Do you ever read a book, then go to review it, get a glimpse of it's overall rating, and then wonder - did we just read the same book?

Here's what I think happened. The premise is great. The first half of the book is pretty good. It is also a fast-paced easy read. So, I presume, for most people they just slid straight through and gave it the four star rubber stamp and moved on with their lives.

Meanwhile, I'm over here kicking it around and the more I sit with it the more problems I find. So, I'll get answer the easy question first - SHOULD YOU READ IT?

Maybe, if you like the genre, are quite bored, have the ability to simply enjoy and not think too much about every book, and the only other options are the side of shampoo bottles. For me it was about a four hour one-sitting read. And, I did finish it. So, there's that.

I really don't like reviewing books that are less than three stars because I know the author worked hard. But, this one just irks me because it could have been so good.

Alright, enough foreplay let's get into it. SPOILER ALERT - after this point there will be plot points discussed.
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Let's go!

The beginning half or so is a pretty good well-paced story. The premise is unique and we immediately (by chapter 2) know who the bad guys are. So, no mystery to spoil there.

Unfortunately, once the book has gotten going and is set up it starts to devolve. If you told me the second half of the book and first half were written by different people I would believe you.

Brooke was taken on her way home from work ten years prior. Since then she has been held captive in a cabin by a crazy lady, Grace, and her henchman, Mitch. Throughout these ten years other captives have come and gone, full grown men, other women, and a few kids. Grace, the 70+ year old mastermind, has an aplomb for throat slitting and Mitch does the kidnapping and is her backup with a gun on his hip. To make maters more dire each captive gets to wear an electric collar that can shock or explode if a button is pushed or they go past a buried perimeter. Fun.

So, we have this great premise set up. We get to see Brooke and the current cast playing out Grace's recreations of her upbringing and even learn how and why other "cast" members have been killed - being in the same room as the real Grace (can't have two in one time period), not sticking to the script, trying to figure out how to escape, etc. Further, we learn there is another house with more captives playing out other scenes from Grace's past.

Now, the spiral. As soon as they introduce Derek, the new person to play Grace's dad, things go down hill. The dialogue becomes weird and just ick. We get this forced romance. Which, okay, you're held captive for ten years with another adult that might happen. However, this one is instant lust, but the book goes for a little enemies to lovers trope because Derek is too machismo and that's Brooke's type and she knows it's bad for her and blah, blah, blah.

Then there is a sex scene. What?! Ma'am I'm sure they might go have some sex but this is a mystery/ thriller novel an in depth open door sex scene was not on my BINGO card and was very weird to be put in a book like this.

Anyway, "The Final Scene" is imminent. It's clear everyone is going to die so now (after ten years) they've really got to kick it in gear to escape. So, here's a cool idea Brooke should seduce creepy Mitch. Even though she's a curvy girl this tactic hasn't occurred to her? In ten years? Oh, and Derek is Grace's type so he's supposed to go seduce her too. Good thing they have six days to pull off this plan.

Wonder of wonders they sort of manage it. They each get their target alone. Brooke gets her part done - she strips for answers to questions and some how escalates the bargain to include touch and that turned in to sex with Mitch pretty quickly. Like, Brooke, maybe you shouldn't have suggested Mitch should take clothes off too. Or, how about just touching? Mitch oddly enough wasn't really pushing for sex. It was all Brooke. Weird.

Meanwhile Derek has Grace alone and, while she has the buzzer for their collars and a hunting knife, it has been established Derek is a former cop and a big guy. He couldn't disarm her before getting shocked? She's 70+ and sounded pretty small even if she is in good enough shape to wear a tummy shirt (as fit seventy year-olds do?).

Well, the plan has gone to shit and we readers are stuck in this weird place with some truly horrible dialogue. And, throughout it all we still don't have a clear motivation for Grace or Mitch. Basically, he's like I started helping her and I'm in too deep now I like the money. But, then he orchestrates some shenanigans. Clearly he's a little more in to it. However, Grace has all these people acting out scenes from her past as some sort of immersive therapy for her, but we never really figure out her trauma. She hints at a domineering possibly abusive husband, but seems to have loving parents and ones that she loves. It's weird.

Then part of the final escape is they figure out if a collar goes off the whole perimeter goes down. So, yippy!, they jump across and then - poof! - the collars just open. Okay.

Don't worry there is a happily ever after for the captive love-birds because clearly this was just a romance book masquerading as a thriller.

There is also an entire subplot I'm skipping here because again it had potential but was executed with way too many coincidences. No, I am going to just say that in this subplot a body is dumped which, of course, leads to an investigation. But, whhhhhhhhhy? They've had all these other bodies. Were they dumped in an urban area? Probably not because they are being held in a rural cabin on the Oregon coast. Seems like plenty of places to dump a body out there where absolutely no one is - oh and, of course, the psychopaths control the local police. Why? Because they had some money in a BFE town in Oregon. Okay.

Alright, I'm really done this time. The End.

The Final Scene is a gripping thriller that hooked me from the first few pages. It was insanely creepy but just the right amount to keep you entertained throughout the novel. I liked that they provided enough background for each of the characters because it allowed to form a level of attachment to them and truly feel their stress and pain. I also enjoyed how the characters and their storylines interconnected with each other and the plot twists. It was an extremely unique story that felt like something out of a Criminal Minds episode.

—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was unlike anything i have read before. It was so fast paced. It was an intense unique story that kept me up all night after reading it. It felt like a horror movie in the best way.
Highly recommend !

This felt like a criminal minds episode. It was fast paced, and exciting. It was a quick read which I enjoyed.

Well, I couldn't sleep. So, I thought I would start this book and read until I was tired. But, it's 4AM and I've just finished the book. While I didn't get any sleep, I was treated to a wild messed up ride. This story will make you angry and keep you invested.

Started off intense & gripping, a new take on kidnapping….but fell off midway through. Romance felt forced in this & I wanted more insight into the main characters. Overall a good read with slight issues though. Definitely will try this author in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for forwarding this ARC to me!

This was such a fun and quick ride! It’s honestly such an interesting idea and I really liked the execution.
I was a bit worried that this would be a very sexual and abuse story because of the long time Brooke has been held captive. Most of these kinds of stories fetishise the Stockholm Syndrome but not this one!
We had a lot of POVs and I just really enjoyed how everything was coming together. It’s not like I was at the edge of my seat but it was definitely decent executed.
There was actually a really well written spicy scene in there, that was a very welcomed moment!
I ate this up in a few hours and I can really just recommend this to every crime enthusiast, it’s not the thriller of the year but a perfect read for an in-between book. Also this really got me back into the thriller mood after reading lots of fantasy.

All in all a really nice story with lovely characters that you can actually root for!

This has got to be one of the BEST thrillers I have read in a long time! Steph does such a great job in creating the perfect scenes in your head. You feel as if you're in the cabin with them. Your heart starts pounding when Grace pulls up. I like how theres two narratives in the book, the life inside the cabin and the outside world all getting tied in. I highly recommend reading the bonus material at the end of the book. Really brings everything to a perfect ending.

When I was searching around for some interesting blurbs, I came across some brilliant descriptions which make me jump right into the book. This was one such book that intrigued me with an interesting plot.
Brooke was kidnapped on her way back from work and she is placed as a captive in a cabin in some unknown woods. It has been several years. But then, it is not just Brooke. Other people have also been kidnapped and all have been acting out a certain part that was designed for them. Escape from the cabin is impossible even though it is wide open as it could mean sure death. If you don't play your role as expected also you might end up dead. This all changes when a new person arrives as a captive. It might just be time to turn the tables around trying to escape the clutches of the perpetrators.
The concept was interesting in the first place and different from other plots involving kidnapping and captivity. People are being held as open captives and cannot escape. This was very intriguing. The read was a pretty quick one, but some places seemed to drag me back. Maybe 30 - 35 pages less could have made it more crisp. The characters were interesting, and the backstories unfolded well. The author had done a nice job of keeping the story exciting even though most of the story was confined in the cabin. There was a parallel story running which did intrigue me, but the way it connected with the main plot and the action at the last was exciting enough.
In short, a decent read for thriller fans which can be read within a day or two. But then the dullness mars the read at one or two spots.

4 Stars ~

Brooke was kidnapped 10 years ago, leaving behind a daughter, Jesse. Kept in a cabin with a device tied around her neck, threatening to detonate if she puts a foot out of line, or forgets her lines.
Brooke is playing the character of the mom of young 'Grace', who is actually a 70-year-old lady with a wicked passion for replaying her childhood, with the perfect cast.

Brooke has been through so many other cast members that she feels nothing but the will to survive for the sake of Jesse. Until one day a replacement for Grace's 'Dad' arrives and the end of the replay is nearing.

This was such a fun read. The premise felt so unique to me, which kept me wanting to read more. Looking forward to checking out other books by Steph Nelson in the future for sure.

Highly recommend you give this one a shot!

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC of The final scene in return for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and gobbled it up in one setting. It was such a unique plot and that had me on the edge of my seat from the very first chapter. Grace gave me old hitchcock character vibes and I loved reading how the characters intwined. I have recommended this book to so many people since I finished it and will be reading more by this author.

3.75 rounded up to 4

Holy moly! What just happened? This book was so twisted and ruthless. The story is about several characters that don’t seem to know each other but their lives are still tied together. It’s a very six-degrees of separation. There is some decent character development, I really found myself rooting for Brooke and Derek. The writing style isn’t super deep, but it is entertaining. I really liked the end but wish I could’ve known more about what happened with Brooke and Derek afterward-the QR code don’t work in my copy. There’s so much blood and gore! If that’s your thing, this is the one for you! There are triggers in this one, so do check into that before reading.

I was hooked by the first few pages of this book with the kidnapping right off the bat! We're following Brook who was snatched up and has survived as a captive for ten years by playing her role and following the rules. The premise of the kidnapping and why the captives are being held is twisty, weird and unique. I was intrigued to see how it was going to play out. I was finding myself a little bored throughout the middle of the book as we follow along with the captives as they figure out how they're going to escape. There is a romance aspect in this that I really just wasn't a fan of as well as another physical scene that seemed unnecessary and cringy. My enjoyment with this book fizzled off but I did like the last part of the book, the "Final Scene" if you will. Things do come full circle and there are coincidences that the captives didn't see coming. This book really didn't deliver the thriller punch that I was hoping for. It was just ok for me.

Thank you NetGalley & author for an ARC of this book! #TheFinalScene #NetGalley

I knew from the moment I read the premise of this that I was going to want to sit down and devour this from front to end.

The fact that Noelle W. Ihli is also on the cover praising it and was mentioned in the acknowledgements also cemented that for me. She’s one of my favourite authors so I knew that this was going to have me hooked.

The Final Scene follows Brooke who was kidnapped on her way home from work ten years ago. The door to the cabin that she is kept in is unlocked but there’s no way for her and her fellow captives to escape. They are forced to play the roles that their kidnappers have given them. Break the rules? Break the scene? That can lead to deadly consequences.

Brooke has long given up on the thought of escape and the idea that she will one day be reunited with her daughter. That’s until a new victim arrives and everything changes.

This was truly so fantastic and had me on the edge of my seat. There was so much to love about this book. I loved how everything came together at the end and everything was tied up in a nice little bow.

Each character is unique and complex which is exactly what you want and expect in a book like this. You should be expecting to have characters that aren’t two-dimensional and have someone you want to root for. That’s exactly what you get.

I will definitely be adding this author to my “to watch” list because I already know that I’m going to enjoy whatever comes next from them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ticking Clock Press, LLC for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a DNF for me. Not due to the writing or story, I just was having a hard time focusing on it due to external factors. I will be trying again later though.

This was such a suspenseful read! This book had such an interesting concept, and it reminded me a lot of a criminal minds plot. The plot twists were fantastic and the chapters short. However, the romance between the two main characters was off-putting to me. Although I don’t mind smut, I don’t think a smut scene in the midst of a hostage situation is necessary and it really took away from the plot for me. I also wanted to know more about the victims’ captor since she’s such an unusual villain. I want to know why she did what she did! I think the QR code in the back of the book that scans to an epilogue is unique. I’m excited to read it in a few weeks and I hope it gives some more context! I give this 3.5 stars.

Steph Nelson wasted no time throwing you into a story that was not only disturbing but a train wreck you can’t turn away from. I read this book in one sitting because I had to know how it was going to end. I will definitely be looking out for any more books by Nelson in the future. What a wild ride.

3/5 ⭐️

It is very rare to find a book that provides a different take on a classic trope. This had that. "The cabin in the middle of the woods" but nothing went where I expected it to go. It was refreshing to see and I enjoyed the plot. It made me reconsider how we should see a "final girl."
My favorite part of this book was how we were dropped in directly in the middle of the plot line. I do think it is better to go into the book without too much context because that made it a more enjoyable experience.

However, I did not like the romantic aspects. I thought they were thrown together randomly and did not add to the story. I felt myself wanting all of the romantic scenes to end. Editing that out, while including more information on the kidnapping, would have kept my attention longer.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Should you read this?
Yes, if… you love a seemingly disconnected plot coming together in the end
No, if… “unrealistic” twists or unusual pacing (quick, then slooooow, then quick again) will ruin it for you
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and Ticking Clock Press, LLC, for this gifted copy, in exchange for an honest review!

I am all for kidnapping and hostage situations in books. This one seemed pretty unique, so I was so excited to give it a try. The Final Scene was a 2.25/5 stars for me! Oh man, this one got under my nerves a little bit. The plot had a lot going for it, but it was pretty slow and repetitive. Also, I don't know, there seemed to be a whole lot of lusting and sex for characters who were about to die. It just seemed unrealistic and too much for me in the situation they were in. Overall, I just thought that this was very slow and the characters were annoying. I did like the whole plot though and I thought the Mastermind behind the whole thing was very messed up.