3.5 rounded up.

Setting the Scene: 🇺🇸 A remote island off the coast of Maine, accessible only by ferry or boat.
POV: We follow a survivor in their twenties grappling with the trauma of what happened to them and their friends five years ago while on vacation.

Mood Reading Match-Up:
-Return to scene of the crime, investigative author trope
-Psychological suggestive thriller/horror
-Who-to-trust small town isolation with late autumn/early winter weather
-Themes, exploration, and light commentary on trauma, problematic true crime consumption and publishing, survival, self-preservation, bravery, healing, fear, isolation, and redemption.

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🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕

🗣️ Tale-Telling: The narrative is past tense third-person, in a style where we feel like a fly-on-the-wall in Tessa, our main character’s, life. We are close enough to understand her thoughts and motivations, but also distant enough to feel the chill of the unsettling events and memories without feeling stuck in her head or ruminating on it.

👥 Characters: Everyone was a mystery here! We don’t know who we can trust, everyone seems to be either a red herring or a red flag, but only because we are also on edge after all the unsettling things Tessa has been experiencing, not because of some contrived attempt to make everyone obviously ‘evil’. Tessa can be so frustrating sometimes in the poor judgement and snap decisions she makes in a self-guided (more like self-misguided) attempt to heal, but I think that was authentic to someone living in the shadow of a tragic past while trying to figure out how to move forward.

🗺️ Ambiance: The island was a character in itself – serene by day, menacing by night. It captured that home-alone vibe where you’re not sure if you’re scaring yourself or something really is amiss. This is also where I usually demand the need for a layout or floorplan lol. Not for this one, the scenes were given with context for how different areas of the island or home looked and where they were in relation to each other without it feeling overly detailed or descriptive.

🔥 Fuel: The suspense is very drawn out on this one, but if you’re into slow-burn thrillers that keep you guessing (as in “is anything even really happening?” type guessing), this could be a real treat. It was for me (until the end). There’s this web of trust issues, fragments of memory, heightened awareness from trauma, and eerie occurrences that are all colliding.

🎬 Scenes: Expect a lot of suggestive, unsettling moments. The narrative kind of uses Tessa’s trauma to create tense atmospheres where there wouldn’t be one if she wasn’t in that house and the one who survived, so the line between paranoia and real danger is constantly blurred. I predicted one element of what was happening and who was involved, but it didn’t take away from the story because I still wanted to see what happened. How that unfolded was the disappointment for me.

🤓 Random Thoughts: I worried that having Tessa return to the island in the same house would feel contrived or cringey, but her battle with PTSD, and the choices she makes felt believably woven into the narrative, even if they are convenient at times. The let down for me was the final showdown was over the top, with lots of villain monologuing (lots) and action scenes that were fast-paced but read slow (where we lose track of characters and they seem like they’re just standing there waiting for us to read about what some other character is doing). At one point Tessa has a sudden shift to being put-together that felt too fast, convenient, and unconvincing to me.
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Content Heads-Up: Violence (descriptive, on page). Gun violence. Stalking/peeping. PTSD. Rape (mention, flashbacks). Murder. Death of a friend. Anxiety. Financial insecurity. Corruption.
Rep: White American and ambiguous / open to reader interpretation. Cisgender.

👀 Format: Digital review copy from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley

“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI bookworm bestie ✨”

I read this while staying with family in the blur of time between Christmas and New Year’s, which made it even more disorienting. The Last Girl Left follows Tessa, who returns book to the scene of the crime, a vacation home on an isolated island, five years after she and her friends were brutally attacked. The only survivor, Tessa has been living as a shadow of her former self, and, in a desperate desire to face the past, she travels, alone, to the island. There, it quickly becomes clear that things aren’t what they originally seemed - and that she really doesn’t know what happened that night at all. A very fast, very creepy read. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

The story has great character development, complex plot braiding and an overall engaging structure. Loved it!

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer, for my complimentary digital copy for review.

This narrative is a study in suspense—every page is a testament to the authors' skill in maintaining a tight grip on the reader's psyche. The atmosphere of the novel is palpable; the claustrophobic setting and the locked-room scenarios amplify the tension to an almost unbearable degree. As Tessa confronts the buried memories of her past, the readers are taken on an emotional rollercoaster, their suspicions growing with each chapter.

The character development is a cornerstone of this work. Tessa's evolution is as much an internal journey as it is a physical one. As she navigates a landscape of mistrust and the slow process of social reintegration, readers witness the profound changes in her demeanor. The interplay between memory and identity, and the courage to trust again, are themes that resonate deeply throughout the story.

The authors' use of distraction is a clever narrative device that serves to keep readers on their toes. It is easy to become so engrossed in Tessa's perspective that one might miss subtle clues, only to be startled by the revelations as they unfold.

"The Last Girl Left" is a riveting exploration of the extremes of human resilience. Strong and Sargent have composed a thriller that not only provokes deep reflection on the decisions made in dire situations but also offers a visceral, edge-of-your-seat experience.

I found this to be very unthrilling, very predictable and I don't know I just didnt connect much to the main character.

This was a fun creepy read. There was plenty of twists and misdirection, and the ending was completely unexpected. I have always loved “final girl” stories and this was executed really well. I’m looking forward to more from this author duo.

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I liked this book, but it felt like it was missing a few things to make it great. Tessa is going back to the place her friends were brutally murdered to "face her fears" which is a terrifying concept. The authors definitely got the creepiness down because I was spooked while reading. I wish there were more flashbacks to connect us more with the friends who died (not just from the night of the murder). I felt like there was not a ton of mystery behind some of the big twists at the end... I felt like the authors made it pretty obvious throughout the book which isn't my favorite. This was a decent read that kept me entertained but I will not think about it often.

This book wasn’t 100% but it is definitely a 5 star in my books. I will be recommending this to loads of people! The writing was so amazing that I really felt Tessa’s fear! I found myself locking my car while I was driving at night myself because I was so scared. If a thriller book makes me feel like this then it’s a 5 star. I also didn’t have a clue who the culprit was! Wow big twists and turns throughout.

ARC provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

i gave this book 2/5 stars. the book was a pretty cookie-cutter whodunnit type thriller book- but i thought some of the execution left something to be desired. a few things i wish were different:

- her disregard for the utility of therapy makes sense for her character, but i wish that they circled back to that concept at the end of the book. the idea that now she's happy and can move on with her life after the trauma she endured throughout the book makes honestly no sense
- there were not enough actually interesting characters in the book. i felt everyone felt very two-dimensional and it made the reveal not shocking in the slightest
- roxanne and tessa.... just friends..... yeah okay

A classic final girl story with so many great twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat while making me second guess everything! Not many mystery books surprise me at the end, but this one definitely did. It’ll be a great book to recommend to many of the library patrons I encounter!

I love the isolated island in Maine setting. It was spooky and eerie with its fog rolling in and November chill. There were just a couple things that had me scratching my head and thusly not giving it a full 5 stars.

Overall, this would be a good read for those who enjoy psychological thrillers, unreliable narrators and lots of twists.

Ok this one gave me nightmares. Not a great idea to read right before going to bed. Everything about it is haunting and creepy!

Tessa decides to return to the scene of a horrific crime that she was involved with five years earlier. She was the only one to survive the night of a horrible massacre that left her three friends dead. Now she is going back to face her fears head on, she's decided to stay in the same house for one month. All alone. She begins to hear footsteps, creaking, and feels like she is being watched. This time she is alone and may not survive.

The Last Girl Left was suspenseful and scary. The plot surrounded one of my worst nightmares. Minus one star because at times there were so many warning signs that Tessa just straight up ignored. Remember that movie Scary Movie, at times the writing reminded me of that. Which I guess is good because it lightened up the scariness of it for a me a bit. Overall a great read that I hope won't haunt my dreams for nights to come.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! Tessa has had it rough. 5 years ago while on vacation with 3 friends things did not go exactly as planned. Mass murder happened instead of beach days and drinks at night. Now she will revisit the scene of the crime in hopes of getting her life back on track. Very good book. All kinds of twists every time I thought I figured it out. No wrong. I recommend this book.

Horrifying thriller with a killer twist. Tessa survived a brutal mass slaying 5 years ago that claimed the lives of her three closest friends. After living with her sister for years Tessa decides to face her fears and return to the beach house that the massacre occurred in. Almost as soon as Tessa arrives at the house strange things start to occur that leads her to question all the things she believes happened. Extremely fast paced and difficult to put down.

There’s a running joke that many authors of psychological thrillers use a line where the character releases a breath they didn’t know they were holding. Well, as the reader that happened to me—more than once! This book had a complex and unpredictable plot. It kept me guessing, thinking, and holding my breath. I was rooting for the main character, Tessa, the whole time, yet I never could’ve predicted what she had been through and what she would go through over the course of her story. I’m still trying to return my breathing to normal!

This was a fun read! I enjoyed it a lot. I had a few plausibility issues (the very sketchy publisher, the 0 to 60 ability of Tessa's to confront her trauma... Can't leave the house, next second GONNA GO STAY AT THE TRAUMA HOUSE FOR A MONTH) and the climax was a bit long but otherwise it was very enjoyable! (rounding up to 3.5 on social media but that isn't an option here.)

In this chilling psychological suspense novel, "The Last Girl Left," we are thrown back into the harrowing world of Tessa Chamberlain, the sole survivor of a tragic mass murder that shattered her life five years ago. As she confronts her past, Tessa returns to the very beach house where the haunting massacre took place—determined to face her unimaginable fears head-on.

Set in the desolate, fog-shrouded island off the coast of Maine, the tale immerses us in an atmosphere of gripping unease as Tessa grapples with isolation and the resurfacing of her worst nightmares. The author skillfully unravels a narrative that is as unnerving as it is compelling, seamlessly blending a palpable sense of dread with Tessa's desperate struggle to be believed, even as the relentless terrors of her past encroach upon her once more.

The author masterfully captures the haunting aura of a wintry, nearly deserted island, heightening the tension and setting the stage for an enthralling descent into psychological suspense. As the chilling events unfold, the reader is drawn deeper into a web of uncertainty and trepidation, fully immersed in Tessa's battle against a resurgence of inexplicable horrors.

"The Last Girl Left" is a pulse-pounding thriller that expertly keeps readers on edge, with an atmospheric setting and a protagonist's unwavering determination to confront her demons. This novel delivers a spellbinding experience, threading together elements of isolation, paranoia, and the relentless grip of the past to create a truly riveting tale of survival and resilience.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
This book started good, kind of had a little bit of a slow pace middle and then picked up and was soooo good at the end!! During the middle, I was thinking I didn’t like it with how the pace was, but then bam! All the suspense and twists came out and I ended up loving it! I totally recommend this!!

This was a solid three stars for me. There were some great moments/elements of the story that really stood out to me, and other things that left it feeling a little lacking. The terrible events are harrowing and had me on the edge of my seat at times. The claustrophobic horrors and suspense are well-crafted. The setting and scares are the best parts. You won't want to read this one in the dark. But I had some issues with the pacing and predictability. And Tessa is a little frustrating to read from at times. I never felt like I cared enough to be completely invested in her outcome. Overall, it's a good page-turning, scary, popcorn read.

The plot of this book seemed SO interesting but I couldn't get past the bad dialogue and the switching of character's names mid-thought. Hoping some of it is refined during the ARC process.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing this book, for an honest review.

I am reading this book apart of a book club, to discuss at the end of the month. The book locked me in, but at times I found it hard to press on, as the writing is slow and stagnant in places... often repetitive. A little predictable and a few more typos that I look to fumble through. Overall not terrible. 3/5