Member Reviews
there is a party at a country estate, as they are getting ready to leave, they find a dead body. the police think it was suicide but was it? it will keep you guessing.
This was an ok thriller about a woman who refuses to believe that her ex-fiance killed himself. Believing he was murdered, she sets out to solve they mystery. There was not a lot of suspense and I feel like the conclusion wasn't well developed (although I didn't see it coming--I thought the plot was going to go in another direction). However, if you're looking for a quick read that lets you escape for a few hours this book fits the bill.
Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this book. I thought this was a very good story but the ending was flat and disappointing. I liked the characters and the suspence throughout the book but the ending could have been much better. The Last Time She Saw Him by Kate White comes out in May. 3 stars
This twisty thriller will keep you turning the pages. A party at a country estate and someone is found dead; was it murder or suicide?
Book clubs will enjoy discussing this one.
3.5/5 stars. This book was a decent mystery thriller! I did find Kiki a bit off-putting and found the way she constantly ran with her theories as if they were the absolute truth unrealistic and annoying. The book was also a bit slow until the last few chapters, but those chapters had me unable to put the book down until I finished it. I feel the book did provide a neat ending, but I had trouble keeping track of all the characters mentioned throughout, as some were only briefly mentioned, and then when they were brought up again later, I had forgotten who they were. Additionally, I felt a lot of loose ends were left without closure and I felt that the ending was fairly predictable and a bit cliché. However, I enjoyed the setting of the novel and thought this was a fun little book. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for this ARC.
This was a solid three star thriller for me. While I liked it overall, I don't think there was anything particularly memorable here. Side note - I feel like maybe Kiki needs to reevaluate her career coaching job because she didn't seem that great at it or invested (and yes I know she's a little preoccupied with finding out who killed Jamie, but still).
Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kiki Reed runs into her ex-fiance at a party. Later Jamie, her ex, is found shot dead in his car. The police believe it to be a suicide but Kiki doesn't believe that to be the case. Kiki sets out on a mission to find the killer.
I really liked this book! I do feel at times we were rushing through the story and I wish we could have gone a bit deeper into some of the investigation. I also wish we got a little more insight into Kiki and Jamie's relationship prior to their breakup and his death. I do think we developed good characters and I honestly thought Kiki had discovered the killer multiple times before we found out it wasn't them. I wish we would have also gotten a bit more flashbacks to Jess Nolan's death, we only got the prologue and then 2 additional small chapters. It seemed the author wanted it to be slightly significant in the book but then didn't bring it up too much.
Something that confused me was the fact that Liam would periodically be called Eric. I'm not sure if this is something that just needs to be edited to be fixed or if there was a hidden meaning behind it that I just completely missed.
A woman tries to prove her ex fiance's death was murder and not suicide. This was an easy to read thriller, a little disappointing as I went in with high expectations. I really liked the author's other books, this one was fine, just not as good and the ending was a bit flat. Maybe it was trying to be too many things, so it didn't quite hit the mark. It was still a good read.
Kiki Reed has recently broken off her engagement to Jamie, and accepts an invite to a party where he will be in attendance as well. At the end of the party, Jamie is found dead in his car and it’s determined to be a suicide. Kiki doesn’t believe he would have taken his own life, so she sets out to find the truth.
I really enjoyed the characters and twists and turns in this story. I didn’t predict the ending, which is always a plus.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy!
Kate White's newest thriller, The Last Time She Saw Him, sounded right up my alley. I've been reading this author for years, and love a good mystery. A broken engagement, an awkward post break-up meeting, and a suspicious death? Sounds promising. But it just kinda fell flat for me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.
We start off at a party where we're introduced to like 20 different people, all of whom are related to, dating, or previously engaged to the victim, and it wasn't even his party. I just didn't care about any of them, including the MC Kiki. She made weird decisions, and came to crazy conclusions (haunted house? really?), and didn't come across as overly likable. The added romance felt forced, rushed, and unnecessary. The reveal was a little underwhelming, and again felt rushed at the end.
All and all, it was just okay.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Last Time She Saw Him. Kate White’s latest thriller draws the reader in immediately. Full of twists, this book will keep you guessing until the final pages. This is definitely one to put on your TBR list.
Hmm... I have some conflicting thoughts about this book. I struggled to become fully immersed in the central mystery surrounding Jamie's fate—was it suicide, or was he murdered? From the onset, it was evident that suicide was an unlikely scenario, and the law officers' insistence on ruling it as such felt somewhat nonsensical to me.
Another aspect that bothered me was the book's inclination towards romance rather than focusing on the mystery at hand. The main character, Kiki Reed, grapples with the tragic loss of her ex-fiancé, whom she left before their wedding due to her platonic love for another man. The narrative delves into her intricate emotions about this other man, introducing elements of unrequited love or perhaps not (I'll refrain from giving away too much). I found myself rolling my eyes at various plot developments, questioning whether I was reading a second-chance romance with love triangles or a mystery surrounding a suspicious death linked to a young girl's murder in the same town—whose perpetrator was never caught, as witnessed in the prologue of the book.
Let's provide a quick recap of the primary storyline: Kiki Reed, recently disengaged from Jamie, her long-time partner, works as a career coach and strives to get her business book published. An invitation from her ex-colleague Ava to a celebration at her Connecticut home offers Kiki a chance to meet a potential agent for her new book. However, she discovers that Jamie will also be at the party and decides to clear the air by speaking to him beforehand. Jamie assures her there won't be any issues, appears to be moving on with his life, and even engages in civil conversation with Kiki before leaving the party. However, a few minutes later, he is discovered dead in his car.
Here's where my concerns intensify: There's no indication of suicide; a man is shot in the face with ample time for the assailant to escape. Despite this, it is inexplicably labeled as a suicide based on gun residue on the man's hands and the heartbreak from the breakup five months prior. I couldn't buy into this conclusion, and it perplexes me why the law officers did.
Kiki, unwilling to accept this verdict and grappling with additional guilt, embarks on an investigative journey, retracing Jamie's steps and staying at an Airbnb that may or may not be haunted by ghosts (yes, the genre shifts to paranormal romance in these chapters). Reluctantly, Jamie's best friend Sam teams up with her.
It remained a quick popcorn read, a blend of psychological thriller and romance mystery. While I didn't derive much enjoyment and found abrupt plot revelations with significant holes, I'm awarding it three solid stars for its balanced pace, quick trajectory, and subplot involving the intriguing young girl's murder.
At least I didn't find myself bored and reached the end easily. I'm hopeful that I'll enjoy the next work from this talented author a bit more.
The party slowly winds down late in the evening. All will go home happy and content …except for one.
Kiki left Jamie at the proverbial alter, and they’ve both somehow moved on. Tonight’s party will be their first time seeing one another since that painful day.
A few forced, awkward moments of obligatory small talk, and they can get on with their lives. But as Jamie leaves the party a gunshot goes off, leaving Jamie dead in his car.
Everyone, including or should I say especially the police call it suicide. But Kiki won’t accept that, refusing to believe Jamie would take his own life. She’s so convinced that she’ll do whatever it takes to find the killer.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be merely an average thriller. It was impossible for me to connect to Kiki and her quest. The police...well they were all but nonexistent.
And her declaration of love midway through the book, seemed to come out of nowhere and literally had me rolling my eyes.🙄
I’ve read and enjoyed previous books by this author, but this latest just failed to WOW me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks .
Kate White's latest psychological thriller, "The Last Time She Saw Him," draws you in from the very first page. When Kiki Reed's ex-fiancé Jamie seemingly takes his own life at a party they both attend, she is left shocked and devastated. But things take an even more startling turn when Kiki becomes convinced that Jamie's death was actually murder.
As the police write off Jamie's death as a suicide, Kiki embarks on her own investigation, determined to uncover the truth. White does a masterful job depicting Kiki's grief, confusion, and gnawing suspicion as she searches for any shred of evidence that Jamie was killed. Even as she puts herself in harm's way, you can't help but root for Kiki in her relentless pursuit of justice and closure.
Full of twists and tension, "The Last Time She Saw Him" will keep you guessing until the final pages. White is skilled at peppering the story with red herrings while also revealing just enough to ratchet up the suspense.
With authentic characters and an engrossing mystery, "The Last Time She Saw Him" shows why Kate White remains at the top of her genre. This harrowing page-turner will leave psychological thriller devotees hungry for White's next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this opportunity!
The book starts off a little messy to me at the very first chapter while they are attempting to head into the woods but instead heading for a car. Huh?!
It makes more sense at the book continues but it never grabbed me in to have me hooked on anything. I didn’t feel any connection to Kiki or really care what was going on. It became repetitive and was hoping for some great suspense due to the cover and title of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks and the author Kate White to this ARC of The Last Time She Saw Him.
Picture it... you've accepted an invite to a book release party where your former fiancé will be present. Even though you were the one to end it, no one understands where you're coming from. The worst part? Your former fiancé won't leave the party alive. Shocked and in denial that suicide was the verdict, Kiki Reed follows her gut and works to bring the truth to light..: even if it is an uglier truth yet to be revealed.
Kiki finds herself questioning the cause of death of her ex-fiancé. She’s kind of a risk taker in this mystery where she has a hard time convincing others that there are other possible reasons for his death.
nice and fun romantic thriller with cool elements, would recommend in parts but in parts disjointed. 3.5. thanks forthe arc.
Kiki Reed, recently disengaged from Jamie, her long-time partner, works as a career coach and strives to get her business book published. An invitation from her ex-colleague Ava to a celebration at her Connecticut home offers Kiki a chance to meet a potential agent for her new book. However, she discovers that Jamie will also be at the party and decides to clear the air by speaking to him beforehand. Jamie assures her there won't be any issues, appears to be moving on with his life, and even engages in civil conversation with Kiki before leaving the party. However, a few minutes later, he is discovered dead in his car.
Kiki runs into her ex-finance at a party and overhears a weird conversation, later the Ex, Jaime, is shot in his car. The police believe it to be a suicide, along with most of his family. Kiki knows in her heart that Jaime would not have taken his own life.
It's a good read but don't expect much from it. It's a romantic thriller and not a 100% pure psychological thriller. Go for it if you're a Kate White fan.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for giving me an advance copy.
Overall, I enjoyed this story but it fell a little flat for me.
Kiki runs into her ex-finance at a party and overhears a weird conversation, later the Ex, Jaime, is shot in his car. The police believe it to be a suicide, along with most of his family. Kiki knows in her heart that Jaime would not have taken his own life. She investigates on her own and is lead down a few rabbit holes. The ending felt slightly predictably but does over a slight twist in the last few pages. Kiki's investigation feels rushed in the time span given, and she seems to get a lot done and puts her entire life on pause. The family dynamics aren't entirely fleshed out and I would've liked to see more suspense in her suspicions of one of the characters. I know the copy says unedited but there are a few name discrepancies that caused some confusion- there is one character called Liam Larson that the author also refers to as Eric. I had to reread a passage a couple times to ensure this was the same person and I wan't missing something. It's fairly short and could have been more suspenseful in the final chase scene as well.