I'm an Andrea Bartz fan and that fact remains the same after reading her latest story, "The Last Ferry Out".
This book is a tropical thriller that proves paradise is just one dead fiancée away from a nightmare. When Abby travels to Isla Colel to uncover the truth behind her fiancée, Eszter’s mysterious death, she finds herself stuck with a shady group of expats, an ominous storm, and a ferry schedule that really doesn't care about her survival. Packed with twists, island vibes, and just enough paranoia to make you reconsider your next vacation, this one’s a wild, sun-soaked ride—if you can get off the island in time.
Bartz has an incredible way with imagery that puts you right on Isla Colel along with the rest of the expats. You're not going to want to put this book down!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for gifting me an arc to read. Read it for yourself when it comes out on May 20th, 2025.

The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz is a thrilling ride from start to finish. The story follows Abby as she travels to Isla Colel, the tropical paradise where her fiancée, Eszter, tragically died. Abby’s quest to uncover the truth about Eszter’s death quickly turns into a suspenseful mystery filled with dark secrets and unexpected twists.

Bartz masterfully creates an eerie and atmospheric setting on the island, which adds to the tension and suspense. The characters are well-developed, and the shifting perspectives and flashbacks provide a deeper understanding of their motivations and secrets. One of the standout elements of the book is the way it keeps you guessing until the very end.

While the pacing can be a bit slow at times, the engaging writing style and the intriguing plot make up for it. The final reveal is both surprising and satisfying, tying up the story in a way that leaves you thinking long after you’ve finished the book.

Overall, The Last Ferry Out is a solid thriller that fans of mystery and suspense will enjoy. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This one was way too slow for me. It felt more like a chore to read than anything. I was really excited to read this one based on the premise, but it ultimately fell very flat. Nothing in particular drew me in or made me want to continue reading.

It was hard for me to finish this book because of how slow it was, I continued reading because I wanted to see what the big secret was.

Abby goes looking for answers on how her fiancé died and goes to the last spot she was at, a remote island. She tracks down the expats that were her friends. The expats all have secrets they are hiding. She realized as well that she didn’t know her fiancé as well as she thought and her fiancé had secrets too.

The plot took too long, in my opinion, and none of the characters I feel were particularly likable. They were all just there living. There were several reveals toward the end, but none of them were particularly surprising or exciting.

This book did not impress me and I didn't feel any wow factors while reading it. I did find myself skimming the pages to get the end.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine/Ballantine Books for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the setting of a remote tropical island and the cast of characters - a kind of misfit group of expats all running from something that have taken up residence there. The main character Abby is good though not great - I think she can be a little annoying and unreliable at times but did enjoy her growth arc through her time on the island and loss of her fiancé Ezsther.
This book was slower paced throughout the first 50% or so. It does pick up towards the end and that twist! It was so unexpected. I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers and it's not very often that I am completely surprised by a twist.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read Andrea Bartz's debut and thought it was an okay thriller, this one was much more enjoyable. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I really loved the setting and also the cover is just so eye catching. Would recommend!

I'd honestly say this was kind of 'meh'. It was very slow going, not much really happened till like the middle/closer to the end. The other characters were annoying at times. The big secret was also kind of boring.

Great writing but overall little boring.

For me this book was just okay, it fell short from the other 2 books I've read by Andrea Bartz and enjoyed. It was a very slow start, I didnt really get into it until about 65% through. The epiloge was perfect though and tied up some nagging suspicions I had while reading.

Abby goes to an island where her fiancé died to get answers and possibly done closure. She meets some interesting people and the locals are friendly but is anyone telling the truth? She gets jerked around a lot especially by her fiancé’s father who had a scheme to renovate part of the island (and hotel) which some of the locals wouldn’t want.

Oh my goodness - another novel set on a remote island filled with locals and a few expats that features a murder. And of course the partner/friend/lover of that murder victim must come to the island to uncover what really happened. What a novel concept!

Done better than the last few - but nothing that was exceptional or revolutionary as far as mystery or storyline.

As a huge fan of Andrea Bartz’s work, I was really looking forward to The Last Ferry, but unfortunately, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While I continue to admire Bartz’s writing style—sharp, engaging, and full of suspense—the plot didn’t do it for me this time. It just didn’t hold my attention in the way I expected.

I also struggled to connect with the main character, Abby, which made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. Without that connection to the protagonist, the tension and twists that I usually enjoy in Bartz’s novels felt less impactful.

That said, I still respect the author’s talent and will definitely pick up her next book, but The Last Ferry didn’t quite live up to my expectations. It wasn’t my favorite, but if you’re a fan of Bartz’s work, it’s still worth checking out to see if it resonates with you differently.

murder, anaphylaxis, drugs-issues, self-harm, physical-abuse, mental-abuse, queerphobia, forced-outing, alcohol-issues, suicide, drowning, thriller, mystery-fiction, suspense, grieving, grief, fiancée, isolated, islands, Wisconsin, Mexico, language-issues, apparent-accident, expats*****
Abby leaves Wisconsin to visit the place in Mexico where her fiancée, Eszter, died in an apparent accident despite having no Spanish. The once thriving island is now deserted by most tourists but has a small group if expats who are able to help Abby to grieve but raise questions about that "accident". The story is most definitely a suspense thriller worth reading.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books via NetGalley. Avail May 20, 2025.
#TheLastFerryOut by Andrea Bartz @andibartz #novel @penguinrandomhouse @#BallantineBooks #physicalAbuse #mentalAbuse #NetGalley @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble ***** Review #booksamillion #bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk #kobo #Waterstones #crimeFiction #MentalHealth #depression #grieving #alcoholissues #anaphylaxis #drowning #drugsissues #forcedouting #murder #queerphobia #selfharm #suicide #suspensethriller

I enjoyed the book but it took me some time to get k to it. The beginning set the scene and helped understand the storyline. But the middle, while Abby was on the island, was drawn out. It took a while to get to learn what really happened with her partner. The last several chapters were quite suspenseful however and I enjoyed the ending.

This was my first Andrea Bartz read and I am hooked! I am not normally a fan of slow-paced books (blame the ADHD, I suppose) but this one kept me interested the entire way through! I love the way Bartz really enthralls you into the setting and atmosphere of Isla Colel within the first few chapters - truly capturing the essence of this island as if you were there yourself!

I very much appreciated the queer representation in this book and felt like we were given great insight into the many different relationships and dynamics of them throughout the book that play a role in the overall story development.

The Last Ferry Out is a thriller about grief, loss, betrayal and learning how to pick the pieces back up. Thank you to both NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for providing me an advance reader copy of Andrea Bartz's latest thriller, The Last Ferry Out, in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this book was a pretty good read. I enjoyed how it told the story in different point of views. This book involves a surprising twist at the end and dives into how lies could destroy you. I thought it was a good thriller and didn’t leaving you questioning why.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for providing me an advance copy of Andrea Bartz's latest #thriller, The Last Ferry Out, in exchange for an honest review.

#TheLastFerryOut is a captivating thriller about heartbreak, death, and betrayal, set against the alluring, albeit hurricane-ravaged, backdrop of the fictional tropical paradise, Isla Colel. The novel follows Abby, a grief-stricken fiancée who travels to the remote island where her partner, Eszter, died, determined to decipher her final text. What begins as an innocuous trip for closure and possible insight regarding the days prior to Eszter's tragic death, evolves into a deadly quest for the harsh truth, which ultimately reveals that Abby was engaged to a virtual stranger.

The story flits between the past and the present, and is primarily told from Abby's perspective. Only a handful of chapters are narrated by other characters, including Eszter, some expats, and random islanders. This leads to my sole gripe with the novel, a few of the expats, and ironically, secondary characters, were a tad underdeveloped.

Abby, the protagonist, was otherwise compelling. Her emotions were palpable, which made the character believable, even if a reader cannot relate to her or her obstacles. I also enjoyed the cultural details included to describe Eszter's background and upbringing. The Hungarian phrases peppered throughout the story were a nice touch. Furthermore, the tension between the locals, the expats, and any outsiders (read: tourists) strengthened the eerie and unsettling atmosphere that pervaded the story.

Finally, Andrea Bartz crafts such visceral and gorgeous prose, I would read her novels for that reason alone. Although I loved the concept behind The Spare Room more, this might be her best novel yet in terms of execution. Five stars for brilliance!

This was a fun book and it really kept me guessing for most of the book. I liked the flashbacks and different character point of views. I worried it would be hard to follow but it wasn’t. I thought the setting on the island was fun and I liked all the ex pat characters, and the final twist at the end.

Too slow. I was sure I must be at the end, but was only 30% through. It just didn't hook me and the story didn't feel strong enough.

An enjoyable read with unexpected twists all over the place. Great characters and setting as a woman tries to unravel the mystery of her fiancé's death. A

Amazing ending!!! Did not expect such a shocking ending due to the minimal shocks throughout the story.