**4.25 stars**

I didn’t know what to expect going into this but WOW was it good!! The writing is incredibly atmospheric and I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next pretty much the entire book. I find that mystery elements of novels can sometimes seem either too boring/predictable or just wayyy too far fetched, but shockingly this book had a mystery that was just right. Not super predictable but not out of left field and very very well done.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers, mysteries, or horror movies (because this felt like a thriller/horror movie the entire time). I feel like so many different readers would enjoy this; those who love jump scares, those who want crazy twists, those who don’t want crazy twists…. Just read it! I’m honestly shocked this book doesn’t have more hype.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, A.M. Strong, Sonya Sargent, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel!

Thank you, NetGalley and Sonya Sargent Strong for my copy of this book. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Courtney, Shelby, Madison & Theresa all go on vacation to The Cassadaga Island in Maine. Only one comes back...

5 years later, Tessa, who has changed her name to avoid the press goes back to Cassadaga Island, to the same house where her friends were killed, in order to move on from her fear. Her sister, Melissa, thinks it is a bad idea, but Tessa is determined. Along the way she meets Cindy whose house near to the "Murder House" as it has been nicknamed, and she befriends Roxanne, a waitress at the local diner.

Tessa's paranoia starts to get to her, from windows and doors being open, footsteps in and around the house and her name being whispered. Soon she suspects people that she has come in contact with on the small island.

I really liked the characters, and I had the same feelings about Roxanne that Tessa had... At first, she's, my friend, then, can I trust her? Noah also creeped me out although I couldn't put my finger on why. I loved the writing and could see the scenes playing out as I was reading it.

I would recommend this book.

I was captivated from start to finish. The story just pulled me in. I was a little annoyed with the MC, it found her to be repetitive at times,but the ending made up for it. I would recommend you give this one a read.

The Last Girl Left is by far my favorite final girl story.

Five years after becoming a final girl, Tessa returns to the scene of the devastating crime that took the lives of three of her friends. She has no job, no friends, no significant other. Can facing her demons head on help her get her life back?

Taking place off the coast of Maine in November, it was the perfect eerie setting. The story was so suspenseful and I was in edge throughout, scared of all the bumps and noises in the night. It ended with an intense edge of your seat nail biting conclusion that had me like 🤯

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

Renting the same beach house where she almost died, Tessa returns to lonely Cassadaga Island off the coast of Maine long after the tourists and summer residents have departed for the winter. 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.

If only someone believed her. Because the terrors Tessa thought were long behind her are starting again. And this time, trapped and alone, she might not be lucky enough to survive them.

Wowza!!! An amazing read from start to finish. Will recommend to others.

The book is well written and the story is engaging, but how can the main character make SO MANY stupid choices??? I wanted to give her a shake to make her a little smarter. Despite this, I recommend reading it!

4,5 stars

Wow! Absolutely loved this one!
Thanks to #Netgalley and #amazonpublishing for my early copy.

This book is written by what appears to be a husband and wife duo and I will certainly be looking out for more by these two!

The reader is promptly introduced to Tessa, the sole survivor of a beach house massacre five years ago in which three of her girlfriends were brutally murdered. She is clearly stuck in the past and can’t seem to move on, although the killer was appraised soon after and then shot by the sheriff.

Now Tessa wants to regain control of her life, and the only way is to return to that beach house in Maine and conquer her fears.

Big mistake!

I loved the claustrophobic feeling the setting lent to the story. A small island in Maine in the off-season, with only a handful of bars and shops open, was the perfect setting for this spine-chilling thriller.

This is one of those books where you can’t really trust anyone.

When inexplicable things start to happen like her neighbour going missing, a person only she had seen and spoken to, I began to doubt her sanity.

Add to this a cast of unreliable characters and you get the perfect mix for a psychological thriller with things that go bump in the night!😱

Loved the spooky moments at the end and the big reveal, which I didn’t see coming!

Um, what?!?! My friends over @thrillerbookloversthepulse were completely right about this one! Fantastic!! And addicting! Completely devoured this one, especially the last quarter of the book. My husband said the faces I was making while reading said it all lol 😆 Full of suspense!! Great read!

*Thank you so much @sonyasargentstrong @thrillerbookloversthepulse @amazonpublishing and @brillancepublishing for the #gifted finished copy, e-galley and audiobook!!!!*

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of The Last Girl Left!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🫣 love heart pounding action and suspense
👀 like books where you can’t trust the MC
🏝️ have ever rented a house on a secluded island
😈 would face your demons by revisiting a home you almost perished in

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

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

Renting the same beach house where she almost died, Tessa returns to lonely Cassadaga Island off the coast of Maine long after the tourists and summer residents have departed for the winter. 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.

If only someone believed her. Because the terrors Tessa thought were long behind her are starting again. And this time, trapped and alone, she might not be lucky enough to survive them.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was such an incredible read! The suspense was absolutely pulse-pounding! I wasn’t sure if Tessa was even a reliable MC. She did and said a lot of questionable things and I kept wavering on her believability. I loved the atmosphere of the creepy island in November. Summer wouldn’t have been as frightening, so l loved that Tessa went back during the bleak winter months. Everything she experienced had me on edge right there with her. The ending definitely had me a bit shocked, and I enjoyed the last few chapters of fighting. Overall, a fantastic thriller that will have your heart racing! Also, side note, this book has so many characters with names of family - Melissa (me), Patrick (my dad’s name), Noah (my son’s name) and Daniel (my late brother’s name) so that was a lot of fun to see! I can’t wait to read more from this pair in the future!

Five years ago, Tessa Chamberlain was the lone survivor of a beach house massacre that left three of her friends dead-and Tessa with an inescapable, unending dread.

Now she's going back to face her fears by renting the same beach house where she almost died.

As the fog rolls in and the nights grow longer, she wonders if she made a terrible mistake.

I loved the isolated island vibe and the fun of trying to figure out what was going on!

* You may enjoy this if you like eerie settings, final girls tropes, shifty characters and noises in the night.

The Last Girl Left is a gripping and tense mystery-thriller that I really enjoyed.

The story follows Tessa as she returns to the scene of a massacre that took her friends' lives five years earlier. She’s there to write a book about her traumatic experience, but soon, strange events make her feel like she’s in danger.

I loved the isolated setting in this book. Most of the story takes place in a small beach town in Maine during the off-season. The setting really enhanced the eerie atmosphere.

I did question many of Tessa’s decisions. She seemed either incredibly brave or very foolish to return to a place by herself where she barely survived. Personally, I would have stayed far away from there!

The authors' writing was excellent, and I couldn’t tell that the book was co-written. The story flowed seamlessly, in my opinion.

I loved the mystery and thought the ending was perfect. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author duo in the future. If you’re a fan of intriguing mystery thrillers, this is a must-read.

A huge thank you to @strongsargentauthors for the amazing book box and the opportunity to read Last Girl Left. This book has definitely been one we’ve been chatting about over at @thrillerbookloversthepulse. If you want a creepy summer thriller, check out Last Girl Left

Tessa Chamberlain is the sole survivor of a beach house massacre. Derailing her life for 5 years, Tessa has made little progress through traditional therapy. Living in the master bedroom of her sister’s house, she’s given an ultimatum. Work on her recovery or find a new place to live. Tessa decides to take control of her life and reaches out to a publisher to tell her story in exchange for a hefty advance. The catch? Go back to the house where the attack took place and spend a month writing a tell all book about that night. As soon as Tessa arrives, she is haunted by the memories. Visiting the rooms where her friends were killed brings everything back for Tessa and she spends many sleepless nights awake on the couch. Then the noises begin, the window left unlatched, and the door left open. Is Tessa just imagining these events or is someone trying to scare her? She knows her attacker was killed 5 years ago, but she can’t help but wonder if someone is out to get her.

I’m not one who usually gets scared by books, but this one had me looking over my shoulder 👀. I also couldn’t help but scream, “get out of that house.” This was a fantastic, well-developed thriller and I couldn’t wait to find out, “how is this going to end?” If you want something spooky for your next beach read, check out Last Girl Left

The Last Girl Left is a mystery about a woman in her mid-twenties who is still struggling with the trauma of being the one who survived a mass murder. When she was in college, Theresa (now Tessa), was left for dead by a man she and her friends had met earlier that day while on vacation on a Maine island. Five years later, she is out of options. She is constantly afraid and has never been able to hold down a job. Her generous sister is now giving her tough love and asking her to get her life in order. Tessa impulsively decides to rent the home her friends were murdered in to heal. Realizing she can't pay for the rental, she reaches out to a publisher to get a book deal about her experience going back to the house.

The story moves quickly and we see things through Tessa's eyes. The constant fear and suspicion of everyone she meets. You have to suspend disbelief to get into the novel, but it moves quickly and was a tense ride. The novel is perfectly narrated by Hallie Ricardo, who really brought Tessa/Theresa to life. Being from Massachusetts, I especially like that she nailed the New England town pronunciations like "Gloucester." Too often the names are mispronounced by narrators.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ebook and audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

This was a great, stay up all night with the lights on creepy thriller. I had lots ofnideas about what happened, but was so wrong. Lots of great twists at the end!

All of us at @thrillerbookloversthepulse are raving about this book, and for good reason!

This book grabs you and pulls you in from the very first page! Short chapters, suspense, and downright creepiness made this book so hard to put down!

I loved that this book was set in Maine because that happens to be one of my favorite places to visit! The author's writing was so descriptive and made me feel like I was right there with Tessa as she tried to face her fears. There were a number of characters that I was suspicious of, and while I wasn't totally surprised by the twist at the end, it was still shocking and full of tension!

Thank you, @strongsargentauthors, for the #gifted copy of this book and the awesome box filled with goodies!

A creepy, twisted, and chilling isolation thriller about a young woman named Tessa trying to get past the trauma of surviving a horrific attack. I loved how deeply the authors brought us into Tessa's head, and her limited perspective enhanced the suspenseful atmosphere as the puzzle pieces unfolded. The plot is also well-executed with red herrings abound. I highly recommend this book for fans of mystery or dark thrillers.

Five years ago, Tessa was the lone survivor of a beach house massacre. Her three friends were brutally murdered. By a stroke of luck, Tessa survived. However, she has not been able to move past that night, even though the murderer was killed. Tessa lives every day in fear. After unsuccessfully trying therapy and an argument with her sister, Tessa decides to go back to the beach house to get over her fears. She returns in the late fall, after all the tourists have left the island.

Tessa quickly regrets her decision to return. With few people around, the island is creepy. Tessa cannot sleep as she hears footsteps and creaking on the porch steps. She fears that someone is watching her. Is it all in her head? Or are Tessa's worse fears coming to light?

What. a read! Super haunting and eerie. It definitely reminded me of a horror film and gave allll the final girl vibes. I really had a fun time reading this one! I was guessing until the very end and loved the high intensity.

I loved the setting and the imagery. The book takes place on a small island off the coast of Maine. The setting and imagery definitely amped the spooky vibes.

Highly recommend this one for a summer thriller read! It is a fast paced and easy read, but the dark and twisty plot will keep you guessing until the very end.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to @amazonpublishing @strongsargentauthors @sonyasargentstrong for an advanced copy to review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Last Girl Left was a fast read for me! The premise was intriguing… the final girl left returns to an Island off the coast of Maine to face her demons from five long years ago. I won’t give any spoilers, but let’s just say, I was not expecting THAT! Want to know the best part?! This one just released!

I went into this with fairly low expectations and ended up being happily surprised! The storyline here is becoming a fairly common one so I don't think there are a lot of variations left to be written. Girl survives a bloody massacre then returns to the scene years later and creepy things start happening. So, what set this one apart? Well, Maine for one. I will read pretty much anything that is set in Maine. Five years previous, Tessa rented a beach house there with her friends and ends up being the only survivor after everyone else is killed. She returns later to try and reconcile with the past as she doesn't remember what happened. (Another common trope) Another thing I liked was the writing style. Lots of clues and red herrings to piece together. And the final thing I enjoyed, was our final girl. Tessa. I liked her. After reading several books with a lot of unlikeable characters, I really felt for Tessa. Granted, I have never faced anything near what she goes through, but her story held my attention, and I didn't guess the ending. I will definitely go back and read more from these authors!

Thank you to #NetGalley, A.M. Strong and Sonya Sargent and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Facebook and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

This was a really good thriller! Tessa was the only girl to survive from a girls weekend that turned into a massacre of her friends. She has always struggled with being the one who survived and her memories of that night. It has been five years and she still cannot hold down a job, sleep regularly or live alone. Her sister has been in saint in allowing Tessa to live however she needs, but after numerous failed therapy sessions and no real effort being shown to move forward, Melissa gives her an ultimatum. Tessa needs to start moving forward in her life and she decides the only way she can do that is to go back to the place where the event occurred and face her fears head on. Booking the place for a month, Tessa heads back to where her nightmare began. As bits and pieces start coming back, Tessa starts to make progress. But there is definately something else going on, and she is not sure if she is losing her mind and falling for the ghost stories surrounding this place or if something more sinister is happening because she is back where it all started. This was such a fast paced read and I loved all the twists, characters and overall storyline. Thank you to the author for the complementary novel and awesome book goodies. This review is of my own opinion and accord.