This well plotted novel can be read two different ways- as a thriller about a really sick woman and as a meditation of sorts about revenge for what men have done to women over the years. It's both. Dana Diaz is a comedian struggling to make it in Austin, having moved back from LA when things went sideways for her because of what a famous comedian did. Amanda reaches out to her and before she knows it, Dana is involved in Amanda's game of making men pay for their transgressions. Violently pay and it becomes too much so Dana heads back to LA, where she reconnects with her childhood friend Jason. It would be too easy to give spoilers in writing this review. Suffice it to say things are not always what they seem and there's some really creepy, sorta-scary parts. My quibble is that the end felt too long; although I get what Gentry was doing, I would have been happy if it had ended 20 pages earlier. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. This is a very good page turner.

I’d been really looking forward to the second book by Amy Gentry, after her first book ‘Good as Gone’ blew me away last year. So I had really high expectations for this one, but I’m afraid it fell short.
It started off with a really slow pace and felt in parts quite boring. I just kept thinking “is this going to get going soon?” It finally did about 60% in, and I started to want to reach the end to know the outcome. However, you have to get to that 60% mark first without giving up; I felt it needed some hooks earlier on to peak my interest.
The characters were unlikeable, and I just couldn’t feel sorry for Dana, and her ‘friendship’ with Jason just lacked any kind of chemistry. I felt her traumas were made up as if she was kind of “oh yeah that happened to me as well” I know she says she’d tried not to think about those things, but it made it ring untrue.
It was an interesting book to read especially with the current #metoo movement. How far are people willing to go for revenge outside the law? However, overall, the book just didn’t live up to expectations which was a shame.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! “Last Woman Standing” by Amy Gentry (author of “Good as Gone”) was a phenomenal thriller with a fast pace and twists that propel the novel forward. The characters are interesting and memorable while the story even tells an important message regarding the #metoo movement. Revenge fantasies, threats, and victims becoming vigilantes, all with occasional comedy mixed in and a satisfying ending. I enjoyed this book a lot more than Amy Gentry’s last novel since the plot was more cohesive and overall gripping. Thank you to NetGalley for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest review! Publish date 1/15/19.

Strangers on a Train for the #MeToo era. I liked this one okay, but didn't love it. I never quite connected with the main character, Dana, and her standup never came off as funny. The first half of the book was pretty slow, and kept me only just engaged enough to keep going, but the action and suspense really took off in the second half. The plot is twisty, but most of the twists are easy to guess. There's lots here about what women go through and how men behave towards us, and questions about how far it's okay to go for revenge. I don't particularly recommend this unless the blurb sounds really inviting to you, because I think there are better thrillers out there, but overall it was thought-provoking and attention-grabbing.

This book reminded me of the huge letdown I felt after watching King of Comedy, the 1982 film about standup starring Robert DeNiro, Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard. The comedy biz sure ain't for sissies! And perhaps as with laws and sausages, we can't bear to look too closely at how any of them are made.

But about the book: It seemed well-written, but it didn't thrill me. Can't point to any one element that fell short, except perhaps the narrator's voice. I didn't root for (or fear for) a single character, including Dana.

I liked one nifty little plot twist at the very end, involving some non-violent revenge. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance reader's copy.

This novel is a feminist suspense thriller that is topical and relevant in this post #metoo era. Trigger warnings for violence against women, stalking, sexual assault and relationship abuse.

There were unexpected twists that I enjoyed. The novel starts slow and there are unnecessary repetitions in the first few chapters but then the story starts to flow.

While, I enjoyed the topics discussed, I didn't like how the story unfolded, a more linear approach would have made the story more interesting.

Further to this, I am still struggling to settle my thoughts on Dana Diaz and Amanda Dorn.

Amy Gentry's has done it again! She writes with such a deft hand that leaves me wanting more and more. I tore through this book and thoroughly enjoyed all of the neck-breaking twists and turns. #LastWomanStanding #NetGalley

*** 3-3.5 Stars ***
Publication date: January 15, 2019

This book is considered a "revenge thriller" but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. Dana Diaz is a tiny feisty Hispanic girl trying to make it in Austin, TX as a stand up comedian. I think what happened was the book focused so much on Dana and her career at the beginning, I started to lose interest. In hindsight that build was necessary and made the revenge part more interesting. A lot of #metoo incidents were brought up in this book, acknowledging the current social hardships women are dealing with daily.
I felt the ending was strong and the twist was good, unpredictable, but I wasn't wowed. I've read some really great psychological thrillers recently, so I may just be hard to please in that category now. I had not read Amy Gentry's other book Good as Gone, but I still plan on reading it as I did enjoy her writing style and flow in this book.

** Special thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

I had enjoyed Amy Gentry's first novel very much so much to my delight and surprise, the publisher approved me for an ARC of Last Woman Standing, which is coming out in a few short weeks. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dana Diaz is a very relatable narrator and character, and I give props to the writer for making her half Mexican and half Jewish, and not the skinny ideal for women in comedy. Dana has had bad things happen to her by men, so you think she would be more on guard and less trusting. I don't think she was a great or reliable judge of character. From the moment Jason was mentioned, I felt Dana had put him on a pedestal without realizing it. I didn't trust him right away. This book is very timely with the MeToo movement and it *should* feel satisfying to get some revenge on men who have wronged women. But it doesn't feel satisfactory for some reason. Some of the writing and "scene transitions" were a bit clunky but hopefully that will get cleaned up before publication. All in all, I do reccomend Last Woman Standing as a book to read either as a loan from the library or kindle unlimited if it is an option.

This novel was very thrilling and interesting. It was one of the timeliest books I’ve read this year; a big theme is women getting justice for their assaults or abuse by men, reminding me of the MeToo movement. The world of stand up comedy was interesting to read about and I applaud the author for choosing the main character to be a stand up comic; I haven’t read any thrillers or any books with this type of character. One of the more enjoyable books I’ve read in 2018. Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for review.

Last Woman Standing by author Amy Gentry is a fun, fast paced novel. It does not disappoint! I would absolutely recommend this book!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of Last Woman Standing in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

This Strangers on a Train style story took the Me Too movement and gave it a vigilante spin as two women seek vengeanceon the men that have hurt them. It was a quickly paced story that didn't always go as I expected it to, but note that it might be a bit triggering as there's a fair bit of detail and page space given to the experiences that Dana and the other women in her life have had with assault and harrassment.

This book is about two women who meet and decide to help each other get revenge on the men in their lives who have abused them. This fits perfectly with the #me too movement of today. I feel the book is well written but I didn't really connect with the characters. The many twists and turns keeps the story interesting and the ending was a surprise. I liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes mystery\thriller stories.
Thanks to Net Galley for this advance copy.

Last Woman Standing by Amy Gentry has so many twists and turns it will keep your head spinning until the very last page.

Donna Diaz is a stand-up comedian trying to break into a business which is mostly male dominated. Moving back to Texas after an unsuccessful run living in LA with her childhood friend Jason, another comic who is still in LA, Donna starts to begin stand-up again from scratch. After one of her shows she meets Amanda Dorn, a very sophisticated computer programmer. They begin to bond over their problems with men who dominate in their careers and how women are not taken as seriously. They start to relay stories of sexual harassment and abuse they have encountered while trying to reach success in their businesses.

Amanda comes up with an idea on how to get back at their harassers. At first hesitant, Donna agrees and what starts out as a way to get revenge and feel empowered turns into a sick game of betrayal, paranoia and blackmail.

This is a fast paces story which shows the struggles of women and the men who hold all their power. It is also very relevant in the Me Too movement which is going on. What would some women do to get revenge on men who have harmed them both physically and emotionally? As Dana gets drawn into Amanda's sick game she must use her wits to outsmart her. But is Amanda as crazy as she seems or just crazy like a fox?

Who will be the last woman standing?

Last Woman Standing comes out January 15. Thank you #NetGalley #Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the advanced copy.

*** Advance copy provided by NetGalley***

A bit of "Strangers on a Train" mixed in with the #MeToo movement but a lot more tech savvy. It is going to be really hard to review this without giving up any spoilers but I will do my best! I think this was written in a way that kept you questioning which perspective was the "right" one and how far we would go if pushed. The topic of #MeToo was incredibly timely and engaging. I think all women can recognize some of the conversations and retorts that men have when these topics come up. I think that results in a lot of rage so I found Dana's actions realistic. The one thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the "Betty" character. It felt like an excuse to use that character to perform some of the actions as if Dana could distance herself from it. It is probably all a matter of self justification. It could just be that the type of comedy that Betty performs makes me uncomfortable (and yes, I know that is the point, I just don't find it funny).

I haven't read any of Amy Gentry's other books but I look forward to them now!

This book was absolutely gripping. I can't wait to read the author's other titles. This is kind of a mystery/thriller with a stalker-y vibe. Longer review to come closer to pub date.

Last Woman Standing is a story about taking matters into your hands, getting revenge by any means necessary. I like that this was about women taking control, and learning to navigate what is right and wrong in terms of revenge. The plot was interesting, but the delivery was just not there. I wasn't completely invested in the main character and that made it hard for me to empathize and connect with her. While this book didn't thrill me, it did make me think, which I think is very important. As a woman, it made me question myself and what I would do if put in their shoes. I believe the themes presented in this book about feminism, empowerment, rape, and etc are significant, but not highlighted enough to keep the reader invested throughout. I applaud Amy Gentry for tackling a serious topic while also attempting to make it not appear heavy/weighed down, but something was lacking. Overall I liked the the story but didn't love it. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

While this book has a good message, it went in a direction I didn’t like. I found it hard to connect with the characters and, unfortunately, found the comedy routines unfunny. The suspense was lacking and the small twist was easy to figure out. I read this on an international flight and it didn’t hold my interest the way I had hoped it would. OK, but not one to write home about.

I read Amy Gentry's book Good as Gone and really liked it, so I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately this book fell flat for me. I just couldn't finish it. I never felt a connection to the main character Dana, plus her personality started changing after she meets Amanda... The stranger that wants to take revenge on men that have wronged them. It felt too much like women trying to make men pay for abusing and belittling women, which was annoying and self righteous in my opinion. Hopefully her next book will be better.