After reading Jason Rekulak's sensation Hidden Pictures last year, I knew I had to read this one as well. Hidden Pictures had just the right about of "creep factor" to keep me reading, but ended up being a really great story.

The Last One at the Wedding follows Frank, whose daughter Maggie whom he has fallen out of touch with, is getting married to a wealthy CEO's son. She requests his presence at the wedding on the family compound--a campground nestled in a small town. Frank decides to attend the wedding with his sister Tammy and her last minute foster daughter, Abigail. The odd thing? Just before attending the wedding, Frank receives a picture of a young woman, Dawn, in the mail attached to a message that Aiden is responsible for her death. The entirety of the book is filled with the mystery of who Dawn is, whether or not Aiden is responsible for her death, if Maggie is safe in her marriage to Aiden, and how Frank, and the rest, fit into the entire puzzle.

I will say that The Last One at the Wedding really tests the limits of Rekulak's ability to tell an incredible story. It is fast paced and interesting and cleverly reveals twists throughout the story. At the same time, Rekulak never sacrifices his story and plot development for his development of character, which I really appreciate. While I certainly wouldn't classify The Last One at the Wedding as a character-driven novel, Rekulak as a way of creating characters that are multifaceted and likeable. It is his development of Frank, whose dry sense of humor had me chucking a few times throughout the novel, that I appreciated the most. Additionally, Frank's relationship with Abigail, Tammy's stepdaughter, helped put a unique spin on the story.

Overall, while I did enjoy Hidden Pictures more, I feel like this novel was better developed. I will continue to read the works that Jason Rekulak puts out and can't wait to see what his future as an author looks like!

Frank is a simple man who is happy with his lot. His daughter Maggie has always wanted more, and it seems that she's finally found it. She's marrying into the Gardner family, but there is a string of suspicious events around the family and Frank just can't help his ill feelings. Frank is a wonderfully drawn character who is not blinded by wealth. More people need to be Frank! This novel has a fast plot with a family relationship that is more tender, from the father's side, than most suspense novels. An ultimately likable and honest narrator who is surrounded by unlikable characters.

Boy, do I love a good domestic suspense novel, especially when it's full of family drama, and The Last One At The Wedding by @jasonrekulak definitely fits the bill. Told entirely from dad, Frank's, POV, this one follows him to his estranged daughter Maggie's wedding as she marries tech billionaire Aiden Gardner, and Frank's struggle to reconnect with his daughter. Frank's uneasiness towards the union grows as Aiden ends being evasive, the mother of the groom is seemingly missing from the festivities, and the locals are hostile to the family & anyone involved with them. Is Maggie marrying into a good family or is she in over her head, and can Frank stop it before it's too late?

I really really enjoyed this one, and read it in two sittings! Truth be told, I hadn't read Hidden Pictures until 3 days before this one, but the two works are entirely different and unique in their own ways.

Highly recommend picking this one up, if you enjoy:
- Family drama
- Unlikeable & suspicious characters
- Rich people problems
- Wedding settings

Huge thank you to @flatiron_books for providing ARCS to @thrillersbythebookclub.mke for our October pick.

So glad we got to read this one!

I absolutely devoured Rekulak’s HIDDEN PICTURES, so his next book was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases. I really love his ability to write SUCH different books and doesn’t stay in one specific lane.

I’ve certainly read books in a similar vein to THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING, but this would be one of my favorites. I appreciated the different spin he took on a wedding mystery/thriller. The father/daughter family dynamic isn’t one I see often in books, so I enjoyed that. The family dynamics in general were wild. Between Frank and his daughter Maggie, and Frank’s sister and her foster daughter…. You’re in for a treat with these characters. Each one is more unlikable than the next!

I really enjoyed this twisty mystery and the ending was well-done. I can’t wait to see what this author throws our way next!

I finished this book in one day. I couldn't stop listening as the narrator brought the story to life as a father who just wants to do right by his daughter. I was able to deduce some of the events, but one I was not able to (so obvious to me now!) that gave me the major ick. Overall, a great listen and read!

The Last One at the Wedding was such a good thriller, set at a fancy estate in New England involving rich people behaving terribly. I loved Jason Rekulak's latest and was kept guessing until the very end.

A page turner with a unique plot and interesting character profiles! I appreciated the pace of the plot and the gradual unfolding of the truth. I also liked that this was written from a male perspective as many of the books feature female protagonists. I would definitely check out more of this author's titles1

I was eager to get my hands on this, as "Hidden Pictures" was one of my favorite books last year. This one has to follow in the footsteps of a masterpiece. It does a great job, exploring the relationship between father and daughter. The suspense increases as the pages turn. This is definitely more of a drama and domestic suspense than the thriller/horror Rekulak gave us before. The ending is a little bit rushed and the characters aren't as fully fleshed out. The writing is still clear and crisp and direct. It makes for a quick read if you're looking for something engaging and lower stakes.

This book pulls off the "wedding thriller" vibe in a way that somehow made family drama feel life-threatening.

Frank Szatowski—just your average dad, showing up to his daughter’s wedding with hopes of a Hallmark-movie reunion—gets blindsided by a lot more than an awkward family photo. Maggie, his daughter who went radio silent for three years, suddenly calls him up and invites him to her big day, but she’s left out some tiny details. Like how the groom is a tech billionaire’s son, or how the entire event is hosted at the kind of estate that probably has hidden passageways and definitely has “dark secrets” written all over it.

Cue Frank, our fish-out-of-water dad, just trying to get to know his daughter's sketchy future in-laws without turning it into a full-blown interrogation. But with Maggie’s fiancé, Aidan, acting shadier than a low-budget soap opera villain, and the locals treating the Gardners like they’re hiding Area 51-level secrets, Frank finds himself wondering if he’s the only sane one in the room.

This book is suspenseful with a capital “S.” There’s just enough mystery to keep you guessing without completely hijacking the wedding vibes, although let’s be real—the aisle might as well have been littered with red flags. If you’re looking for a book that mixes father-daughter feels with a touch of “Get out!” intensity, this one’s for you. 

Only downside? I was so invested in Frank’s awkward father-in-law detective act that I wish we got a bit more clarity by the end. But hey, I’ll take the suspense hangover.

I really enjoyed The Last One at the Wedding even though all the characters were not good people. This was a different twist on the "everyone dies at the wedding" trope. I appreciated the father daughter perspective as well which is not common. Look forward to what the author does next as all his books have been different!

Thank you so much to the publishers for sending me this advanced reader copy. I absolutely loved this book. I could not have in a million years predicted the ending and that made me love it so much more. The characters were not very likable and everyone had their own agenda. Each page came with some tension and suspense and it was just so well done. Bravo.

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.