2.5 stars
I really liked the set up at the beginning of the story. There was some suspense about what had happened in the past that brought me in. There was suspense about what was going to happen at the wedding. And then it went off the rails for me and never looked back. I’m still trying to figure out if the satire of this one just went over my head, or if it just didn’t gel. The narrator didn’t help the situation either. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Hidden Pictures so I think this author just isn’t for me.

A good listen. I liked the previous work by this author so I was excited to check this out. It was good. Kept me guessing and intrigued. A bit different than the previous book I read but I liked the whole rich family with secrets, wedding on a private property in the woods.

I needed a little bit more from that ending. It wasn’t as climactic as I was expecting. It felt kinda meh. I enjoyed the book but just wanted a little more action and less backstory. The narrator was fantastic.

Thank you for an advance copy of this book by an author I enjoyed in the past. This tells the story of Frank...a UPS driver who last minute gets invited to his daughter Maggie's wedding, who he hasn't spoken to in several years. The surprises start the second he goes to Boston to meet Maggie and her fiance and just go from there. Things just aren't adding up for Frank, but he doesn't want to alienate his daughter who he just got back in touch with. This is more of a complex family drama than a thriller for me, but either way I was invested. Frank is a complicated, stubborn but loveable character. There are some good twists as the story got to the last 1/4 that I wasn't expecting. I enjoyed the audio of this book as well.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacMillanAudio for the book #TheLastOneAtTheWedding by #JasonRekulak. This book was crazy good and such a wild ride. Loved it! Franks daughter, Maggie calls out of the blue to say she is getting married. She and her father haven’t spoke in years. He is beyond excited but as the day gets near, he starts seeing red flags in regard to her finance. Something does not seem right. Is then something else going on behind the scenes?

📚 The Last One at the Wedding 🎧
✍ Jason Rekulak
📖 Mystery/Thriller
⭐3/5

➡ In the three years since he and his daughter Maggie had a falling out, Frank Szatowski hasn't heard from her once. So when she calls with the news that she's getting married, he's thrilled at the possibility of reconciling with his only child, especially in time for one of the most important moments of her life. But from the moment he meets her elusive fiancé and son of a tech billionaire, Frank has a feeling that something is...off.

Months later, upon his arrival at an exclusive estate where the wedding his being hosted, Frank is still desperate to reconnect with Maggie, who, despite her new proximity is unwilling to discuss anything of substance. Couple that with local residents convinced the Gardner family had something to do with a woman's recent disappearance and a body turning up on the shores of the estate's lake and Frank begins to wonder if anyone will make it through the wedding alive.
◾
🙏Thank you to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley and the author for an advanced listener copy of The Last One at the Wedding. All opinions are my own.
◾
🎯 What I loved: The audiobook on this was well done and I think the casting was smart. Frank sounded the way I envisioned him and his tone matched the story perfectly. Amateur sleuth stories tend to have either a brilliant starring character that notice things no one else seems to observe or characters so frustratingly dopey that you just don't want to read their perspectives. I found Frank to be somewhere in the middle. While he was definitely not the brightest crayon in the box, he had some redeeming moments and was at least an open and honest narrator which set him apart from other thrillers. I was intrigued enough to keep reading this all the way through but wouldn't say I loved it.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: I know how frustrating it is for authors to be compared to their other words because we're all our own worst critics but...Hidden Pictures is one of my favorite thrillers of all time so I went into this book with high expectations. While there are similarities between Hidden Pictures and this book, like having a blue collar protagonist thrown into a white collar world, I didn't find this one nearly as propulsive. There was a lot of time spent building up the story and while I kept thinking we were getting tons of clues (what was with the spiders?) that would come back and make sense at the end, there weren't many beginning to end connections and it didn't feel like the reveal was very climactic.
◾
Read if you love:*
*blue collar/white collar thrillers
*families who use their privilege to make problems 'disappear'
*complicated father/daughter relationships
◾
See also: If Something Happens to Me, The Guest List, The Last Mrs. Parrish

Let me start by saying I LOVED Rekulak’s Hidden Pictures. I was beyond excited for this one. This one was definitely totally different and I love his versatility. Hidden Pictures is a horror story and this one is a mystery. Overall, it was an okay listen for me. I can certainly see its appeal to a wide audience and I know it will do well in the commercial market. It just wasn’t a very memorable book for me. Definitely a slow burn. Things I loved were the narrator, the last chapter (🥺), and the main character Frank surprisingly grew on me. He was a morally driven character who truly loved his daughter and it was very nice.

This book was so interesting from the beginning, there was so many twist. But I feel like the end was a little vague compare to the rest of the book. It was very well written and the narration was also good.

After loving Hidden Pictures I was so excited for this! I was very let down by the difference in genres. I wasn’t much interested in the domestic thriller presented here. Maggie was ungrateful and the dad was truly an idiot. The last line also makes no sense.

“You’re looking at the next JK Rowling” was the final nail in the coffin for this one. It’s 2024. I am begging authors to stop putting Harry Potter references in their books. I also didn’t like the writing, it felt very juvenile even though the main character was a grown man. I don’t mind unlikable characters but everyone in this book sucked. This was my second Jason Rekulak and I don’t think I care to read anything else by him honestly. I couldn’t even get through this one….

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was super excited about this book because I loved hidden pictures. This book fell very flat to me and honestly did nothing for 50% of the book.

Maggie and Aiden are getting married and Maggie calls her father Frank to come to the wedding. They’ve had an off and on relationship but Frank is excited to go to the wedding. He’s very weary of Maggie’s fiancé and his family.

The audio was very good and made the book more bearable.

Thanks netgalley and publisher for chance to read this book.

There isn’t a lot I can say without giving it away, except it centers around and estranged father and daughter. It starts with the father receiving a surprise phone call inviting him to his daughters wedding in a month to the son of a multimillionaire.

And then the story gets complicated, in a good way. It’s dark, and twisty, and good!

@netgalley
#netgalley
#readmorebooks
#readersofinstagram
#bookstagram
#boostagrammer
#bookish
#mybookishlife
#wearebookish
#lovereading
#alwaysreading
#readinggoals
#2024reads
#goodreads
#audiobook

This is one heck of a novel. The story is compelling. It grabs the reader from the very beginning, and has so many unexpected twists, right up until the end. Truly one of the best books of the year. I listened to an advanced readers copy audio book thanks to Macmillan (Flatiron books) and Netgalley. The audio book narration was perfect. John Pirhalla was just perfect in the role of Frank. You felt like you were listening to him. The book audio was perfectly paced, and it did not hurt that Pirhalla had such an incredible story to work with. I don't usually gush over books, but The last one at the wedding should be at the top of everyone's Fall reading. Frank Szatowski is estranged from his daughter Maggie and surprised to be invited out of the blue to her wedding to a high tech billionaire's son at an elite estate in New Hampshire. But why is Frank estranged from Maggie? All is not what it appears to be. Why is her fiance so withdrawn? And why is another family claiming the fiance is responsibile for the disappearance of their daughter? Rekulak does a fantastic job weaving his plot, giving you small pieces at a time, then spinning a new twist. Who is the "last one" at the wedding? Just grab a copy - of the audio - or the book itself - and dive in for a ride that you will not want to end.

Frank Szatowski is surprised when his estranged daughter, Maggie, invites him to her wedding with Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling out of place at the luxurious estate in New Hampshire, Frank tries to reconnect with Maggie and learn more about her new family. But as he delves deeper, he discovers secrets and hostility that threaten his relationship with his daughter. Frank must tread carefully to uncover the truth without pushing Maggie away.

This book was a departure from the usual Hidden Pictures we all love, delving into a whole new genre. It reads like a slow-burning mystery, set in a secluded and slightly eerie location. The story introduces a variety of characters, some of whom are difficult to warm up to. While there is a lot happening, the main character is particularly challenging to connect with. I must admit, I found the main character irritating until I reached about 75% of the book. As the story progressed, he revealed different faces of his personality that made him more likable. On the other hand, as I read about the father's daughter, I couldn't help but sense that he possessed some knowledge beyond our comprehension until the very end of the book. It becomes evident why the father is so adamant about adhering to what is morally correct and abiding by the law. He must have had a sense that he was being manipulated.

Overall, the story is well-crafted, with a plot that slowly unfolds, keeping readers engaged and eager for more. In the end, the message was crystal clear: always strive to do what is right and avoid acting solely for personal gain. The conclusion was unexpected, especially after getting to know each character intimately. The book was difficult to set aside, perfect binge read. I found myself constantly anticipating more twists and turns, making it a great read for a rainy day.

Thank you, Macmilan Audio and Flatiron Books for digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was so excited to get an audiobook ARC of The Last One at the Wedding! I loved Hidden Pictures, and I was excited to see what this book had in store. The narrator was great. For some reason I typically don't like to listen to male narrators, but not this time. I was hooked from the beginning. I had to know what was going on with this family, and what was going to be revealed at the wedding. The plot twists were good, and I did not have them figured out. Some things that were going on in the story though I was waiting to be incorporated into the ending/twists, but they weren't so you wonder why certain elements of the book were even there. I did feel the ending was lacking. At the end I was almost waiting for another twist, or at least something for that was going to wrap up. It seemed to just end. It almost needed some sort of epilogue, maybe even from another characters point of view since we only had Frank's throughout the book. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and couldn't wait to have time to listen to it each day!

I had no doubts that I would love this book. I read Hidden Pictures and was enthralled. Unfortunatly, this book did not live up to my expectations. I didn't care or connect with the characters, and it was slow and anticlimactic.

Oh boy where to start with this one....

I'll start by saying I didn't really like Hidden Pictures but I read it a long time ago and don't really remember WHY I didn't like it so I thought I'd give Rekulak another chance.

This one started out pretty strong and I was actually kind of excited! Estranged daughter getting married? Secrets about the family she's marrying into? Ohhh what are we going to uncover?!

Unfortunately the strong start totally fizzled and the ending completely fell flat.

There was one (honestly kind of gross) BIG TWIST about 65% of the way through and I kept listening thinking, Ok we have got to be getting to the thing that makes all the rest of the things make sense right?

And I got to the ending and none of that happened. Like the ending was a literal...wait what? What doest that mean? Like not even a breath gasping WHAT DOES THAT MEAN...like a wait what did I miss what does that mean? I'm stumped.

I guess overall just disappointing. It kind of felt like he started at the end and worked his way backward. Like why was the sister and foster daughter there? That was weird. The hair cutter felt forced. The tapes seemed convenient. The gross dad? And the mom? What was that all about? None of it gelled and it just kind of unravelled at the end.

This might be the end of giving Rekulak a chance.

The Last One at the Wedding, by Jason Rekulak, narrated by John Pirhalla, has one of the most likable protagonists I've every read. Frank Szatowski is the very definition of Salt of the Earth. He's a UPS driver, and very proud of his unblemished 26 years of service. He works hard, is careful with his money, and enjoys the simple things. He definitely has a few blind spots, especially concerning his daughter, but I was rooting for him from the very first page. Highly recommend!!!

I was so excited to get access to an audio ARC of Jason Rekulak’s newest novel! I was hooked and listened to the entire thing in just over a day.

This is told solely through Frank’s POV as he prepares for his only child’s wedding. Frank hasn’t heard from his daughter in years and wants this occasion to be perfect and hopefully bring them back together, but he has a bad feeling about the quick engagement, the family she’s marrying into, and other little things that just seem…off.

This is a great book if you love being inside the mind of the main character. Frank loves his daughter very much, but this causes quite a bit of tunnel vision as he constantly chases a version of her from childhood, making him miss all the love and support of the other people around him. Frank’s character feels real, flawed, and relatable. This is more of a slow burn than an action packed book. The narration fit the book well.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Pub Date Oct 08 2024

After reading and enjoying Hidden Pictures, I was very excited when I saw Jason Rekulak had a new book coming out. And then when I saw the opportunity to request the audio, I jumped at the chance!

I’m very picky with narrators, and I can easily say I enjoyed John Pirhalla’s performance. It still throws me off a bit when males do female voices but I was able to get past that!

—-
After a falling out between Frank Szatowski and his daughter Maggie, he is shocked when she calls him up and invites him to her wedding. Determined to make things right between them, he drives to New Hampshire with the intention of patching things up. But as he gets to know his future in laws, he becomes more and more suspicious of his daughter marrying into this strange and secretive wealthy family.
—-

Franks character was really great. Typical father, only wanting the best for his daughter while also being blind to seeing her faults. While wanting to intervene in Maggie’s love life, he also doesn’t want to make the mistake of pushing her away again. But there’s only so much he can turn a blind eye to.

The story itself was full of mystery and plot twists, family drama on both sides, and great characters, making for an entertaining reading experience.

I give this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Comes out October 8th!