Cover Image: Last Girl Ghosted

Last Girl Ghosted

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Member Reviews

As someone who has been in the trenches of online dating, let me assure you-it's tough out there. You're meeting a stranger and although you are hopefully meeting in a public place, telling a friend where you are going, and going easy on the alcohol, there's still an element of danger lurking...

Wren finally gives in to her friend Jax's pleas to get online and creates a profile on online dating site "Torch." Soon a tall, dark, and brooding man Adam catches her eye. They begin a dizzying romance and Wren opens up to him about her past childhood trauma that continues to haunt her in the present day.

After this revelation, Adam disappears. His profile is deleted. His phone number is disconnected. He's completely vanished in thin air and Wren must grasp the notion that the man that she had been falling desperately in love with has ghosted her.

After some digging on her own, Wren realizes that Adam hasn't been honest with her about his name, his address, or his job. And when investigator Bailey Kirk contacts Wren with a connection between Adam and three women with Torch profiles that have gone missing, Wren must face the darkness in her past and try to resisit succumbing to Adam and all his darkness in her present.

The novel operates in dual timelines and essentially breaks off into two separate stories. The one focused on ghosting and the mysterious disappearance of the women who matched with Adam in the present is riveting. The second story dealing wtih Wren;s childhood trauma was less interesting to me and distracted from the thirller narrative that was unfolding.

Wren also makes some extremely questionable decisions about her personal life that left me mystified. I feel like Wren's actions were beneath her own intelligence, especially since she moonlights as "Dear Birdie," a popular advice columnist known for her sage wisdom-and has probably seen an episode or two of Dateline.

This was my first Lisa Unger book. I went into it with high hopes and was a bit disappointed. Some parts were good, but it was just not the great thriller I was seeking.

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This book started out SO strong. I loved the modern day twist on this story and I have always been fascinated by dating apps (I am grateful I was able to meet my husband in a traditional manner). I was very invested in the storyline for a goof 150 pages and then for some reason, I lost complete and total interest. I ADORE Lisa Unger's writing, but unfortunately this one just moved too slow for me. The ending did make up for a bit of the "slow burn," so that was a redeeming quality. Overall, not a terrible book, just not as fast paced as I was looking for.

Actual star rating: 3.5

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Wren has been through it all when it comes to dating and finding The One. When her best friend, Jax, signs her up for online dating site, Torch, Wren is skeptical but gives it a try. She meets Adam, brooding, handsome, confident, Adam and the connection is instant. One date turns into two and three and Wren finally feels she’s found a good thing. So when Adam stands her up for a date and subsequently ghosts her by deleting his Torch page and changing his phone number, Wren is baffled at what went wrong. When an investigation into other women connected to this “Adam” who have gone missing leads Wren to terrible discoveries, the search for who Adam really is intensifies and leaves Wren wondering if anything about their relationship was real.

Loved this one! I’m fairly new to the Lisa Unger world but I know a good thing when I see it. This one kept me interested and captivated. The twists and turns were delightful and I loved learning about Wren’s back story. All the pieces came together in the end and left me hungry for another Lisa Unger masterpiece.

Also, this is the first book I’ve read that touches on the virus and I found myself quite intrigued by it. The mentions were fleeting, along the lines of “I heard this virus is coming, will we be ready for it?” sort of thing and I found myself talking back to the book with a little laugh, like, “Not a chance.” 😆

Anyways, definitely recommend this one!

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I really enjoyed the premise of this book, although at times it did feel a little bit long winded with some parts that I could of done without. That being said it kept me turning pages, and in this era of social media of dating, definitely sent a chill down my spine. It’s a slower burn at parts but overall a really enjoyable thriller with a good ending.

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I've heard good things about this author and was very excited to read this story. The first part of the book had me hook, line and sinker! Then I got to the middle of the book and I felt like the story lost steam and it was pretty much a journey of Wren trying to come to grips with her childhood trauma. The last part of the book did pick of steam and held my attention, but I did feel some type of way about the ending. Overall, I would read another book by this author.

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Wren is a woman with a past. She is quite happy with her few friends and her job writing an advice column called "Dear Birdie". She is quite well off financially, but her best friend Jax thinks she needs to date. She convinces her to set up a profile on TORCH an app that is more for hookups than actual dating. Wren agrees and meets, Adam. He is everything she has always wanted in a man, funny, caring, loving, and she falls for him. When he fails to show up to meet her one night, she begins her own little investigation and finds out that he has disappeared and everything he told her appears to have been a lie. She has been ghosted. Why? Where is he now? She wants to find him and figure out what is going on. It leads her to her past, and a place she left with the intention of never returning.

I liked Wren. She was real, damaged, tragic, yet caring, loyal and smart. She meets Bailey Kirk, who is also tracking Adam. He is a PI who has been hired to find Mia Thorpe, the last hookup Adam had on Torch, who has disappeared without a trace. I am not going to say anything else about the plot. This is a story that can be confusing if you don't pay attention. Ivy's story switches between her past and present and fortunately, the chapters are titled so you know which time period you are in. Wren had a tough past and as you read, you learn who she was before she became Wren. She is in danger and makes mistakes along the way, but she was perseverant and wanted to get to the bottom of what Adam was going. There were some twists and one huge one that had me listening to this story long into the night. There was a certain amount of spooky atmospheric tension that added to that chilling feeling. Wren is the main narrator, but there are some chapters told from Bailey's POV. This caused a bit of repetition, but it was not enough to turn me off. The one thing that had me hooked is that these things do happen, fake identities, ghosting, stealing funds etc. If I were to classify this one, I would say it is a Domestic Drama/Psychological Thriller. If you enjoy Lisa Unger's writing, and I do, this is a dark, moody, twisty story that I enjoyed.

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Amazing. Wonderful. Awesome. I can not say enough great things about this book. I love the story line and the main character. I loved the back story of each of the taken and murdered girls. I love the thought provoking ideas of what not to do when meeting someone online.
Great story, fast paced, quick read.

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Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the early read!

Wren Greenwood meets Adam on a dating app. She hadn’t had much luck in the past, but Adam seems different. They are getting closer, spending more time together, and one night Wren tells Adam one of her secrets. The next day, Adam disappears. Ghosts her – accounts deleted, phone number disconnected. Then a private detective shows up at her door, asking questions. It seems that other girls have disappeared, all after meeting Adam online. It seems like a typical thriller set-up, but there is a twist. Wren has her own secrets. She is hiding from an infamous past (in fact she knows a thing or two about scrubbing yourself off the internet), she is still mourning the loss of her family, and she is hiding herself in a self-help column and podcast called Dear Birdie. Turns out that she is not Adam’s typical victim. He may have thought she was just like the other girls – vulnerable, rich, ready to leave the busy technical world behind - but she is very different. Her past, which she has tried so hard to forget, is coming back in unexpected ways and it is going to help her be the "last girl ghosted." If you have not read Lisa Unger before, I would recommend her. She wrote the unreliable narrator before Gillian Flynn made it a trend. If you like Flynn, or Paula Hawkins, Ruth Ware, Alice Feeney, then give Lisa Unger a try.

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Let me begin by saying that I am a longtime fan of Lisa Unger. Huge. I will pick up anything she writes, and I have loved all of her books to date.

With that said, I’m sorry to say that I just didn’t love Last Girl Ghosted. It started out so strong, and I was completely invested in Wren’s story. Why did Adam ghost her? What is going on?

However, about halfway through the story my interest dwindled. The action and suspense did pick up near the end, but I just couldn’t get on board with the turn the storytelling had taken.

A couple of points:

🌿The decisions Wren made were nonsensical, and it’s hard to imagine anyone with any amount of good sense would behave this way.

🌿The conclusion, in my opinion, was completely improbable and entirely trite – dare I say corny?

On a more positive note, I did enjoy the foreshadowing that hinted at the pandemic to come. It was eye-opening to look back on those pre-virus days and view our hopefulness/denial for what it was.

With all that said, this is only one reader’s opinion. I am most likely an outlier, but I do want to always be honest in my reviews. Although I can’t say I’d recommend this particular book, I do still wholeheartedly recommend Lisa Unger as an author, and I will be eagerly awaiting her next book. I’m still a huge fan.

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I really enjoyed this book. Lots of twists and turns, and a heroine who has a definite dark side. I enjoyed all the unique characters and the traumatic back story that doesn't fall into a lot of the popular tropes I've been seeing in books lately. Quite dark throughout, but with lots of good psychological elements that are analyzed with more complexity than lots of mystery/thrillers. Lisa Unger has delivered another winner.

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Lisa Unger is one of my favourite authors and Last Girl Ghosted is one of her best!
"Think Twice Before You Swipe"
For many years Wren attempts to overcome a horrific childhood trauma. With her life finally on track her best friend Jax insists she try online dating.
Attracted to his picture on screen, a date at a downtown bar, a quick hookup quickly becomes more. A powerful connection has then seeing each other every day for 3 months and then he ghosts her.
Not willing to let go of this perfect stranger Wren begins looking for answers and quickly discovers every aspect of his life has been deleted. She is contacted by a private investigator who is also looking for him and is told she is one among several women who have met him online, dated him and then they have gone missing.
What ensues is a fast paced, thrilling game of cat and mouse.
Last Girl Ghosted is an exceptional psychological thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin - Trade Publishing/Park Row for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

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I do like Lisa Unger, but I just couldn't get into Last Girl Ghosted. I enjoyed the premise , but did not like the use of the second person POV ("you" referring to Adam, who ghosts, Wren). I found it very distracting. I will recommend Unger, but just not this book

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This was not your typical online dating gone awry! When she meets him through an app and everything seems perfect only leading to the day when he suddenly disappears- this is a slippery cat and mouse game with the motivation laying in her past.

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I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down. This story of Wren who decided to join the dating world through an online app. She met Adam who she felt comfortable enough with to reveal some past secrets. Then he ghosted her. He disappeared without a trace. She finds out she is not the first one he has done this to. She is now trying to find out the truth in this dangerous game that is being played.

I liked the dual timelines lines because it allowed me to really learn about Wren’s last.

I did not expect the ending though….

Thank you to Harper Collins Canada for my advanced readers copy for my honest review.

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BOOK REVIEW: Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger

So many times in this story I found myself thinking of the numerous suspense movies I have watched when I would say to the character "why are you doing that?!"... I'm not sure the balance of making the risk decision between "yes or no" was met for me personally. But I did find it intriguing to read where that balance line was and why for these characters... ✨😎✨

T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books of 2021

Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Psychological Thriller | Online Dating
Time Period: Contemporary
Location: New York City | The Hollow (Upstate NY)

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Books, Lifestyle & Home Ideas for Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

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Man, the first third of this book was definitely a 5 star read for me, and then the plot began to drag a bit and become simultaneously underwhelming and unbelievable. The many different plot threads were confusing and underdeveloped, and the explanation of who Adam is and how he ties in with Wren felt... unnecessary? Lisa Unger is a fabulous author and I will always read her books, but this one was a miss for me.

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Wren Greenwood is persuaded by her best friend to sign up for a dating app. Wren has everything she needs but that special someone. When she meets Adam, the two of them form an instant connection. Everything is going perfectly until Adam vanishes and soon after, his online presence does as well. After a visit from a PI, Wren finds out that this isn't the first time Adam has done this, but the other girls he's done this too have also all vanished. Will Wren be the "last girl ghosted"?

I really enjoyed this book, though at times I confused a couple of the storylines. Unlike many other thrillers these days and their predictable plots, I had no idea which way this would go. I found the ending satisfying and really recommend this book for readers who are tired of cookie-cutter thrillers.

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What a thriller! I started last night and got to chapter 10 and then finished this evening.

First, this book solidified my distrust of dating apps. What happened to Wren is terrifying and all too common. This was much more than just a "dating app gone wrong" story. The plot was so deeply layered, so complex, the story bouncing from then to now, that it made me painfully aware of my own layers and the things I keep hidden. There were so many subtleties, so many nuances, that at times the storyline seemed almost philosophical. A spot-on portrayal of the best and worst of human nature.

I couldn't put this one down. Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me this ARC.

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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How could I not be intrigued? Think twice before you swipe? Yes, please. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint.

My thoughts:
This one went in a completely different direction than what I was thinking it would at the start - but I really enjoyed how the story played out. The story that Lisa unfolds is multi-faceted with so many layers, just like all the characters in this book (that you'll either love or hate!) I always enjoy when a book makes me really think about things philosophically, and this one did while also being entertaining and twisty. This book is a dark, disturbing mystery that'll be a perfect fall read with its October pub day. This one is about so much more than a dating app match gone wrong, and it will stay with me for quite some time.

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Last Girl Ghosted was a very strange read to me. I’m not quite sure where the author was wanting to go with it. I always enjoy Lisa Unger’s books but could not connect to this one.
So many things in the story were just confusing. The beginning started out so intriguing and then just fell flat.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

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