The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz is a gripping, atmospheric thriller set on a remote Mexican island. Following Abby’s quest to uncover the truth behind her fiancée Eszter’s mysterious death, the novel weaves secrets, betrayal, and suspense into a haunting narrative. Bartz delivers emotional depth, vivid setting, and satisfying twists. Though the pacing occasionally drags, it was a nice read for a rainy spring night—moody, immersive, and just the right touch of eerie.

When Abby’s fiancée Eszter dies suddenly on the remote Mexican island of Isla Colel, Abby is left reeling—and haunted by Eszter’s final, cryptic message: “We need to talk.” Driven by grief and a desperate need for answers, Abby travels to the island in search of closure. There, she finds a tight-knit expat community, each member with their own secrets, and quickly realizes that the truth may be more complicated—and dangerous—than she expected.

While the story unfolds at a slower pace, the well-developed characters and the steady undercurrent of mystery kept me invested. The atmosphere of Isla Colel adds a lush, slightly eerie backdrop that enhances the tension. It’s not a twist-a-minute thriller, but there’s enough suspense and emotional depth to make it a compelling read.

If you’re looking for a moody, character-driven mystery with a touch of psychological intrigue, this one is worth checking out. A solid, satisfying read.

Very slow paced suspense story about Abby, a young woman who travels to an island in the Gulf of Mexico where her fiancée Ezster tragically died. As Abby tries to get more information about the events leading up to Ezster's tragic death, she meets her fiancee's friend group and feels a real sense of menace. Did one of them have something to do with it?

With more atmosphere than plot, this is for those readers who are okay with a White Lotus pace. If you need a book with a lot of twists and turns to keep you gripped, this will not be it!

I did appreciate the f/f aspect of the story, as domestic suspense always seems to be about straight couples.

One of the first books that pulled me back into reading was Andrea Bartz’s We Were Never Here—it completely hooked me. So when I saw The Last Ferry Out was going to be in a similar style, I couldn’t wait to dive in. And it absolutely delivered.

From the very first page, I was pulled in, and the story held my attention all the way through. I thought I had the ending figured out... but I was so wrong (in the best way). Bartz does an amazing job dropping little breadcrumbs that all come together in such a satisfying way.

What really stood out, though, was the character building. The family dynamics and drama felt so authentic, and the book tackled real-life issues with a lot of heart and nuance. Even if you're not part of the LGBTQ+ community, the themes of identity, belonging, and complicated family ties are incredibly relatable.

By the time I hit the last 25%, I literally couldn’t put it down. It’s twisty, emotional, and so well written. Highly recommend if you're into psychological thrillers that hit you on more than one level.

I have enjoyed Andrea Bartz books in the past but this wasn't my favorite from her. It felt a bit uneven at times and I didn't love the characters or their actions. But it was still an atmospheric novel and I feel Bartz really excels at that.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Andrea Bartz and Ballentine Books for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was less thriller than I thought it would be, until the last quarter. I loved books where they are stuck somewhere and can’t get away. This was such a well written and entertaining story with such different characters.

(Apologies, I copied in the wrong review the first time)
I loved the premise of this. I love 'locked room' novels and this worked with the remote island, mysterious death, secrets and mysteries. It was definitely staged so perfectly.

The island setting was beautifully eerie and practically jumped off the page. I LOVE when setting serves as a character and this definitely delivered. The twists were gripping, the topics of love and loss were really interesting, and I enjoyed the through line of tension. I will say: I am usually a HUGE multi POV person. But in this case I think it almost took you out of the story and messed with the plot. I found myself skimming to get back to where I was in the action.

Another 5 star read from Andrea Bartz. You should know just by seeing her name that the book will be a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for this ARC! I'm a fan of the other Andrea Bartz books I've read, so I was excited to get this one. After Abby's fiancee Eszther dies of an allergic reaction while on vacation on the remote island of Isla Colel in Mexico, Abby decides to take a trip there herself to try and get some closure. She has a feeling that there are some unanswered questions waiting for her surrounding Eszther's death, so she seeks out some other expats that Eszther had befriended while she was there. But the longer she stays on the island, the more she suspects that there might have been some foul play involved, and that Eszther's friends are hiding something from her. Will she leave with her questions answered, or with more questions than she started with? This was definitely a slow burn, but got pretty exciting towards the end. There were some twists that I wasn't expecting. I loved the eerie tropical island setting, but for some reason the characters felt really flat to me. I never really found myself rooting for any of them. I also remember not being able to put down the last Bartz book I read, but this one I felt like I had to force myself to read - it just didn't pull me in for some reason. 3.5/5 stars

I thought this was going somewhere really wild and I was all strapped in for it, and then it just sort of… fizzled. I enjoyed the story, the flashes between past and present, and the uncovering of the lies that brought Abby to the island to try to understand her fiancé, but I really wish the truth didn’t make what came before feel so over the top and insane - I wanted an equally insane conclusion. Despite that, tight writing, lots of mystery, and great characters, so definitely worth a read.

The Last Ferry Out by Reese's Book Club author, Andrea Bartz, is a thriller set on an island. The tropical setting creates an atmosphere that is perfect for summer reading by a beach, pool, or lake.

This story is about a young woman who goes back to an isolated island to find out the truth: The main character suspects her fiance may not have died on accident. She goes back to the remote island to find out what happenend. Read this book if you like atmospheric settings (like a topical island), suspense, slow burn, and mysterious circumstances that keep you guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Enjoyed this one, but hard to write a review without spoilers! Eszter and Abby are dating despite concerns from Eszter’s family, engaged even. Unfortunately, Eszter had went to a small island ahead of Abby, and she’s to join her for the last week. Though Eszter’s has a tragic accident. Abby still goes to see the place and try to figure out why this happened. In the process she befriends several people on the island and learns a lot more than she expected. Another good one by Andrea Bartz!

This mystery was interesting and unpredictable. The reason I didn't rate it higher is because most of it didn't stick with me. I felt like the characters weren't that interesting. The most interesting part actually was the setting. I liked that there wasn't really a huge shocking twist because I am tired of them. There were twists just not of the kind that completely change what you've read so far.

with gratitude to netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

The Last Ferry Out completely hooked me from the very first page. This book is gripping, atmospheric, and full of tension—I couldn’t put it down! The writing is sharp, the pacing is perfect, and the twists had me constantly second-guessing everything I thought I knew. I loved how the setting played such a strong role in the story—it felt like its own character at times.

Every chapter left me needing more, and the characters were so compelling and layered. If you're into suspenseful thrillers with depth and heart, this one is an absolute must-read.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy—I'm so grateful for the chance to read this early. I’ll be recommending this one to everyone!

I was really disappointed while reading The Last Ferry Out. I thought it was really slow and the twist was underwhelming. I felt that the multiple povs weren’t necessary and they didn’t add anything to the book. I love thrillers but this one sadly fell flat for me. 🫣

I was given an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

This book had the most amazing twists and turns I love to read… I would love to read more from this author!

Bartz does a great job building tension and atmosphere. You can practically feel the heat and isolation of the island. The mystery unravels slowly, so it’s more of a slow-burn suspense than a fast-paced thriller, but it pays off in the end.

Perfect for fans of books like The Guest List or The Last Thing He Told Me, this one’s a dark, immersive read—especially if you like your thrillers with a side of tropical unease.

I think Andra Bartz just isn't for me. I disliked the characters and felt indifferent toward both the plot and the entire cast. While fast-paced and a fun setting, The Last Ferry Out didn't do it for me.

Although it had some interesting twists at the end , this was just too slow for me . I could skip pages, or even chapters and not miss much 🤷🏼‍♀️
I also didn’t like Abby . She felt a bit controlling and overbearing when it came to Eszter and their relationship and that just rubbed me the wrong way 🤷🏼‍♀️

I have enjoyed other books by this author much more than this one .. I will certainly continue to read her work