I was so excited to read this book, since I really enjoyed Jason Rekulak's last book. I loved Hidden Pictures, and gave it a five star review. I was excited for this book, The Last One at the Wedding, strictly because of the twisty nature of Hidden Pictures, and expecting that this will be similar. Maybe it was my high expectations, but this book fell a little short for me. I listened to the audio book, and although the narrator was great and engaging, something was just missing for me.

I found Frank to be a little weird and a little bit of an unreliable narrator. I felt like his daughter was weird, and some of the situations that were presented were so fantastical that they were unbelievable. It just didn't hit the right chords, for me personally, and I didn't love it. It was a middle of the road book for me. I will read another Jason Rekulak book, just maybe after reading a few other reviews.

Thanks to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Father/daughter relationships has always interested me and this twisty thriller was no exception. Frank Szatkowski has not heard from his adult daughter for 3 years and one day out of the blue she calls him to invite him to her wedding but it is not just any wedding. His daughter Maggie is marrying the son whose family runs a company making billions. Frank of course is thrilled to be reunited with his daughter but she is not exactly wanting to spend much time with him. As the story goes along, the reader slowly finds out bit by bit why the 2 were separated for 3 years. Frank blames himself for failing his daughter and not being the dad he thinks he should be but Maggie has a lot of history that we learn as the story continues. There are many shocking revelations and I could not stop listening to the audiobook.

The narrator, John Pirhalla, does a great as the dad and the story is told from his point of view. At first you think he's pretty clueless about life in general but he is focused on reuniting with his daughter and letting bygones be bygones...or is he?

Thank you NetGalley for an ALC of this book.

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.

On top of being a fun, fast-paced story, the audio production of The Last One at the Wedding was exceptional. I loved the narration and it really helped to build up tension. Now I just have to find something to keep myself occupied until the next Rekulak book comes out!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I didn't love Hidden Pictures, and this book is completely different, in the best way.

This was a really fun listen.. When Frank, a blue collar dad, receives a call from his estranged daughter inviting him to her wedding, he's shocked. He's shocked AGAIN when he shows up for the wedding, is required to sign an NDA, and learns that his future son-in-law is part of the 1%, super wealthy. But as happy as his daughter seems to be, something is awry--the vibe is off, the people round him aren't quite right, and he has a feeling something bad is going to happen. He's determined to figure out what's really going on. A super fast "read"--as usual, can't wait for Rekulak's next book!

I was kinda of frustrated by the book. The part that is majorly confusing was that Frank is/was aware that his daughter is manipulative but that just seems to escape his mind? Like ooohhh yes there was that one time but surely that doesn’t connect? Frank was such a whiny character and his daughter was a psycho.

That daughter!!! Maaaaaan did she make me mad! I could not believe the levels people go for money! You couldnt pay me enough to live in the presence of weird people with dark secrets. The lies that everyone tells and the hundreds of people who ignore it just to get invited and not black listed. I loved the little girl and i thought the ending was pretty sweet. That father really loved his daughter a whole lot and she just couldnt see it. Good book overall i would say it was worth the read!

This story is an intriguing book by Jason Rekulak. This is my first story from this author and I plan to read more.

Frank is the main character in this story. His estranged daughter, Maggie, contacted him after 3 years because she wanted to invite him to her wedding. Frank met his daughter’s fiancé, Aiden Gardener. Aiden is the son of a wealthy tech tycoon. Frank begins to have a funny feeling about Aiden and things seem to not seem right! Frank, his sister Tammy, and Tammy‘s foster child, Abigail, head together to the wedding in New Hampshire. The wedding weekend brings lots of twists to the story that will keep you guessing.

I loved Tammy’s character in the story because she was always the positive one and tried to keep her little brother on the right track. I liked how the book was broken up into different parts, such as, before the wedding, the reception, etc.. I would recommend this story to my friends.

A big shoutout to the audiobook narrator John Pirhalla! I really enjoyed listening to him read the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this book.

💒 The Last One at the Wedding - Jason Rekulak

3.75 ⭐️ - A thriller, i’m not so sure. More like a murder mystery with lots of money and family drama and problems! I liked this. I wanted to love it, so I’m a little sad, but I still enjoyed (the audio!) and was intrigued by the story.

Quick chapters, cliffhangers, lots of money, and unreliable characters made this one super quick and addictive. I was hooked into the storyline and figuring out who was keeping secrets, how they connected, and what would happen in the end. I definitely recommend the audio of this one, but the chapters are short so I imagine reading with your eyes is quick too. It’s very different from Hidden Pictures (which I loved) but not in a bad way. It’s a different type of story, but the storytelling was still addictive and I continue to look forward to what Rekulak does next!

I REALLY enjoyed this book. The narrator was so much fun to listen to, he did a really fantastic job of making the main character come to life.

One of my favorite parts of this book was how much I couldn't stand the main character, but by the end of the story I STILL couldn't stand him, but I liked him now. I don't know how to make that make sense. I really enjoyed the twists the plot took, decisions characters made, and especially the ending. Love that kid.

Amazing book. This was a great listen and I did not see the twists coming. I was looking forward to this after how much I enjoyed Hidden Pictures and Jason Rekulak did not disappoint.

Thank you @booksparks @jasonrekulak @macmillan.audio for a gifted copy/ALC!

✨ 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ✨
This was my third read for as an ambassador for the 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌𝑺𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝑭𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 and it was a suspenseful thriller set on a remote private estate, where an elaborate wedding is to take place!

Frank hasn’t spoken to his daughter Maggie in 3 years, when she calls him up one day saying she’s to be married and wants him there. When Frank arrives for the wedding weekend, he notices the groom is withdrawn and the locals don’t really care for the family.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat with the subtle nuances and weird small things that kept happening. Halfway through the book, a surprise revelation had me yelling, “Ewwww!” And then the story took a new twist and had my perspective changing on the characters!

I could not have predicted where the story ended up, and it definitely was a curious story about this strange family! I did where Frank’s story took him at the end with his sister.

🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🎧
John Pirhalla did a great job in his narration of Frank! He sounded like a reasonable, level-headed dad would sound like. He projected his doubts and suspicious nature of Franks character very well. I could speed up the narration easily too and understand him!

✨ 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
💍 Suspenseful thriller
💍 Locked room mystery
💍 Estranged family dynamics
💍 Resort wedding weekends

This book was amazing! I highly recommend it to everyone! I’ve already told a few friends about it and they can’t wait to go buy the book themselves!

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

I ignored the quiet voice in my brain saying something was wrong."

"Every family has dirty secrets."

There are dirty secrets and then there are murderous ones. In the disquieting deceivingly layered The Last One At The Wedding by shrewd unnerving mystery thriller author Jason Rekulak we follow Frank on his journey for the truth, especially the one he's hidden from himself.

Frank is thrilled to hear from his estranged daughter Maggie after years of silence. She's getting married and wants him at the wedding. He's shocked to find out she's marrying Aiden Gardner, from one the richest corporate families.

With his sister, and her 10 year old foster daughter, he heads for the week-long wedding celebration at the Gardner compound. From the start we feel Frank's uncomfortableness that something's off. There's the mysterious envelope sent to him, the NDA he must sign to enter the compound, Aiden's mother who is only seen from a bedroom window, the drug fueled nighttime parties and then the dead body that turns up before the wedding.

This writer has created in Frank a man that is deep down a good man, a confused man, sometimes an unhinged man, too worried about what people think. The always reliable voice actor John Pirhalla makes the most uncanny discerning acting choices bringing Frank to life. Between the writing and the acting I was enthralled with the storytelling.

I figured out some things early but the undertones of the unconditional love of a parent was an emotional surprise. The Last One At The Wedding won't be the last book I experience from this creative author.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I was not a fan of Rekulak's Hidden Pictures, but I did receive both the ALC and a physical arc so I wanted to definitely give this one a try and I'm really glad that I did

Edge of my seat thrilling! Twists at every turn. Absolutely thrilling and I expected nothing less from this author.

📚 Review: The Last One At The Wedding 💒
I was so looking forward to this one! I loved Hidden Pictures and I couldn’t wait to read this book. I saw it on @netgalley as an audiobook so I decided to request it. Right from the beginning, I loved the narrator, John Pirhalla. I thought he did a great job. 👏🏻 But I could tell early on that this was going to be a slow burn and it was definitely not going to be like Hidden Pictures at all. Totally different vibe. And that was okay. (At first) I was thinking something suspenseful and thrilling was bound to happen sooner or later. But it never really did. For me, this was a slow burn, mystery at best. The character Maggie, the daughter, I found to be so annoying. I didn’t like her at all.
In case you are unfamiliar, it’s a book about a man Frank, who just got invited by his estranged daughter, Maggie, to her wedding. They hadn’t spoken for three years and now she was getting married. So Frank was hoping this would rekindle their relationship, but when he got there, Maggie was never around, and neither was Aidan, her husband to be. So, Frank was left on his own to get to know Aidan’s family. There were some things that unraveled, secrets that were revealed, but it just wasn’t that thrilling to me. Again, another book that I’ve read recently that I had such a different idea of what it was going to be like. Based on how scary and creepy Hidden Pictures was, I was thinking this was going to be along the same lines. Or rather I was hoping it would be. Either way, I was a bit disappointed in it. It was an okay story with an okay ending. It’s not that I didn’t like it. I just feel like not much happened for most of the book and the ending was a little lackluster. I was glad that I listened to this and didn’t read it. I think the audiobook bumped it up a half point for me. But, also don’t go by my review. I’ve seen reviews of people who loved this book. And so if this is on your tbr, give it try you may love it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ But this was ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 stars for me.
I want to thank @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Have you read this one yet? What were your thoughts?

I kept waiting for the dark twist and *gasp* moment that I felt like should’ve been coming in this book, but in the end that’s all there was - waiting. Frank was too chatty, too overlooking of the flaws of others, and Maggie had no redeeming qualities that even remotely justified her father’s actions, particularly in that ending - what even was that? I can see where the author was trying to go with this one, but it came up short for me. Narrator was great though. Three ⭐️.

The book opens with a single phone call. Frank hasn’t heard from his daughter Maggie in over 3 years and is elated when she calls to tell him she is getting married and invites him to the wedding. But who is this family that she is marrying into? As the wedding weekend progresses, Frank slowly starts to uncover things about the family but should he tell Maggie and if he does, will he lose her again?

This would definitely be classified as a messy family drama. Told from Frank’s POV, we start to get a picture of the dynamic between Frank and his daughter and the love that a father has for his daughter. You can feel his pain in not speaking for 3 years and wanting to do whatever he can to make things right. As the story goes along we start to peel back the layers of the family that Maggie is marrying into and the tension and secrets between the two families was fun to see play out. The drama kept me guessing and entertained and I liked how it built up the suspense without ever feeling over the top. This book is very different from Hidden Pictures, but still has that mystery we have come to expect.

After being severely creeped out by Hidden Pictures, I was thoroughly expecting to be set pooled by this book. Or at least at the edge of my seat? But I was definitely not. It was a letdown for me. I kept waiting for thrills that never came. It could just be because I had expectations? I didn’t really enjoy the characters, I was bored a lot, and the ending was very lackluster. Whomp whomp.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook to review.