One of my rare 1 stars this year, The Last Time She Saw Him wants to be a cross between a murder mystery and a thriller, but ends up being too flimsy to be either.

This is about a woman who is invited to a dinner, where her ex - with whom she broke up just months ago - will also be present. She’s apprehensive about how it’s going to go but she does attend and goes to talk to him, just to get that first shock of interaction over with.
But towards the end of the night, her ex is found dead in a car. Police rule it a suicide but she knows he would never have done that. She is determined to find out what exactly happened to him.

It’s half-baked and tries to do so many things at once and in quick succession that it ends up muddling everything. And so many plot points are so convenient, they had my eyes rolling like a wheel.
The writing too leaves much to be desired because it is choppy and full of unimpressive cliches.

Not a great experience this, and at the end of it, I was just glad that that was going to be the last time I saw it.

I ended up DNFing this book after multiple attempts to get into it. The book just didn't grip me and I found myself thinking about what I wish would have happened instead of what did.

Katherine Reed (Kiki) has just broken off her engagement with her then-fiance, Jamie five months ago. When Kiki accepts an invitation to a party at a friend's house, she knows Jamie will be there too. Luckily, their exchange is pleasant during the party and they both left on good terms. Moments later, Jamie is dead with a gunshot wound to his head. The police are ruling it out as a suicide but Kiki is determined that he is murdered and sets off to investigate. But as she peels away the layers, she uncovers something far more sinister than she had ever imagined—and it may be her life on the line next.

The book started off quite slow. The plot only picked up after around Chapter 5. It was hard to become fully immersed in the story. The premise is interesting - is it murder or suicide? However, it lacks execution as it was clearly evident that it's a murder.

What throws me off is the sudden romance in the midst of the murder mystery. The author could've thrown in that romance to probably lead us on and thus, adding another suspect to the list but I feel that the romance is unprecedented and totally unnecessary. It just came out of nowhere and almost gave me a whiplash. 😂😂

Being a thriller, there is a lack of police involvement. Instead, we get an ex who plays detective and fails miserably at it. And to add salt to the wound, the said ex (Kiki) is insufferable. I do not like her as a character and neither do I care as I am unable to engage and connect with her. There are some parts which made me roll my eyes at her.

However, I am still glad there are a few twists that are unexpected. Sadly, the twists are implausible, messy and not well explained. The major reveal is unfortunately predictable too.

Thank you to NetGalley @netgalley and Harper Perennial @harperperennial and Paperbacks for my ARC.

"The Last Time She Saw Him" by Kate White is a gripping thriller that follows the story of a woman named Bryn who is haunted by the sudden disappearance of her husband, Guy. As Bryn delves into the investigation to uncover the truth behind his vanishing, she finds herself entangled in a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal. White's writing is suspenseful and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as the plot twists and turns, revealing shocking revelations along the way. The characters are well-developed and complex, adding layers of depth to the story. Overall, "The Last Time She Saw Him" is a page-turner that will keep readers guessing until the very end. It is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries.

Thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for early digital access to this title in exchange for my honest opinion. I’ve previously read one of Kate White’s book, and after feeling similarly about this one, I am wondering if her writing is just not for me. I was sucked into this thriller pretty quickly, but then it felt a little too long in the middle. And when I got to the end, I felt unsatisfied - it didn’t feel like the actual end, and I felt like there was another twist that should have been revealed to bring the book to its proper conclusion.

I usually really love this author but compared to others I’ve read recently, this book feels predictable. I think it’s a great read if you’re just starting out with thrillers or you’re in a slump and you need something quick and easy to follow. Kiki is the main character of the story who has just recently become single after leaving her fiance two months prior. She runs into him at a mutual friend’s party and later that night, he’s dead. What everyone assumes is suicide, Kiki is convinced it is murder. Fast, quick read and entertaining if you want a beach read!

A great, quick read and a nice little thriller with a story that keeps you guessing. Some of the story seemed a bit redundant and I started to get annoyed with the main character at certain points (which is why I didn't give it a 5) but over all would recommend to my fellow thriller lovers.

Oof, I struggle bussed through this read. I lost interest halfway through. I wasn’t a massive fan of the main character. She felt super nosy, without having a real place to be inserting herself.

Then the twist reveals, and it’s not all that shocking at all. And the book just ended. It was so slow, then that entire scene was hyper speed and ends abruptly. I wasn’t a huge fan, but you may be. I just wanted more, it could have been that this book took me too long to read so I lost interest earlier than I normally would .🤷🏼‍♀️

The Last Time She Saw Him is a must read! I had to binge this book to find out what really happened to Jamie. I was rooting for Kiki the whole book! She was a very likeable character and I would recommend this book to all readers. Thank you to Kate White, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book prior to publishing.

This was a really gripping thriller. Easily read in one sitting and not to be quickly figured out or forgotten.

This book holds a lot of promise, but fell kind of flat for me. The plot itself is intriguing, and the beginning of the book pulled me right in. After the setup, there was a lot of irrelevant and repetitive filler that detracted from the mystery and Kiki's investigation skills left a lot to be desired. I enjoyed the small clues dropped throughout the story, but some of the red herrings were a little confusing and the final reveal felt a bit clunky and rushed. Overall, it was a fun and quick read.

Amazing work! Completely addictive. Highly recommend and will be purchasing for my libraries. Can't wait to read what comes next!

I am going to be quick here. I didn't finish this book. I am heartbroken over that fact. I am a Kate White fan. However, this is most certainly not White's best writing. I just couldn't force myself to finish this book. I couldn't stand the characters, and I really didn't care to find out what happened. I gave up around 35%, which took me DAYS to get that far.

After Kiki breaks off her engagement to Jamie, she runs into him at a party. After a seemingly pleasant encounter they part ways and a loud bang is heard outside the party. Jamie is dead-- the police say he killed himself, but could there be more to the story? I enjoyed the characters and Kiki was a likable FMC. It jumps between past and present with quick short chapters. Its fast paced with a great plot and just enough twists to keep your attention--questioning friends and trying t solve the murder...or was it suicide?

I really enjoyed this one! All of the characters were like able and relatable. I will absolutely be reading more by this author.

This book was good, It kept my attention throughout the story. I did question the best friend Sam for a while. I think it was overall a good mystery with some good characters.

I was not overly fond of Kiki.
I kept asking why does she care about Jamie since she dumped him?
I know it’s a premise of the book but I couldn’t get around it especially after she reveals who she is really attracted to.
It was an ok read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Perennial Paperbacks, Harper Paperbacks, and the author Kate White for the opportunity to read, The Last Time She Saw Him. It was a story involving a broken engagement, lies, and murder.

I was intrigued by how the story began with an unsolved past murder, but I struggled with that murder having relevance to the present day story. I thought the story about the broken engagement was well written and how it pertained to the "new" murder involving the main character's ex-fiance.

However, I did have some trouble with the jumping around of the two time periods and all of the characters involved. It could have flowed better in my opinion.

However, I have a hard time being too critical of any author, because I know it must be extremely difficult to write a book and I admire authors and their dedication to story telling. I also feel like sometimes a book might not necessarily resonate with me, but it will with someone else. With that being said, I thought this book was an interesting story and I think readers who love murder mysteries would probably enjoy it.

A fancy party in a fancy house celebrating friendship and the publishing of a new book all lead to a grand time until someone dies. What follows is the search for the why? The premise is good, but what I found lacking is the character development. I didn’t feeling invested in any of the characters- well, maybe the dog. Thanks to NetGalley for the read!

THE LAST TIME SHE SAW HIM is the story of Kiki Reed, whose ex-fiancé dies suddenly after a party they both attended. Was it suicide or murder? The police say suicide. Kiki says murder--and she sets out to prove it. Unfortunately for the reader, Kiki jumps to one faulty conclusion after the other.. OF course, because this is fiction, all the pieces come together in the end.