I absolutely loved the narrator of this book but that’s about it. I was liking this a lot but then I felt like absolutely nothing was happening. It felt way too long and when I thought it would be over it just kept going. Not my favorite.

Based on Hidden Pictures, I was super excited to read this new book from the author. This book did not live up to my expectations. The story was good but it did start a little slow and the dad got on my nerves with all his worrying, begging, and enabling. The end was a bit shocking and had a good twist. The narrator was good. I did have to speed it up because he talked a little slow for me, but he did a good job.

This was a slow burn mystery that I found to be a bit underwhelming. There weren’t really any thrilling aspects so I would consider it more of a family drama. I did enjoy the narrator though and would read this author again.

I finished this in 2 days! I was hooked!!!! One of my most anticipated releases after loving Hidden Pictures so so much! This blew me away though was also not what I expected at all! It is not a spooky, paranormal thriller like his last. This has a lot of suspense and mystery but is all grounded in “regular” people on this earth behaving badly lol. And boy did they!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook. Honestly I’m so happy I got this on audio - Frank’s narration was superb and it really put me in his working dad, salt of the earth perspective as he discovered this wild world of wealth, tech mogul, having your lawyer on standby bs.

So many thrillers follow similar premises and I appreciate how this was something new and different for me! Definitely rich ppl behaving badly but also some tropes you normally don’t see in thrillers lol. And I think Jason is a master at unveiling the story through only the bit of info we need to know - and using Frank as a way to do that was so smart and well done.

I will certainly read his next book and cannot wait to see what all my friends think of this one! Thank you again for the preview copy.

As someone who just got I to audio books this was such a delight to listen to. The narrator sets the tone and image perfectly and it was a perfect match to the story. The book itself, although different from his other hit Hidden Pictures, was still entertaining and thrilling. Holding suspense up till the very end, just when you think it ends it doesn’t. And who doesn’t enjoy a wedding with a thrilling story around it.

The narrator did a very great job adding an air of mystery to the story.

Do not pick this up thinking you’re going to have another Hidden Pictures because it’s very different. HP is way more suspenseful while TLOATW is very domestic thriller-ish, slower moving. Things don’t really pick up until about the 63%-ish mark.

The one thing that didn’t work for me was the end. I feel like I was missing something. It didn’t connect. There was no resolution. I felt like I was missing a chapter or at least another 3 minutes in the last chapter with some clarity on why it was ending the way that it ended. 🤔

This was my first book by author Jason Rekulak. I've had Hidden Pictures on my TBR but have yet to read it. I will say that reading this new book was a surprise to me. It felt like a fast paced mystery novel that never let up. The twists and turns in this book had me on the edge of my seat. Some of the reveals in this book had me gasping. The audiobook, narrated by John Pirhalla, added to the pacing of the story. The narrator captured the essence of a father trying to do everything right by the way of his daughter but also having a moral code.

I really enjoyed The Last One at the Wedding. It kept my interest and I'm excited to dive into Hidden Pictures next.

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. When Frank arrives at the lavish, secluded and very private estate, he finds out that Maggie is marrying Aiden Gardner, son of a famous tech billionaire. He feels really out of place, but is trying desperately to focus on reconnecting with his daughter. The longer he is there, the more he starts to learn that things may not be what they seem. Secrets and lies slowly start to emerge.

This was a really fast paced thriller that kept me listening to find out what was truly going on. It was very edge of your seat action and I loved the atmospheric setting in the secluded estate. I had not ever read Hidden Pictures and was anxious to try this author.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for the advanced listener's copy in exchange for my honest review. The audio was really well done also. Recommended for a great Fall read. Publishes on October 8, 2024.

4.5⭐️

I had both the book and the audiobook read by John Prihalla, his voice fits a hard working middle aged man, his female voice for maggie was ok too which isn’t always easy to achieve.

The author’s last novel Hidden pictures totally wowed me, so I can’t tell you how excited I was to read this book.

This thriller keeps you riveted. It’s a very different offering to Hidden Pictures.

Frank is ecstatic to be invited to his estranged daughter’s wedding after three years with no contact. He takes a long his sister Tammy and her foster child Abigail. Only it’s anything but a delightful family reunion, it soon takes a dark turn.

The characters are really well crafted, you either love or hate them. I just adored Frank, he’s my hero! what a guy with a straight moral compass, but at the same time really caring for his family, he has good old fashioned values, I also loved Tammy who is a total opposite personality to Frank but they go together so well.
It’s got a good pace with plenty going on,the plot is fresh and entertaining. There’s snippets of wit and humour too.
For me the pictures didn’t do anything to enhance the experience of this book unlike Hidden pictures where they were integral to the story.

I loved this book, and eagerly waiting for to see what he comes up with next.

Frank is surprised when his estranged daughter, Maggie, calls him after three years of radio silence to invite him to her wedding

She is marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire, on a private and luxurious estate

When Frank receives an anonymous photograph of a missing girl, closely linked to Aiden, his antenna starts to twitch and the mistrust of his soon to be son-in-law grows

When they arrive at the wedding, Maggie and Aiden are too busy to spend quality time. I felt so frustrated for Frank and got tired of the endless gaslighting

It’s not until 60% in, when Frank gets his first breakthrough. For me, this is when the story got interesting

The pace sped up, the drama got good and I excitedly sped through the last third of the book. I loved the action and Frank was just wonderful

My rating reflects the slow, frustrating start, but the overall enjoyable story. The audiobook book narrator’s performance was spot on and portrayed Frank perfectly

For anyone that hasn’t read this yet, I’d prepare yourself for a domestic suspense rather than Rekulak’s previous Hidden Pictures - that way you won’t be disappointed and can enjoy this book for what it is rather than what it isn’t

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

I really enjoyed the storyline and how the mystery unfolded. After the authors previous book I read, Hidden Pictures, I guess I was waiting for a big twist that I unfortunately did not receive. The last sentence of the whole book made me feel like I was missing something? But I don’t think I did. Just felt like an unfinished ending. Either way, I enjoyed listening! Thanks so much for the ARC audiobook!

I was anticipating this book so much but unfortunately it did NOT work for me. Not because it's so different from Hidden Pictures (which was a top read for me last year) but because the plot is so slow-moving, complex and convoluted (NOT in a good way.) It was trying too hard and longer than necessary; everything felt so drawn out I just wanted it to end. The narrator didn't help either, making every female voice sound like an 80 year old grandma.

I do enjoy stories with the rich behaving very badly so I liked that aspect of it but overall, I can't recommend it. Could be my mood this week, too.

I was so happy and excited when I saw Netgalley generously sent me an advanced audiobook. I read Hidden Pictures and really enjoyed it so I was very much looking forward to his new book. I LOVED this story even more than Hidden Pictures. The narrator was fabulous. Whatever he narrates, I think I'll listen to. I started this audio when I was driving to work and I kept an earbud in at my desk so I could continue to listen most of the day. I just could not stop. I wanted to hear what was going to happen next. I absolutely loved the father in this book. The narrator really made him feel like a real person and did a fabulous job. I can't recommend this book enough. Really loved it. Thank you Netgalley.

This was a big no for me.

It is being promoted as an edge of your seat thriller and I disagree. I would not put this in the thriller category at all. I loved Hidden Pictures so it’s possible my expectations were off.

While there was a mystery in the book I didn’t not feel that it was strong enough to hold my attention. It felt more like reading a story about rich people behaving badly with annoying characters that I didn’t connect with.

The family dynamics were more of the same and I easily guessed what was happening.

A mystery/thriller narrated by the plain-talking, straight-shooting, plays-it-by-the-book Frank, a former military, UPS driver close to retirement whose never had an accident in his 25 years of driving for the company. He gets a phone call from Maggie, the estranged daughter he has not spoken with in 3 years, and is thrilled to have this opportunity to reconnect. She will be getting married and wants Frank to walk her down the aisle.
We are treated to a lot of Frank’s posturing as he comes to grips with the fact that he is not expected to pay for the wedding since Maggie is marrying into an ultra-rich, tech start-up unicorn company. Things get more complicated and mysterious from there. It’s pure escapism as Frank tries to reason his way into his daughter’s new life. At the same time, it’s a nature vs nurture debate. Just how much are parents willing to do for our children, and where should we draw the line?
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer and #NetGalley for early access to this audiobook for review purposes. Publication date is Oct 8, 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. I want to start by saying I enjoyed the narrator of this book because he used male and female voices, and I could easily follow along with the story and made it an enjoyable listening experience. I read the authors first book Hidden Pictures and it was one of my top rated books of last year. His first book was a thriller, and this book was a mystery suspense. They are both excellent reads, and I totally became engrossed within the story from the first couple of pages. I really enjoyed the plot of the book. It was unique and very unsettling. I think the book was definitely a slow burn mystery and I was really hoping the ending would’ve given more .. but overall a solid read! I would definitely recommend this book!!
.

This was a fun read. It worries me how blind parents are to their kids and makes me wonder if I'll be that way with my kids. I loved the unique story. I did not like the sister. She just seemed too oblivious and head in the clouds. The description of Abigail made me sick to my stomach, only because of the teeth. Gross. What I really want to know is did anyone else get lice? And what was up with the daddy long legs? Super fun read, quirky twists and turns. Loved the main character, he was such a "dad".

OMG!!, I loved this book so much. Thank you for the Advanced Copy. I’ve read another book from this author, Hidden Pictures, and really enjoyed it. So I knew going into this book that it was going to be a great read. It touched on so many topics. It focuses mainly on unconditional love that parents have for their kids. No matter what the child does wrong, the parents will still there to assist and help fix the problem. It touched on the 1 percenters in the world, with their abundance of money, power and ability to escape punishment. But the most touching part to me was the love that was displayed between the uncle and the foster child. The uncle was against having anything to do with the child. He was borderline rude but as the story developed, so did their bond and that was really exciting to see. I definitely recommend this book for everyone to read.

Officially one of my favorite male narrators. He can pull off a woman’s voice without sounding completely cringe or forced, yet it’s different enough to keep dialogue straight.

As for the story, wow. I was unsure how this would go since it seemed much different than hidden pictures but I am completely impressed. I was hooked from the beginning. The first big reveal caught me completely by surprise, which is always fun. I had to listen to the last ~30 minutes twice because the ending confused me a bit. In the end, this was a strong story that I highly recommend.

The first 65% of this book felt like attending an in-person work meeting that could have been succinctly summarized into a one paragraph email.

When the mystery and suspense started unfolding, it wasn't all that thrilling.

There were a couple of points were I was surprised, but my overall sentiment is "meh."

I feel bad for Frank and his manipulative daughter, and appreciated the second chance/found family plot line with Frank and Abigail but other than that this fell flat for me and it was way too long for that ending.

The audiobook narration by John Pirhalla was well done.