Two words: miserable and pathetic.

It made me sad to read her story and mainly because she (and every other character for that matter) was so persistently negative about EVERYTHING in her life. There was some fight for happiness in a general sense but mainly this story, or rather the characters in it lacked any desire to live, to prosper, to be happy. It was more or less a long and detailed account of one family's destruction.

And I don't know about anyone else reading this book, but I for one care little who was to blame for the roof falling on everyone's head if my entire read is mainly the details of people detailing the downfall - not so much any fight against it, or even the fact that maybe there should be some epiphany down the lane that maybe you're so damn negative you probably had something to do with it in the mental department at least.

No, let's just blame it on the family, right?
Well, some shrinks would agree. But usually, it takes two. Or three. Or four. Or more. No spoilers here. Also, the roof was merely a metaphor, the roof doesn't exactly fall on anyone's head in a physical sense at least. Though, I constantly felt like it might fall on my own for thinking along with those miserable family members.

A sort of bell kept ringing in my ears, saying you get what you wish for - you are how you think. And it was hard to focus on what's coming with a feigned hope, I mean what do want...

Thank you Netgalley! I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. (my original review on Goodreads has a lot or gifs to demonstrate how it felt reading this book)

An interesting read with lots of twists and turns and a totally unexpected ending. Don't miss this gripping book

I absolutely devoured this book from the start to the finish. It is a delightful, well written story with characters you can relate to. The authors have done the Camino walk themselves, twice, so were well informed and wrote about what they knew.
It has made me want to go there.

It took me a while to get into this book, but when I did it was really good. I definitely did not figure out the ending.

The Last Thing I Saw is a thriller that does keep you reading! I read this in one day during a long, long trip and it kept me both wide awake and entertained!

This is the story of Emma, who wakes up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there or what happened the day before. She soon realizes it's a mental institution, and that her husband and son refuse to visit her. As she tries to put the pieces together, she also cannot forget the last thing she saw the day everything changed: a pair of black, cold eyes.

The writing of this novel was not really for me, and it followed a cliché story line for most of the novel. The fact that it contained flashbacks leading to the event that led Emma to a breakdown and then went back to her rather uneventful stay at the mental hospital kept me almost skimming through the present narration to go back to the past one - where the clues as to what happened were. Being quite frank, I was unimpressed by the big event, as there were so many clues to what it was that I was not surprised at all. I also didn't like the twist, it felt abrupt and I honestly rolled my eyes at it...

I know I sound very harsh, but I did enjoy this novel and as said, I read it in one sitting. It's fast paced, short and easy to read, so it was quite perfect for a long trip as the one I was taking. I recommend if you want a quick thriller to read, but this one isn't among my favorites, really. It might just be that by now I've read too many thrillers and they start to become predictable, but from time to time I am still surprised and hooked by both new releases and older books, so I will be a bit harsh with this one. I gave it 3 stars because it was really entertaining!

I’m not normally a fan of the before and after concept where the author jumps from past to present but this storyline just called out for it!
I really don’t want to spoil the book for other readers so there’s no spoilers 😁
The author has written this with such great skill that you simply can’t put it down. You feel as though you could almost be sat on the couch with poor Emma, reliving events that led up to her having to be incarcerated.
Each chapter draws you in and has you saying .... just one more after each one! You just know that the twist is there waiting to happen so you have to keep reading.
There’s no frilly language just straight talking he says she says, so the book moves along quickly and the story unfolds at a steady pace.
Look forward to seeing what this author produces next!

A fantastic read, a most addictive and gripping psychological thriller, it grabs you from the first page and as the story unfolds you will be left gasping. Emma doesn’t know why she is in a mental hospital. She thinks she committed a terrible act but has blocked it from her memory. Dr Shaw, her psychiatrist, then takes us through the series of events that placed her there. The story unfolds in chapters of ‘before’ and ‘after’ as we delve deeper into Emma’s past. This is a well writen and stomach churning book, that will keep you guessing with all the twists and turns, especially the big twist near the end, I was sorry to finish the book and will certainly look forward to more books by Alex Sinclair.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review another excellent book.

This book kept me guessing the whole way. I couldn't put it down. It drew you in from the start because you wanted to know why she is in a psychiatric hospital. She herself does not know. It had me at the edge of my seat the entire way thinking, finally now we will find out what happened! I never thought it would end the way it did. There were so many possibilities. It was a really good read! Kept my interest the whole way!
#TheLastThingISaw#NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book. It took off in a great way that held me. I had a very hard time putting it down. I felt so bad for Emma and what all she went through. It will make you think for sure. A good book. You must read it.

EXCERPT: The signs had all been there. The warnings had been clear. His past threats floated into the forefront of my mind on a loop, preventing me from thinking of an alternative.

'I have to,' I whispered, eyes closed. My words were weak and crippled, but they could all hear me.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: The perfect family. A moment that will change everything.

Emma thought she had the perfect life: a beautiful home, a loving husband and a gorgeous son.

She was wrong.

She wakes up in hospital, with no idea how she got there or why her husband and son won’t come to see her. What happened to Emma’s family?

As Emma tries to piece her memories back together, she remembers that her husband was hiding something from her, and that someone was watching their house.

She remembers that she was afraid.

Emma is desperate to find out what happened – and that her loved ones are safe – but remembering the truth could be the most dangerous thing of all…

MY THOUGHTS: Firstly, on a positive note, I loved the cover. And it was relevant to the storyline. Now. . . Oh, how do I count the ways in which this book failed for me?

I failed to feel any involvement with either the characters or the plot from the beginning. From the 30% mark I found myself skimming, and seriously considered abandoning the read. I stuck with it, hoping that it would improve, and it did marginally in the second half, but not enough for me to become invested in any way. I didn't feel any suspense, and in all honesty would never classify this as a psychological thriller.

I know that I am in the minority with my feelings, but I found the writing often labored and the dialogue stilted. Emma Taylor constantly complains about the 'wailing and moaning' in her ward. I doubt the author has bothered to visit the type of ward he describes and has very little understanding of how a psychiatric hospital operates. I felt disgruntled when I finished. A very grudging 2 stars.

Just because I found this to be an unsatisfying read doesn't mean that you won't love it. This is my personal opinion, my reaction to the book. Most reviews for this book are positive, so if you enjoyed the excerpt and like the summary of the plot, please go ahead and read The Last Thing I Saw by Alex Sinclair. You may be one of the many who enjoy this book.

Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The Last Thing I Saw by Alex Sinclair for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2319620102


The Last Thing I Saw
by Alex Sinclair (Goodreads Author)
222325
K Honsharuk's review Apr 23, 2018 · edit
it was ok
Read 2 times. Last read March 27, 2018 to April 23, 2018.

Didn't really care for this...found Emma annoying from the first paragraph.

P.S. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. I went with the flow of the story without thinking too much about the plot line. I just wanted to get to the finish line to know the real truth of what happened that night at the park which landed Emma in a mental facility.

Alex Sinclair has done a good job in maintaining the fast pace of the plot line, with easy to read chapters without focusing too much on the politics of the mental facility. A state funded facility has its own problems of unscrupulous staff, and Alex has touched upon it without making the story too gruesome. And I thank him for that.

The whole story focuses on Emma and her family, slowly going into the past with the help of the psychiatrist Dr. Shaw (the only kind and genuine person). The entire story is about helping Emma to remember that nightmarish night where everything was lost.

The only niggle for me was the characters could have been fleshed out a bit, especially the husband Darren.

Every cloud has a silver lining and whether Emma reaches that or wants to reach that forms the crux of the story.

A good book to read on a Sunday morning and I enjoyed it thoroughly!

What a book .. full of so many twists, turns, and surprises. Emma wakes up not knowing who she is, where she is, and what happened to put her in the place she know finds herself. What happened in Emma's past that made her life take the path it now did? Why is she in need of family and no one is there for her? This was fantastic thank you fro allowing me to read this.

‘The Last Thing I Saw’ a flash, a memory, hidden deep within, a monumental opening which will irreparably haunt your memory.

The Last Thing I Saw written by Alex Sinclair, is an explosive tangle of greed, jealously and family ties all akin to a serendipitous encounter which has been locked away in the dark recesses of a fragile mind.

Emma a seemingly normal mother and wife awakens in a psychiatric hospital with no memory of how she arrived there. No family visit, no son, no husband what has she done, why is no-one telling her. The path that

Emma follows with the guidance of a Doctor Shaw, unlocks the boxes, delving deeper into the darkness in which Emma has tried to bury. Can Dr.Shaw restore Emma’s memory without destroying her in the process.

With every page turn, the tug at my intuition for recalling what Alex had in store, ebbed and flowed with the tide of false paths that I travelled down, to be met with a new reason to be wrong. Alex manage to drive the plot with ease, dropping in falsified facts which I invariably fell for time and time again.

The Last Thing I Saw invariably is a book which will open your eyes and drive you round the bend looking for answers which are littered throughout the book, but piecing them together is ultimately the hardest part.

Thank you to Bookouture, Alex Sinclair and Noelle Holten for the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy of The Last Thing I Saw in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant read. Unusual plot. Emma wakes up in a psychiatric hosital, can’t remember why she’s there or why her family don’t visit
Told in two parts before and present day this is a great read with a brilliant twist in the tail

Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour. This is the first book I have read by Alex. The blurb excited me and the original cover of the eye scared me. Perfect for a psychological thriller. I do however prefer this cover. There is something more refined about it.

Emma wakes up in a psychiatric hospital. She knows something terrible happened but her brain has repressed the memory. The story flicks between before and after the ‘event’ that led Emma to the hospital. Emma is a pretty likeable character. She’s easy to root for.

I naturally have a suspicious mind when I am reading these sorts of books so I tend not to trust anyone. I didn’t trust Emma’s husband. He seemed like he might have some shady contacts. The other person I immediately distrusted was Emma’s brother. There was something about him that made me shiver.

I really enjoyed Alex’s writing style. It was so addictive. I could feel myself getting tired but I just couldn’t stop reading. At one point I was so tired I fell asleep with my kindle still in my hand!

I was reading and reading and I noticed I was at 87% and I thought ooo this has to be unravelling soon. I kept reading and the tension in me was building and building. I knew something big was coming but I just didn’t know when. When the truth was finally unveiled I let out a big breath I hardly noticed I had been holding. I was so tense.

I’m really looking forward to more of Alex’s books in the future.

It all started with those peering ominous eyes. And then nothing, but darkness. After awakening from a 24-hour blackout in a psychiatric facility with no answers and no family members willing to even come and see her, Emma is desperate to find out what happened the night everything went south.

As the story goes on you will find yourself suspicious of almost every character from Emma, to her husband, her son, her therapist, -effing Tom, and beyond. I always like stories that keep me guessing like that! What adds to the suspense, drama, and intrigue present within this from chapter one is the act that it is told in a first person retelling of the what happened leading up to the incident and the resulting aftermath while working slowly towards the conclusion with all the answers you’ve been waiting for.

Takeaway Quotes:

• I stared down at the gun trembling in my hands, knowing in my heart that I could never go through with what needed to be done. Once I did, my life would be over. This one act would shatter my world into a million splintered pieces and destroy me forever. But despite the consequences, I aimed the gun at his head.

• Where did that come from? Darren wasn’t usually so flippant with my past.

• The door sprang open. Darren reached out and grabbed at the intruder, pulling them roughly inside.

• My eyes popped wide open. I was impressed by my son’s ability to dismiss the warnings so logically. What he had just said sounded entirely plausible and made me feel a little more relaxed about the whole thing—but then I remembered the emails.

• I let the tremble that’s been dying to come out of me run down my spine. My breath quickens as I shake my head and mutter to myself, quiet enough so that no one else will hear me. I stop after a short moment and realize I’ve become one of them, one of those crazy people who spend their days talking to themselves in the corner.

• “Oh, nothing. Just thought you should know that your brother is here. I suggest you keep the conversation light. Nothing too dramatic. We don’t want any trouble coming our way, do we?” I catch Tom’s less-than-subtle suggestion and nod. “I won’t say anything. I promise.” I have no idea if I can indeed keep quiet, but part of me knows I can’t get James involved without making things worse. “Good girl,” Tom says.

• I absorbed the typical favoritism coming from my son. He loved his father more than he would ever love me. They shared a bond we’d never have.

• I hoped that Jayden would never have to take another person’s life…

• I need to know what I did to destroy the relationship I have with Darren and Jayden. It’s the only way forward, the only way to rebuild what I lost.
• With every step, I feel a stab in my gut. We’re getting closer to where it happened. I can feel the beast behind, mocking me with its dead eyes. We are about to reach the location of the meeting.

• I attempt to concentrate for a second. Maybe he accidentally used the same expression Karlo had just before he made me kill Darren. It’s a common enough thing to say, right? I need time to think straight.

• “You don’t have to do this,” my husband Darren said as I aimed the pistol. My finger wrapped around the trigger as a decision entered my brain.

I give The Last Thing I Saw ✨✨✨✨ (four stars)!

What would a mother do to protect her family? "You understand more than anyone how people are when it comes to family. It brings out the best and worst in all of us."

Emma Turner is in a psychiatric hospital after an event that has shattered her. She and her husband, Darren, and 14-year-old son, Jayden, lived in a lovely home in Clearwater Hills, Illinois. Darren owned a construction company and, when an employee accident happens that threatens their financial livelihood, they try to make things right. Threats against their safety and wellbeing drive them to desperate acts -- but it's money that's wanted.

From her vantage point as an in-patient, during therapy, and through interactions with others, Emma is trying to force herself to remember exactly what happened on the night that preciptiated her breakdown. But will total recall restore her to the life and family she loved more than anything else?

Tense psychological drama told in "before" and "after" first person narrative. A savvy reader of this genre may be able to figure out what is going on before the big reveal, but NO SPOILERS here. The pace is smooth and, even as the narrative highlights some of the horrors of being in a psych hospital, it keeps the reader engaged and involved in getting to the truth of the matter at hand. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

THE LAST THING I SAW by Alex Sinclair is a gripping psychological thriller told in before and after. We know something happened to Emma Turner but, we are thrown bits and pieces to put together to learn the full story. Emma Turner seems to have a normal life. She has a husband, Darren and a teenage son, Jayden. They are a regular family with their ups and downs. Why then, does Emma Turner wake up in a psychiatric hospital with no memory of how or why she got there?

Through therapy sessions, Emma knows that something traumatic has happened to her but, her mind has shut down to protect itself. She seems to have had a psychotic breakdown brought on by post traumatic stress disorder. Little by little she starts to remember what happened on the day that changed her entire life.

The story really builds on the suspense. I was glued to the pages right from the start and I have to say, I had a really tough time trying NOT to flip the pages to the end of the story to find out what really happened! Alex Sinclair really knows how to write a psychological suspense. I was pretty much kept on my toes trying to figure out what the catalyst was that landed Emma in the hospital. Right when I thought I knew the answers, there was a twist that shot my theory down. I found that the mystery and suspense really kept me engaged and invested in the story.

Emma was such a well thought out character and you could feel all of the emotions she was going through. You could almost feel her hurt at not being able to see her family and wondering why her family were never there to visit her while in the hospital. You can sense the inner turmoil she is going through and it made me feel sympathetic towards her character. I wanted her to remember and at the same time I was hoping that the memory of the night in question didn’t break her even more.

All in all, THE LAST THING I SAW is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read in a very long time. It is a slow build up character driven story with just the right amount of twists that will blow you away when the truth finally comes out. Alex Sinclair really knows how to build up on the suspense and keep you guessing to the very end.

Emma wakes up in a mental hospital with no memory of why she is there or how she got there. All she knows is that something terrible happened. This book is told in a “before” and “after” style, which worked really well for this book. each “flip”of the time gave a little more away without giving away too much. This book took me awhile to get into, but once I finally did, I was hooked and stayed up finishing it. If a book can make me lose sleep to read, its a good one, because sleep is my #1. The book is super suspenseful and there is an epic twist, so if you’re into that, read this book! Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC!