When I saw this was a feminist retelling of The Shining, I knew I had to read this. This book has great atmosphere and a really interesting plot, it is less supernatural than The Shining but this still held a lot of intrigue surrounding what happened at the Twilite Motel. Loved this!

This might be my favorite thriller of Leah Konen’s! I had a great time with this one.

This book follows Kerry, an author with writer’s block who takes a position as a temporary caretaker for a hotel in the middle of nowhere. With no one around and no distractions, Kerry is hoping to finish her book before her deadline. However, all is definitely not as it seems at the hotel and she soon finds herself pulled into the drama of the mysterious place.

I found out from reading the acknowledgements that this is Leah Konen’s nod to <i>The Shining</i> and it seems like she pulled it off! (I can’t speak definitively on that because I have neither read the book nor seen the movie.) However, the setting, the atmosphere, the unreliability of each of the characters were top notch. There were many twists and turns and I liked seeing Kerry (who is also a struggling alcoholic) grapple with the possibility that she is hallucinating or whether the strange things she has witnessed are actually true.

I read the bulk of this book in a single day. Normally I take several days with my ARCs, reading a little bit here and there, but I absolutely devoured this one. The characters (while flawed and certainly unlikeable) were interesting to read about. This would be the perfect winter thriller as well, since it takes place during and after a snowstorm, which added another layer of isolation to the already isolated place. It was also great to read in summer as well - I cooled off just thinking about all that snow!

Overall, I heartily enjoyed this one. Leah Konen has become one of my favorite thriller authors.

This was a fresh story, great main character and flow was perfect and kept my attention to the end. I kind of guessed a few of the plot twists but man were there some that I just did not see coming!

Definitely read this book if you enjoy thrillers/psychologocal thrillers! I look forward to more books by Leah Konen.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this arc!

this was okay, it was a bit repetitive. it just missed the mark for me sadly. i feel like some may enjoy this though it just wasn’t for me

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Last Room on the Left.

I'm always up for a retelling of a classic story especially if it's a horror reimagining, but this was no feminist version of The Shining.

First, the main character is an unlikable, unreliable person with no interesting qualities. Naturally, she's struggling with alcoholism so you can't believe a word she says or everything she sees.

Second, I love the isolated setting, the atmosphere and desolation of being snowbound, but the narrative lacked urgency and thrills.

We're stuck in Kerry's head most of the time, naturally, but her thoughts are a repetitive whirlwind of her ex, Frank, her former BFF, and how she's cut them out of her life. Of course, readers are left hanging as to the reasons why.

I'm not sure the reason behind the S&M angle; it doesn't bother me but what was the point?

People who enjoy S&M are not bad, but there was an undertone that because this person is into this, they're bad.

Third, the narrative is full of standard tropes; women afraid to be alone, Charlie is a hottie, Allison is, too, Kerry senses she's being followed, being watched.

Third, the story lacked suspense, and I guessed whodunit almost immediately.

The epilogue was a nice touch but not enough to warrant all that came before it.

Let me preface my review by writing that I was really excited to read this story.

Newly attempting to be sober, newly estranged from her husband, Kerry arrives at the Twilite Motel in the Catskills. Without wi-fi or mobile connectivity, Kerry plans on spending the winter writing the book, for which she’s got a seriously bad case of writer's block, and whose advance she’s already long spent - viewing it as her own personal Overlook Hotel. (You know how I know this is a sh*t idea?… This is so obviously a sh*t idea.)

(Even Jack Torrance had more of a period of reprieve once he, Wendy, and Danny settled in at the Overlook.)

I’ll stop with referencing The Shining now because other than winter caretaking by an alcoholic writer when the power goes out, I don’t really feel that comparisons between the two are fully justified.

*the two POV’s were very similarly voiced - neither reliable
*repetitive mystery/thriller that read incredibly slowly for me until about 30%
*I found it predictable
*atmospheric

Readable - I’d probably listen to this if there were dual narrators, and I was going to reread it, to keep better track of the POV’s.



Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the DRC

“Men are afraid that women will laugh at them and women are afraid that men will kill them.”-Margaret Atwood

The Last Room on the Left is a twisty, psychological, horror thriller. It was claustrophobic in the best way. 2 friends, Siobhan and Kerry, become the winter caretakers of a motel in the snowy Catskills. Some secrets come to light with grave consequences. The mood is very much one of cabin fever, loneliness, and betrayal. You will read this one very quickly and end up shocked… and then shocked again at the epilogue. Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC.

I have never read anything by this author but I'm glad I got this one. I really enjoyed this book. I flew through the book and it kept me guessing what was gonna happen next. I'm going to check out some of her other titles while waiting for her next one. I ended up giving it 4 stars and will definitely recommend it.

This was a great story, I loved the reference to The Shining. This book was full of suspense, mystery, and thrills, and a very tad bit of horror. It kept me guessing who did it till the end. I found myself anxious to find out, on the edge of my seat. If you enjoy reading suspenseful thrillers, this book is great!

3.5 stars rounded down. This book started off slowly but luckily it picked up. It’s told by an unreliable narrator, which kept me guessing what was really going on. It would be a great winter read given the snowy setting!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

this book has a very intresting plot. this is a lock door mystery. the final twist is done very well. i really liked kerry thank you so much net galley for this arc copy.

I really enjoyed this one! I loved The snowy, spooky setting of the motel.
The twists and turns were great, and believable - it really left me questioning whodunnit but also if there narrator was reliable or not. At one point I thought okay am I losing my mind too? Ha!

A great thriller, especially in the depths of summer she. I needed to get out the humidity and into a frigid scary woodsy murder mystery.

Thank you NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for this!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advanced copy of this book. The beginning was intriguing, typically I love isolated thrillers/mysteries, especially in a setting where the main character is trapped by something, like a winter storm. Unfortunately, I don’t typically like a thriller with an unreliable female character that is unreliable because of a drinking or drug use problem. It’s just not something I love reading about, and the MC, Kerry, brings it up a lot. We’re also victim to a ton of “telling” instead of “showing” what makes up both Kerry and Siobhan, the other POV, which makes them paper thin; I couldn’t connect with either one. Their POVs sounded the same, and were confusing to switch between. I just didn’t jive with this author’s writing. There was nothing scary, spooky, or thrilling about this, and I ended up skimming much of it because I was bored.

Highly compulsive read - loved the gritty characters, the empty motel in the middle of a blizzard definitely gave Stephen King horror vibes. Will be recommending it!

There are many comparisons out there in reviews (and even mentioned within the book) that this is a modern take on The Shining but with a female lead. I didn't necessarily get that, although I suppose there are a few similarities. That is neither here nor there, but it was a good story. Very creepy, with a dead body that seemingly keeps moving, an actively spiraling alcoholic, friends who might be better described asfrenemies, and plenty of suspects to go around. Add in a winter storm that feels like it's own storyline character, and I was in for the adventure!!!

I didn't finish this book. It moved too slow for me and every that did happen seemed extremely redundant. I didn't plan on DNF-Ing. I thought I'd go back after a break but I didn't think about the book once and have no desire to pick it up again.

It’s a modern day twist on the Shining, as Kerry, an alcoholic, has lost her husband and is struggling to deliver her latest novel on schedule. She offers to be a caretaker for a renovated motel up in the mountains during the off season- but as soon as she arrives she constantly feels like she’s being watched. She then finds a dead body in the snow and tries to figure out what to do as suddenly the body disappears. The alcoholism makes her appear to be a very unreliable narrator for this story that keeps surprises coming until the end. I don’t normally like unreliable narrator books so I didn’t like the beginning to be honest, but then it hooked me.

Kerry, hitting rock bottom, needed a break from reality. She plans to spend a month as a caretaker for an isolated motel, in hopes it'll help her get perspective on life and help her write her very overdue novel. Things take a turn when Kerry stumbles upon an occupied room full of booze and drugs, and things go even worse when she finds a dead body outside.
Told in alternating viewpoints between Kerry and her ex-best friend, Siobhan, this book does a good job of keeping the reader on their toes. The twists and turns along the way as Kerry meets local town folks weren't always as expected.

Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Group for the early read!

This book was very interesting and I loved the mystery that came along with it! I really enjoyed the perspective from multiple points of view and well rounded / sought out characters! Winter hotels are going to make me think about this book!

Thank you Leah Konen, Putnam Books & NetGalley for allowing me to read this Great book!

A feminist take on the shining? Yeah, i was immediately willing to read that! Extremely fast paced (i read it in 3 hours) and tense!! No internet, no landline, no power, three best frenemies, lots of untrustworthy men, and the spookiest setting made for a very fun afternoon.