I had really high expectations starting this after enjoying Hidden Pictures. The performance of the narrator was great and really embodied the main character in this novel. This was more of a suspense/family drama with one major plot twist around the 50-60% mark. I was expecting a few additional twists but those never came. This story also focused a lot on the relationship with the father/daughter which I would have loved to have more of the daughters POV. All in all, the plot kind of missed the mark for me. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced audiobook!

Thank you net galley! I absolutely loved this audiobook! The narrator was awesome and definitely had an impact on me being glued to this story. This is the second book I’ve listened to from this author and even though I had more of a shock factor in his last book this story ramped up my anxiety in other ways! There were parts I wanted to cover my eyes to but of course I’m listening not looking so that wouldn’t help. I cared about the characters especially the main character and hoped nothing bad would happen to him. These characters made me feel all the feels. I loved the mystery, thrill and twist with this story! Another amazing audio book I will recommend all around!

The narrator (John Pirhalla) did an incredible job telling this story. I loved how he distinguished each character and kept the story interesting.

This book is quite different than Rekulak’s previous novel (Hidden Pictures) - no spooky supernatural vibes at all. The Last One at the Wedding is full of family drama & secrets, & is a slower paced thriller with “throw you for a loop” twists.

I listened to this on a road trip and it was such a good pick - interesting, keeps you guessing, made the time fly by.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book from Jason Rekulak, and from what I understand, it is very different from Hidden Pictures. The slow burn, family drama with a good dose of psychological suspense certainly takes the reader on some twists and turns. While I wouldn't call it fast-paced, I was in the story and wanting to know what would happen next the whole time.

I really enjoyed the narrator.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for a free copy of #TheLastOneAtTheWedding by Jason Rekulak. All opinions are my own.

This was intriguing and enigmatic, at times a tad peculiar, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the narrator’s voice. His voice enhanced the story and made it even more captivating.

3.5 Stars
From the surface it seems like Frank’s daughter, Maggie, is marrying into a fairy tale. Her fiancé, Aiden Gardner, is the son of a famous billionaire, and she says she’s in love, but as the date grows closer Frank the more things unsettle him. Frank finds out something troubling about Aiden’s recent dating past. Maggie brushes things off. Things get stranger when Frank gets to Osprey Cove, a sprawling forest estate with cabins and a private lake. The luxuries are astounding, and the security raises questions. Not even his sister Tammy and her foster daughter, Abigail, who’ve tagged along, can put him at ease.

Told in first person from Frank’s perspective, you feel a growing unease as Maggie’s nuptials draw close, but at every turn there’s a convenient explanation. Maggie doesn’t seem keen to make time for her father. I was not thrilled with a lot of the characters.

The Last One at the Wedding was entertaining and held my attention, but it was an odd mystery. Reactions didn’t make sense to me. There’s a surprise twist that turned everything around. The story makes you question: what would you do to protect your child? It seems Frank would do a lot.

I listened to an audio copy, and I thought John Pirhalla captured Frank’s everyday guy, protective dad persona wonderfully, but he did a great job with all the characters male and female and a variety of accents. He definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the story!

The Last One at the Wedding was my second Rekulak novel and it didn’t disappoint! Frank has drove for UPS for over 25 years, accident free. He hasn’t heard from his daughter Maggie for a few years since they had a falling out. However, one day she calls out of the blue to let her dad know that she’s getting married and wants him and his sister, her Aunt Tammy to come to the wedding. Frank wants to sit and talk with Maggie and meet her fiancé, Aidan, before the wedding, as is understandable. Maggie doesn’t want to rehash the past and wants to start their relationship with a clean slate. Frank meets Maggie and her fiancé at their apartment and quickly realizes that thinks aren’t quite what they seem. Maggie’s future husband is very wealthy, the son of the CEO of the company she works for, Capaciti. Soon after the dinner, Frank receives a letter in the mail with the picture of Aidan and a girl who is now missing.

The wedding will take place on the family compound that was once a summer camp surrounding a lake that has been renovated to luxury cabins. The weekend of the wedding arrives and Frank, Tammy, and her newest foster child Abby head out for the wedding. Things get weird. They meet the missing girls uncle in town and he warns them of the family. Frank is obviously suspicious of Aidan and is hesitant for Maggie to marry him. Lots of events happen including one of Aidan’s friends ending up dead in the pond, Frank finally meeting Mrs. Gardner, Aidan’s mother, and getting to know her strange situation, and even walking in on Maggie in quite the predicament. The book did give me a few surprises that I greatly enjoyed, but didn’t quite hit the 5 star mark.

The narrator did a fantastic job with the novel and really brought it to life! When you read this novel, do not attempt to compare it to Rekulak’s previous novel “Hidden Pictures”. If you do, you’ll be let down. I don’t feel that anything will be able to top HP for me! However, I did still really enjoy The Last One at the Wedding, rating it at 4.5 stars, rounding down to 4. I cannot wait to see what Rekulak comes out with next!

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!

Title: The Last One At The Wedding
Author: Jason Rekulak
Page Count: 352
Time Length: 11H 14M
Dates Read: 10/9-10/11
Format: Audiobook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Summary: This is and Arc given by Netgally in exchange for a honest review. Frank daughter calls and said she is getting married. After 3 years of not talking he is invited to come meet her fiance and be at her wedding. He will learn more then he thought he would.

Review: This story was an emotional ride. I did see all the twists coming but didn't make it's impact any less. It was a slower read but the audiobook really carries you through. I would reread.

What a ride! A man estranged from his daughter gets a call inviting him to her wedding and what ensues is a doozy. Things seem weird between father and daughter and when we find out why… whoa. The story was a bit of a slow burn but when the WTF moment happens it doesn’t stopping going. Overall it was a good read and would definitely recommend. Narrator did a great job, very good listen.

This novel begins with Frank, a loyal UPS driver, receiving a call from his estranged daughter. Maggie gives him the good news - she is engaged to a great guy and plans on marrying him in a few weeks. Frank is delighted that their estrangement is over and looks forward to meeting his new son-in-law the following weekend. If you are looking for spoilers, you won't find them here. I will tell you that I really enjoyed this book' and it kept me guessing throughout the pages.

Mr. Frank has been a package truck driver for many years, reaching an esteemed level of notoriety for his safe driving record. He has always worked hard to provide for his only daughter, Maggie, who he raised on his own, with a bit of assistance from his sister, after his wife passed away.

Maggie went through some troubled years in her late teens and early adulthood, but as a parent, we always want to help our children and believe they still have a glimmer of good in them.

After several years of estrangement, Frank is thrilled to receive a call from Maggie out of the blue inviting him to attend her wedding. Of course, he wouldn’t miss it for the world. He loads up his sister and her unusual foster child and heads off to a secluded location for the elaborate wedding weekend hosted by his future son-in-law’s notorious family. (It’s like she is marrying the son of Elon Musk)

Frank immediately notices red flags and tries to warn Maggie, but he could be too late.

Frank is sharp and protective and is a former military hero, so he is not afraid to set things straight and stand up for justice. But his relationships his hairdresser and his big-hearted sister, also reveal that he has a softer side.

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and it is a suspense thriller/family drama with a modern twist.

Debating between 3.5/4 🤷🏼‍♀️

happy pub week to THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING by Jason Rekulak – author of HIDDEN PICTURES, which was one of my top books of 2022

I picked up this book hoping for a spooky experience similar to Hidden Pictures (let me tell you, that one was genuinely terrifying). Unfortunately, Rekulak’s latest novel didn’t quite hit the same level of chills; however, it was still an engaging, well-crafted story. Def worth the read, but don’t go into it hoping for a super creepy experience!

The Last One at the Wedding follows the tense reunion of a father and daughter, estranged for years, as they come together to prepare for her upcoming wedding to the son of a wealthy tech mogul. Amid the celebrations, tensions rise and hidden truths begin to surface. As the father confronts the darker sides of his daughter's new family, he must grapple with the questions that will shape their future: How far will he go to protect the child he loves? And how can he do so without overstepping and losing Maggie for good?

My thoughts:
- Domestic suspense novels often center around female protagonists, so it was refreshing to experience the story from a different perspective – a cautious, caring dad. Frank is such a relatable character—he’s the quintessential dad, and that's exactly why we love him! Also I loved his relationship with his sister and her foster daughter, Abigail
- Loved the setting & premise – there’s something undeniably addictive about reading about the glamorous lives of the elite
- It explores themes like social class, right vs wrong, family relationships, and the idea that ‘every parent is an unreliable narrator’ when it comes to their children.
- Highly recommend the audiobook for this! Easy to follow plot, easy to binge
- Without spoiling anything, I’m not entirely sold on the ending, especially a choice made by one of the characters. I’m not sure if it’s because I don’t usually read plot-driven novels… the plot itself makes sense, but when I step back and consider the MC’s character arc, I find myself wondering, ‘Does it align with what we know about this character?


If you’ve read this book, LET’S CHAT!

This had all the twists and turns that you’d expect in a thriller but sadly, there wasn’t enough tension built up to really have me on the edge of my seat. The story was good, well-written, but it slowed down in the middle and the solution was somewhat predictable. Even the ending, which should have bad me gasping in shock, was exactly as I thought it would be. I did enjoy the writing overall so I will read others by this author but this one wasn’t the thriller I was expecting it to be.

This story made a fantastic audiobook. I really particularly liked the voice of the narrator and felt it was easy to listen to his voice on any speed setting.

Rekulak did it again with the suspense and unraveling the mystery. I picked up the clues along the way so when the grand reveal happened I shouted, "I KNEW IT!" which is so satisfying because it made sense. I loved the setting the of the story and the characters. It was eerie, creepy, suspenseful- but not horrorific.

The premise of the story follows Frank who hasn't talked with his daughter for three years. His daughter, Maggie, is getting married and invites him to the wedding. However, as Frank discovers who she is hitching herself to and the surrounding gossip about that family, he becomes more uncertain about her future and his fate.

Absolutely well done! I loved the line about making the perfect mac and cheese too.

This review will be posted on goodreads and later on Instragram this week with an updated link here to my review @readingkelsey.

For those of you who had patiently waited for the next book by the author who brought us Hidden Pictures, wait no more! His second book comes out today!!!

First of all, guys this is another book that is amazing on audio!!! The narrator (John Pirhalla) was so good in bringing all the characters to life!! I find myself listening to the book more vs reading it!!

Next, my bestie @poetry.and.plot.twists gave me a heads up that this book is totally different from Hidden Pictures and I’m so glad she told me that because it adjusted my expectations going in into the book!!

Guys, this is not a horror book. This is Jason Rekulak’s take on a thriller and omg I binged it like crazy 😂

I actually feel like this is more of a slow burn book but that didn’t bother me at all!! I was so invested in the story I just kept reading!

I was going to knock a star down because I just disliked 90% of the characters so much but then I realized that if an author was able to make me feel things then the book was written effectively so I kept my rating at 5⭐️

The crazy rich people drama with a wedding drama in an isolated lodge setting gives me Perfect Couple vibes - so if you enjoyed that show/book, you definitely have to pick this up!!!

Very briefly, this book is about our male lead had been estranged to his daughter for almost 3 years. He was so surprised when she called her asking for him to attend his wedding. That’s pretty much the plot!!

Overall, this book was very bingeable for me and I highly recommend it for all the thriller fans out there!!

Thank you @flatiron_books for gifting me a copy! Thank you @netgalley for the free audiobook!!

💭 If you could choose, would you prefer horror or thrillers?
☕️ Horror for me but it has to be done right 😅

This is definitely a departure from HIDDEN PICTURES. The setting was wonderful and added an extra layer of suspense to be in a closed off place. Frank was a man of principles and I really appreciated how tenacious he was at wanting to repair the relationship with Maggie. At first, I truly despised how Frank treated Abigal but Rekulak clearly had a vision for their arc. I enjoyed the ending which wasn’t too tightly wrapped up.

I thought Frank was a great MMC, in this story. He struggles with wanting to support his daughter, but also do the right thing. Overall I enjoyed this story, but there were moments when I felt the book dragging on. I might have enjoyed this book better if there was a second POV, but it was still a fun mystery/thriller.

It was definitely a twisty book with lots going on. I enjoyed the audio version and the narrator. I felt like he was easy to listen to. This mystery was easy to follow along, there weren’t to many characters that you were getting confused which I liked. I felt like it all tied together really nice in the end without any big loose ends. I think this is a perfect mystery book for someone who is just starting to get into that genre or needs a quick read.

💍Book Review💍
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Summary- Frank Szatowski is shocked when his daughter, Maggie, calls him for the first time in three years. He was convinced that their estrangement would become permanent. He’s even more surprised when she invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right.

He arrives to find that the wedding is at a private estate—very secluded, very luxurious, very much out of his league. It seems that Maggie failed to mention that she’s marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. But it’s difficult: Aidan is withdrawn and evasive; Maggie doesn’t seem to have time for him; and he finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners. Frank needs to know more about this family his daughter is marrying into, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie forever.
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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My thoughts- this was one of my most anticipated reads this month and 🥲. I so wanted to love this one but it ended up being just sort of fine. I loved Hidden Pictures so much, it was so wildly unique. This one just was not 🤷🏼‍♀️. It’s a story that you feel like you’ve read before I felt super disconnected from the characters in this one for some reason. I couldn’t sympathize with Frank and the twists were just.. a choice. Perfectly fine mystery that is just a little too slow for my liking.
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QOTD- any fun weekend plans ?! We’re headed to the city tomorrow to see Little Shop of Horrors for our anniversary weekend 🥰
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🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Oh wow. Just finished “The Last One At the Wedding”. I read “Hidden Pictures” by Jason Rekulak last year and now he’s an automatic must read author for me.
Frank’s daughter is getting married but something seems off. It’s a quickie wedding and the groom's family is super rich. Frank is suspicious but he brings his sister and her foster child, Abigail, to the wedding. I can’t give too much away, but I LOVED some of these characters and HATED some of them!! I can’t say too much or o will give it away.
I listened to this book on tape and the narrator was so great! He reminded me of Casey Kasem. Make sure to put it on your must-read list this year. Oh and Abigail stole the show for me!
Many thanks to the author, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#NetGalley #macmillianaudio #BooksOnTape #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks