The Last One At The Wedding is so different from other wedding trope books it is a must read. First of all the book is from the father's point of view and it is all from his perspective which I enjoyed. Frank has not talked to his daughter in three years when out of the blue she calls him to tell him she is getting married. Frank is determined to mend their relationship, but has a gut feeling that something with her fiancé's family is not quite right. The weekend of the wedding Frank tries so hard to be there for his daughter, but the secrets of this family keep Frank on high alert.

I enjoyed this book. It was a super quick read and engaging. It makes you think how far you would go for a loved one.

Thank you Jason Rekulak, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was so Good! I absolutely loved Rekulak's debut "Hidden Pictures" and while this one wasn't as unique, it kept my interest from start to finish. I personally feel that thrillers are often told from the perspective of the mother, so this one was Different in that the POV was the father's. He was a very loveable character and you'll be rooting for him the entire time.

When Frank receives a call from his estranged daughter Maggie he is delighted. not only has she finally reached out but she calls to invite him to her wedding! Understandably Frank is delighted and cannot wait to make things right with Maggie. He has had some misgivings about how he handled their conflict in the past and wants to clear the air. It turns out that Maggie is marrying the son of a very famous and wealthy tech CEO, The wedding is taking place at his secluded New Hampshire estate. Upon Franks arrival he is immediately put on notice as some of the locals have some unkind things to say about the Gardner family. Frank wants to make sure that Maggie isn’t making a mistake but he also doesn’t want to overstep and lose having a relationship with his daughter again. As Frank gets to know the family and do a little research he is left making choices that could not only impact their tenuous relationship but their lives.

This was an unexpected, twisty thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. Frank’s situation was very relatable and I was hooked right from the beginning and it never slowed down. This is definitely a thriller not a horror title like his previous work but it delivered a solid story with some creepy elements and visuals that made my skin crawl. This was a great read and I cannot wait to see what is next by this talented author.



Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very unique and expected thriller. It was different to read from a Dads point of view. It was a quick read and kept me curious throughout. I really had no idea where this one was going!

I loved Jason Rekulak’s Hidden Pictures, so I was eager to get my hands on his new book. While totally different from his previous release, THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING certainly didn’t disappoint!

A domestic suspense thriller centered around the lengths a parent will go to protect their child, I was immediately engrossed in the story and it kept me guessing throughout!

Check this one out if you enjoy:
•Wedding stories
•Father/Daughter relationships
•(Mostly) Unlikeable characters
•Family Secrets
•Slow burn suspense
•New Hampshire setting

A really good twist and fun setting to read about! If you’ve ever gone to a compound wedding this is a really immersive novel

Frank is thrilled when his daughter calls him. They haven’t spoken in 3 years and he is very surprised to hear that she is getting married and wants him to walk her down the aisle. Frank is desperate to reconnect with Maggie and jumps at the opportunity. When he finds out that Maggie is marrying Aiden, a young man from an extraordinarily rich family, he is shocked. From the beginning something feels off, but he can’t put his finger on it. The mystery surrounding his suspicions unravel in this engaging novel.

If you are looking for a supernatural thriller similar to the first book by this author, you will be disappointed. However, I love his writing style and enjoyed this book from beginning to end. Maggie rubbed me the wrong way from the start and I identified so closely with Frank’s desire to protect and be there for his child. Maggie certainly doesn’t make that easy for him. I would recommend this book to others…I definitely was not disappointed!

I liked this one, but I didn't love it. This was a unique take on a secluded wedding suspense, and an overall quick read, but there were some things that just ate at me.

First, the good: Kept me engaged, was a real easy read, and despite some others mentioning that they hated the main character, (the dad) he was actually one of the lowest on the list of characters I disliked. I thought he was a bit of a pushover throughout, but I also appreciated the position he was in, in trying to rebuild his relationship with his estranged daughter. He seemed like a good guy overall and I was pulling for him to stand up for himself a number of times throughout the book.

Now for where I struggled: I really disliked just about every other character, and most of all the aunt. She was awful and pushy and just sucked throughout. I also could have done without the lice storyline, not simply for the fact that it was gross, but also for the fact that it was unrealistic in my mind. There is no way you would get that many people accepting of a lice ridden head in close proximity of their person. I would consider burning my own house down if my kids came home with lice, let alone welcoming someone random with it to one of the highest-class weddings I had ever been to.

I think if you like books with a lot of characters with very little redeeming qualities, you may just love this one. For me, I breezed through it, liked the overall story, but really wanted to pull for someone in the story and I struggled to find anyone worthy.

THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING is a binge-able walk down the aisle with secrets, twists, turns, and a potential for a growing body count. Rekulak taps into the complicated dynamics of Frank Szatowski’s family to deliver a wonderfully macabre wedding experience.

From the beginning, you know something is going to happen at this wedding. However, the carefully crafted reveals and well-timed deaths send the reader down the rabbit hole of questioning everyone involved in this extravagant event. The event becomes a breeding ground for duplicity and secrets. And it is Frank who starts to search for the answers for the sake of his daughter, or at least that is what he tells himself.

In a story like this, investing in the characters makes a difference. I instantly felt for Frank. His desire to connect with his daughter propels the entire narrative and sets the stage for many of the scenes at this wedding. It is this thread of emotion that grounds this suspenseful tale.

Having read and loved HIDDEN PICTURES, I knew this book would be at the top of my to-read list. And once I started it, there was no going back. This one-sitting read will pull you in and not let you go until the very end. Rekulak just proved to this reader that he has a gift with murder, deceit, and layered emotions. I, for one, cannot wait to see what we get next.

Frank Szatowski, middle aged widower and father of adult daughter Maggie, receives a call out of the blue from Maggie. He's surprised because they have been estranged for years and it seems she wants to repair their relationship and asks him to walk her down the aisle at her upcoming wedding.
The wedding is held at a private, lush estate - Maggie engaged to the son of a tech billionaire - and Frank arrives with his sister and her foster daughter to 'bury the hatchet' and hopefully have s new beginning with the daughter he has missed so desperately.
Frank feels out of place in this luxe atmosphere and it seems that the local townspeople have a particular hatred for this family, blaming Aidan, Maggie's fiance, for the disappearance and apparent death of a local girl.
What follow are unexplained deaths, suspicious motives, a mother of the groom who is MIA at this lavish affair and as Frank starts to learn more about this secretive and powerful family, he realizes that not only are they not what they pretend to be - but his daughter may be hiding something as well.

I actually had a hard time getting into this book after Rekulak's stellar Hiddden Pictures novel.
About 3/4 of the way in, this novel picks up speed and as what is hidden comes to light, I was pleasantly surprised that this novel was just as twisty and shocking as Rekulak's previous thriller.

Thank you Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the early copy book.

I loved this. I would not call it a thriller, more of a contemporary novel and rich people behave badly trope.
The writing was simple but not bad. More of a "perfect book for vacation" way where I didn't have to think much.
I was annoyed by the dad a little bit, and some parts rang weird to me ( no way his phone wasn't bugged and the ease with which he kept calling overs made me confused). I liked the addition of a foster kid to the story and her storyline, I thought it was cute, and while not exactly relevant to the story it provided a good balance of "good and bad".
Very different from the hidden pictures and I respect the author's ability to create in different genres. Highly recommend.

After loving Hidden Pictures (read just before this one), this one was a bit of a disappointment for me. I enjoyed the intrigue but found Maggie kind of a gross person and not likeable at all. Definitely did not guess the big twist so that's a plus in my book. I will read more from this author but this one couldn't hold a candle to Hidden Pictures for me.

A huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

As the wedding bells chime, one father, Frank, seeks to make amends with his somewhat estranged daughter, Maggie, once he learns of his daughter's upcoming marriage to the son of one of the wealthiest men in the world. Naturally, everything feels a bit strange for Frank when he arrives at the luxurious accommodations for this wedding given the rift between him and his daughter. But some things are hard to ignore. Like how Maggie's fiancé is rarely around, the groom's mother seems to have taken ill, and there are rumors of a missing girl being linked to this eccentric family.

The Last One at the Wedding provides a rather fresh look at "domestic"-ish thrillers in many ways, chiefly through Rekulak's decision to tell this story from the father of the bride's point of view. Frank is classified as a blue-collar, honest, hard-working kinda guy who loves his daughter dearly. He's someone riddled with guilt about the state of things, a father who desperately wants to make things right no matter the cost. This character archetype presents a unique lens to tell this story and lends itself to unreliability not due to malice, but because of love.

Combined with this interesting perspective is Rekulak's immersive storytelling. The Last One at the Wedding is a rather fast-paced read that builds upon feelings of suspicion, unease, and wariness given all of the strange occurrences leading up to Maggie's nuptials. This is straightforward, mostly honest storytelling that results in a very dramatic conclusion. It's this facet of the story that Rekulak writes best, the twisty, surprising levels of turmoil, dysfunction, and sheer drama.

A welcome change in narrative structure within the thriller genre, The Last One at the Wedding is one hard book to put down. Jason Rekulak pens an entertaining, propulsive story about the intricacies of family and just how far one will go for the ones they love, especially parents and children. Brimming with drama and suspense, The Last One at the Wedding is a thriller you do not want to miss.

If Jason Rekulak wrote a stylized version of the phone book, I'd read it. The Last One at the Wedding is yet another stellar title from one of my favorite authors. Rekulak's Hidden Pictures was a departure from his previous style and while I'm not much for the more horror-bent supernatural stories, I devoured it. I was so excited to get the chance to read an advanced copy of The Last One at the Wedding and just in time for the end of the summer/beginning of the spooky season. While less horror and more thriller, this is yet another example of Rekulak's insane ability to jump from style to style.

Our MC Frank is estranged from his adult daughter Maggie. When she reaches out to invite him to her wedding, Frank is hesitant but ultimately decides to attend. As it's a thriller, the rest is better left for the reader to experience in real time. Now I just have to find something to keep myself occupied until the next Rekulak book comes out!

This is more 3.5 star than 4. I loved Hidden Pictures so I was very excited to read The Last One At The Wedding. This was a decent thriller with good pacing…although the middle did get a little dull. Most of the characters were rather unlikable but I did really love the little foster girl Abigail. The ending fell kind of flat especially the last page. And I still want to know…what was up with all the Daddy Long Legs??????

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Frank is a UPS driver living in a known city in my state (hey, Stroudsburg!), who hasn't spoken to his grown daughter Maggie in years. She calls him to invite him to her wedding. She's marrying a wealthy heir, and the wedding is a fancy affair at their private 'camp' estate. Frank feels a lot of things are wrong about this situation, from her fiancé to her job to her ill future mother-in-law. This is a classic suspense novel, and I didn't want to put it down. However, I do feel the character of Frank was flawed, at times annoying and naive. He did the opposite of what anyone would do in the same situations! The ending felt a bit abrupt, and I wanted more time spent reflecting on all that happened. Regardless, I really enjoyed this.

Jason Rekulak, author of the wildly famous Hidden Pictures has returned to our eagerly awaiting hands with a brand new novel about a wedding that is threatened by the skeletons in one family's closet.

Frank Szatowski, a humble UPS driver with a spotless record, can't believe it when his estranged daughter, Maggie, calls to invite him to her wedding. After 3 years no-contact, Frank is ready to do whatever it takes to reconnect with his daughter - even attend her wedding at the campgrounds owned by her ultra-rich in-laws. Frank feels something may be off about the match, but is determined to support his daughter no matter what. With the nuptials only three days away, all Frank needs to do is rent a tux, write a speech, and make sure that nothing is going to ruin Maggie's big day -including his new family.

I am going to warn you right now: If you read and loved Rekulak's other book, please reset your expectations for this one. It is a completely different kind of novel; there is no supernatural influence and no horror. It is about as straight a thriller as you can get. That's definitely not a critique - lots of authors jump between genres and do a great job! I just want people to know what they're getting into from the beginning.

This book was a fun read. Frank's voice is unique, and special commendation is due to narrator John Pirhalla for an absolutely showstopping performance. His voice truly brought Frank to life and dramatized the events leading up to the wedding in a way few narrators can pull off. I'll definitely be seeking out more of his work in the future - you've got a new fan, John!

Outside of the narration, I found the book to be pretty good. A lot of time is spent at the beginning setting up the tension between Maggie and Frank, and there is plenty of comedy relief from Frank's sister, Tammy, and her new foster child. I was genuinely surprised at all the times I actually laughed out loud at this book and felt that the goofy moments really made the serious ones pop even more. The setting is described in great detail, but not so much that you feel smothered by description. I really did feel like I was spending my time at a bougie summer camp over these past few days, complete with a spider-infested cabin to wrap it all together.

The biggest credit that this book deserves is Rekulak's development of Abigail's relationship with Frank. Abigail unexpectedly arrives in Frank's life on the day he leaves for Maggie's wedding and despite his promise to "be cool" with his sister's new foster child, the stress of the situation is only exacerbated by her presence. I was ready to punt that little asshole through a window. So, no one was more surprised than I was to find that I really cared about her at the end, and I wanted her to have good things happen in her life. Abigail legitimately went from my least favorite character to my favorite, second only to Frank himself.

This book does a lot of things right for me: The setting! The characters! The mystery being gilded over by a fancy wedding celebration! But the actual putting together of the plot left me feeling a little deflated. At times, it felt like things were just happening with no rippled consequences into the world we were living in. Answers are gained too easily at some points, and at others the answers just don't really seem to make sense. This may be partially me being a snob. Sometimes I feel like I have read so many thrillers, that I need something really spectacular to wow me (leaving unfair middle ratings to other books that are just ok). But in this case, I really do think that some of the (very serious) crimes needed to be explored in a bit more detail - especially when it comes to the real-world consequences of those crimes.

Overall, this is a book that I would recommend to thriller lovers, whether this is your first or 500th book in the genre. Jason Rekulak is really making a name for himself, and I am excited to see what he's going to treat us with next.

Frank hasn’t seen or heard from his only daughter in three years. So when he gets a call from her he’s over the moon - she’s getting married and is inviting him to the wedding! But when he meets up with Maggie and his future son-in-law, something doesn’t feel right. And at the wedding, strange things are happening and the body count starts rising. Who will make it through the wedding, ‘til death do us part?

I really enjoyed this one! I loved Rekulak’s Hidden Pictures, which was a 5-star book for me. This one didn’t have the horror aspect, yet it was a slow burn mystery set at a camp for rich people. I loved the details of the wedding and especially had a soft spot in my heart for the foster child in the story. This is for mystery fans, people who like to peek into the lives of the rich, and anyone who has gone to a wedding and wondered how long it would last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Felt like I was reading a book from my dad’s POV? Not sure how I felt about this book but it was ok!

Definitely could be trimmed down. I enjoyed Rekulak’s Hidden Pictures but this was different!

I appreciated that this book was written from a father's/parent's perspective. Thriller, suspense, family relations, jaw dropping moments.
A little different from the author's last title, but overall I wanted to know more throughout the read and I loved the writing!