Reviews

Last Seen by Lucy Clarke

jessica_reading_writing's review against another edition

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4.0

Overview: I love a Lucy Clarke thriller! They tend to focus more of the dark side of human emotion and the psychological damage in the characters then blood and murder. This was no different. However, I will say that this book was basically a story of my worst nightmare. If my young son went missing without a trace I'm not sure how I'd survive so I really felt for Isla. As usual, the twists all appear at or near the end, one after the other. So it was a slow burn, but this thriller builds the tension beautifully.

Good points: The characters are always the strongest part in Lucy's thrillers. They are so well developed and real they almost jump off the page. I didn't particularly like Sarah, but I could see where she was coming from. I loved the setting of a simple row of beach huts and how twisted secrets lie behind every door.

Not so good points: These are very minor things and they didn't take away from the actual reading experience. I didn't get Jacob's character, especially at the end. I can't say too much without giving things away. Also, I had an issue with one of the major twists. It didn't seem necessary.

A solid 4 star thriller read that tugs at the heart strings as well as slaps you in the face with the amount of twists.

lavins's review against another edition

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5.0

An excellent book! A well deserved 5 stars.

I am not going to repeat the plot as there are already 100 other posts that do that. I am going to focus on what I loved about the book.

The story is extremely well written and unfold for the reader to digest it and be taken completely aback by the twists that are peppered along the way. This is a slowly developed book in the best possible way. Not the boring, repetitive way where you want to get to the gist of faster. It is a story that makes the reader understand the depth of the situation for each and every character, you feel the betrays, the hurt, the tragedy and yet you understand the reasons. As a reader you are feeling as much as an observer and an accomplice.

A really good book!

flossreads19's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

chippywatts's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

3.5

OK

gipfelglueck's review against another edition

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5.0

So sad. Not able to put it down, extremely well written but so so sad.

aiden2003adamson's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious relaxing sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Loved this!  My second Lucy Clarke!
I hated Sarah with a passion. I also didn’t really like Jacob. Loved Nick and Isla. I cried a lot, especially in the Isla chapters the summer Marley was killed

toofondofbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

This review was originally posted on my blog: https://rathertoofondofbooks.com/

I’ve been a big fan of Lucy Clarke’s writing ever since I first read The Sea Sisters so I was thrilled when I was offered the chance to read and review her new novel, Last Seen for the blog tour! I have to say that Last Seen absolutely lived up to all of my expectations and I loved reading it!

Last Seen is predominantly a look at female friendship and how one decision can unwittingly set a relationship on a different course, one that you really don’t want to end up on. Sarah and Isla have been friends since they were younger, and Sarah has supported Isla through some of the hardest moments of her life. But then Isla decides to go travelling and what happens back home changes everything in a seemingly subtle way but as they appear to move on that one thing looms large throughout the book.

The reason I fell in love with The Sea Sisters was because of the way Lucy Clarke writes the relationship between women and Last Seen made me emotional for these two friends in the same way. Neither one of these women is perfect and neither is always likeable but they always felt like real people to me. I could see their flaws, and their issues and I liked them all the more for it. The detail is wonderful too – I smiled to myself when Sarah describes how someone from her past smelt of Dewberry shampoo. I must be a similar age to Sarah because I remember Dewberry so very well!

Sarah and Isla end up pregnant at the same time when they’re both still young and they look forward to bringing their boys up together. Sadly, things don’t work out like that when one summer, the year they turn ten, the boys go missing at sea and only one is found alive. This sets in motion a chain of revelations, guilt and jealousy that will affect these people forever.

This book so twisty, I genuinely couldn’t work out what was going to happen in the end. I had many suspicions as I was reading but all turned out to be wrong. It’s very rare for me to not be able to work out the ending of a thriller but this one got me and I loved it all the more for that. The end when it comes makes perfect sense and it sends you reeling but it’s so good!

This book is beautiful and twisty and utterly engrossing! I couldn’t put it down – I literally read it in one sitting. I highly recommend that you grab a copy of Last Seen for your summer reading, you definitely won’t regret it!

bookishjems's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

chrissireads's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

bibliobethreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5