I'm a big fan of Andrea Bartz's [book:We Were Never Here|56084054], so I was hoping for a similar experience with The Last Ferry Out. I did like this story, but the pacing dragged big time for me. The themes of trust in a relationship and how well you can really ever know people were very intriguing and certainly added to the eery setting of such a remote island, but neither could make up for what ultimately felt like a book that was coming in waves with high highs and then plot to get from A to B. Overall, just a like for me on this one.

I'm a fan of this author and this was another great twisty thriller, suspenseful and had me up reading way past my bedtime!

3.5 stars. If there’s one thing I’m always going to read, it’s a thriller that takes place on an island. This one turned out decent but not great. The writing quality is great. Character development is really good for a thriller. However, it was an uneven reading experience. Every time I felt some momentum or intensity, the author slowed the pace to a crawl. Despite the pace, I was engaged and interested in how the mystery played out.

Dry and boring. Story moved slow and the MC was extremely immature for being 27 and engaged to be married. This book dragged so much and the conclusion left me wanting more. Epilogue was the best part sadly.

Another Stunning Thriller from Andrea Bartz. An absolutely incredible jaw dropping, twisty, queer story in an incredible setting with many, interesting, complex & unreliable characters that kept me reading until 3 AM and not stopping until the shocking end. Wow! I think its Bartz' best yet and I'm a huge fan of all her books. This one had my rapt attention. I didn't want it to end. I'd love to see this on the big screen!

Love everything by this author. Always suspenseful, fast paced and sorry to fet to the final page. GReat story great intrigue and great entertainment.

Thank you Random house Publishing for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t like anything about this book. The characters lacked depth and the MC Abby was immature and naive. The plot was drawn out and unbelievable. I felt that the story was also repetitive. I was bored early on and had to push myself to finish once I got to the 20% mark. The random POV of other characters felt pointless, making the story feel choppy and hard to follow with the multiple time lines.

The ending! I’m annoyed and the “twist” was so unbelievable that I didn’t even care.

The Last Ferry Out is full of tension, but at times fell flat. The book moves at a fast pace. The characters are easy to relate to and become invested in. However, at times, the pacing felt uneven. Some sections drag while others were rushed. The ending, felt a bit abrupt.

Thank you Net Galley for this copy!

Thanks to Andrea Bartz, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for access to the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In this story, Abby is trying to pick up the pieces after her fiancée has died in a remote Mexican village. She travels to the village to gain resolution of her fiancée’s death and encounters people who, though friendly, may not be quite what they seem.

I appreciate the buildup of the story and the tropical setting. The ending also resonated well with me – excellent resolution in a realistic and believable way that closed out all the details from the story. Recommended.

The Last Ferry Out has a compelling premise and a beautifully crafted atmosphere. Andrea Barry does a great job building tension and creating a vivid setting that pulls you in. The characters are well-developed, and there are moments of real emotional depth. That said, the pacing is slower than I typically enjoy, and at times, it felt like the story dragged. While it wasn’t my favorite, I can see how readers who appreciate a slow-burn, introspective read would really enjoy it.

A quick suspenseful read! Character-wise, Abby seems a little dense--does she actually know her fiancee/partner? Each flashback gives the impression that she is dragging her partner along, and Eszter doesn't show affection in the same way. The mystery and the pacing are reasonable, and Abby doesn't do anything unreasonable or challenging to believe. The expat culture on the island is fascinating, and I would be interested in hearing more if other places have similar pockets. Brady, Pedro, and Rita were pretty suspicious characters, but there were no clear red herrings which I appreciated.

Grief stricken after the loss of her fiancée, Abby returns to the island where it all happened. Hoping to find some closure, what Abby finds instead tilts everything she knew about her fiancée upside down.

I felt the book was well paced for the first 50% but it felt slower up until the final twist. Personally, I felt the book continually stated that there was more to know about Ezsther but it took a long time to actually tell you what was really going on. 

I enjoyed it but I felt the author’s first book was better paced. I’ll still read her next book though for how much I enjoyed We Were Never Here

The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz is a solid thriller with some intriguing twists, but it didn’t completely blow me away. It’s definitely a page-turner, but not without its flaws.
The story revolves around Abby, who goes to the Isla Colel to find out about the last days of her fiancée Eszter’s life, only to get tangled in a web of secrets and lies. The suspense builds slowly, and for a while, I was really hooked. The atmosphere of the small, tight-knit community is eerie and adds to the tension, which I thought was a great touch. Bartz does a fantastic job of making you feel like you're right there with Abby, navigating through a world that feels increasingly dangerous and unpredictable.
The characters are well-developed, especially Abby, who has that perfect mix of vulnerability and strength. She’s flawed, which makes her relatable, though at times, I found her a little frustrating. Some of her decisions felt a bit forced, or maybe I just wanted her to act a little smarter given everything going on around her. The secondary characters could’ve used more depth, too; some of them felt more like plot devices than real people.
As for the plot, it’s definitely a slow burn. While that works in some parts, other sections dragged on a bit. I found myself skimming through certain scenes where the tension didn’t really build, and the pacing started to feel a bit slow. The twist at the end is a solid one, though not as jaw-dropping as I had hoped. I saw parts of it coming, and by the time it hit, I wasn’t as shocked as I’d been expecting to be.
The main issue for me was that while the book had all the right ingredients for a gripping thriller, it didn’t always hit the mark in terms of keeping me fully engaged. There were moments of brilliance, but also stretches where I felt a bit too disconnected from the characters and the stakes.
However, what really stood out to me, though, was how Bartz also weaves in themes of self-discovery and redemption. It’s not just about the mystery; it’s also about the characters grappling with their own mistakes and figuring out who they really are.
Overall, The Last Ferry Out is a good read if you’re a fan of atmospheric thrillers with a slow build and a few twists along the way. It’s definitely worth picking up, but it didn’t quite leave the lasting impact I was hoping for. If you’re in the mood for something suspenseful but not too mind-blowing, this one’s a solid choice.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5/5 stars

In The Last Ferry Out, Abby travels from frigid Wisconsin to the hidden paradise of Isla Colel, a Mexican island where her fiancee recently passed away. On a mission to meet the last people her fiancee bonded with (a scrappy group of expats), Abby wanders the small island alone. Bound by grief, she slowly becomes more and more determined to solve the puzzle of Eszther's seemingly straightforward death.

This read like a thriller to me. I never expect to find good writing in a thriller so this was a pleasant surprise. The figurative language combined with the tension kept me turning the page.

What took me out of the story a bit was the lack of consistency in switching the POVs. Some characters only get one chapter through their perspective, and I wasn't crazy about it.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy.

The Last Ferry Out follows Abby as she desperately tries to retrace her fiancée's (Eszter) last days before she tragically passed away. She travels to a secluded island off the coast of Mexico and meets a group of expats that knew Eszter in order to gain more insight. As time goes on, she begins to wonder whether she ever knew Eszter at all. There are many twists, and an ending I did not see coming at all. My major complaint is with the pacing of the book. It moves very slowly in places, and at times, I was wishing it would move along quicker. Because of that pace, I wouldn't call it a thriller, but I did enjoy it and would definitely recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

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

This gripping novel follows Abby’s journey as she seeks to uncover the truth about the final days of her fiancée, Eszter. Set against the lush and mysterious backdrop of Isla Colel, the story weaves through unexpected twists and turns, keeping the reader engaged until the very end. Bartz blends suspense with emotional depth, creating a compelling narrative that explores love, loss, and the lengths we go to for the truth.

A solid four out of five stars—highly recommended for fans of queer stories and thrillers.

Un fortunately, this Bartz thriller missed the mark. Leaning too emotional/romantic for my taste in thrillers, I was left questioning where the story was going, what was in fact mysterious, and why should the reader care. This will likely be my last from Bartz.

The Last Ferry Out is a slow burn mystery told on a non linear timeline from multiple view points. The book moved slowly but had good character development that kept you reading to see what happens.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Last Ferry Out. Andrea Bartz doesn’t just write books. She provides interesting insights and crafts stories that bring the reader together with the characters.
A woman's loss of her fiancé creates the need to understand what happened and how. She goes to a small island to find out more about the fate of her loved one
She gets more than she bargained for and soon she finds herself caught between reality and badly wants to know what happened.
She becomes lost in what she learns and is forced to confront the reality of loss and despair. And answers may not be easy or what she needs to move on in her own life. 3.5 stars

Andrea Bartz is back with a new novel about a woman who travels to an island where he fiancé died. While she is there she doesn't believe the death was an accident after all.

I enjoyed this novel and Bartz writing. There were a few slow parts, but overall this is a good thriller to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group | Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.