I really enjoyed this book. It was both funny and very scary. It’s about a stand up comic who develops a new character with a totally different personality. White an unusual book but also very exciting! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of Last Woman Standing.

I liked Good as Gone so I was interested to read Last Woman Standing. It had a plot similar to the thrilling classic Strangers on a Train with modern touches, which I am all for.

Unfortunately, the novel lacked the inherent creepiness and suspensefulness of the film.

What I did like:

A woman of color named Dana Diaz trying to make it in the cutthroat business of stand-up comedy. She's tough, sassy and determined to achieve success despite the obstacles in her way; crude and crass jokes about her voluptuous body, her tiny stature, the fact that she's, you know, a WOMAN.

I liked the author's acknowledgement of the #MeToo movement in the story; the inherent difficulties all women face, not just in the entertainment or IT industry but in all walks of life, in all industries, even from partners and lovers.

I especially liked how modern technology, social media, and advances in modern technology have given rise to all dangerous methods of bullying and violence, in the form of scum hiding behind their computer screens. There is truly no escaping the vitriol and hate spewed at women (and men) in all kinds of ways.

What I did not like:

I dislike comedy. I barely watch sit-coms and comedic movies and I hate hate HATE stand-up. It reminds me of when I was in college and the reps from comedy clubs would go around colleges trying to sell $5 tickets to us poor undergrads so they could fill seats. I had better things to do with my 5 bucks but that's just me.

I didn't really like Dana. There was something...passive about her. She spends a lot of time talking about how much she liked Jason and how much she missed him and how their relationship was over and she couldn't go back to see him.

I get it; Jason is her BFF, they've been friends for a LONG TIME. They have history. I'm not belittling their friendship. But her constant reminiscences became repetitive and she sounded incredibly dependent on him for...well, everything. Emotional support, for friendship, for creativity.

It's ironic that Dana describes herself as a woman with few, if any, female friends and has difficulty maintaining them in a story about abusive men and how they try to take away our voices, yet Dana is a stand-up comedian who puts herself out onstage with bravery and stamina yet can't stop talking about Jason?

Am I terrible for saying that I preferred Amanda? Well, I did. I don't condone violence but I could understand and empathize with her anger, her aggression, her need to lash out and take vengeance. Sometimes, we feel so powerless, vulnerable and lost that anger is a preferable way to emote than shame and embarrassment.

The plot quickly became complicated with the inclusion of Jason, Dana's BFF, writing partner and not so secret crush. There is a twist I saw coming, mostly because I read so many thrillers and mysteries my educated guesses are right 99% of the time.

I would have preferred if the plot remained around Dana and Amanda instead of pulling a man, once again, into the story.

There was potential in Amanda and Dana's "friendship," their relationship could have been developed such as how they could have enabled one another, or Dana slowly coming to her senses (or not) about what she was doing, or pulling others into their Lady Vengeance act.

There was a serious lack of suspense, though there are shocking acts of violence and not just against the women. There were no gasps of shock as revelations are revealed or eyes widening as clues are found.

Everyone gets their comeuppance in the end but I felt female empowerment could have been seriously strengthened, if not improved upon, if the focus was on Dana and Amanda.

I was such a huge fan of Good as Gone, so I was very excited to get to read this ARC of Amy Gentry's new book! I really love her writing style.

As a hispanic woman trying to make it in the stand-up comedy scene, Dana has experienced the typical Los Angeles sexual harassment from men that are higher up than her. When she meets Amanda, a mysterious woman who seems down on her luck after getting fired from her job at a popular app company, their friendship quickly escalates into developing a hit list of the men who have harmed them. Unbeknownst to Dana, one of Amanda's names is Dana's lifelong best friend and ex-writing partner, Jason. While Dana tries to flee Amanda and the things they've done together, the story gets more twisted and dark. I did not see the ending coming!

I feel like this would be a fun beach read, and it's very fitting for the current #MeToo climate.

This book started off good. Amy Gentry writes very smoothly and I felt the story line flowed right away , I liked Dana Diaz, the main character who is a short, Latina comic trying to make it in Austin, TX. She is having a hard time on stage one evening and connects with the one woman, Amanda, who seemed to really like her jokes from deep within the audience. The story takes off from there with the women (mostly Amanda) plotting to destroy men from their past that had hurt them-physically and/or mentally. There were some twists and turns in the book but I feel like some other reviewers that Dana's personality changed a lot the last 1/3 of the book or so. There were some very unbelievable situations and the ending just left me feeling a little unsatisfied. However, I still would recommend the book. 3 and 1/2 stars rounded up because the writing was better then the way the story ended.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

Thoroughly enjoyed this thriller. It was a very different premise from any of the hundreds of thrillers that I've previously read and you really got to know the characters. Well done.

Wow - very creepy and not what I was expecting, but in a good way! The characters were well defined, and the twist in the middle was totally unexpected!

I finished this book in the middle of the night because I was so curious about how it would end. I am not entirely sure how I feel about this story. I enjoyed most of it but parts just dragged on and on. I struggled with the last....maybe 15% of the book because to me it just seemed like Dana became a total different person. This is one of the hardest reviews I have ever written and it's honestly hard for me to explain why. I did like the book but there are just things that really bothered me about it. I would recommend the book but clearly it's a very triggering story for victims of assault and rape so it could definitely definitely be a struggle for some.

Thanks to author/publisher for ARC of the book.

The book was not quite not what i imagined it to be. It was much better. I had picked it up thinking it was going to be light right considering the main character is a stand up comedian. However it brings to light a major issue which is gaining momentum world wide.

The twist at the end where Dana discovers truth was quite the unexpected twist. Really liked the book and plan to go back and read the other title by the author

The title was very clever:as a stand-up comic and as a woman in Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train” type story,it was fascinating! You hear more about rape and abuse now.I realize that this is an important issue;but now people come out of the woodwork.After thirty years,they come forward.It is not fair for the victim,but just the accusation is enough to ruin the accused’s life-even if he or she is not guilty.The book is well-written and thought out.It was very interesting,and the characters felt real!I plan to read her last book and I would recommend this one.

This book is totally different from what I was expecting. I liked it, but not as much as I was hoping to...it’s well written with a good cast of characters, but it was slightly confusing for me at times. Overall though, I enjoyed it and I’ll definitely read more by this author.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! It was definitely a book that kept you thinking! I would definitely recommend this book to fellow readers. Thank you!

In the year of time's up and me too, Gentry is pulling no punches and I love it.

A quick read and interesting premise.

Dark and convoluted with a main character that was hard to feel sympathy for. A retelling of Strangers on a Train with today's technology playing a prominent role.

This novel is not just a riveting, darkly humorous thriller, but a viscerally honest look into the misogyny baked into every layer of our society. Even if you're not interested in the cultural commentary, you will also find yourself laughing out loud, staying up past your bedtime to see what happens next, and forcing yourself to slow down to savor the book as it races to a surprising and subversive conclusion.

I have never read a novel that illuminates the dark corners of female rage as precisely and candidly as this amazing thriller. The author explores every point on the harassment spectrum--from the "can't you take a joke" variety, to the casual grope, to rape, and honors the unique trauma and emotional experience stemming from each type of encounter. As someone who has been assaulted and still castigates herself for freezing instead of fleeing, seeing an explanation for why we default to this behavior was exceptionally validating and healing. You will find yourself underlining passages because finally, someone put words to the amorphous feeling of rage and defeat a lot of us feel in the face of this culture's treatment of women.

I was fascinated by the author's exploration of the unique struggles of the standup grind for women. As a fan of standup, all of the experiences she describes rings true with articles I've read from comics and journalists, and she's able to add an even deeper emotional intensity to the exhausting experiences women face. What's incredible to me is that our main character comes to a similar revelation that we just recently saw real-life comic Hannah Gadsby share with us in her Netflix special Nanette, which I think speaks to the universality of this experience. It's incredible to a see a novelist and a real-life stand up have such independently profound revelations that dovetail together in describing the fear and pain women deal with on a daily basis, but also the ferocious strength we have to face a world hell bent on keeping us down.

I hope I don't do this novel an injustice by focusing on the political aspects in this review; those just were personally very salient to me and her mastery in elucidating it is unique to a lot of contemporary fiction. This is a first class psychological thriller that features perfect plot pacing, characters who are unique and intriguing, and a fantastic conclusion.

*This novel was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Dana Diaz is a stand-up comedian, fighting it out for fame in a tough, competitive market. The author stresses that comedy is traditionally a man’s world, and Dana is a small, Latina woman trying to make it big. She definitely had it rough in Los Angeles, where she was harassed and assaulted, so she returns to Austin where things are a bit calmer. There she meets Amanda, a computer programmer, by chance at one of her shows (or so we are lead to believe…). From then on, the story gets crazy. I really liked this book, up until the very end, where I thought it began to drag a bit. This book is filled with twists and turns and surprises I didn’t see coming. It might not be my favorite recently read book, but definitely worth reading if you like to be kept guessing.

Great characters, fast paced story and a nice unexpected twist. I read this in about a day and a half. Couldn't put it down.

Dana Diaz is competing for the Best Comic in Austin but she feels like she is bombing. No one is laughing at her jokes, until one woman begins laughing. She is appreciative that the woman is "saving" her and they meet at the bar after her set. Amanda begins telling Dana about an abusive relationship she was in and because Dana had a similar experience with a man, they quickly bond and become friends. They decide that they want to exact revenge on these men, which is where is goes sideways.
In the midst of the #metoo movement and all things Harvey Weinstein (one of the characters reminded me of him) this is a timely novel that addresses some tough topics. Lots of triggers here for assault and/or rape.
I did enjoy the story up until the last 10% or so. I wasn't real sure how the story resolved itself, but maybe this will be made clearer with editing as I read an advanced copy. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was so excited for this book. But it just drags - sadly. the premise is great, but the characters are flat and one dimensional. it's very slow to start and hard to keep interested in as the main character rehashes things in her head over and over with little dialogue.

Last Woman Standing is a twisted, twisty tale set in the world of stand‑up comedy. (Aside: being an author can be tough at times, but boy I'm glad I never aspired to be a comedian!) Dana Diaz is doing it tough when she meets Amanda Dorn, a friendly face in an unfriendly crowd, drawing confidences about sexual harassment in their respective male-dominated work worlds. Amanda's plan to each go after the other’s assailants spirals until it's hard to know who Dana should be more afraid of and how she can get out of this dangerous mess. Likened to Patricia Highsmith's classic Strangers on a Train, Last Woman Standing is clearly of the #metoo era. I enjoyed the read.

I don't know. This book was a bit too much for me. I do think it had a great premise and agree with other reviewers inre Strangers on a Train, but I had a hard time getting into it. I didn't really like either of the "main characters" and all the intersecting circumstances were almost too easy, too pat. It did keep me guessing and I was interested enough to see where it all was going to go, but in this day where there are bazillions of "twisty" domestic thrillers or those of its ilk, this was not my favorite. I enjoyed Gentry's first book and this one was good enough that I would continue to pick her books when they become available.