were murdered in the beach house they were renting and tessa almost didn’t survive.

for some miracle she’s still alive but can’t tell if she’s safe or not. after having a fight with her sister she had the idea of going back to the house and facing her fears, i mean what could go wrong with the killer being dead for five years? tessa just needed to live in the house for a month and write the first draft of her debut book about what happened to her five years ago.

overall it was a good book but there were some parts that felt like nothing was going on, until you reached the end. i was suspicious about the people from the end but didn’t think about it a lot because i was enjoying the book. poor tessa can finally have her peace now that she knows everything that happened in that house !!

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.