Final Girls is a book that I've had on my virtual shelf for such a long time, waiting for the chance to be read properly - because I'd heard so many good things about it, that I wanted to take the time to read it slowly.

Ha! Impossible...

Final Girls is one of those novels, those page-turners that you just can't get enough of.

It is most definitely not a slow read. It is brilliant.

Quincy Carpenter aka Quinn is a successful baking blogger, living with her partner in a plush apartment that is worlds away from the tragedy of her past.

Quinn is also a 'final girl' - the lone survivor of a brutal murderous attack in which of all her college friends were killed.

So named after the last often lone female standing in horror movies, Quinn shares this accolade with two others, Lisa Milner and Samantha Boyd. She has never met either of them, but has kept tabs on them via the media.

When something terrible is reported to have happened to Lisa Milner, Quinn fears that she and Samantha may be in danger. Samantha turns up at Quinn's unannounced just days later and both of their lives are turned upside down once again.

Final Girls is an unexpected triumph of a novel - not to be missed!

We have all watched those slasher films when the sole survivor is a pretty girl covered in blood screaming at the camera. Final Girls is the story about Quincy, Sam and Lisa, 3 girls all who have been in this situation and were now trying to move on with their life.
The story mainly revolves around Quincy, the latest girl, now living with a defence attorney and running her own baking blog, you would not know what she went through, she was good at hiding her feelings and the only one who knew what she was really feeling was Coop the cop who rescued her. Lisa was the complete opposite, embracing the publicity, she felt that she could help people with her experiences and Sam, went off the grid and did not want to be found. However, this all changed when Lisa’s body was found and the police suspected suicide.
Throughout this book you can see Quincy develop as a character at the start she was very meek and mild and whilst she was trying to live, she could not do it without someone to lean on whether it was Jeff or Coop. However, after Lisa’s death, she became stronger and was learning to stand up for herself, although she still used Coop as a crutch.
From the opening slasher scene, this author takes you on an adventure. I found Quincy’s past of interest and these scenes had the traditional slasher feel to them, the scenes that gives you goosebumps. The author has a knack of leading you down the wrong path and whilst reading this book I must have changed my mind at least 3 times whilst trying to work out who was behind the killings. There were a number of times that I just sat there in shock. This book is fast paced and with more of Quincy’s memories returning as the story progressed I didn’t want to put it down. This is a great psychological read and would make a great film

This is a good thriller which held my interest to the end. The Final Girls are Lisa, Quincy and Sam. They are called this because each one survived a mass murder which happened at a different place and time, with different murderers. The press gave them this name. The story is narrated by Quincy, she has never met or talked to Sam, she has however emailed and spoken on the phone to Lisa. Quincy is coping with her life until Lisa commits suicide and Sam turns up at her doorstep. Why? Read on!

I felt this book was a bit slow paced in the first half but as soon as I hit that halfway mark, I could not put it down.

As soon as you have one idea to the 'who dunnit?' question, Sager takes a sharp turn and leads you in a completely different direction. This book was executed brilliantly and handled the aftermath of trauma incredibly well. I really enjoyed this one.

I’m trying very hard to avoid all these books that have ‘girl’ or ‘girls’ in the title (we’re WOMEN ffs!) but I read this for two reasons. Firstly, it sounded brilliant and secondly, there’s a very good reason that it’s called ‘Final Girls’.
If you love horror movies you’ll know that the ’final girl’ is the last girl left standing once everyone else has been murdered. The term was coined by Carol J Clover in her 1992 book ‘Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film’ and in Sager’s book, Quincy, Sam and Lisa are ‘real’ final girls (in the reality of the book).
The main focus is on Quincy. She is the sole survivor of a horrific massacre carried out on a group of teenagers in a cabin (well, a cottage, anyway) in the woods. She can’t remember everything that happened that night, and she hates being associated with the other Final Girls. And she seems to be coping – she has a home, a successful and loving boyfriend, and she’s developing a food blog. She does take rather a lot of Xanax, and she also keeps in touch with Coop, a policeman involved in the case, but she’s trying to put it all behind her. Then Lisa dies, and Sam turns up. Quincy’s fragile façade starts to fall apart. Quincy finds herself more and more influenced by Sam, and more and more drawn into what has really happened to Lisa, and what really happened that night at Pine Cottage.
There are so many twists and turns here. Just when you think you’ve solved the mystery, that you know what the twist is, you realise you’re wrong. It’s skilfully done and makes this a real page-turner.
The characters are all really well-written and very believable. I didn’t like Quincy all that much –but I didn’t find that a problem. She frustrated me at times, and I was practically screaming at her not to do the things she was about to do – but the fact that she provoked such a strong reaction goes to show how well she was written.
There are some really tense moments, and genuine shocks and surprises. It’s a really intense, gripping and enjoyable read.

I don’t know about you, but I get this feeling after reading a great book, where I need to breathe out and have some free time before I pick up another book. I just need some time to digest what I just read, the same feeling I had after reading Final Girls. It is one of my favourite books this year and I think everybody should read it.

I was hooked from the first pages of this book, as it starts of Quincy’s escape from Pine Cottage. The main characters in this book were Quincy and Samantha (Sam). Two strong survivors of massive slaughter, but there is one small problem, Quincy can’t remember what happened that night.

All the characters in this book are really mysterious and very interesting. Most of the story was told from Quincy’s perspective, which made other characters more intriguing, because the only way to find out about them was through Quincy’s story. I needed to find out more about other characters, that’s why the pages just flew while looking for more information about them. Even though, for me, it was enough to hear the story from Quincy’s point of view, I would’ve loved to read the thoughts of other characters as well, at least at the end of the book.

The plot of this book was amazing to me. You cannot trust what you read, because as soon as you will start to believe in something, Author changes the flow of story, throwing in twist after twist and story changing turns, making this book very compelling and an absolute page turner. The narrative was changing between present and past, telling the true story of Quincy’s survival, and what happened that night in Pine Cottage. I really loved the topics author was discussing in this book, such as: pressure you get from media after surviving something horrible; mental illnesses and lifelong healing, where you can slip at any time; difficult family relationships.

The writing style of this novel was very smart, finishing every chapter with a cliff hanger, building curiosity and suspense, chapter after chapter. Add to this lovely and short chapters and a language, which was easy and pleasurable to read. The ending of the book was very nicely thought through and concluded the story really well for me. The characters and story are so awesome, that in the hands of skilled producer it could be an awesome film, and I really hope that this book will be transformed into one. It deserves it! So, to conclude, this book has a lot of interesting action going on, continuously playing with your mind and not letting you to believe in anything, throwing in twists and turns, making it a very fast paced, compelling page turner, and I think it is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ this year.

Final Girls:

A refreshing story considering the overdone plot lines. Well written and gripping from the off ~ there is no doubt final girls is going to be a favourite! It was amazing!


The book hooked me from the first page - something I look for in a psychological thriller. The concept of being the last one who survives after a horrifying attack or ordeal can be quite overdone when it comes to thrillers. However, this book was different! By 10% of the way through you could tell that Final Girls was different in so many ways.

The characters are as you can guess from the synopsis and the title are brought together by being the final girls left after an attack as aforementioned it can be an over done trope but the characterisations kept me wanting to read more. Especially since there is a sudden death at the beginning of the book ~ making me want to read more to find out the exact details. It was gripping and intriguing and the twists and turns weren't expected.

I think the book tackles the issue that horrifying events happen daily to people globally and yet, it's only a select few who get their names heard in the media and the news. It's always the blonde, 5 year old girl who gets into the news with doctor parents, never anyone who is a minority. I enjoyed the fact that the author knew that, the story Quincy faced was that of privilege.

However, a criticism that came early on for me personally was the 'mentally ill perpetrator' at the heart of Quincy's case. Demonising mentally ill people out to be killers and criminals is a dangerous path to go down. This is only a brief criticism since there is no doubt SOME criminals are mentally ill and I'm sure the author meant no harm. Also the stereotypes of those who commit suicide (Lisa) are damaging as well.

I loved the book so much the final half (yes - half) had me gripped on the sofa and I seriously couldn’t put it down until the end! 5 STARS! The ending was not expecting. Honestly one of the best books I have read this year! I will definately be putting the word out!


Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for a review.

There has been so much hype recently about this book, it's literally everywhere and with thriller being an ole fave of mine I was itching to get my hands on it, not realising I had a review copy from NetGalley chilling on my kindle, and have had for several months.

Honestly I found it a bit MEH! I like the idea of the three Final Girls although at no point during the book did the three ever get together. 

There was a nice variety of characters ranging from kind and caring to sly and cunning, although I felt no connection to any of them.

I liked the fact that there were a couple of different intriguing story line playing at once but felt that non of them really carried through, nor did the mystery aspect. For me it was lacking a lot of suspense and found it slow-paced. I don't know if that is because I had just finished a BA Paris (super suspenseful) binge and found my self comparing the two.

In summary it was a good entry-level thriller, probably a little slow for hardcore thriller readers. But still enjoyable all the same.

Quincy, Lisa and Sam are Final Girls, the only survivors of three separate massacres. When Quincy Carpenter was in college she went for a weekend partying with her friends at Pine Cottage but she was the only one who came out of it alive. Ten years later, Quincy seems to have a normal, almost perfect, life, with her own apartment in New York, her successful baking blog, and a boyfriend who adores her, although she has an addiction to Xanax and memories gap (and secrets) from that night at Pine Cottage. Although they belong to the exclusive club of Final Girls, Quincy, Lisa and Sam have never met. When Lisa is murdered and Sam unexpectedly turns up on Quincy's doorstep with her secret agenda, Quincy's seemingly perfect life starts to crumble.

I heard so many good things about this book so I was very excited to read it and I wasn't disappointed. I read it in two sittings: every time I tried to stop, something would happen in the story that made me keep reading. As the novel unfolds, you think you know where the story is going but there are so many twists and turns that I was completely taken by surprise by the ending. Quincy is a brilliant, complex, and carefully drawn character and I just loved her. This dark and chilling thriller had me captivated from the first page. Well-plotted, beautifully written and with an atmospheric setting - Pine Cottage is the perfect solitary cabin in the woods from an horror movie - Final Girls will be hard to beat as the best book of the year.

UNBELIEVABLE..... This was really unbelievable good. Did I know that when I started the book - No. Did I suspect it would be? Well, I certainly hoped it would be good. But I didn’t expect it to be this entertaining.
Qincy lives a normal life. As normal as it can be after the horrific night 10 years ago when all her friends where murdered and she was the sole survivor. She thinks she’s lucky not to remember what really happened. Nicknamed to be a “Final Girl” Quincy wants to make sure to proof the world that she is a strong young woman who has left this tragedy behind and is going on with her life. When another Final Girl is murdered her life begins to unravel.
Thrown into the story, starting with the rescuing of Quincy, I was hooked. I couldn’t stop reading and the only moments I put the book down, were when I had to take a deep breath or had to close my eyes because everything became too intense. I wasn’t sure about Quincy, what to make of her. It was clear that she was not that normal she wanted everyone to belief. But did she remember more then she let on? Or was she the one killing the others? I was literally biting my nails. When Samantha aka Tina comes along my suspicion hit the roof. I didn’t know what she was up to, but she was not there to help Quincy. And in fact from the moment she arrives, everything goes downhill for Quincy.
Towards the end I was getting nervous when nothing added up and I feared that a lot of questions would go unanswered. And the BAM! another twist and now everything made sense.
If you like reading psychological thriller with a twist in every chapter, than this is your kind of book.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK!

A very good thriller and a perfect read for holidays. It moves along at a good pace and keeps you guessing. Good characterisation and a great surprise ending. Thank you Net Galley for my copy.I reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon.

Wow! This is THE thriller of 2017. That doesn't even do the book justice. A story where the final girl trope is used in the best way possible. If you are a horror buff, you will be ecstatic. A group of final girls connect over their shared experiences, so when one of the girls kills herself, the other can't accept it. A girl who survived so much wouldn't commit suicide. When the characters all have secrets, it's hard to know just who to believe. This is one completely engrossing story that will not let you go. I am still haunted by it, as it won't leave my thoughts. The story is actually unpredictable in a sea of so many that lack originality. If you enjoy thrillers, horror, or mysteries, do not miss out on the book of the year. Highly recommend you check Final Girls out today!

A slow-burning thriller with a decent final pay-off. 3.5/5.

The premise here is terrific. The question “what happens to the lone survivor once the credits of a horror movie end”? makes for a great set up and interesting story. However, I felt the overall pacing of the narrative was slightly off.

It takes the book 42% of its length to catch up with what we’re told in the blurb. I wondered if this section could have been compressed. And I didn’t feel like the story became truly gripping until about two thirds of the way through. Up until then, the characters just seemed to wander about getting themselves into avoidable scrapes. Every now and then we’re given a flash-back to the events preceding the horrifying murders at Pine Cottage, but this felt as if someone was saying “please stick with the story, we’ll get to the action soon”.

However, one thing this opening act did accomplish very effectively was to make me suspicious of pretty much everyone. In this sense, various strands of the story are handled well, lending just enough credibility to the characters’ claims while leaving sufficient gaps in their histories to put us on edge. I had thought up ways that at least 4 different characters could be the “baddy” – and that’s great. It would have been disappointing if it had been obvious from the word go.

The last third made up for the tension I had felt was missing in the first two acts of the book. This is where the story really takes off and the actions kicks in. This part of the book is what lifted it above being simply a 3-star “ok” read to something more impressive and gripping. I was pleased with the reveal – it all made sense and was well-handled, even if I wasn’t exactly a stunner (I didn’t gasp or think “NO WAY!” when the baddy was revealed, I just shrugged and thought, “Yeah. Figures.”).

I’ve been trying to think about why the first two thirds weren’t that involving and I think I found the main character – Quincy – hard to warm to. Understandably, her past experience has left her isolated and edgy, but I didn’t find her very sympathetic. Only in that final third, when she finally started to take action without having to be cajoled into it, did I start to warm to her.

Overall: if you like your thrillers to be gripping from page one, this will be an exercise in patience for you. If you like your thrillers full of suspicion and slow burn, then get yourself a copy of Final Girls now.

Final Girls is mainly the story of Quincy Carpenter, sole survivor of the Pine Cottage Massacre several years earlier. There are two other Final Girls, both of whom were also only survivors of two separate multiple murders.
How and why their lives intertwine is explained in , at times, somewhat laborious detail. The book is , in places, exciting enough, but there are some narrative misfires and , sorry to say, some clunky prose.
However, if you're looking to pass the time with an undemanding slasher/thriller read this might just fit the bill.

I didn’t read the synopsis of this book because I don’t want to have any idea about the story. (I mostly read synopsis after I finished reading the book. I like it that way.) I first saw Final Girls on Netgalley and fell in love with the cover so I requested for it. Luckily, I got approved. Then last month, I received a surpise bookmail from Dutton Books (Penguin Random House) and inside was a signed hardcover copy of Final Girls with an exclusive bracelet.

Lisa, Sam and Quincy are labeled as the “Final Girls“. They were the sole survivor of different horrible massacres. Quincy, our protagonist, is living her normal life (forgetting her tragic past) with her fiance until she finds out that Lisa has commited suicide and Sam suddenly shows up after she went off the grid and disappeared.

This book is told from Quincy’s POV and it transitions between her present life and flashbacks, which were my favorites, from her past aka the Pine Cottage massacre. I didn’t like Quincy that much. She’s a bit self-centred, annoying and naive. Her decisions are extremely questionable but I couldn’t stop rooting for her. Probably because she loves to bake and she’s a blogger. The other characters are intriguing and pretty much relatable. I can’t say too much about them because I might end up giving some spoilers. So you have to bear with me.

I personally like the idea of the story. The writing is great and the chapters are short which makes this book an easy read. The beginning was a bit slow but the last 100 pages are gripping because of all the revelations. And eventhough some of my predictions were right, I still didn’t know exactly how things happened and how it will end and these made me more eager to continue on reading. There were some disturbing and creepy scenes which made me feel like there’s someone watching me while reading. My husband was on late shift when I read this book so I was alone during those times and I love reading more at night. The ending was quite rushed and conventional for me.

Nonetheless, this was an engrossing and adrenaline-filled debut novel. Plus, the unknown real identity of the author adds up to the mystery. I highly recommend Final Girls whether you’re new to this genre or an avid fan of thriller novel.

You know when you are watching a slasher blood-bath horror flick with your mates and you all try and pick who the survivor will be - cos there's usually only one - well... this book tells the story of what happens next for those survivors. Best know by the moniker "The Final Girls" this book tells the story of three such women; all survivors of quite different attacks. A sorority house killing. a motel massacre and the good old cabin in the woods scenario. Mostly we follow the cabin girl, Quincy, and see how she has rebuilt her life since being the sole survivor of the bunch of friends who thought the cabin was a good place to celebrate one of their birthdays. Several years later, she is still being looked after and dependent on Coop, the cop who found her running for her life that fateful night. She still hasn't got over what happened, keeping a lot buried, and still can't speak the name of the man responsible. She is now a baker and has a quite popular blog and is living with boyfriend Jeff. Then, one day, another of the Final Girls, Lisa, is found dead, assumed to have taken her own life. This event brings the third Final girl, Sam, out of hiding and into the arms of Quincy for support. But what kind of support can she really offer as her own life is somewhat chaotic.
Well... I completely devoured this book in only a couple of sittings over two days. In fact, I would have stayed up all night to finish it had I not had an important appointment the next day that I had to be on the ball for. The way the book is written had me really getting into the heads of Quincy as her world disintegrated around her, and also Sam as she just blew into town like a whirlwind, bent on self-destruction but at the same time wanting to help Sam remember what actually happened on that fateful night by pushing and pushing. These two characters actually reminded me a little of Susanna and Lisa from Girl Interrupted. Lisa obviously being Sam; seductive and dangerous and Quincy being Susanna who struggled to live in the real world a little by living in denial.
Anyway, as we follow the aftermath of Final Girl Lisa's death in the present day, we are also told in flashback what happened when Quincy and a few others went to Pine Cottage for her friend's birthday. More and more information is drip fed in these sections which follow quite nicely with Quincy beginning to remember in the present. I found these parts complemented the present day story very well, although I have to say I had no idea of the truth right up until the jaw dropping reveal towards the end. I read so many of this genre book that it is so refreshing to be pretty much clueless for so long during a book. Yes, I had a few theories which I kept on honing and changing throughout, but yeah, the author managed to pull the wool over my eyes for the majority without managing to annoy/frustrate me.
I found the sections from the past to be rather chilling and very atmospheric and also a little creepy. Every time we switched back to the present day, I ached to go back and find out what happened next at the cabin. The other thing I loved was the difference between the younger and the older Quincy; how what happened had really changed her in pretty much every way - both physically and psychologically. This change also went quite a way to explaining/justifying the transformation she underwent in the present after she met Sam.
Pacing was excellent and, throughout the book, totally matched the narrative. Slower paced for the creepy parts added so much to the atmosphere that the author was trying to create and made those parts even more chilling and then faster paced for some of the present day antics, on average ramping up nicely for the final scenes.
All in all, I found this to be a very expertly crafted, gritty psychological thriller that ticked every box for me, leaving me completely satisfied at the end. I have a feeling that this will be one of the big books of 2017. It will more than likely end up in my top 10 too.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on a vacation with five friends and came home alone. The sole survivor of a horror movie - scale massacre . Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife. Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn. They all became members of a group the press called the Final Girls. The girls have never met. But then Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead, in her bathtub with her wrists slit. Sam, the second final girl, turns up on Quincy's doorstep.

I don't want to say much more about this book as it would be full of spoilers. This is definitely going to be a best seller. It's one hughe roller coaster of a ride from beginning to end. There is two stories being told alongside each other. Quincy (the main character) told in the present day and the event that happened at Pine Cottage. With believable characters with mixed emotions which includes fear, anxiety and anger. This book is gripping. Fast paced and very hard to put down. Loved it.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Ebury Publishing and the author Riley Sager for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twisty, you say? this certainly is, I am usually pretty good at working out the plot, not with this book though.Full of suspense and surprises and well written.kept me puzzling trying to work it out all the way through.Good book, well worth a read.

I'd had this book on my iPad for review months before its publication date and so had almost become accustomed to seeing it sitting there - awaiting my attention - when its turn finally came around and I opened it. (Well, downloaded it in reality, but still...)

As usual I went onto the Goodreads app to add the book to my 'currently reading' list. And though I try to avoid seeing any other reviews before I post my own (lest I be swayed by others) I did note some rather positive comments about this book. Which I discovered - when I read it in an intense sitting - were most certainly warranted.

I wondered about the direction this book would take as it kicked off. The three baddies, who turned Lisa, Sam and Quincy into 'final girls' are all dead... so it seems there's no mystery to be solved there. They've all had closure. So when Lisa's suicide is discovered to be something else we're forced to wonder if the girls themselves are being targeted. But by who, and why?

I hadn't heard the term the 'final girl' before. It's apparently film terminology used to describe the last woman standing at the end of a horror movie. It's a membership Quincy certainly rejected... though of course she realises the alternative would have been worse. 

Sager does a good job at developing a sense of dread, rather than one of menace. We've come to care for Quincy. She's resilient and seemingly moved on from her ordeal (despite the Xanax). Not remembering the events of the night of her friends' murders seems to have offered her some protection. But there's a thick air of foreboding as the novel progresses. We kinda know something bad is going to happen, but not exactly sure what or why.

And we're offered a pretty limited pool, in terms of who may be of a threat to Quincy. There's Coop - the cop who found Quincy and who has been her rock ever since as well as Jeff, Quincy's boyfriend of several years. And of course there's Sam who seems to be a terrible influence on Quincy - determined to get the third final girl to remember what happened 'that night' in Pine Cottage.

Oh... and then of course there's Quincy who we learn - through flashbacks - was suspected (by police other than Coop) of knowing more than she let on about her night of terror.

In the present day the story unfolds in first person from Quincy's point of view, so she can't really keep any secrets from us. We know that she doesn't really remember the night at the cottage. We know she refuses to think about Him. We know He is dead. But we also know that Sam's appearance along with Lisa's death is sparking some memories Quincy had assumed were lost forever.

Sager inserts flashback scenes throughout the book - chronologically initially - so we learn how Quincy and her friends came to be on their trip to Pine Cottage and the events of the day prior to the murders.

In the present it's obvious to everyone other than Quincy there's something 'off' about Sam; her erratic behaviour and secretiveness is cause for concern, and of course we're unsure what it is she wants from her new friend.

Happily Sager gives us a number of twists. I'd pondered on the various scenarios earlier in the novel but discounted them so she did a great job at keeping us guessing. She throws suspects and questions our way and then moves on. And - of course - she has us doubting Quincy... our host for this read.

I enjoyed this book and read it in a sitting. It's well paced and we get glimpses of past events just as we need them. Quincy is likeable but complex and though Jeff and Coop seem intent to protect her, we're not entirely sure who we can trust.

It doesn't happen often, but I enjoyed the ending of this book. Sager offers readers answers and closure without feeling obliged to tie everything up too perfectly. So I look forward to whatever comes next from Riley Sager. (And I should mention that the name is a pseudonym, so Riley Sager could be male. I've only assumed female as it's written from a female's point of view!)