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!!
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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.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Jason Rekulak for the audiobook of The Last One at the Wedding.

This was my first book of Jason Rekulak, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could not stop listening and needed to find out what the heck was going on. Definitely recommend!!

Thanks to NetGalley I had the privilege to enjoy this title for my honest opinion.

If you're searching for a novel filled with twists, this is the one! Characters that are unreliable throughout will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. It's an excellent choice for breaking out of a reading slump, enjoying during the spooky season, or for thriller enthusiasts looking for a story that truly keeps you guessing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. John Pirhalla does a fantastic job narrating this story! I highly recommend the audiobook.

I loved Hidden Pictures and was expecting a similar read but this story was different and just as good!

Frank Szatowski is a UPS driver, a widow, and a man who raised his daughter, Maggie, as best as he could. He dearly loves Maggie despite the difficulties in their relationship. After a 3 year silence between the 2, Maggie calls out of the blue inviting Frank to her wedding in New Hampshire. What she fails to mention is that she is marrying Aiden, her boss' son. Maggie works for a billion dollar, high tech battery company. As Frank heads to the wedding with high hopes of spending quality time with his daughter and mending fences between the two of them, he finds himself in a foreign land of the uber wealthy with a lot of weirdly disturbing secrets.

This is a fast paced, suspenseful thriller that delves into the secrets at the heart of a rich and famous family. I loved Frank and his genuine, fatherly desire to help Maggie. The character development and backstories for the characters were very well done. There is a bit of alternating into the past for Maggie's childhood but it is very well done.

In Hidden Pictures, there was a touch of a ghost story. This story is solidly on the ground without any spookiness. I was fine with that as it did not need it but in case you are looking for that, its not in there. Highly recommend!!!

4.5 stars rounded down

I loved Jason Rekulak’s previous work Hidden Pictures and was excited to pick up this new novel! We follow Frank who is invited to his estranged daughter’s wedding to an artist from an extremely wealthy family. Frank has not spoken to his daughter for 3 years and struggles to rebuild his relationship with her while also dealing with his gut feeling of something deadly going on behind the scenes.

Rekulak is great at creating flawed characters who grow and are ultimately very relatable. The plot of this one isn’t quite as mysterious/twisty as his previous novel but it still kept me engaged throughout. I loved the outdoorsy wedding setting and the discrepancy between Frank’s middle class life vs the luxury of the wealthy. Frank’s development throughout the novel was a definite highlight for me and the ending was perfect.

I’d recommend this broadly to mystery/thriller lovers! The audiobook was fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

In The Last One at the Wedding, Jason Rekulak delivers a fun and heartfelt ride with Frank Szatowski, our not-so-typical hero. After three years of radio silence, Frank is thrilled when his daughter Maggie calls to announce her wedding in New Hampshire. But there’s a catch: the fancy venue belongs to her fiancé’s tech billionaire family, and Frank feels way out of his league.

As he tries to reconnect with Maggie, he’s also faced with the challenge of figuring out the icy Aidan, her fiancé. The wedding throws Frank into a world he’s totally unfamiliar with, and the quirky locals seem to have their own secrets about the Gardners. The cast is diverse and memorable, making it easy to keep track of everyone as the story unfolds.

Rekulak has a knack for mixing humor with deeper themes, and this book is packed with unexpected twists that keep you turning the pages. At its heart, it’s a touching exploration of family and second chances. By the end, you’ll be left with a warm feeling and plenty to think about. If you enjoyed Hidden Pictures, get ready for this fresh and engaging story!

Fine thriller/mystery with a strong family-based storyline. I wasn't too fond of the main character, especially when the story opens. Overall, if you are looking for a thriller this is a good option.

This book was really different from his last but I really loved it! This was really beautifully written and I just loved the main character so much.