Jason Rekulak has done it again with a book (this time a domestic thriller) that has kept me glued to the pages and delivers on jaw-dropping moments. What I love most however, is that nothing is played just for shock value and the characters are so lively and realized - I felt the MC’s frustration, desperation and determination throughout the story. I couldn’t help but empathize with him and found myself entirely invested in this novel. This is nothing like Hidden Pictures, but is just as clever and spellbinding. A perfect read going into spooky season!

Jason Rekulak's The Last One at the Wedding is a compelling and refreshingly original read that combines humor with poignancy. The novel centers around a unique and engaging premise—following a character navigating the intricacies of life and relationships while grappling with the pressures and expectations surrounding a significant wedding event.

Rekulak’s storytelling shines through with well-crafted characters who are both relatable and endearing. The protagonist’s journey is both heartfelt and amusing, drawing readers into a world where personal growth and self-discovery unfold amidst the backdrop of a wedding that becomes a pivotal moment in their life.

The writing is sharp and insightful, with Rekulak's keen observations and witty dialogue providing depth to the narrative. The pacing is steady, allowing the reader to fully immerse themselves in the character's experiences and emotions.

While the book is largely enjoyable, a few elements could have been further explored to add additional layers to the story. Nonetheless, The Last One at the Wedding is a delightful read that offers a blend of humor and heart, making it a memorable addition to the genre.

Overall, Rekulak delivers a story that resonates with its genuine portrayal of life's challenges and triumphs, earning a well-deserved four-star rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

“The Last One at the Wedding” just wasn’t my type of novel. I am not going to criticize the author for Jason Rekulak put together a strong effort. I was hoping for a strong classical mystery story and what I listened to the past few days was a contemporary drama with a smattering of something mysterious. The main characters were not people one wants to get behind. The daughter of the protagonist is just simply immoral with no redeeming values. By the way, the protagonist was an argumentative annoying jerk of a human being. So I detest giving low scores but I just have to do so in this case. However, as always, I am grateful to NetGalley for the chance to listen to this audiobook.

Secrets, secrets and more secrets. An intense, well written family drama. An unexpected wedding invitation. An estranged daughter. A picturesque retreat in New Hampshire. The story of Frank and Maggie (father / daughter). A large cast of very interesting characters. After three years of no communications from his daughter, Frank gets an invitation to his daughter's wedding. Excited for a long weekend retreat, Frank along with his sister and her foster child make the trip. But before he can leave, Frank gets a mysterious package. Things are not as they appear. Frank's curiousity gets the best of him as he begins to investigate the contents of the mysterious package.  A slow burn at the beginning but the pace picks up pretty quickly. How far will a father go to protect his family?

4 stars

After really enjoying _Hidden Pictures_, I couldn't wait to hit "play" on the audio version of Rekulak's next effort: _The Last One at the Wedding_. This is one wild ride.

Frank, the m.c., is a fascinating character filled with contradictions. At times, he's keenly aware of his surroundings. At others, he's extraordinarily oblivious to the truths that lay plainly in front of him. He's both fully unaware of his daughter's faults and painfully aware of them. What does not change about Frank? His devotion to being a good father, by his definition, and his sense of loyalty. These convictions get him in trouble more than once, but they make for an intriguing character study, especially considering readers can see all of the shortcomings in Frank's logic way before he can.

While the central plotline brings most of the thrills, as the structure of this review suggests, it's really the character development that works best for me in this novel. Frank grapples with being stuck in the past and in traditional beliefs and memories, but he also struggles to do what is right going forward. The conflict between these areas makes for a thrilling tale indeed.

Though it is very different from the previous novel, Rekulak delivers again here, and so does the narrator of the audiobook. I'll be recommending this one.

Great read! Definitely has surprises up until the end! I wish that some of the characters had been developed a little further. Looking forward to more books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher a author for this advanced audiobook!

Equally as infuriating as it is riveting, this book was nothing at all like I was expecting.

I grappled with my feelings about the wealthy family here. This book was nothing if not realistic in the way the wealthy are beyond reproach even when they do bad things. Yuck…

Frank hadn’t spoken to his daughter Maggie in three years when she calls him to invite him to her wedding. Happy to just be mending his tenuous relationship with her, he is happy to meet her fiancé, whom he knows nothing about.

Upon learning about the family she is marrying into and meeting her groom to be, Frank is already concerned… but it isn’t he arrives (with a couple extra guests), that his fear for Maggie really ramps up.

The Gardners are an extremely wealthy family with their fortune in tech. The more time Frank spends with the Gardners, the more unsettled he feels, constantly unwrapping more and more of the mystery of what these people are capable of. How far will he go to protect and keep Maggie in his life?

I really found the dynamic between Frank and Maggie to be unique. Coming to terms with the way they treat one another was an adjustment, but such a great aspect to the story.

I literally could NOT STOP reading/listening to this book. Even though I was getting more and more mad at the things people were doing, I was so completely sucked into this story.

They say that nobody can push your buttons like your parents or your children. Tell that to Frank, a nice, straight-as-an-arrow everyman who likes his job as a UPS driver and tries to live his life following his principles. His estranged daughter Maggie invites him to her wedding to the son of an impossibly wealthy magnate. Frank doesn’t think it’s right for the groom’s family to pay for the wedding, so he chips in (with what is probably pocket money to someone so rich). During the long weekend at the destination wedding, he will have to face many, many things that don’t seem right. But, is something bad really going on? Or is his middle class worldview too limited to understand these ultra-rich people? In a great, suspenseful and well-crafted plot, the author shows that his debut novel was no fluke. I was equally exasperated as I was worried about Frank. John Pirhalla gives him such a relatable voice that I didn’t feel like he was playing a role… he was Frank. He really made me feel for him. Rekulak came up with a character so real that it seems like he based him on my own Dad. The little details, like buying his daughter a fire extinguisher just because it’s a good deal and you can never be too safe, were the kind of things that my Dad did for me. Maybe that is why I loved Frank, and his all-consuming love for his daughter struck a chord. The twists were well crafted. The novel seemed maybe a little too long, but I was satisfied overall.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Macmillan Audio.

Frank, a UPS Driver from rural Pennsylvania, ostensibly thrilled to hear from his estranged daughter Maggie after three long years. She is getting married to a billionaire’s son at a luxury resort in New Hampshire and she wants him to come. Along with his sister Tammy and her foster daughter, they make their way to the coast. Soon they realize that there is more to the family than meets the eye. Do the townsfolk blame them for things because they are the rich folks in town? Or is there something more sinister going on?

The secrets are revealed pretty slowly in this one, there is a big build up and the secrecy is better than the reveal. Frank tries to protect his only daughter at all costs, but is pretty blinded to her obvious character flaws. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, but it was overall a good mystery that I didn’t want to put down. I listened to the full audiobook in one day without stopping!

Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio and @flatiron_books for the ARC. Book to be released October 7, 2024.

#booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booklover #arcreview #booktok #netgalley #bookrecommendations #thelastoneatthewedding

I really liked Hidden Pictures, so I was stoked to receive this arc. However, this is nothing like that book, which is okay because it's a different book.

However, I would label this more a domestic suspense and less thriller. I was intrigued at the beginning and really liked how the mmc is sharing a story with us. It all unfolds in a way that feels like you're having coffee with him, and you can't wait till he gets to the good part. Except when he gets there, it fizzles out and leaves you saying "huh" at the end. I was a bit confused, and I thought I missed something. So I didn't love the ending.

They talked about Tik Tok, like they are getting paid to sponsor it, which I didn't love. Also, the way the mmc talked down to this 10 year old foster child made me sad. Overall, it was an okay read. The title didn't really fit with the book, in my opinion, but if you're looking for something that's easy to follow with some turns, this is for you!

I was SO excited to recieve an ALC of this book! I absolutely loved Hidden Pictures, especially the surprise twist at the end, so I KNEW this would be good!

The last one at the wedding is told in the perspective of the Father of the Bride to be. It is narrated by John Pirhalla and he did a fantastic job of all the character voices and setting the mood to the scenes.

From the very beginning I knew this book would be tense. The dynamic between the dysfunctional families, the Father who has recently connecting with his estranged daughter, who is elated to recieve an invite to her wedding. It’s hard to pin point what we think about the father, we don’t know the circumstances to them being estranged for several years, and although he seems so happy and proud of his daughter, he also seems to give off manic vibes at times and it’s hard to say whether he is just so excited or a little too overbearing,

The daughter’s fiancé is aloof and mysterious. We don’t know if we should suspect him of being a bad guy or if he is just introverted and keeps quietly to himself.

When a letter shows up at the fathers door telling him to explicitly NOT TRUST the fiancé as his ex girlfriend went missing under suspicious circumstances, is he wrongly suspected of involvement or is there something more sinister at play?

There is a palpable build up to the plot, similar to when you know a storm is brewing and you can feel invisible electric tension to the air and know that something big is coming. I couldn’t wait to race to the end to see just exactly these people are behind their masks and facade.

This book was so much fun I highly recommend the read,

Thank you to Jason Rekulak and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Publish date October 8th 2024

Frank is surprised when his estranged daughter, Maggie, called him after three years of radio silence to invite him to her wedding. It’s out of the blue but he is excited to have a chance to rekindle their father-daughter relationship. When he arrives at the wedding feeling extremely out of place, he is determined to get to know the family that his daughter is marrying in to and finds that there is more than meets the eye.

There’s a bit of set-up to this story before we get to the meat of it but Rekulak’s writing was so enjoyable and his storytelling was so entertaining that I didn’t mind; I finished this audiobook in less than 24 hours. It feels very different from his previous publication, Hidden Pictures—no creepy children here; this definitely feels more mystery/ thriller than horror—but it’s a nail-biting story that I think readers are really going to like.

Frank's obvious hatred of his sister's foster child, Abigail, was very strange and didn’t seem to have a point; that whole plot line was so unnecessary to me and I really could have done without it. As for the other characters, I didn't find them to be very memorable or, frankly, all that interesting but I had a good time reading this story nonetheless.

I greatly enjoyed the narration by John Pirhalla who helped bring this book to life. This novel is told in first person and Pirhalla made our MC, Frank, feel very real and made the story all that more compelling. The audio is also produced really well which is always a plus. All in all, I really enjoyed the audio but I'm not certain that I would have enjoyed the physical book as much. Settling on 3.5 stars with room to wiggle.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the audio copy in exchange for an honest review! Available 09/08/2024.

The last one at the wedding was a phenomenal book with great writing. I love thrillers revolving around a wedding. It hafme on the edge of my seat. I didnt want it to end. I started this last last night and made it about 50%. I gave this 5 stars mostly because the main character treated the child in the book. About 68 to 75% my mouth dropped about what the twist was.

To start, I’d like to say I really enjoyed “Hidden Pictures” by this author so I wanted to read another book from him. But this book was confusing. I’ve read a lot of thrillers and I feel like this one just threw in a bunch of random things to throw you off and make you think different things were happening but in a weird way that looking back on it, is even more confusing every time I go through it all. 😭 I feel like the title had nothing to do with the storyline of the book and didn’t even make sense also. And the story kept seeming like something big was gonna happen but in the end there was barely a big reveal and then the last chapter was also just…. Anticlimactic and of course confusing again. Overall, I of course will not tag this author in my review but I did not like this book and I do not recommend unless you want to be thinking about it all day in a bad way. 😣

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC!

After loving HIDDEN PICTURES, I knew I would have to read THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING and am so happy I did!

ABOUT THE BOOK: Frank Szatowski is a simple man - he loves driving his UPS truck and getting his hair cut by the same woman at Supercuts, and he consistently writes his daugher, Maggie, letters with some pocket change, even though he never hears from her. She finally calls out of the blue to tell him the good news: she's getting married to the son of a famous tech billionaire, and the wedding will be at the family's private estate.

REVIEW: I was hooked from the start! Told from Frank's point of view, I loved getting the fatherly perspective as he tries to reconnect with his daughter amidst his shock that she's marrying into such a famous family. There were so many good plot points to keep driving the story forward and keep me intrigued the whole time. There's so much family drama and rich person drama I wasn't able to put it down! I loved the audio as narrated by John Pirhalla - he did a great job with the voices.

Frank has been estranged from his daughter for years, so he’s surprised when she calls out of the blue to invite him to her upcoming wedding. Maggie is marrying into a wealthy and influential family and is over the moon. Then Frank discovers that the last woman her fiancé dated disappeared. The family has kept the whole affair very quiet and insist the woman ran away, but Frank has serious doubts about the safety of his daughter. Frank’s sisters foster child steals the show

This is a fun book to read. I honestly had no idea where it was going for the first 3/4 of the book. This book really boils down to the story telling and narration. I keep thinking about it and even though all the characters in the book infuriated me, that's what has me hooked. It was really really well written. The end left me lost though.

The Last One at the Wedding is not really a thriller. It is a mystery, and at times is a little scary. A young woman disappears and there is definitely something fishy about the entire Gardner family, and then the night before the wedding of the century, one of the guests is found dead. The novel is also a powerful, and sad story of wealth, greed, and corruption and of a father who seems at times to be naïve and sheltered but who loves his daughter no matter what and who tries to do the right thing as he has done for all of his life.