The Last One at the Wedding was the first book that I had the pleasure of reading by Jason Rekulak. I would describe it as as a book that portrayed serious family drama but that also had some elements of a good thriller in it. It took place in Pennsylvania, the Boston area and in New Hampshire. The Last One at the Wedding was well plotted and held my attention throughout. There were a couple of mysteries that had me guessing up until the end. Jason Rekulak was able to include characters that were both complex and well developed and some more likable than others. I listened to the audiobook that was well narrated by John Pirhalla.

Frank Szatowski and his impressionable young daughter, Maggie, lost the woman that held their family together way too early. Maggie was a young girl when her mother died. Her father, Frank Szatowski, did his best to raise her in a one parent household. Frank called upon his sister, Tammy, to help when he felt overwhelmed or just needed her help. Maggie and her aunt Tammy forged a close relationship as a result. Frank had served in the Gulf War before he and his wife had had Maggie. He was very devoted to Maggie, but somehow the two of them had had words and differences of opinions and had become estranged. Frank was a UPS driver. He was very proud of his exemplary record with the company. Frank had worked as a UPS driver for twenty-six years and could boast that during that time he had never had an accident or any problems. Maggie always aspired for more. She wanted a career that was both lucrative and satisfying. She wanted to leave Pennsylvania behind and never look back. Maggie was looking to be recognized for her talents and ambitions.

Frank had not heard from his daughter for almost three years when out of the blue he received a phone call from her. Maggie was about to offer her father an olive branch but for something that was the last thing he ever expected. Frank received a phone call from Maggie that informed him that she was getting married in a little over three months and wanted him to not only attend the wedding but walk her down the aisle. As surprised as Frank was at this revelation, he wanted to do this for Maggie. He hoped that they could resurrect their relationship. She informed her father that she was marrying Aidan Gardner, the only son of the billionaire CEO of the tech company she worked for. Maggie invited her father to have dinner with her and Aidan at their apartment in Boston. Frank was not prepared for everything that he experienced that night but he held his questions and comments in for the sheer joy of being reunited with Maggie and being able to see his daughter get married. Maggie informed her father that Mr. and Mrs. Gardner were hosting the wedding at the Gardner retreat in New Hampshire. There was nothing that Frank needed to do but show up. Being the proud father of the bride, Frank insisted on paying for the alcohol. That was the least he could do.

As the wedding date finally approached, Frank had offered to drive his sister and himself to the venue in New Hampshire. When he arrived at his sister’s home, he learned that his sister planned on bringing the foster child in her care to the wedding as well. Other arrangements were not able to made for Abigail so there she was ready to make the trip to New Hampshire for Maggie’s wedding with Frank and Tammy. She was a sweet girl and very trusting but Frank was annoyed at his sister for burdening him with Abigail’s presence. When Frank, Tammy and Abigail finally arrived at Camp Gardner, Frank was not prepared for everything that would follow. From being asked to sign a non disclosure agreement amounting to over a hundred pages when he first arrived, to not being introduced to Aidan’s family upon arrival, to Maggie’s lack of time she claimed to have to spend with Frank and Aiden’s elusiveness, Frank suspected that something was not quite right. There were so many red flags. Will Frank be able to uncover what was wrong?

I really enjoyed The Last One at the Wedding. Jason Rekulak proved to me that he is a masterful storyteller. I appreciated all the twists and turns throughout the book. They definitely kept me guessing. I enjoyed Frank’s character and the relationship he developed with Abigail over time. Even though this was the first book that I had the opportunity to read by this author it will not be the last. I will look forward to reading more books by Jason Rekulak in the future. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

The Last One at the Wedding was a well done audiobook. I thought John Pirhalla did a great job of capturing the character of Frank and really adding a layer that I may not have gotten in print.
This was a family/rich person drama/mystery where you know something isn't as it seems or something sinister is happening, but you aren't sure what. It was a bit too slow of a burn for me, but when all the parts come together, there were some twists I didn't expect. I felt like what happens to Frank in his work situation was kind of .. convenient? I don't know, it just felt off for me. Overall, I think Jason Rekulak did a great job of creating a bunch of unlikable characters and having a 'who do I trust' scenario. I felt for Frank as a father and being in such an impossible situation.
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for the review.

I truly adored Frank but most of the cast of characters was otherwise quite unlikeable. This was more domestic suspense than thriller and definitely had the rich people behaving badly trope. The ending threw me off a little. Overall it was an enjoyable listen and the narrator did a great job. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC of this one. Publication date 10/8/24

Frank Szatowski is an estranged from his only daughter, so he is surprised do not only receive a phone call from her out of the blue, but be invited to her upcoming wedding!

Frank has been wanting this reunion with his daughter for a long time, so he makes every effort to be a good father of the bride and be involved in the wedding as much as possible … this isn’t your ordinary wedding and his daughter Maggie doesn’t seem to have time or want any help from him… and this is the least strange thing about this wedding!

The story is told from the point of view of Frank and I loved how you get to know him and his desires and his eagerness to create this familial bond with his daughter, all the while, looking at the world in a black and white good/bad mentality. His motivations fuel this mystery and creates a thrilling wedding weekend!

The audio narrated by John Pirhalla perfectly captures the working class, New Jersey voice of Frank. I felt his character come alive as the narrator embodied not only the voice and accent, but the emphasis of his speech. The other characters in the book are well done as well and easily distinguished, but since this is Frank’s story, his character really stands out.

This is one of those books that I did not see where it was going, and I was pleasantly surprised after working through the twist and turns at where it ended!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jason Rekulak, and the publisher for this audio ARC! I might have actually squealed when I got approved for this book—it’s one of my most anticipated reads of 2024!

And wow, it absolutely lived up to the hype. As an audiobook, the narration was outstanding. Whether it was the strength of the material or the narrator’s cadence, I was fully immersed in the story from start to finish.

The main character, Frank Szatowski, was so likable, as were his sister, Tammy, and her foster child, Abigail. Without giving too much away, I really appreciated how the story unfolded naturally, revealing the complexities of parenting in a thoughtful way.

I’m thrilled to have had the chance to read this early. It’s a must-read! 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

Frank Szatowski is living a quiet life as a deliveryman when out of the blue he gets a call from his daughter, Maggie. The two fell out a few years prior and Frank believed that was the end of his relationship with her. Maggie is calling to invite Frank to his wedding. Frank finds out that his daughter is engaged to Aidan Gardner, the son of a tech billionaire. Frank travels to an expansive estate for the prestigious wedding with his sister and her precocious foster child in tow. But in the days leading up to the wedding he begins learning about local hostilities to the Gardner family, odd family members, and everyone pretending everything is fine despite worrisome and dangerous events continuing to happen. Its left to Frank to figure out what is going on and whether his daughter is actually safe marrying into the family.

I loved Hidden Pictures and thankfully The Last One at the Wedding shows Jason Rekulak is really good at building a suspense thriller full of twists. The first act of the book is somewhat slow, but well crafted and engaging as the Szatowski and Gardner families are established. The book examines the class conflict between the two families and the Gardners with the surrounding community and builds off of the classic fish out of water at a wedding trope. Frank made for a very compelling protagonist as someone who is trying to repair a relationship and understand why it was broken in the first place. And the twists and reversals in the book made it much more compelling for me and it created a very exciting final sequence. Another wonderful thriller from Rekulak.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of The Last One at the Wedding in exchange for an honest review.

This was pretty twisted and I liked it!

What I liked:
- Frank is a great character. He's such a dad! Very believable.
- I liked the fancy wedding setting.
- The twists and turns as this story unfolded were intriguing and kept me interested.

What I didn't like:
- nothing

Well damn. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year since I absolutely loved Hidden Pictures. However, many of the 2024 “thriller” releases have not been hitting unfortunately. Either they’re getting worse, or I’m getting pickier (could be both). I put thriller in quotation marks because maybe one part in this entire book was thrilling. It was a slow burn with no real payoff. I was just kind of listening passively. I even skipped a small portion of the book just to get to the end. I didn’t feel like I missed anything either.

The plot of this book was not original in the slightest with no new commentary. Just “rich ppl bad” and “screens bad.” No likable characters either except the foster kid. The main character was insufferable. I can do unlikable characters, but the MC was just a whiny dad complaining the entire time.

I see other people praising the narrator, but I didn’t think he was that great TBH. Maybe it was because I was listening at 2x speed, but his voice for the female characters was straight up bad.

The Last One at the Wedding is out now. Thank you to 2024 Macmillan Audio Influencer Program and Netgalley for an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jason Rekulak, and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to a copy of the audiobook version of The Last One at the Wedding in the return of an honest review. I received an advanced copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I having a feeling that if I had read this as a book, instead of listening to the audiobook, it would have been a "did not finish" for me. The pace was agonizingly slow. Sure, there was a twist in it, but it took what felt like forever to get there. I no longer cared how the story wrapped up. Each character was more unlikable than the next. The only reason I am giving this one three stars is because of the narration. That was the only thing that kept me interested. Not sure if it was how the character was written or how the narrator chose to voice him, but when the main character, Frank, was featured all I could visualize was Judd Hirsch.

I loved this book as I knew I would. Audiobook was also well done! Can’t wait for more books from this author.

Thank you for allowing me the chance to review this book. I thought it was well-written and it kept me on my toes, although it wasn’t as suspenseful as I was hoping. I didn’t care for any of the characters and thought they were all pretty unlikable, which was probably the point but it made it challenging to read.

What a ride!!! Hidden Pictures was one of my favorite reads this year, so I was mega stoked to get access to this audiobook! The narrator was fantastic. I’ve never been a reader of books with older male characters as the MC and I was pleasantly surprised by this narrator!! He was engaging, mysterious, and I felt connected to all of the characters via his different impressions.

The storyline was such a roller coaster - I love when you go into the second half of the book totally confused at who done it. Frank and Maggie’s relationship was so surprising and entertaining. I literally had no clue what was going to happen!

My favorite character was Abigail, hands down. Her innocence and love for everyone was a light in this story. I also loved watching Frank’s character development throughout this story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for this ARC audiobook!

I read Hidden Pictures and absolutely fell in love with Jason Rekulak and wasn't able to put that book down. This book was different. I am not sure i it's because I listened to it on audiobook or what, but I couldn't get into this book as much as I did his first book. While I did finish it, it took me a lot longer than I expected to get through it.

Can I say I liked this book in parts? Frank Szatowski is a genuine, salt-of-the-earth kinda guy who has an estranged daughter, Maggie. Her wedding to the son of a super-rich businesman brings them close again, but when Frank arrives at the wedding, he suspects that nothing is what it appears to be. The entire family just seems a bit off. The premise was interesting and the references to some popular Philly spots delighted me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Are you looking for an epic mystery-thriller that will keep you invested until the last page? Jason Rekulak’s newest novel DELIVERED.

Frank has not spoken to his daughter, Maggie, in three years and is shocked when she calls to invite him to her wedding. When he arrives at the private estate where the wedding will take place with his sister and her foster child, Frank discovers Maggie is marrying billionaire heir, Aiden Gardner.

The family is not friendly, Maggie has no time for him, and Frank gets suspicious when he releases that Aiden is suspected of having something to do with a missing woman. When a fellow wedding guest winds up dead, Frank goes on the hunt to figure out what secrets are being kept from him in a bid to save his daughter.

Why Kirsten loves it
Frank is an everyman way over his head with the antics of the 1%. While he strives to help his daughter in a bid to repair their relationship, he is met with a myriad of scenarios he can’t wrap his head around as he is thwarted at every turn. His outsider looking in perspective was an exceptional narrative tool and as he uncovered each secret, I was every bit as shocked as he was. At the 70% mark my mind literally looked like this – 🤯. I DEVOURED it and you will too.

I requested this title because I really enjoyed Hidden Pictures. This turned out to be nothing like Hidden Pictures, really, but I think I actually liked this one far more!
I loved how throughout the story, readers realize that their first impressions of pretty much all the characters have been wrong. Maggie is not a sweet daughter who hasn't had time for her father, and Adian is not an aloof snob. As one reads, one has to reconsider the events that happened earlier in the story and look at them in a different light. I also really enjoyed Frank as a narrator! He is certainly flawed, but overall a very likeable and relatable character.
The setting is also excellent! I love a locked door mystery, and this was more of a locked complex in the woods mystery, but same idea.
I'm really looking forward to recommending this to the many readers who ask me for a good new mystery each day. I also loved the reader for the audiobook version! I couldn't stop listening once I started it.

This mystery was phenomenal! I love this author and how his writing style gets a grip on you! He makes you feel so much for the characters while on a thrill ride! It had me guessing through the entire book and the atmosphere was spot on!!!

Did not finish.
Despite an interesting setup, I found this book slow and irritating. I found the narrator very punchable. I was not happy with how foster children were represented as dirty, annoying, lice-infested, and probably not traumatized.

From the bestselling author of Hidden Pictures comes a breathtaking work of suspense about a father trying to save his daughter from a life-altering decision. The Last One at the Wedding is a work of brilliant suspense that delves deep into the heart of one family, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The novel explores themes of family, love, and money, taking the reader on a twisty journey of how far one will go to help their kids and do the right thing. The Last One at the Wedding is a marvellous blend of mystery, family drama, class tension, horror, humour, and heart. It's a wedding you won't want to miss!

This just didn't hit for me.
I really hated the dad and the aunt.
I hated how the dad referred to foster kids. Stop singling her out!!
I also found the story to be boring. :(