Growing up, my summers were spent walking to 711, drinking Slurpees, and watching slasher films. By high school, you could hardly get me and one of my closest friends to watch anything other than horror movies. Reading Final Girls by Riley Sager was so fun for me because it really took me back to that time.

"Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. 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; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another.
Final Girls opens with a classic slasher film scene: a girl running through the forest soaked in blood. We soon find out that girl's name is Quincy, and she is the sole survivor of a massacre that just took place at her friend's vacation home. Throughout the novel, Sager continues to bring us back to that frightful night with flashbacks that slowly build up to reveal the truth of what happened."

In the present day, we find Quincy attempting to move on from her horrific past. Things seem to be going alright for her - she has a successful blog, her own apartment, and a serious boyfriend. But that all goes to hell when fellow final girl, Sam, shows up at her doorstep following the death of Lisa - the original final girl.

What follows is Quincy's attempts at finding the truth of what happened all those years ago. I tore through this book in a couple of days. It's exciting and quick - an engrossing guilty pleasure. If you're looking for a dark, twisty book for your summer TBR pile, put this book right on top.

I'll start by saying that this took me some time to finish. I read it on and off for around a month, which may reflect how I feel about it. I wasn't gripped enough to want to finish this. It took sometime to get going and while I was waiting for that I wasn't compelled to read, but once the twists and turns started, I was excited to finish it.

<b>Release Date: 07.11.17</b>

I finished this novel in two sittings, over the span of five hours. This debut release from Riley Sager is a story that must be completed once begun — so don't start it on a school or work night!

To discuss much of the plot would spoil the story, and that's no good. So, I'll say this: <i>Final Girls</i> is the story of three girls (though we see the story through the perspective of only one, as is necessary), all lone survivors of gruesome massacres. They share a bond with one another, and it is from this bond horrific secrets and ties come to light. I would love to say more, really, but I can't. I don't want to risk spoiling anything.

Written in the vein of Gillian Flynn (though this is grittier and scarier than Flynn's stuff, I found) while being its own thing, this is a stunning ride — one on which the brakes stop working just after it begins. This author successfully pulled the rug out from under me no less than six times; every time I thought I knew the direction in which this grisly thriller was going, it galloped somewhere else entirely. I had to give in and give up, and put myself totally at this author's mercy. If it weren't for a dinner break, I would have read this book even faster.

A totally original and complex exploration of a hellish scenario, <i>Final Girls</i> might just be the best book I've read this year. I suspect it will become a runaway success upon release, and rightfully so.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC, which was given in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Final Girls is about three girls who each had their own traumatic experience with murder, serial killings, massacres, etc. Lisa, Sam, and Quincy. Suddenly Lisa turns up dead and Sam shows up at Quincy's house to bond with her. This story follows Quincy regaining her lost memory of the events that transpired during her experience with the Pine Cottage massacre. I can't say too much more about this because it is so much better to go into it with as little knowledge as possible.

There are so many twists and turns in the book that we are questioning what is real and who we can trust at every turn. I was honestly surprised by where the story went and the conclusion left me breathless.

The characters were so relatable and real that I was easily drawn into their story and feeling their emotions along with them. It's not every day that I read a book where I can actually connect with the characters.

I know I have nothing really negative to say about this book so you are probably wondering why I only gave it 4.5 stars. Well, have you ever read a book that you loved but just couldn't bring yourself to give it 5 stars? This is one of those books for me. When I give a book a full 5 stars it almost instantly gets put on my favorites list. After I have had some time to think about it, it may come to be a full 5 stars but as of right now my brain is just too full. It could also be that I am pretty stingy when it comes to 5 star ratings.

I definitely recommend this book. It comes out July 2017 and if you are a fan of thrillers/mysteries/psychological genres then I say give this one a shot, you won't regret it.

<b> I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. My opinions are my own and have in no way been influenced by the publishers. </b>

Finished this book just the other day and I'm a little conflicted. While I enjoyed reading it (I particularly liked the ending, very satisfying), I had one problem with it that took me out of the story while reading. Towards the end of Sam's stay with Quincy, when the revelations begin - I felt like there were a lot of leaps in logic. Quincy seems to take the information from Nancy and the journalist and then BOOM! All is known. But the information that she received didn't warrant those types of conclusions. It was like 1 + 1 = Dog. It became unbelievable and pulled me out of the story

This might be the psychological thriller of the year to beat!

It's briiiilliant.

(And to think I almost passed on it because I saw "slasher"/"horror movie" across reviews, and Stephen King compared its likability to "Gone Girl." All turnoffs to me.)

I must've looked like I Krazy Glue'd my Kindle to my hand, because I did not put it down even to use the kitchen, the loo, or to sleep!! And then, after finishing the book, I couldn't sleep — couldn't stop thinking about the story (and wondering which talented author wrote it under this pseudonym).

Thank you, NetGalley and Dutton, for the advanced reader copy.

Too much of doing nothing going on. I made it 50-60% of the way through before giving up out of boredom. Which was truly surprising give how stoked I was to read this.

This psychological thriller is gripping and intense. It's a twisty drama that had me guessing until the end.

This is a must read for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train! Quincy spent the night in a cabin with a few friends who all got murdered except for her but she doesn't remember what happened. She is considered a Final Girl, along with two other girls who were the lone survivors of similar incidents. Quincy is doing well enough in life after the events until Lisa, one of the other Final Girls is found dead. Full of twists and turns, this story will grab a hold of you and won't let go. And that ending!!

This is an awesome thriller! Definitely going to be a favorite book for many readers this year.

If you are a fan of the old slasher horror films, have you ever wondered what happened to the survivors? What did they do after they escaped a masked murderer whom seemed like a legend, family member, or someone close to snap and change their world forever. This is the story of those survivors.

Final Girls is a brilliantly crafted thriller for the new age. It takes the question of "What happens next?" and blows it up to create this world that thrives on digging into these poor girls' tragic pasts and transforming them into celebrities who merely want to be normal again. Only they cannot be normal ever again nor can they hide from the cameras. These "Final Girls" have secrets and they are about to be exposed, but who will truly be the surviving "Final Girl" in the end?

I received this copy from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Final Girls follows Quincy Carpenter, the sole survivor of a massacre that killed all her friends some 10 years ago. She along with Lisa and Samantha, are sole survivors of horrendous massacres, and they have been dubbed Final Girls by the press. This is movie speak for the girl who is still alive at the end of a horror movie, and Lisa, Samantha and Quincy are the three unlucky real world members of this exclusive club. They are all survivors, they all have secrets, and unfortunately for them someone still wants them dead...

Final Girls is an excellent psychological suspense novel, it kept me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed the fast thrilling pace and the killer plot twists. Just when I though I had figured out the ending, and knew who the murder was going to be- BAM another twist!

One of the best thrillers I have read in a long time, and I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for Riley Sager’s next book.

I loved this book! One of the best I've read in a long time. It kept my interest, kept me guessing, and I didn't want to put it down. I can't say enough good things about this book and I would love to read anything else this author writes. I highly recommend it!

Any horror movie fan is familiar with the “final girl” trope. The one girl who makes it out alive from the massacre going on in the movie. Usually, she ends up killing the killer. This book looks at what life is like for the “final girl” after she is rescued and safe. Having to deal with the fame, and the constant media presence, people who just want a piece of her.

Quincy is a final girl, having survived a massacre at an isolated cabin in the woods. Lisa and Sam are also final girls, and the press keeps trying to lump all three of them together. Quincy is against meeting them, until she hears about Lisa’s death. Initially thought of as suicide, there is something suspicious about her death. And something suspicious about Sam, who shows up on Quincy’s doorstep shortly after Lisa dies.

Quincy does not remember most of what happened to her the night she and her friends were attacked. But she is unwillingly drawn into finding out what happened to Lisa, and what really happened to her that night in the woods.

This book was very exciting. The action was non stop and I was always interested in what was going to happen next. The story of Quincy in the cabin is parceled out slowly over the course of the book. By the end, we know the truth and so does Quincy. The ending was a real WTF moment for me. I did not see it coming, and I am not sure how I feel about it.

I loved seeing what happens to these women after the initial violence is over. The psychological damage is profound, yet they try to get on with just living a normal life. I enjoyed reading this book very much. 4 1/2 stars out of 5!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a great book with a unique plot. Kept me turning pages into the night.

I lost interest in this book but skipped to the end to see what happened.

Quincy Carpenter goes on a trip to a secluded cabin in the woods with her friends to celebrate her roommate's birthday. What begins as a fun getaway from their college classes ends with her friends viciously murdered and her the lone survivor. Unable to remember the terror she survived she begins to slowly rebuild her life despite her new status as a Final Girl, a name given to the lone survivors in horror movies.
Reading this book brought a feeling of being trapped in a maze, racing one way along a path only to come out facing a completely different direction. And the ending...well let's just say once you get to the middle of the maze you're in for a surprise and definitely not one I saw coming. I look forward to reading more thrilling novels from Riley Sager!

Wow! I really enjoyed this. There were times I thought I could guess where it was going and I was momentarily disappointed in what I thought was the predictability of it, but then it took a turn and surprised me after all. Stayed up late reading and stealthily read during work the next day (don't tell my boss) so I could see how it ended. Definitely recommend!

Enjoy with a slice of red velvet cake.

** Trigger warning for rape and suicide. **

“While there were other multiple homicides during those years, none quite got the nation’s attention like ours. We were, for whatever reason, the lucky ones who survived when no one else had. Pretty girls covered in blood. As such, we were each in turn treated like something rare and exotic. A beautiful bird that spreads its bright wings only once a decade. Or that flower that stinks like rotting meat whenever it decides to bloom.”

“I understand that urge for more information, that longing for details. But in this case, I’m fine without them. I know what happened at Pine Cottage. I don’t need to remember exactly how it happened.”

Quincy Carpenter: marketing grunt, food blog maven, massacre survivor.

Quincy was just a sophomore in college when it happened. She and her five best friends – boyfriend Craig, BFF Janelle, and friends Betz, Amy, and Rodney; collectively known as the East Hall Crew – were renting a cabin in the Poconos, celebrating Janelle’s birthday, when Joe Hannen stumbled into their lives. Janelle, being the wild and carefree member of the group, invited him to stay for dinner. Since she was the birthday girl, she got to call the shots.

You kind of wonder whether things would have went down differently had they known that Joe wasn’t a stranded motorist, but rather a recent escapee from the nearby Blackthorn Psychiatric asylum. (This sounds hella ableist, and there’s certainly that potential; but the many plot twists don’t necessarily play into the stereotype that mentally ill people are inherently violent, and vice versa.)

By the end of the night, everyone would be dead, save for Quincy. Almost before the blood could dry, the media nicknamed Quincy the Final Girl – one of three, at least in recent memory. Though Quincy had no desire to be defined by tragedy, she would forever be lumped in with fellow survivors: the reclusive Samantha Boyd (Nightlight Inn), and do-gooder Lisa Milner before her (a sorority house in Indiana).

Nearly ten years later, Quincy is living a life of forced normalcy. Adopting her repressed WASP mother’s strategy of “fake it till you make it,” Quincy spends most of her days baking and photographing goodies for her food blog, Quincy’s Sweets. She’s in a long-term relationship with a public defender named Jeff (an odd pairing, to be sure) and has a swanky apartment on the Upper West Side, thanks to her Pine Cottage settlement money. Things are okay-ish; that is, if you overlook the Xanax and social misanthropy.

And then Lisa turns up dead of an apparent suicide, thrusting Quincy and Sam together – and into the spotlight – once more. Why would someone who’s been to hell and back kill herself, after all these years? What’s with the cryptic email Lisa sent Quincy right before she died? Why’s her closet safe stuffed with files on the Final Girls? Is someone hunting them, trying to finish the what their tormentors, all long since dead, started? And just when are Quincy and her savior cop Coop going to knock boots, anyway?

FINAL GIRLS is a compelling and suspenseful read, though it falls into the same trap as many books belonging to this genre: the many outlandish plot twists threaten to snap your credibility after a while. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there are several gotcha! moments, and with the last one I came perilously close to an exaggerated eye roll. Thankfully this is offset by the sheer entertainment value: the writing is skillful, the characters command your attention, and the mysteries will have you white-knuckling your Kindle until the very end.

Quincy and Sam are both engaging protagonists, even if they didn’t always push the story in the direction I expected or hoped. (Those scenes in Central Park? I was mouthing a silent prayer that Final Girls was about to morph into an adult version of Mindy McGinnis’s THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES. If this is you, don’t despair! The ending gets you there, kinda sorta, in a roundabout way.)

Though we’re witness to several work-related arguments between Quincy and Jeff, I wish the narrative had explored this conflict between them – she, a survivor of a violent assault; he, the defender of the accused – in greater depth.

Overall, FINAL GIRLS is a solid addition to the genre – if not the genre-busting book I was craving (think: THE CABIN IN THE WOODS).

** Full disclosure: I received a free electronic ARC for review through NetGalley. **