The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak is a suspenseful and thought-provoking thriller that keeps readers on edge with its brilliant pacing, sharp twists, and emotional depth. The story follows Frank Szatowski, a father who has been estranged from his daughter, Maggie, for three years. When she unexpectedly invites him to her wedding in New Hampshire, Frank is filled with hope that this could be the opportunity to repair their broken relationship.

However, Frank’s excitement quickly turns to discomfort as he arrives at the lavish, secluded estate where the wedding is to take place. He soon learns that Maggie is marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire—an unexpected revelation that leaves Frank feeling out of his depth. As he navigates this unfamiliar world, Frank’s desire to reconnect with Maggie is complicated by his growing unease about the Gardner family and the strange, hostile locals who seem to resent them.

Rekulak masterfully builds tension as Frank begins to uncover unsettling secrets about the Gardners and the community surrounding them. The mix of family drama, suspense, and intrigue makes for an addictive reading experience, with each new revelation raising the stakes. The novel's strength lies not just in its thriller elements, but also in its exploration of father-daughter relationships, family dynamics, and the lengths we go to protect those we love.

Frank is a relatable and deeply sympathetic character, and readers will be drawn to his emotional journey as he strives to bridge the gap between him and Maggie, while also uncovering the dark truths lurking beneath the surface of her new life. The slow burn of suspense and the mounting sense of danger keep the pages turning, culminating in a gripping finale that delivers on both tension and emotional payoff.

In short, The Last One at the Wedding is a standout thriller that expertly blends suspense with emotional resonance. Jason Rekulak’s storytelling prowess is on full display, making this a must-read for fans of character-driven thrillers with a sharp edge.

"The Last One at the Wedding" by Jason Rebulak presents a curious blend of thriller and family drama that keeps readers engaged, albeit with some mixed feelings. Set against the backdrop of a wedding, the novel introduces a cast of characters who are, by the reader's admission, largely unlikable yet strangely relatable.

The story revolves around intricate family dynamics and the tensions that arise during a significant family event. Despite the characters' flaws and the less-than-ideal thriller elements, the novel manages to strike a chord, particularly through its portrayal of the father figure. The father's relatability adds depth to the narrative, offering insights into familial relationships and personal struggles that resonate beyond the confines of the plot.

While "The Last One at the Wedding" may not rank as the pinnacle of the thriller genre, its ability to captivate and evoke empathy makes it a worthwhile read. Jason Rebulak skillfully navigates complex emotional terrain, weaving a tale that, despite its flaws, leaves a lasting impression.

Overall, the novel is an enjoyable read for those looking for a blend of family drama and suspense, offering moments of reflection amidst its twists and turns.

Wow! This was a twisty and dark one and I didn't see those twists coming! Jason Rekulak is now on my always-read list! I can't wait to see what he writes next!

Overall I was tragically disappointed by this book. I recommend Hidden Pictures by this author constantly so my anticipation was high here. The book felt like it rambled and ultimately had little point. Plot aside, the narrator was good, I liked their voice. I was engaged by the narrator but not the story sadly

After reading Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak, I was looking forward to The Last One at the Wedding. I will say that I liked that this book had no paranormal or horror aspects, it was a flat out thriller/suspense story. Frank Szatowski had been estranged from his daughter, Maggie, for three years. He is shocked when she calls him and invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right. He arrives at the private, secluded, luxurious, estate and is surprised to have to sign a privacy document. Maggie is marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Frank is out of his league, he is a UPS driver, but focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. This isn't as easy as he thought, as Aiden is evasive, Maggie doesn't have time for him and the locals are hostile to the Gardners. At least he has his sister and her foster daughter to keep him occupied. What is really going on between Maggie and the Gardner family?

I am not going to say anything else about the plot as you need to go into this one with little knowledge or it will spoil the story for you. I will say that I found the story slow to start, so don't let that deter you. It ramps up and there are several twists along the way. I wanted to find out what was going on and when I did, my jaw dropped. This is a story dealing with families, money and power. What would a father do to save his daughter? Can money buy anything you want? Are the rich treated differently in the eyes of the law? I enjoyed this book even though it was not what I was expecting. If you enjoy a suspenseful story with twists that throw you for a loop, then pick up The Last One at the Wedding. I listened to the audiobook narrated by John Pirhalla. As this story is told from Frank's POV, it is perfect. His storytelling was wonderful and I really enjoyed listening to this one.

This book was really something (in a few different ways)!!!! I really wasn’t a fan of the main character in this book so this was a slight struggle to get through…if it wasn’t for the one liners throughout this book that made me chuckle I would have probably DNF’d.

That being said, I really enjoyed the pace of the book and the fact that I could comfortably listen to the audio book at 2.5x speed without it giving chipmunk vibes. This and the few laughs I got from the story really saved the rating for this book for me!

3⭐️

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for a review copy of this audiobook.

After reading Jason Rekulak’s book Hidden Pictures, I mistakenly assumed The Last One at the Wedding would have the same feel. A sort of scary, suspense, mystery but I was wrong. Maybe that’s why I didn’t enjoy this one as much but it was still an interesting read.

The beginning plot was a bit hard to believe: Frank gets a call from his daughter Maggie after a 3 year estrangement. Out of the blue invites him to her wedding. He questions nothing but jumps on board. As the story progresses Frank realizes there is something weird about the whole situation but he decides to take it at face value.

There were several twists and surprises but I felt the reveal was over the top AND kind of gross!

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ARC via NetGalley.

TW: graphic sexual scene

My first by this author and it was entertaining but felt quite unnecessarily long. The main character gave me kind of Ove vibes, but maybe that was from the audio? I really don't know how to explain it but he irritated me - but I think that was intentional? None of the characters in this book are likeable.

This was a slow burn family drama - not sure how it's marketed but it's not a thriller really. The first half is slow and takes a while to get going, but it was engaging enough to keep me interested to know how the story unfolds. I was incredibly underwhelmed with the ending and wanted a totally different outcome. I'd still suggest this one, definitely the audio, but don't rush to it.

After his first book being one of my favorites of all time I was so excited for this one! I’m sad to say I was a little disappointed. The characters were annoying and the plot didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Not my favorite!

Okay, wow! I can’t say I expected the twist midway through the book. What a messed up family! Definitely a good read, but I was hoping for a different ending. The ending felt very rushed to me!

Loved this book - interesting characters, plenty of mystery and intrigue, and a satisfying (messed-up) twist. Rekulak does it again!

The Last One at the Wedding

Jason Rekulak, is a true breakthrough author and I am totally here for it.

After reading Hidden Pictures, my mind was blown. The illustrated pictures literally haunted me for weeks to follow.

So, when The Last One at the Wedding, was announced, I knew I would stop at nothing to get my hands on an early copy.

Receiving this one as an audio was a blessing in disguise. I typically gravitate toward E-books or physical copies but I wasn't in a position to be choosey.

I LOVED IT

Absolute, literary perfection.

Jason Rekulak has knocked this one out of the park and I devoured this audio in one sitting.

No more how you enjoy your books, this title slays.

Check out this teaser :

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.

This was exceptionally well written. I felt as if I was seeing the told directly through Frank’s eyes. The detail and description were amazing. The story, for me, was a little slow. It unraveled well though and I was shocked by some of the twists. All in all, great book. Thanks for the experience.

The premise of a wedding drew me into this book and got me excited to read it.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book fell flat. It was a slow burn, and it didn't have enough to propel me from one chapter to the next. The characters were not engaging and the twists weren't overly twisty. The entire thing seemed unbelievable and I struggle to find the "thriller" in this book. It was much more of a slow burn, domestic suspense in my opinion.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It just wasn't what I was hoping it would be.

This is a story about love.. but not in the way you think it will be.

I have super mixed feelings about this one. I loved the creepy venue setting, twisty story and inclusion of a foster youth. I think I would’ve preferred a multi POV, bc being in the protagonists head for the duration was a so/so experience- even though the narration was excellent.. the character felt stuffy at points.

Thank you so much Macmillan for for audio! Listening to this was definitely the way to go.

A great mystery/thriller!! I really enjoyed The Last One at the Wedding. There was so much happening in the book with a lot of characters, movement, bodies, and clues. A lot of twist and turns led to me suspecting several different people at different times, and while ending was not a complete surprise, there were several elements that I did not expect and held my attention throughout. There were a few elements that I found a bit confusing as to their purpose in the book and I got really annoyed by how badly Frank (the protagonist) was treated by his family over and over again. Overall a great read that I recommend to mystery/thriller fans!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I am pretty disappointed. If I never have to hear about daddy long legs spiders or lice or mayonnaise or someone touching a “buggy head” again in my life, I’ll be thrilled.

Thank you to Jason, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance listeners copy.

Frankie shocked when his estranged daughter Maggie calls to say she is getting married and wants him at the wedding. Frank is determined to find out more about this family but when strange this start to happen is it the family frank should be worried about or his daughter?

I just could not get into this book. I usually have no problem with unlikable characters but these ones just really bothered me. I couldn’t see past they unfortunately

Thank you NG and MacMillan Audio for an ALC of The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak! Hidden Pictures was good but different, so I was eager to see what this author would come up with next. This one is less “thriller” for me as it is a suspenseful, creepy, totally atmospheric novel. The narration is great, they picked the perfect person to read as the main character, Frank.

Frank and his daughter, Maggie, are on the outs for the last 3 years. She calls him out of nowhere to invite him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. He’s determined to take this second chance with his daughter and set things right. What Maggie doesn’t mention is that she’s marrying into the Gardner family, billionaires against his middle-class lifestyle.

At times I found myself annoyed with the main character because he is naive, but that is how Frank was meant to be written I imagine. He will do anything to set things right with his daughter, even if that means overlooking obvious problems that we as the reader can easily foreshadow.