Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Last One by Will Dean

11 reviews

yvo_about_books's review

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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... 

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cadydlevy's review against another edition

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

4.25

Good book with lots of twists. I went in blind and enjoyed it. Pretty unsatisfying ending in my opinion but it did keep me guessing.

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lunsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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nialiversuch's review against another edition

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

2.75


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norahc's review

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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abi_sarah'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? 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.

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anacceptablebear's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Locked-room thriller at its finest. A unique premise of waking up alone on a cruise ship, there were so many twists and turns I wasn’t expecting, and I just did not want to put the book down because I had to know what happens next.

When the big twist happened, at first I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, but overall I think it had a great commentary on the exploitative nature of reality TV that honestly didn’t seem that far off from how people are treated on these shows today. The ending made me so mad and upset though (in a good way) that I’ve been stewing on for days.

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disguisedposer's review against another edition

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

4.25


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kdheuer's review against another edition

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

4.0

I started reading this after Marc Sebastian’s followers chose it on the world cruise. Thanks to Atria Books for sponsoring him!

I have mixed feelings about this book. If I had been reading a hard copy, I would have chucked it across the room upon reading the first major twist. The pacing kept me going, but I had a big chip on my shoulder for the rest of the book. I felt as manipulated as our main character did the whole way through. After putting the readers through what they did, the twist ending felt like a slap in the face.

Still, I like a thriller, and I was on the edge of my proverbial seat. I just wish I didn’t feel so manipulated.

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