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.

Kiki won’t stop until she has answers, almost like I couldn’t stop reading this thriller into the wee hours of the morning so I could have answers myself. Wonderfully written.

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 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 the 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. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for providing this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts

3.5 stars for this specific book
4.5 stars for this author's collection of work

Kate White has easily become one of my auto read authors for mystery and thrillers. I loved "The Second Husband"
and "Between Two Strangers" and this was one was awesome as well.

I appreciated how dedicated our main character Kiki is to prove that her ex-fiance (Jamie) did not commit suicide. She has no experience in law enforcement so her detective skills definitely were just okay at times, but hey, I'm no Nancy Drew (even if I pretend to be). The beginning was captivating, the middle dragged on a bit and the end was mediocre. What it lacked was believability.

I have to say this might be my least favorite out of the books I've read from her, but that's simply because I LOVED the other two more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Oh this was a good book. I really liked Kiki as a character. She was determined to prove what happened to her ex fiancé and that he did not commit suicidal despite what others thought.
She goes on quite the exploration to prove she is right.
I was hooked from the beginning, the middle dragged a tiny bit off and on and then it picked up again and was great.
Definitely an awesome read!

This book takes you on a roller coaster ride. I was hooked from the first page. Unlike a lot of books where someone without any law enforcement experience solves the crime rather quickly and expertly, Kiki is not that kind of character. She seems to jump around all over the place. Which makes it more believable in real life. I liked her character. There’s a few that I found rather superficial, but I think that was the point. It was suspenseful and full of mystery. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This book sucked me in the first few pages!
However, the story line became stagnant for quite a bit when the main character, Kiki, kept insisting to everyone her ex was murdered and did not commit suicide. It was just so repetitive.
I also wish the author developed a bit of background on Kiki relationship with Sam. That part of the book was like pow, in your face, out of left field with no history or build-up. I did like the last part of the book when things started to get moving and the pieces came together in the end.

Thanks Netgalley and Harper Perennial for the eArc copy for my review !

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for an ARC copy of The Last Time She Saw Him.

This book started out really strong for me and I was immediately sucked into the story and the mystery of Jamie's death. Unfortunately, it kind of went downhill for me after 30% or so. The bulk of the story was the main character running around sort of chasing her tail in circles and following dead ends, which added a bit of suspense but not enough. The most disappointing part was the "big reveal" at the end felt super rushed and left a lot of unanswered questions.

Overall, a fine read but definitely would not be near the top of my list to recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC..

The Last Time She Saw Him is a decently told story and fans of romantic suspense will likely enjoy it.

Half way through this book, I just wasn't invested enough to continue. I don't like the fact that a mystery can't just be a mystery without there being a constant romance involved! Okay, it was enough that the main character was the former fiancee of someone who ends up dead. However half way through the book it is revealed that she dumped her future spouse at the altar due to an attraction to his best friend that she was just beyond her control (we discover this as the main character confesses this to the dead man's best friend).

The idea that "the heart wants what the heart wants" and we are all subject to whims of uncontrollable attraction, "love connections" (which may initially be one-sided, but you know what will happen by the end of the book).

That is far too Harlequin for me!
Also, it adds that vibe that a person cannot have moral fiber and self-control, that where their "heart" is concerned we are just slaves to our passing attractions...

This book should be categorized as a "romance" novel. I did not feel the characters in this novel were realistic, and I didn't find any of them particularly likeable...

First and last by this author, might be your cuppa, just wasn't mine, I prefer my mysteries (and the main characters) when they are more... Substantial.

Kiki bravely decides to go to a dinner party where her ex-fiancé Jamie will be, only for the night to end with Jamie dead. While it looks like a suicide, Kiki is sure it was murder and sets out to find the truth.

The book "The Last Time She Saw Him" starts with a disconnected but gripping beginning, then introduces many characters, making the story complex and slow to get into. Although it's hard to feel close to the characters, there's enough mystery to make you curious about the ending. However, the ending is disappointing and leaves questions unanswered.

The writing has potential, and even though this book wasn't to my liking, I'm interested in reading more from the author. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial & Paperbacks for the chance to read and review this book.

I like this book, it has a fast pace, solid characters that you care about and a strong storyline. I did find the ultimate motive that was revealed a little wanting and not totally believable. However, Kate White always writes a strong book that you get sucked into. Recommended.

Wow! This was so good. I couldn’t put it down and finished in one sitting. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3⭐️

THE PLOT

Kiki Reed attends a celebratory party for her friend's husband to celebrate his new book, when she runs into her ex-fiancé, Jamie. They didn't part on good terms so an awkward encounter was expected. However, they had a civil and pleasant conversation. As Jamie goes to leave the party, he is shot in his car. Kiki is devastated, even more so when they rule his death a suicide. She didn't believe it one bit and dedicated all her time figuring out how to prove he was murdered, even if it meant going to very questionable lengths.

My Thoughts

The Characters: I found Kiki to be absolutely insufferable. 😭 I didn't like her at all. I didn't think she was likable and she was just over the top the entire time. I really struggled with all of these characters, to be honest. Her actions were BEYOND crazy and the conclusions she'd come to were just so wild. I liked the little bit a romance between Sam and Kiki, but it felt weird given the circumstances in which they got together. Sam was Jaime's best friend so after he died, it felt a little...wrong. I only say that because it was literally a week after he died that they started flirting I was like GIRLLL please LMAOO.

The Plot: I liked the way the plot played out and I liked the idea of the plot. However, I think it lacked a bit in execution. Sometimes everything was clumped together and then it'd be so spaced out and filled with things not relevant to the plot. It was engaging enough to keep be binge reading it, but I didn't have much joy as the story went on. I was really hoping it'd get better and I had my fingers crossed, but it just fell short to me. I had a good time! The vibes were there; the execution just fell short. The ending was not really surprising at all to me. I could see it from a mile away and I'm not one to theorize. However, there were a few moments where I gasped and was like wait WHAT? There was a lot of surprises throughout the book, but the ending was a bit of a let down as well.

Overall, I had a fun time reading this, but I don't think it was for me. It was fast-paced at times and others were very slow. I would recommend this if you're looking for more of a slower-paced thriller. It wasn't entirely gripping, but it's engaging enough to keep you reading. 😊

Thank you to Kate White, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!! <3

This book started a little slow for me but quickly changed my mind and I was hooked! A murder of an ex sends our main character into detective mode, and as she starts to unravel what happened to him, more and more things come to light surrounding the victim. Great story, fast plot, couldn't put it down!