Kerry is a certifiable mess. Recently acknowledging she has a drinking problem and going through a divorce, she decides to apply to be a winter caretaker at an upscale/refurb'd motel in the Catskills to finally write her book. But when she gets there, nothing goes according to plan. Once she arrives, she quickly realizes that something isn't right. The last room on the left? The one she's supposed to be staying in? It appears that the last caretaker never checked out.

When a snowstorm hits the night she arrives, she hunkers down. When the sun rises the next morning, Kerry ventures out to explore the property, but she never expected to find a body in the snow. What happened to the previous caretaker? With the killer still out there, Kerry has to decide how to manage her drinking (or not) and find a way to stay alive with no power, no cell service, and the eerie feeling that she's being watched.

The blurb I read mentioned that this was a feminist thriller, which was one of the main reasons I was excited to read. Sadly, I didn't get that at all. That being said, it was a run of the mill thriller for me. It wasn't anything groundbreaking and I was able to figure out a few of the twists (there were many) before I got there, so while that was a little disappointing, maybe that just says I read too many of these.

All that being said, I'm giving it three stars. If you like thrillers and happen across this one at the library, I'd still probably pick it up. It's a quick read (I read it in a day and a half).

Thank you to Penguin Group for a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A lot of books hit differently depending on when you read them. If I had read this years ago, before getting a ton of thrillers under my belt, then yeah, I might have liked it more. Ultimately, it’s one of those situations where the plot is so simple and void of any ingenuity that it’ll leave you sitting there thinking, “That’s it?” when you’re done. The trope of the unreliable alcoholic female in an isolated setting is pretty played out at this point, and I really don’t see much connection to The Shining beyond the motel setting.

I did enjoy the winter storm backdrop—it’s perfect for this time of year when I’m diving into thrillers—but overall, this was dull and extremely forgettable. I did find one twist to be surprising, so I bumped it up a star for that reason alone. This wasn’t a bad thriller, but it just wasn’t anything special.

If you’re a seasoned thriller reader, don’t bother. However, if you’re just dabbling in the genre and want something atmospheric, with dual POVs and timelines, no gore, and a couple of mild twists, then give it a try. For me, it just didn’t bring anything fresh to the genre.

Thank you, Putnam Books, for providing this finished copy in exchange for my honest review!

Man oh man, I must say I didn’t love this book. From the start, I really struggled getting into it but i pushed through and as i got about half way through I liked it a bit more. The main character throughout, Kerry, felt underdeveloped & even though I felt significant parts of her story were missing, she was annoyingly selfish and ALWAYs playing the victim. There were a few other plot lines that were okay, but not completely necessary. Like i said, the second half of the book was WAY better than the first, but still not sure if I liked it overall. Thank you for the opportunity to read & review this book.

A feminist take on The Shining that gave me the chills. An artist heads to an upstate renovated motel to be a caretaker for a winter month while finishing (or starting) their novel. What she finds is more than expected and will make her constantly question her reality. This book was full of exciting twists and left me on the edge of my seat.

Struggling author Kerry decides to leave her crumbling marriage and alcoholism behind in Brooklyn to take a winter caretaker role at a roadside motel upstate in the Catskills. She finds things aren't as they seem at the motel and not only is still unable to write her novel, but once a mysterious body appears on the property, Kerry also might be fighting to stay alive....

Ooooo what a fun twisty gem! I had no idea who to trust or what to believe. I loved the back and forth POV between Kerry and the prior caretaker and the way it created parallels and some creepy insights to us readers. The vibe was off in the best possible way. I absolutely loved the snowed in/power out/phone lines out situation Kerry found herself in and that she pulled in some questionable neighbors for help. All of them were so sinister and mysterious! I absolutely loved this one and wasn't even super annoyed with the "drunken unreliable female" trope because the author did it so well that even I didn't know what the heck was real or imagined. Definitely a nod to The Shining but I like that it was only subtly paralleled; the author took a concept and made it unique. Very creepy winter book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review!

Wow! Such a twisty ride!

Kerry is an alcoholic author who is invited to a motel to get some peace and quiet and hopefully work on her novel that she's writing. She's had a lot of personal issues with her husband and best friend lately so when a motel owner invites her to be the caretaker for the month of February it sounds like a dream come true. That is until she meets some strange neighbors, it starts heavily snowing, the power is out. Oh and not to mention the dead body in the snow. But with her alcohol addiction and her story driving her crazy, is she just being paranoid?

This is one of those stories where you wonder what's real and what's all inside Kerry's head. It had a definite The Shining vibe to an extent but not so much where it is the same story. I do like the mood of the story. It's spooky and it got a little crazy. I really liked the story and the characters. Plus the ending was definitely a little different. I didn't see it coming. I definitely recommend if you like thriller with just a hint of horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I thought it was a very good story. Check it out when it comes out on January 14, 2025!

I love this author and always enjoy her unique stories. This one started out strong but the ending was not as intense. The three main characters are Kerry, Siobhan and Allison, told in their POV.

Kerry is a caretaker at a remote hotel in the mountains, Siobhan was there before her. Kerry is an alcoholic with damaged relationships. Her life is all over the place. She is newly single and struggling to stay sober, trying to get her writing career back. This is a fasted paced thriller that takes place in an isolated location. A locked room mystery to solve in a winter setting. The plot is intriguing with some twists. It is atmospheric and a bit creepy.

"Who Dun It" Mystery, Unlikeable Characters, and Unsettling! 3.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book will be released on 1/14/25.

I received The Last Room on the Left as an ARC for my review.

Holy Moly! Leah Konen did it with this one! This book was so fast paced. It had many twists and turns. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, it completely went another way. I could not put this book down!

This book caught my eye with the tagline of the female version of the shining. While that may be a bit much, it was nice and psychological with a drunk and unreliable narrator. My attention was hooked for the whole book and I will definitely read more by this author.

Locked room mystery: check
Creepy motel: check
Blizzard: check
(supposed) killer on the loose: check
This book literally checked all my boxes and then some!
Kerry is drinking a bit too much and in desperate need for a change, so she accepts a position at a roadside motel caretaker. That's all you need to know. Full of twists and turns it was unputdownable! I loved it!

Right off the bat, getting the feminist side of the shining.i love a good locked room thriller. This takes place in my favorite time of year o! Give me all the snowstorm mystery’s. This isa fast paced thriller that will keep your attention. For me this was interesting enough to keep me wondering and my attention. It wasn’t really anything special, but it was good. It kept my attention because I wanted to see how it ended, and how the character developed within. Was for sure an easy read!:

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really really enjoyed this book. I devoured it and couldn't put it down. Once the first little twist occurs with the body I was fully hooked and needed to know everything that happened. Then I really wasn't expecting one of the other twists.

I love when I am actually surprised by the twists.

4.5 stars rounded up

Major unreliable female narrator vibes in this one. If you like that, you’ll love this. I definitely have a love/hate relationship and this one seemed to work for me. There were even elements of horror/gothic?

This book is a feminist take on The Shining - and there is definitely some creepy hotel vibes throughout the book.

The story is told with multiple perspectives which helps move the plot along but also reveal some mysteries at the same time.

At times the book felt almost like a reality show and the characters felt unreliable. But all the mysteries are revealed at the end and resolution comes to all the characters.

If you are a fan of The Shining or creepy mysteries, then this book is for you.

Thanks to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the advanced reader copy.

#leahkonen #putnambooks #thelastroomontheleft

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This book had some of my favorite thriller tropes: unreliable narrator and locked room mystery. Playing on elements of horror stories, and set at a deserted roadside motel during a snowstorm, The Last Room on the Left had me hooked from the first chapter. I had so many theories about where this book was going and was ultimately wrong about all of them, and I love when that happens. It was claustrophobic, eerie, and had me questioning everything. Overall a solid, bingeable read.

Kerry’s life is in shambles. She takes a job as a caretaker at a motel in the winter. It’ll be a good chance for her to refocus and write her novel. When she gets there, nothing is as expected. It starts off with a dead body. She tries to keep her sanity before the killer gets her too.
This was a fast paced read, with nerves on edge the whole time, and not knowing who to trust.
Release date January 14th.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this

This was an amazing thriller/suspense book! There are so many twists and it never slows down, literally up until the epilogue.

2 things irked me about this book. One is the author's habit of using the same word 3 times (ex: I was good good good). Also, the wild amount of references to "imaginary Frank".

If not for those 2 things, which may not bother other readers, this would have been a 5 star book for me.

Absolutely captivating thriller with so many twists and turns. Kerry finds herself as caretaker of a motel in the middle of nowhere during a snow storm. She begins to hear things and see things - or does she. A page turner that will keep you on your toes and have you questioning everything you think you know.

Well, this unexpectedly turned into a 5 star read. This was my first read by this author and I have to say I was hooked. I would classify this as a true thriller, I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. When the chapter ended I needed to keep going. Having short chapters helped me fly through this as well. I loved the snowy winter setting this book had, it brought on an eerie feel to the story. I don’t always love the unreliable narrator trope but this worked for me, I felt for Kerry and I liked her character.

Overall if you’re looking for a quick winter thriller that will keep you on your toes, then pick this up!

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Ugh I wanted to like this one and at the beginning I did but then it just got frustrating with the characters making stupid after stupid decision.

Sure it’s fiction and I know we have to suspend belief a little but it was a bit much and so was the amount of alcohol being consumed.

Overall not for me