A review by burningupasun
The Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis

3.0

3 stars. This book was... a lot. Very dark, very gruesome, very depressing. Almost every human person in this book is an awful person. (There are a few exceptions but they're not the main characters.) Honestly, I only read it because I got through the first one and had to know how it turned out. Granted, at about 30% through this one I almost gave up because it was too much for me (too intense, too dark), but I really wanted to find out what happened and I couldn't find a summary anywhere, so I kept reading.

To the author's credit, she did a pretty good job. This is a well-written book, but it's almost TOO well-written. Every chapter from Ribbit's perspective made me literally shudder. Just having to read his thoughts made me feel like I needed ten showers. Truly just... the extra twisted epitome of a "good guy." (Though I did laugh when his final line was: "But I'm a good guy.")

I also wasn't a fan of the ending. It's hard to explain without spoilers but I think things worked out a little too well for certain characters. In more detail:

Spoiler

Tress finds Felicity still alive, Felicity FORGIVES HER for almost murdering her and bricking her up alive in the basement of an abandoned building, then Felicity blames Ribbit instead, and Tress somehow ends up... a millionaire? I just... I mean maybe it would have made sense for Felicity to forgive Tress in the first book, like if they'd made up before she sealed her into the basement. But Felicity really sat down there for days almost dying, no food, no water, wounded, trapped... and then is like ah, it's over, it's cool, let's blame your creepy cousin instead???? I mean. I guess? Idk it just bugged me. I don't HATE it but I don't like it either.

Anyway, it boils down to... if you like really dark, depressing, bloody YA books, go for it. If you don't like the dark stuff so much... maybe don't, lol.