*** I received an e-ARC of this book from Penguin Group Putnam through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review***

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I must admit, I struggled with the first part of this book. I did not find Kerry a very likable character. She was constantly making bad decisions and her drinking problem seemed to be the focus of the story at the beginning. Every time she thought she was imagining something, her answer was to drink more. Once another character showed up at the motel the storyline picks up. I was left wondering who was telling the truth, and the ending was a twist I didn’t expect.

✨ Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.

I was captivated by the mystery and the secrets interwoven from both the past and the present in this story. The narrative was twisted and dark, filled with sadness and curiosity that kept me intrigued throughout. Each revelation added a new layer of complexity, making it hard to predict what would happen next.

The central theme of forgiveness was particularly compelling. As I followed the characters' journeys, I found myself constantly questioning whether they should forgive or hold onto their grievances. This moral dilemma added depth to the plot and made me reflect on my own views about forgiveness.

The atmosphere of the story was haunting, and the intricate plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat. I was deeply invested in uncovering the truth and understanding the characters' motivations. This blend of suspense and emotional depth made the book impossible to put down.

Wow! I really enjoyed this and flew through it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

A feminist take on The Shining? Sign me up!

Kerry has hit rock bottom. Her drinking is out of control, divorce is imminent and her book contract is past due to the point that she may need to return the cash. When she sees the ad to be a caretaker for a motel in the Catskills she packs up and doesn't think twice.

When a blizzard cuts off communication, she thinks she may be in danger. Suddenly there are plenty of neighbors who might want to harm her and she has definitely seen figures through the windows...or has she? It's not long before her drinking blurs the line between day and night and Kerry has to decide if she is just seeing things or there are actual murders taking place.

Konen turns up the heat as the pages fly by. Plenty of believable surprises that kept me from determining what was happening until the very end. Fantastic for horror lovers, Shining fans and just anyone that wants to sleep with the light on tonight!
#penguinbooks #thelastroomontheleft #leahkonen #theshining

I found it hard to visualize most of the setting here, which made it much more difficult than it should have been to stay immersed in the story. Also, i mean I'm not saying alcoholism is a great character trait, but this leans a little mean spirited toward individuals with that particular illness.

The Last Room on the Left is an interesting spin on locked-door trope, with a major blizzard, no power, and very likely a killer on the loose. Leah Konen does a great job of keeping the list of characters tight without making it immediately clear how everything (and everyone) ties together. I agree with the other reviewers who noted some confusion with the perspective shifts and plot holes (also everyone keeps tripping and landing on their wrists?), but once this book took off, I was down for the ride.

Kerry is a novelist under pressure to deliver her book to the publisher. Her marriage has fallen apart, she has a drinking problem, and a serious case of writer’s block when she takes a temp job as a caretaker at an old motel in Upstate New York, thinking the change of scenery and seclusion will help her finish her book. But on her first day, while a blizzard rages, she finds a dead body in the snow outside her motel room. Trapped in by the storm, and with a killer possibly on the grounds, Kerry’s life is in danger. The Last Room On The Left is an homage to the scary-movie genre, but the story falls to live up to its billing. The plot is scattered, there are too many plot holes and glaring errors (there’s numerous references to a blizzard raging outside, but the next paragraph has it being sunny out, then next paragraph back to the blizzard, etc., and this occurs more than once) and that immediately puts the reader on the wrong foot. The suspense just isn’t there, as the story gets completely stifled by repetitive references to Kerry’s ex, and a mysterious feud with her BFF. This author has always been a 4-5 star review on prior books, but this one completely misses the mark. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable thriller! The pacing kept me engaged and drawn in and the twists took me by surprise each time. This book is marketed as a feminist retelling of The Shining but the story is not really similar to The Shining other than the snow storm keeping all the characters together. It also doesn’t feel very feminist as **SPOILERS** the protagonist sleeps with her best friend’s boyfriend and the victim was attacked and left to die by not one but two misogynistic men. As a woman, I know this happens in real life, but I’m personally not a fan of thrillers where a woman is a completely innocent victim of male violence. With so much going on throughout the whole book, it felt pointless and made me feel sad and icky after reading it. Ultimately, though, not a bad book! Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the arc!

The Last Room on the Left by Lisa Konen had my attention from the first page. Kerry is an alcoholic. Alcohol has led to her running away from her friends, her responsibilities and her life to be the caretaker for an isolated motel in the Catskills. Immediately I got The Shining vibes. I thought “okay, this is The Shining but from a female perspective.” Nope. I was wrong. It gives those vibes but it is not a retelling of that story. This book kept me guessing and second guessing myself the whole time. I was mad when I’d have to put it down. I will recommend this book to everyone. Thank you NetGalley and PEGUIN GROUP Putnam for the opportunity to ready this book in advance.

Leah Konen delivers another solid story. Caretaking in the middle of nowhere, no power, no phone service...what could go wrong. Lots of surprises in this quick, fun read.

I was so happy to get this book to review. I had been hearing about it for a while and thought it sounded fabulous. I was right. It was fabulous.

After reading The Perfect Escape, I was eager to see what else Leah Konen would write, and was pleasantly surprised that I liked this book more than her previous work. I read in the back that this was written as something along the lines of a "feminist update of The Shining", and in a way, I can see that. (Minus creepy twins and such). Besides feeling really sorry for Allison, I was genuinely happy with the ending, and was glad to see them using a horrible, frightening experience as a growth tool. As an addict in recovery myself, I was really rooting for Kerry to get it together and I was content with her arc. This was a fast, extremely fun, twisty and twisted mystery of a book, and after reading it, I will once again be anxiously awaiting to read whatever Leah Konen writes next.

Konen does a great job keeping the reader engaged, including a little twist at the end that is nicely planted. This book will be perfect for fans of Riley Sager, as it feels reminiscent of his work. The Last Room on the Left is the perfect beach read.

Definitely starts off with some "Shining" vibes, with the protagonist as the hunted instead of the hunter, but Kerry becomes a fully fleshed out 3-D narrator in her own right as the suspense builds. If you like a looked room mystery, you will love this.

An isolated boutique motel, no Wi-Fi or power, and a massive snowstorm help set the stage in The Last Room on the Left, the new thriller from Leah Konen.

Kerry is a bit of a mess. Her marriage is falling apart, she is suffering from writer’s block on her highly anticipated (and very overdue) novel, and her drinking is out of control. Feeling she needs a bit of a reset; she accepts a job as a month-long caretaker for a revamped motel in the middle of nowhere. An isolated motel and a winter storm on its way – what could possibly go wrong?

Things take a dark turn for Kerry immediately when she finds one of the rooms full of drugs and alcohol. Add in the dead body in the snow, and you have the start of an intriguing story.

Told in alternating viewpoints from Kerry and her estranged best friend Siobhan, this book has all the elements you could want. There are mysterious townspeople, secrets just waiting to come out, and Kerry is such a mess one can’t help but be torn between rolling your eyes at her or rooting for her.

Konen does a great job keeping the reader engaged, including a little twist at the end that is nicely planted. This book will be perfect for fans of Riley Sager, as it feels reminiscent of his work. The Last Room on the Left is the perfect beach read.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I read this in less than 8 hours because I could not put it down. Each time I thought I was beginning to figure something out, a new twist would happen and I was left questioning everything and everyone - which is exactly what I want from a thriller. If you're an avid reader of the genre, then some things might be semi-predictable for you, but I think you'll find that there are still some unexpected surprises. I had a great time reading this and would definitely recommend.

My first book from Leah Konen and it wont be my last! The authors writing style kept me interested from the first page. The main characters and their struggles were relatable and the side characters were interesting enough to want to know more about them (maybe a future book?). The story is told from different viewpoints by chapter. Very easy to follow along. A great suspense read with twists and turns throughout.

Kerry is leaving the city behind to be the off season caretaker of a roadside motel while also working on her novel with a fast approaching due date.. The once run down motel has been revitalized by the new owner, who hopes the publicity from Kerry's social media will attract more guests during the open season. When Kerry arrives to what was supposed to be an empty motel, she finds more than she bargained for - clothing, drugs, and a dead body. Stuck in the middle of nowhere during a blizzard, will Kerry find help before the killer finds her?

This book presents a compelling locked room mystery set in the mountains of the Catskills at a roadside motel. With a power outage, a blizzard, no cell reception, and a dead body among numerous potential suspects, the atmosphere is perfect for a thrilling mystery!

Kerry, in her mid-thirties, has hit rock bottom after several failed IVF attempts, being dumped by her husband, and struggling with excessive drinking, exacerbated by mixing alcohol with sedatives that make her see things that aren’t real. Despite her personal turmoil, she has managed to sell the film rights to her short story, which she’s supposed to turn into a novel—a task she's failing at due to her self-destructive behavior. She has also blocked her best friend, Siobhan, who is dealing with her own relationship issues involving her alcoholic boyfriend, Charlie.

Desperate for a change, Kerry accepts a job as the caretaker of a roadside motel with limited (almost non-existent) connection to the outside world, which mirrors her emotional state. She has recently stopped drinking, her husband has left to stay with his brother, and her only hope of resolving her issues lies in focusing on and finishing her book as promised. However, upon arriving at the snow-covered motel, she discovers that the previous caretaker threw a raucous party, leaving a mess behind. More disturbingly, the caretaker didn’t leave at all—her body is lying in the backyard.

Kerry immediately seeks help from the nearest Victorian house, where she meets Denise, a resilient woman in her fifties who despises the artsy types renting the motel (including Kerry). Denise lives with her young son, Tyler, who works several odd jobs to save enough money to leave the area permanently. Denise calls a relative who is a police officer to check the scene, but when they arrive, the body is gone. It appears to have vanished into thin air, or perhaps the sedatives Kerry took are causing her to hallucinate.

Despite this, Kerry is convinced there was a body and that everyone around could be suspects, including Denise, who harbors a deep dislike for renters, Jeremy, a reclusive hedge fund millionaire with legal issues with the motel’s owners, and a young woman who is seen lurking around the property.

Kerry also finds threatening messages and belongings of the dead woman, which shock her because she might know the woman’s real identity and be more entangled in the murder investigation than she thought. She realizes she must find the killer for the sake of the victim and her own safety.

Overall, the plot is intriguing with good pacing and several unexpected twists. Although the culprit might be somewhat predictable, the story’s resolution and the final twist are well-executed, leading me to rate this book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars! This is a thoroughly enjoyable locked room mystery, and Leah Konen has once again delivered a satisfying read. I look forward to more of her future works.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G.P. Putnam’s Sons for sharing this page-turner’s digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.