Scan barcode
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Finished reading: September 25th 2024
"There are some moments in life when you realize, deep inside yourself, that nothing will ever be quite the same again."
I tend to enjoy Will Dean's writing, and I'm still not sure why it took me this long to finally pick up The Last One. This book came at the right time for me though, because it was exactly the suspenseful, exhilarating and simply wild ride I was craving. I went in blind, and I'm SO glad I did because the story had an even bigger impact this way. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but what I can say is that you definitely have to be able to suspend your disbelief in order to enjoy The Last One. The plot is over the top and farfetched, but at the same time extremely entertaining and I simply HAD to keep reading to discover what was going on. I love a story with a locked room element and/or remote setting, and it doesn't get more remote than a seemingly abandoned cruise liner in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Things can be said about the fact that not all characters are exactly likeable, but in a situation this extreme it is no surprise that you will see the worst aspects of a person. I loved how you, like the characters, had no clue what was going to for a long time, and while some of the big twists were a bit too farfetched for me, as a whole it somehow worked. I do have to say that I wasn't a fan of the open ending, and too many questions were left unanswered. That said, if you enjoy suspenseful and unique thrillers that will take you on a true rollercoaster ride, The Last One is a great option. Unless you want a credible and realistic plot that is...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
bibliomania_express's review against another edition
1.0
I have never been so mad at a book the way I am at this book, and the fact that people have been recommending it "without spoiling" is irresponsible. This is not a thriller - this is a book of thinly veiled psychological torture porn with the most basic critique of social media and reality TV.
I'm mad I spent hours being anxious and upset for a cheap last page twist. I'm mad that this book had the audacity to inflict such pain on characters and not grapple with the absolute moral failings of the world it presents. To suggests that a scenario like the one in this book would be brushed aside by the world at large - by friends, loved ones, even strangers - is disgusting and angering.
This is essentially The Truman Show meets the dark web. The main character (and some others) is confined on a ship against her will, tricked into staying, forced to complete life-threatening tasks, not allowed to leave, and forced to think multiple people died. All in the name of a "new, bold reality show".
I do not reccomend. In fact, I don't think I'll ever read another book by this author.
I'm so mad that the vague premise made me intrigued and hid all this evilness, and that there wasn't a single trigger warning provided up front.
Trigger warnings for: confinement, kidnapoing, starvation, psychological torture, (apparent) suicide, violence, gore, (apparent) murder, drugging, gaslighting, past parental emotional abuse, addiction, past teen pregnancy.
I'm mad I spent hours being anxious and upset for a cheap last page twist. I'm mad that this book had the audacity to inflict such pain on characters and not grapple with the absolute moral failings of the world it presents. To suggests that a scenario like the one in this book would be brushed aside by the world at large - by friends, loved ones, even strangers - is disgusting and angering.
This is essentially The Truman Show meets the dark web. The main character (and some others) is confined on a ship against her will, tricked into staying, forced to complete life-threatening tasks, not allowed to leave, and forced to think multiple people died. All in the name of a "new, bold reality show".
I do not reccomend. In fact, I don't think I'll ever read another book by this author.
I'm so mad that the vague premise made me intrigued and hid all this evilness, and that there wasn't a single trigger warning provided up front.
Trigger warnings for: confinement, kidnapoing, starvation, psychological torture, (apparent) suicide, violence, gore, (apparent) murder, drugging, gaslighting, past parental emotional abuse, addiction, past teen pregnancy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Dementia, and Pregnancy
esterie's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Sometimes you have to pocket your moral compass and find a novel way to navigate.
what a wild roller coaster of a ride! so many twists and reveals, coupled with short chapters often ending on cliffhangers with lots of high action scenes, this was a very fast read. it's kind of a no-thoughts-just-vibe kinda mystery thriller, you have to suspend disbelief somewhat but it was a fun time. also actually had a decent convo/crit onthe exploitative nature & harm of the contestants/cast of reality tv & tv competitions .
i can see the ending being contentious, but this is how i choose to see it:everything did indeed happen, and the empty plane was merely a dream. though i DO find the "it was all a dream" compelling, as SO MANY of the characters have similarities to our MC: daddy issues, estranged relationships with children, worrying about parents, etc.
liked:
-mention of hitchhiker's guide, one of my favorite books of all time ❤️
-the parallel ofcaz's dad's gambling vs her gambling on winning the competition, as well as her making amends with her father's memory through the story & reflecting on how his actions impacted the family & how they now relate to her current situation
-completely shocking to me, butsmith ended up being my favorite character by the end. he was a right ass (verbally) for like 95% of the book but did what was right and i kinda loved him tbh
didn't like:
-a lot of the characters tended to speak in a very long form monologue, expository manner. almost stream-of-consciousness, but like all. the time. it just didn't feel natural. this is an example, one long dialogue from one character (MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!):
"Some faceless man with an ego as swollen as his bank account. I imagine him with two screens; I was thinking about it last night. One screen has a live link to the Atlantica. He has a safe button. When a challenge goes wrong or the fire starts burning out of control, maybe his manicured fingertip hovers over that button. If he presses it, a rescue team will swoop in from the helicopter we saw and save us. But, of course, he never quite presses it. Because of the second screen. He watches the escalating drama, the fresh danger, and part of him thinks, Press the button, they’ve been through enough. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Just as he reaches that point, he notices that viewership figures have hit a new record. So he hesitates. Something even more dire takes place on board. Maybe Daniel starts his descent and the viewers know what we don’t: they’ve been told the pool cover is on a timer. The interaction numbers spike. The countdown runs. Comments and likes start to jump higher. The algorithmic data is more mesmerizing than the format driving it. The humane part of him may consider pressing the button. But the other part, the base part, knows the show must go on. Because those numbers have to go up a little more each day. The good and evil we all have within ourselves. Now we know what we’re dealing with but we’re afraid to call it by its name."
questions:
-whoopened the box & who pulled the watch beacon? ultimately not important, and i feel it was just the secret crew on the ship, but i just wanna know explicitly.
-what was up withthe first rescue ship that caught fire? was it all for show? an actual ship the production crew burned down? survivors? feel like the characters quickly forgot that one lol
what a wild roller coaster of a ride! so many twists and reveals, coupled with short chapters often ending on cliffhangers with lots of high action scenes, this was a very fast read. it's kind of a no-thoughts-just-vibe kinda mystery thriller, you have to suspend disbelief somewhat but it was a fun time. also actually had a decent convo/crit on
i can see the ending being contentious, but this is how i choose to see it:
liked:
-mention of hitchhiker's guide, one of my favorite books of all time ❤️
-the parallel of
-completely shocking to me, but
didn't like:
-a lot of the characters tended to speak in a very long form monologue, expository manner. almost stream-of-consciousness, but like all. the time. it just didn't feel natural. this is an example, one long dialogue from one character (MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!):
questions:
-who
-what was up with
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent
Minor: Gore and Blood
abi_sarah's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
So gripping, I couldn’t put it down!
I’ve never really read thrillers before, but this, I really enjoyed. It was so well written that I was constantly shocked and surprised at the twists and the turns in the story. Some moments, I was met with genuine horror which had me questioning the humanity of Dean’s characters.
The plot never faltered. My eyes were glued to the pages, eager to find out what happened next. It took me a while to get hooked and when the premise of the book was revealed early on, I was very skeptical at first. However, the pace was excellent and the content was fascinating from a psychological point of view.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book! There were a few cringe moments and parts of the story I found difficult to believe, so that is why I’m only rating it 4 stars.
I’ve never really read thrillers before, but this, I really enjoyed. It was so well written that I was constantly shocked and surprised at the twists and the turns in the story. Some moments, I was met with genuine horror which had me questioning the humanity of Dean’s characters.
The plot never faltered. My eyes were glued to the pages, eager to find out what happened next. It took me a while to get hooked and when the premise of the book was revealed early on, I was very skeptical at first. However, the pace was excellent and the content was fascinating from a psychological point of view.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book! There were a few cringe moments and parts of the story I found difficult to believe, so that is why I’m only rating it 4 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
haleybre's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
mtnest's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy
danscoada's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was immediately drawn into Will R. Dean's new book The Last One simply based on the premise alone. I love a locked-room thriller and I LOVE cruise ships, so this one sounded promising. Thankfully, it delivered on every front. It will be difficult to review because I believe readers should go in knowing next to nothing about this. Actually, I really appreciated how little the synopsis gave away. Nowadays it seems that synopses give away too much about a book's concept, so I was happy with how short The Last One's was.
When I realized Dean set the whole thing up in the first two chapters, I was a little worried about how he would maintain the momentum for another 131 chapters of first-person POV on an abandoned cruise liner. My worries were almost as instantly quelled, though, because I could not put this down. If I hadn't made the mistake of starting it right before going to bed, this would've been a book I could've easily finished in one sitting. The chapters were short, breezy, and almost always ended with a cliffhanger that required me to keep reading.
I don't read mysteries or thrillers with any intention on trying to guess the twists or solve anything. Even still, I didn't see any of it coming. Every few chapters the stakes changed and I was left with whiplash. It takes a lot for me to vocalize my thoughts while reading, but I let out a few "Oh my god"s throughout. May others be able to guess what happens? Surely. I wasn't, so I count that as a win.
We follow Caz's point of view throughout, so we naturally get some background information, especially in regards to her family and their issues. I would say we get information in about 60-75% of the chapters, ranging from a paragraph to two pages. With that much real estate, there were times that I felt her stories to be a bit repetitive, but Dean didn't spend long enough to make me bored or feel the need to skip past a paragraph. I can see how it might be problematic for other readers, though.
With most thrillers, the ending is a true make or break point of the book. For me, I felt Dean (almost entirely) nailed it. It did wrap up very quickly and I do wish we got a little more of the after, but overall I was satisfied.
The Last One wasn't entirely perfect, but I still thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it. With the way my reading has gone this year, I anticipate this showing up in my top reads of 2023 list. I anticipate the publication date so I can interact with other readers and see their takes on this gripping thriller.
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC ahead of publication.
When I realized Dean set the whole thing up in the first two chapters, I was a little worried about how he would maintain the momentum for another 131 chapters of first-person POV on an abandoned cruise liner. My worries were almost as instantly quelled, though, because I could not put this down. If I hadn't made the mistake of starting it right before going to bed, this would've been a book I could've easily finished in one sitting. The chapters were short, breezy, and almost always ended with a cliffhanger that required me to keep reading.
I don't read mysteries or thrillers with any intention on trying to guess the twists or solve anything. Even still, I didn't see any of it coming. Every few chapters the stakes changed and I was left with whiplash. It takes a lot for me to vocalize my thoughts while reading, but I let out a few "Oh my god"s throughout. May others be able to guess what happens? Surely. I wasn't, so I count that as a win.
We follow Caz's point of view throughout, so we naturally get some background information, especially in regards to her family and their issues. I would say we get information in about 60-75% of the chapters, ranging from a paragraph to two pages. With that much real estate, there were times that I felt her stories to be a bit repetitive, but Dean didn't spend long enough to make me bored or feel the need to skip past a paragraph. I can see how it might be problematic for other readers, though.
With most thrillers, the ending is a true make or break point of the book. For me, I felt Dean (almost entirely) nailed it. It did wrap up very quickly and I do wish we got a little more of the after, but overall I was satisfied.
The Last One wasn't entirely perfect, but I still thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it. With the way my reading has gone this year, I anticipate this showing up in my top reads of 2023 list. I anticipate the publication date so I can interact with other readers and see their takes on this gripping thriller.
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC ahead of publication.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Suicide, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Car accident
More...