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.

Tessa is the sole survivor of a horrid multi-murder in which all her friends were slain in their vacation home. It's been decades since that night but Tessa needs to go back. To move on. And the money offered to write a book about het return helps significantly.

There are so many holes in Tessa's account of what happened that night years ago one could strain their spaghetti. And to make things worse she's willingly ignorant to the spookiest things in the house. She's utterly frustrating which adds a new level of tension.

Everyone is a suspect. Every sound and shadow something sinister. I was riveted and biting my nails to the quick at every turn. The ending was wholly satisfying.

This was a thrilling read. I was struck in horror from start to end, the writing style was incredible for this type of book- it never felt like you had any correct idea of what was happening. This was a very easy read as the chapters were short, yet still terrifying. I didn't feel a strong connection with any of the characters which is why I bumped it down to a four star rating, but overall I really enjoyed this read.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of The Last Girl Left by A.M. Strong; Sonya Sargent. I was drawn right into the story and it was hard to put it down because Tessa’s story was so compelling. I loved the spooky things that kept happening and upping the creepy factor. I’m not sure the ending lived up to the rest of the book, but it was full of action. This was a fast and intriguing read, so go get it!

I had higher hopes for this story, especially as it was written by multiple people – to me, those books should be some of the more complicated, twistier ones. This is not one of those books. I think part of the problem is that another popular author recently released a very similar book that was what this book hoped to be.
Tessa and her friends were on vacation at a beach house and met a man that they invited back and partied with. He ended up returning later that night and killing the other three girls, but Tessa survived. And in the tiring cliché of these stories, she cannot remember what happened that night past being pulled out from hiding underneath a bed. It was a terrible ordeal, and she spent the next five years living with her sister, terrified of going out and doing pretty much anything except going to several different therapists and not trying to heal herself.

But now she faces an ultimatum from her sister – she must move out because she’s not moving on. So, Tessa spontaneously books an entire month at the same beach house to face her demons and puts it on her sister’s credit card. This angers her sister even more and she tells Tessa that if she’s not paid back in one week, she’s reporting the charge as fraud. Tessa then contacts an editor who wanted to sell her story years ago. She figures an advance on that will be an easy way to repay her sister. But he’s only interested if she writes the full story at the house over the month she stays. Tessa has no choice but to agree to the terms and off she goes.
Returning to the beach house causes all kinds of fear and anxiety, not helped by the feeling that she’s being watched and the noises she keeps hearing and can’t explain. She doesn’t trust anyone she meets and doesn’t get much writing done. Will she finally confront her past and move on or will this trip prove to be the death of her?

Unfortunately, Tessa doesn’t come off as a sympathetic character – she’s honestly pretty annoying. She blames her therapists for ‘not being able to fix her’ even though she chooses not to talk about that night or try to remember anything about it. Instead of celebrating the life she was still able to live, she mourns the lives her friends lost and feels guilty for not saving them. And instead of visiting the house one time, she decides to live there for a month? That just makes no sense. She won’t go in half the rooms and overreacts to every sound. She waits so long to open a door to check when she hears something, that of course nothing is there because she gives whatever COULD be there plenty of time to get away.

Anyway, I just expected more out of this story given the premise. But it was a good page-turner and had a satisfying ending. If that’s enough for you, you’ll enjoy it!

Strength begins with the training of mindset and the willingness to have the willpower towards completeness of who one was meant to become based on purpose and intention based motivations.

This quick read will keep you guessing!
Tessa Chamberlain survived a mass murder when she and her friends rented a beach house and a serial killer attacked. Five years later she is still suffering and afraid to truly live life or move on. When she decides to take the bull by the horns, Tessa visits the scene of the horrific crime and decides to stay....for a month.

Renting the beach house in the winter is not for the faint of heart and even worse for someone suffering from trauma. Join Tessa as she tries to get to the bottom of what happened that night.
#thomas&mercer #thelastgirlleft #amstrong #sonyasargent

I really wanted to like this one, it had all the elements to be good- a last girl returning to the scene of the crime, surrounded by the ghosts of her friends, an inclusive island hiding secrets- and yet it fell flat for me. The writing was okay but not entirely engaging and the plot was identifiable early on. A good palette cleanser but not one I would likely recommend.

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.

The Last Girl Left by A.M. Strong and Sonya Sargent is so, so good! Don’t read this at night. My heart was pounding, and what was happening was just plain scary.

When a woman returns to the scene of the horrific mass murder that shattered her life, the nightmare begins again.

Five years ago, Tessa Chamberlain was the lone survivor of a beach house massacre that left three of her friends dead. Now, she’s going back to face her fears.

Renting the same beach house where she almost died, Tessa returns to lonely Cassadaga Island. But as the fog rolls in and the nights grow longer, she wonders if she made a terrible mistake. There are footsteps on the porch, creaks from the second floor, and an unsettling feeling of being watched.

I never had a clue who the culprit turned out to be. The Last Girl Left would make a great movie.

I highly recommend this book. Overall, The Last Girl Left is a satisfying page-turner of a thriller with good twists and turns, red herrings to keep you on your toes, and scary moments.

#TheLastGirlLeft #NetGalley @AmazonPub

If you survived the thrill of watching 'The Scream' series and all the American slasher movies, its time to relive the thrill with some scenes in 'The Last Girl Left'.

The book narrates the ordeal of "the woman who survived the Sunset Cove Massacre". It has been 5 years since her college friends were murdered by a sadistic young man in a beach house in Cassadaga Island while they were vacationing with no mobile phone network.

Now five years later, Tessa Montgomery is still stuck with the survivor's guilt. She still hear the dying screams of her three friends at night. On top of that, she is haunted by the thoughts of the serial killer, Patrick Moyer, who notably is now dead. She sees him peering under the bed at her with a leering grin on his face.

That's not it. Tessa is keeping much more haunting memories at bay with the help of a dam of amnesia. What will happen if the dam broke?

What will happen when she goes back to the same beach house where the tragedy took place? Who will she encounter there? Will she survive? Why would she go there in the first place? What will be the fate of the lone girl who survived a sadistic ripper?

To unravel all of these mysterious questions and to see Tessa fighting her past demons, get your hands on one of the freshest-looking copies of 'The Last Girl Left'.

To read the full review, visit my blog: https://bibliosbookwormblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-last-girl-left.html

I truly loved this book. I was hooked from the first page. So many twists and turns I didn't see. This was a real page-turning murder mystery thriller. Tessa is a hero. What she endured at the hands of others would leave most others, self included, completely shut down and hidden away from the world forever. I highly recommend this book and am so grateful for the opportunity to read this before being published. I only spotted just a few minor grammatical errors, and they weren't enough to detract from the story. This book ranks in my top 5 read this year.

If you look up “thriller” in the dictionary there should be a picture of the cover of this book!!! What an edge of your seat ride! You can’t help feeling for Tessa and her sad and violent past. Really makes you jump from who you think is involved to the next twist. Great descriptions of the setting and also the cast of characters. Will be an awesome book club pick too!

The Last Girl Left is an electrifying novel of psychological suspense from the first page. Tessa Chamberlain is our brave young protagonist who survived a horrific mass murder that occurred five years before the story starts. But then she decides to go back and face her fears rather than letting them stomp all over the memories alone: it's a lonely beach house on remote Cassadaga Island off the coast of Maine.

A deserted beach house, a foggy island: the atmosphere of dread and tension is utterly sensational. The author has done brilliant work in this respect. When Tessa develops alarming incidents, the reader is more deeply engrossed in the mystery. The pacing is excellent, as suspense rolls steadily through the work and Tessa's past fears gradually become her present reality.

Tessa's character is well rounded, her fragility and determination giving the reader someone to root for. Tessa's memories of the original massacre are intertwined with her tale in the book. It provides an extra layer of tension and emotional depth to a straightforward story.

The storyline keeps you off balance with unexpected twists that come to an alarming denouement in which everything turns out not as imagined.

Without losing sight of its excellent storyline and fully formed characters, the novel receives a star less for some fairly predictable plot points that weaken the entire effect of suspense.

Overall, The Last Git is a page-turner for the lovers of suspense. The haunting exploration of trauma and resilience will stick in your craw well past the last page. Four stars out of five.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

The first part of this book was a little repetitive and slow for me. However, the last part picked up quickly and I ended up staying up late to finish it. I think this atmospheric thriller is well worth the read. Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer, A.M.Strong and Sonya Sargent for allowing me to read this ARC.