Many thanks to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the latest book by Jason Rekulak, perfectly narrated by John Pirhalla. I loved Rekulak’s debut book, The Impossible Fortress, and somehow missed reading Hidden Pictures (I’ll rectify that mistake soon!). All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4.5 stars rounded up!

Frank is a UPS driver whose wife died, leaving him to raise their daughter, Maggie, mostly by himself, with the help of his sister. But an incident three years ago caused a rift between father and daughter, that no amount of trying on Frank’s part has been able to resolve. Out of the blue, Maggie contacts him to tell him that she’s getting married and she wants him at her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. She doesn’t immediately mention that she’s marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a tech billionaire. When he arrives at the exclusive wedding at their secluded compound, with his daughter and her foster child in tow, there are lots of red flags and uncomfortable moments. But Frank is desperate to make things right with Maggie and not lose her again.

This is definitely a slow burn but gripping mystery with plenty of twists and turns. You can’t help but feel for Frank who’s trying so hard to things right again with Maggie. There are plenty of family secrets on both sides of the aisle that will leave you shocked. Full of characters that will divide easily between those you love and those you hate, I couldn’t put down this domestic suspense book. It’s atmospheric, complete with creepy crawlies, and a remote setting.

HAPPY PUB DAY!!!!!!

Big thanks to both NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC copy of Rekulak's newest work!

Unfortunately this was mediocre for me. I wanted so badly to love this, but it is almost identical to another book I recently watched the show adaptation for, so I just could not get on board with it. I knew what was coming, the characters were bland and the story just did not keep me intrigued enough.

I can appreciate the ending and how certain things turned out for certain characters, but I disliked most of the characters. I don't think I really enjoyed the relationships in this one either.

As always, the audio was done really well. I appreciated the tones and could feel some of the passion, but it wasn't enough to push me into loving this one.
Lots of people have really enjoyed it, so I would say check it out for yourself. It just unfortunately did not work out for me as much as I'd hoped.

So different from Hidden Pictures, in a very good way.
Some characters were well developed, while others had many secrets. The main character injected humor into the story.

I really enjoyed this one! The narrator kept me engaged and wanting more from beginning to end! I loved seeing the growth of Frank over time. From being in denial and blinded by the love for his daughter, to his openness to new love and seeing her true colors. This was such an enjoyable ride and cannot recommend it enough!

When I discovered that Jason Rekulak, the author of one of my last year’s five-star read “Hidden Pictures,” was releasing a new novel in October just in time for spooky season, I rushed to NetGalley to request it. I was so thrilled to be approved for the audiobook!

“The Last One at the Wedding” is narrated from Frank’s perspective, and the first half of the book delves into his fragile relationship with his estranged daughter, Maggie. After years of silence, Frank receives an unexpected call from Maggie inviting him to her wedding at a luxurious campground. Maggie is marrying Aiden, the son of a wealthy family that owns a tech company as well as the campgrounds who have unsettling ties to a woman’s disappearance. As Frank grapples with his feelings of denial regarding Maggie, he becomes determined to uncover the truth about both Aiden’s family and the missing woman.

The second half of the book is packed with revelations and plot twists, and unexpected scenarios that genuinely caught me off guard.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the intricate plot and the twists that unfolded. The story feels contemporary and realistic, with characters who resonate deeply, especially Frank. He is a father caught in a constant struggle to gain his daughter’s approval while trying to do the right thing, which adds layers to his character and shows how complicated family matters can be.

The storyline keeps you guessing for the truth till the very end!

In comparison, “Hidden Pictures” leans more toward a creepy thriller, while “The Last One at the Wedding” is a gripping murder mystery.

Audiobook Review: Narrator John Pirhalla did an exceptional job capturing Frank’s voice and personality. His smooth narration made the story feel authentic and engaging. I would rate the narration five stars.

P.S. I can’t shake the feeling that both books might be connected in some way—though it’s probably just me being delulu lol !!

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak is a heartwarming and bittersweet story about love, second chances, and the unexpected twists of life. Set during a chaotic wedding weekend, the novel follows a cast of flawed yet endearing characters as they navigate unresolved feelings, hidden desires, and life-altering decisions. Rekulak’s sharp, witty writing brings humor and warmth to the story, while also capturing the emotional weight of pivotal moments. The blend of lighthearted banter and poignant reflection makes for an engaging read that balances both fun and depth. The Last One at the Wedding is a charming exploration of love’s unpredictability and the power of human connection.

I loved Hidden Pictures, one of my favorite reads from last year. I was excited to see a new book from the author. I’ve seen many mixed reviews and unfortunately, The Last One at the Wedding just didn’t have the “edge of your seat” creepy thriller factors like HP. I liked the premise of the story and actually listened to the whole book in one day because it felt like something big was going to happen. There were several times the potential was there for a big jaw dropping twist but, unfortunately, the few twists that did unfold, while shocking and icky, just didn’t seem to go anywhere.

The story’s genre(s) had my brain all confused which is why I think I didn’t like it as much as I had anticipated. I had pretty high expectations after HP but this was definitely different, not in a bad way, but just know going in that they aren’t comparable. In my mind I was anticipating more thriller, but it was a slow burn mystery suspense with a few heartwarming moments thrown in. It kept my interest, but it left me hoping & wanting more.

There were a lot of unlikable characters due to lack of morals. There were several unhealthy, estranged family relationships, where the term ‘money is the root of all evil’ was clearly portrayed. Ridiculously rich people who thought that they would be safe from the consequences of their actions. The only likable and innocent character I cared for was the foster child.
My heart broke for her because she was pulled from an unstable home to be placed with a foster family who put her into another unstable environment.

The rushed, unresolved ending left me confused and frustrated. I reread the last 2 chapters several times thinking I missed something.

Pirhalla does a fantastic job with the audio narration and helping drive the story as the voice of the MMC. The story is told in first person and is written as if he is talking directly to the reader.

Thank you @NetGalley and @macmillanaudio for the #gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was good and completely different than hidden pictures with no supernatural vibes. I was hooked and finished this in one sitting. The narration was good and he did a good job of making me feel like frank was relatable. This is definitely a slow burn trust no one.

What would you say if I fell in love with a 50 year UPS driver who loves Farmers Omelette from the Waffle House, gets his hair cut at supercuts and and buys fire extinguishers for his daughter? Let's add on top my favorite child character has a bad case of lice, loves Stitch and Math Jokes?

You would say I'm crazy right?

Well I dare you to read this book and NOT fall in love with Frank and Abby! Jason Rekulak absolutely built up the characters in this Domestic Thriller. The story alone was good enough to keep my interest but the characters were what made this a gem of a book.
When I first started I thought Frank was just over protective and desperate but as you work your way through the book and Abby starts to melt Frank's heart I guarantee you too will feel the same way.
Moving on to the actual STORY, it was very interesting, you could smell trouble the second you are invited into Maggie and Aiden's Penthouse Apartment in Boston. Its pretty obvious their relationship is more than just odd. Thankfully UPS Frank has Spidey Dad Senses and tries to find out what is exactly going on.
But as the wedding week approaches and the 300+ Wedding Guest arrive to Aiden's family "Camp" (I love rich people) accidents happen, weird interactions and even people die, tensions build. Will Frank be able to inact his fierce love? Save his daughter from something dangerous......
You must read to find out!
I was surprised at the end at actually how. much I was kinda touched. the transformation and display of parent/child relationship was pretty cool!
If I didnt have a Ted for a dad I would pick a Frank! (but I have Ted- Trumps all other! )

John Pirhalla did a fantastic job narrating this book. His performance alone added a 1/2 star!

All of my thoughts and opinions are my own, I was not influenced or paid for this review. Thank you Net Galley and Jason Rekulak for allowing me to review this advanced audio book of The Last One At the Wedding which publishes October 9, 2024.

The Last One at the Wedding witten by Jason Rekulak is a story that immediately had my undivided attention from the opening chapter. Frank Szatowski had not heard from his daughter in three years when he received a phone call from her relaying surprising news. Upon his visit to see his daughter, subtle perplexing happenings begin to swirl around Maggie. As Frank spends more time with Maggie, Frank realizes these inexplicable occurrences are quickly adding up to equate to a potentially disastrous future for his daughter. Nothing is as it seems and Frank tries to protect Maggie from making what he thinks could be the biggest mistake of her life. Frank tries to discover the unexplained, but unearths (and sees a disturbing event 🫣) layers and layers of one big secret.

I absolutely loved Frank’s character. He is a supportive, hardworking, down to earth father who is trying to rejuvenate his relationship with his daughter. The other characters, such as the Gardner family and their workers/friends, and Tammy, along with her foster child Abigail, were complex and entertaining. This story had it all! A great premise, compelling and mysterious characters, troubling happenings, and shocking events throughout!

I had the pleasure of listening to this novel thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. The narrator, John Pirhalla, was astounding and most impressive! This is the second novel I listened to that Mr. John Pirhalla had narrated. I thought the first time I heard him he was great, but WOW! The accents he created, the change of voices, the expression…I just cannot say enough about his performance throughout the entire novel! He is a narrator I will be looking out for in the future, as I could not get enough! Jason Rekulak imagined and created a great novel, and John Pirhalla knocked his narration out of the park! Well done gentleman. What a winning combination!

The Last One at the Wedding is out for publication Tuesday, October 8, 2024. If you read Hidden Pictures by Rekulak, you will undoubtedly enjoy this next book! #netgalley #macmillanaudio #thelastoneatthewedding #mystery #jasonrekulak #johnpirhalla #fallreads

ARC Review:
3.5⭐️
Excellent narration, but the plot was just okay. I kept expecting to be thrilled or shocked or have huge twists and turns, especially after reading Hidden Pictures, but this just felt like a rich family's secrets/drama, which is exactly what you'd expect in any story like this I suppose.

Thank you MacMillan audio for this ALC.
Audio was great. The story kind of fell flat for me though. I wasn't overly wowed by anything. I was hoping for more from the twists. I could have done with more thriller vs back story. It was a decent read just not my fave.

First and foremost, this one is NOTHING like Hidden Pictures so don’t go in expecting the same vibes or you’ll be disappointed. This is lands solidly as a slow burn mystery.

Read if you like books with:
😬 Feeling on Edge
🚪 Locked Room Vibes
🔥 Slow burn storytelling
🔎 Amateur Detective Vibes
👴🏼 Father of the Bride as the Single POV
💔 Strained Father/Daughter Relationships
💰 Ultra Wealth versus Blue Collar Family Dynamics

Frank is a blue collar worker at UPS that prides himself on his work ethic, safety, and commitment to hard work, who also happens to be estranged from his daughter Maggie. So when she calls up to say she is getting married soon, of course he wants to take the opening and meet his future son-in-law but Maggie definitely is cagey about the situation and won’t even tell her dad his name because he is high profile.

Turns out that she is about to be marrying a tech billionaire’s son, and upon the first meet and greet red flags that soon Frank can’t ignore starting to pop up left and right.

When Frank, his sister, and her foster kid (who he is perturbed is joining them) arrive at the wedding, even more weirdness starts to pop up when they can’t even enter the luxurious private estate without signing a 56 page non-disclosure that they won’t even give him time to read since he is holding up the entry line. The estate not only houses the family mansion but also has a private lake, with its own community of camp-like cabins which becomes more problematic when they take the keys to his Jeep and he is essentially locked in with no way out.

This is when the story telling starts to ramp up as Frank starts to investigate the red flags that continue to pop up, and have since he learned about his daughter’s upcoming wedding.

Frank truly wants what is best for Maggie and is also walking on eggshells trying to stay in her life after the wedding, which sets the core of the storyline around navigating complex parent-child relationships, wanting to always see the best in your child, trying to do right by them, while also honoring yourself, and the lengths parents will go to, to protect their children.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and it kept me engaged as I really enjoyed the story being told from the Blue Collar Dad, Frank’s perspective, but I wanted more with the ending and kinda feel like it fizzled in the end and didn’t leave me with the ending I felt had to have been coming with an explosive reveal that just didn’t quite occur, despite some of the twists and turns.

If you are a fan of The Mrs. Parrish books, I’d recommend this one for the vibes! Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for my gifted audiobook!

Pretty good overall. The book sure took it’s time getting to the real story, but it was good overall. I think it’s just important to not compare it to Hidden Pictures as it is a totally different kind of book. Still a good read!

While a much slower pace than Hidden Pictures, The Last One at the Wedding keeps the reader engaged with family tensions heightened by wedding drama. Jason Rekulak writes interesting characters with depth. John Pirhalla’s narration is solid.

With a strained father-daughter relationship, Frank and Maggie try to mend fences while being thrust into a wedding weekend at the wealthy groom’s family’s compound packed with activities and mysteries.

Vacillating between acknowledging red flags and investigating - to turning a blind eye, Frank is a complex character whose good intentions regarding his daughter are heart tugging. Rekulak poses the question: As a parent, what would you do for your child?

Rekulak writes, “There are no limits to how far parents will go to deceive themselves.” This statement proves true to the last enigmatic line of the novel.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio version of this title for an honest review.

“The Last One at the Wedding” is a juicy murder mystery tangled with family secrets and lies. The lead character, Frank Szatowski, is a widower who lives a simple life as a career UPS driver. His blue-collar sensibility is amplified by his do-it-yourself attitude and elbow grease roots. One day, he receives a call from his estranged daughter, Maggie, after not speaking to her for three years, announcing she is marrying tech billionaire Errol Gardner's son, Aidan. As the wedding rapidly approaches, Frank begins to meet and interact with his future in-laws, quickly realizing one is not like the other and it's he who is out of his depth. Besides the clear class divide, Frank notices odd behaviors and situations from his future in-laws but pushes them aside, choosing ignorance to protect his fragile relationship with Maggie until nothing adds up and can no longer be ignored.

Rekulak is a maestro of pacing, with each plot point, storyline, and character contributing to the story. The execution of the novel is clean yet complex, making the reader’s journey smooth and wildly entertaining, each page more alluring than the last. The character development is top-notch with all having distinct voices and personalities. The main theme involves money, power, and privilege and the lengths people will go to keep all three, and how complicated it can be when family is involved. Many of the characters have to search within to determine if their morals and integrity have a price tag and it's intriguing to watch it all unfold.

I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced audio version by Macmillan Audio via NetGalley, narrated by John Pirhalla, who delivers an excellent performance that enhances Rekulak's writing and storytelling. The lead character Frank really came through in the audio format, adding more dimension to him.

Although the main climax toward the end was slightly flighty, I was already hooked and fully ready for the ride. Let's go! There was also an unexpected yet satisfying sentimentality toward the end that took me by surprise and added more layers to the story and the characters. Overall, the novel is a well-rounded array of puzzle pieces, all fitting purposefully and strategically to create a robust and captivating picture.

Expanded review here and linked! https://open.substack.com/pub/tylermharrison/p/book-review-the-last-one-at-the-wedding?r=3xp9tw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Thank you for the advance copy!

I really enjoyed Hidden Pictures and was expecting something more along those lines. Unfortunately, The Last One at the Wedding fell flat for me. I did not like any of the characters, but particularly did not care for the main character, Frank. There were many times throughout the book where I asked myself if I should even finish the book. To be honest, the only reason I finished it was that it was an audiobook. This would have been a DNF if I had been physically reading the book.

Rekulak KILLED IT with this novel! While I guessed a *small* part of the overall plot twist, I did not predict the ending. This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. With my brother being a UPS driver, I was even more invested in this plot. The audiobook version of this novel is puer perfection. Rekulak never fails with his character development and plot twists! 5 star read for me!

When I read Hidden Pictures around this time last year, Jason Rekulak's fresh spin on classic horror tropes had me hooked. That page-turner left me eager for more of his thrilling stories, and his latest, The Last One at the Wedding, just arrived this week. I was lucky enough to get an audiobook copy from the publisher and dove right in. While this story is quite different from his previous novel, I quickly became just as captivated by it.

Frank and his daughter Maggie hadn’t spoken much since their bitter falling out three years ago. In fact, Frank had resigned himself to the idea that he might never hear from her again, especially considering the circumstances that led to their estrangement. So, when his phone rang unexpectedly one day, and Maggie was on the other end with news of her engagement, Frank was floored. Even more surprising than the call was the invitation that followed—Maggie wanted him to attend her wedding in New Hampshire. Though flooded with questions and emotions, Frank kept his cool, careful not to jeopardize their fragile connection. Could this be the chance to mend their broken relationship?

The surprises don’t stop with Maggie’s phone call. Frank soon discovers that her fiancé is none other than Aiden Gardiner, the son of a tech billionaire. Arriving at the remote, lavish estate where the wedding festivities will unfold, Frank immediately feels out of place. He’s determined to reconnect with his daughter and get to know the family she’s marrying into, but things quickly take a strange turn. Aiden is distant and evasive, Maggie seems too busy to spend time with him, and the locals are unusually hostile toward the Gardiners. Something feels off, and Frank is desperate to figure out what’s really going on. But if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie all over again.

In The Last One at the Wedding, Jason Rekulak shifts gears from supernatural horror to a family drama that brings its own kind of fear. Right from the start, it’s clear that no one is what they seem, and trust is in short supply. What remains hidden, though, is just how deep those secrets go. The suspense and momentum of the novel come from gradually uncovering these hidden truths. John Pirhalla’s narration gently guides the listener through that discovery.

While I was drawn in by the eerie atmosphere and mysterious circumstances, I found myself conjuring up more intense and thrilling possibilities than what the novel ultimately delivered. It reminded me of watching Jaws. The tension of not seeing the shark was far scarier than when we actually saw it and realized, "Oh, that's just a fake shark!" Similarly, with this novel, the build-up and sense of "what could be" had me on edge, but the final reveal left me feeling like the real threat wasn’t as thrilling as I’d hoped. The suspense kept me going, but in the end, the reality didn’t match the height of my expectations.

This was a 5 star for me!

OMG - this book guys. It was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did NOT let me down.

Thank you to @netgally for this #ALC.

This book is the perfect blend of “who dun it” X what the heck is going on! It kept me guessing trying to figure things out and wondering just how everything would shake out.

I LOVED Frank, our MC. After 3 years of estrangement from his daughter Maggie, he gets a phone call from her saying she is getting married, wants to forget about the past and wants him at her wedding. It is heartbreaking seeing this down to earth man just want to reconnect with his daughter and the trials he goes through trying to do this before the wedding. Things do not add up though with his soon to be in laws and Frank struggles to save his daughter before it’s too late.

I loved this whole book and it definitely lived up to my expectations!