Bestselling author Lisa Unger has done it again in her novel Last Girl Ghosted. Wren has met Adam on a popular dating app and there seems to be chemistry between them both. Things are going well; Wren is sure she is in love, and is sure that Adam feels the same way. However after a short time dating, Adam stands her up. She discovers that his profile has disappeared from the dating app, as well as all social media. Wren is not only devastated, she is one who doesn’t let things go and starts to investigate. Apparently this has happened with Adam before, and there are three girls who went through the same scenario. Those girls have disappeared. Wren is determined to find out what is going on.

Unger is a veteran storyteller, and knows how to guide an audience to being hooked on a novel and stuck on the edges of their seats. She knows how to hook readers, and this novel is no exception. Wren’s and Adam’s characters are well-developed and believable as real people, as are the supporting characters. The story flows and is good enough to keep readers up at night.

Fans of Lisa Unger will want to pick up this novel immediately. Thriller aficionados who aren’t familiar with Unger will find that they have a new, favorite author to seek out. All told, this is an excellent novel for anyone who likes mysteries and thrillers. Excellent Choice.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Lisa Unger has done it again! Last Girl Ghosted is a thrilling, fast-paced game of cat and mouse. Readers will be on the edge of their seats when reading this story about a girl finding a guy on a dating app, having a perfect date only for him to disappear entirely. What happens when a girl gets ghosted? When a PI shows up at her door with questions about the perfect guy, she realizes she might have been the prey. Filled with twists, turns, and plenty of suspense! Highly recommended!

Wren Greenwood went on a couple dates with Adam, a guy she met on a dating app, and she thought they really hit it off…. Until he ghosted her. She thought it was all her fault until she meets a detective who thinks there have been women’s disappearances linked to the same guy that ghosted her. So maybe she got lucky?

The start of the book was really strong and I think this premise had so much potential; unfortunately, the book ended up falling flat for me. I didn’t love the chapters from the past and the choices that Wren makes were a little unbelievable. I like the bond that Wren and the detective make. And I also really love Wren’s title as ‘Dear Birdie’, a column and podcast dedicated to helping people. I’ve seen very mixed reviews - so although this one wasn’t for me maybe you will enjoy it!

I made the mistake of reading others' reviews on GoodReads right before I started reading this book, read the first couple of chapters, realized the plot, and then couldn't continue. Quit reading.

I don’t think their is a single book of Lisa’s I don’t love. She’s amazing and this book was a wonderful five for me. So incredibly well written and it kept me interested from page one to page 400. This may be one of my two new favorites of her books next to In my blood.

Lisa Unger never does disappoint. A definite sit on the edge of your seat novel, biting your nails wondering what the heck is going to happen next.
Characters so vivid and real, I had them placed right into my own town, and visiting the Hollows brings the whole family into it. Bravo!!!
Thank you NetGalley and Park Row Publishers for this wonderful opportunity of an advanced reading!

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for this advanced copy in an exchange for an honest review. Lisa Unger's thriller starts off with main character Wren. She has a busy life as an advice columnist, podcast host and now navigating the dating world thanks to her friend Jax encouragement. After matching with Adam, Wren thinks she has found the one. After three months of dating, she has fallen head over heels. But one night Adam doesn't show up for their planned date. Wren is devastated. She had recently told him a deep secret that she has shared with no one in her adult life. Wondering if that was what drove him away, Wren starts digging into why Adam ghosted her. She uncovers much more than she bargained for. This book started off with promise, but took a huge nose dive. Wren's character made so many infuriating choices that made no sense. There was also a Covid storyline introduced that was dropped by the end of the story. I kept on till the end because I needed to know how things turned out, but would not pick this up for a reread.

Wren went on the dating app at the insistence of her best friend, Jax. As a famous advice columnist, she has assisted all kinds of women who have struck out on dating sites. Wren never thought that she would make a connection. And then she met Adam Harper. Adam seems to be perfect. He is intelligent, in-tune with her emotions, and incredibly handsome. But just when she is feeling that this could be the real deal he stands her up. His phone is disconnected, his profiles are deleted, and he is just gone. Then a private investigator shows up at Wren's door. A young woman has gone missing. And she had just been dating somebody she met on the same dating app. And he looks just like Adam Harper. Wren is hurt and confused, but determined to get to the bottom of it. But then she discovers that one of the girls missing is from the area where she grew up and realizes that there is more to this story than anybody knows. Will Wren get the answers she is seeking? Will she ever find Adam Harper and the missing girl?

Last Girl Ghosted takes every fear I have had as an adult and wraps it into one fast-paced thriller. There is the fear of being alone, the fear of losing somebody you love, the fear of getting ghosted, and the fear of dating a psychopath. Oh - and all on the verge of a global pandemic. Then you throw in Wren's past of growing up with a doomsday prepper. Well, it was a perfect storm! I will say that more than once Wren irritated me because she was making stupid decisions. You know how you yell at the girl in high-heels for running upstairs when she is being chased? Yeah, that is the feeling I got with Wren. The story escalated in a way that was a little bit terrifying but worked out in the end. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS


Bottom Line - I always look forward to Lisa Unger's novels. They are fast-paced and relevant. Last Girl Ghosted is no different.

Details:
Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger
On Instagram
Pages: 400
Publisher: Park Row
Publication Date: October 5, 2021
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for a review.

When Wren’s best friend Jax decides to sign her up for an online dating service on the new app, Torch, she is a bit apprehensive, but ultimately agrees. After several misfires, she meets Adam. He seems perfect and she falls for him quickly. Soon Wren finds herself sharing secrets that she hasn’t shared with anyone else, secrets that could unravel her life. Then, Adam disappears without a trace (ghosted!). Soon after, Wren is contacted by a private investigator and informed that Adam has ghosted other women and they have gone missing.

I was hoping for a cat & mouse type game but felt the book was a bit overstuffed with unnecessary subplots. The book gets really slow about halfway through. I also did not care for the second-person narration.

“I know what it is to love darkness, to love the pain someone can cause you, to crave the person you see beneath the ugly. It’s a familiar feeling, a home I have chosen.”

Think twice before you swipe. She met him through a dating app. She fell for him. Hard. But then he disappears. She has been ghosted. Soon she learns that there were others, though. Other women…that are now missing.

“Date around a little…This is the way of it. Swipe left. Swipe right. The pool is big and shallow; if reality doesn’t measure up to socials (and when does it?)—block, unfriend, delete, move on.” The way of the world 🤦🏼‍♀️.

This book was so surprisingly good! I wasn’t sure going in that I would love it because I thought it was just about a girl being ghosted. But it was so much more than that! It was a very fast paced mystery/thriller with a cleverly woven plot. Ya ya there’s a tiny touch of covid (ugh) but overall I flew through this one.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Unger is a favorite. Anything she writes is going to be read by customers and myself! She always keeps us in suspense!

Adult Realistic Fiction. Dear Birdie advice columnist responds beautifully to her audience's problems, but she has challenges in her own life that definitely need addressed. So when virtually faced with the perfect guy, Adam, and, then ghosted, Wren begins a personal investigation to literally find herself. A bit over-the-top for my taste and a slow build but some readers may be interested in the complexities of the protagonist's life.

💭💭My Thoughts:
⭐️⭐️2/5

I was so excited for this one, but unfortunately it was a big DNF for me. I wanted to finish it, but got about half way through and ended up GHOSTING it (you see what I did there?!)

The beginning was okay and kept my interest enough to continue listening, but after about the first 20% I struggled, and ultimately DNF.

The main character, Wren, drove me crazy! Like she is the most annoying character I have come across in a book and seems so self absorbed, self centered, a bad decision maker as well as hopelessly naive.

The narrator did a good job with this audiobook, but that was about all that was good for me. The storyline had a lot of plot holes, the pace was slow, & this is another one that mentions COVID throughout.

Anyway, This was probably my least favorite of 2021 because it is the only one I DNF-ever!

My advice is to just do yourself a favor and skip this one. Two stars given because the narrator was good and the synopsis seemed intriguing.

Wren is a self-sufficient writer in New York who has fallen for a mysterious man she met online. After he disappears, she is unwilling to accept that she has been ghosted and when a private investigator appears at her front door with allegations about Adam, she is determined to find him or clear his name or both.

Wren has a dark past in a small town in upstate New York and Adam's trail leads her back to what is left of her childhood home, where she has to confront everything she has tried so hard to leave behind before she can solve the mystery of Adam's even darker violent past.

This is a fast-paced read, marred somewhat by the absurd chances Wren takes with her safety and the sheer improbability of the plot. However, it was a great way to occupy myself on a plane trip!

With the popularity of dating apps, this book seems extremely applicable. Woman meets man through dating app, they have an immediate connection, she falls in love, he disappears... I can absolutely see this happening.

Somewhere between catfishing and jilted lover, when Adam disappears, Wren wants answers. Unfortunately, she only finds herself with more questions and not too many answers. It's the perfect set up for a thriller plot.

I loved the psychologically thrilling storyline, the speed of the book, and the characters. I felt there was plenty going on to keep me entertained and demanding my own answers.

Thank you for allowing me to read this one.

Lisa Unger is one of the most loved author. This books speaks to online dating and how it can be dangerous.
A serious relationship leads to a missing person who is not what he appears to be. Twists and turns make this an excellent read.

I really enjoyed this story about Wren Greenwood! As someone who has used online dating in the past, I found this story extremely creepy and relatable! I would definitely recommend.

This was a good story. I had most of it figured out but it kept me interested. Some lines felt repetitive.

This one was a DNF for me - I couldn’t get into it. I plan to circle back to it, as I’m hopeful that it was just a case of bad timing.

Wren Greenwood, a successful advice columnist, finds herself a victim of a too common 21st century ploy: the Romance Scam. Lisa Unger introduces the lonely, lovelorn Wren in her latest: Last Girl Ghosted. Although she is capable of dispensing insightful counsel, she feels hypocritical and burdened by taking on the despair of her readers. At her best friend’s urging, she joins a dating app in hope of filling a void in her life with a relationship. Wren is particularly drawn to one profile-the owner of a security company who quotes Rilke. It seems that they are perfectly suited to each other, and Wren quickly finds herself in a romantic whirlwind. She feels safe enough with this man to share some of her closely held secrets about her traumatic childhood. When her paramour disappears without a trace, Wren devotes herself to trying track him down. She learns along the way that the man’s motives were not what she had thought. Wren is tracked down and questioned by Bailey, a private investigator who has been hired for a related case. Their attraction begins to grow as they search for answers together. Wren is conflicted because she still has feelings for the missing stranger, despite his alleged actions. When the search brings Wren and Bailey back to her hometown, she is surrounded by memories of her horrific past. It is difficult for the reader to cheer for Wren when she keeps making bad choices and sabotaging her own efforts. Last Girl Ghosted is a perfect example of a genre blend of Romance/Suspense that unfortunately fails to achieve credible balance. The romantic plot becomes more of a diversion that is both cringe-worthy and trite. Unfortunately, Last Girl Ghosted is a novel with too much romantic foolishness and too little genuine thrills.
Thanks to the author, Park Row and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.