Opted to listen to the audiobook, via Borrowbox.

Details
Read by: Vivienne Leheny
Unabridged


The narrator
I don't have much thoughts on the voice acting. It was fine, sounded a bit weird on the speed I was listening to it on though.

The Story
Reading the synopsis had me excited all over again, especially as I recently watched The Tinder Swindler and was hoping for a really gripping thriller based on online dating.

This was quite a bit of fun. It was fast paced in some ways but there was lots of different layers, sometimes bordering (or completely subjecting to) over-complexity, which made it a grounded story that was relatable and believable to current day fears and experiences.

In saying this, I think the author was trying to keep current by having moments mentioning world problems such as the rise of covid, but if anything, it didn't serve much purpose and potentially dated it a little more than it needed to be. It was relevant and current enough to discuss the dangers of online dating/Internet safety and did well with these themes, but I think we should have stayed on topic because it did go overkill with the themes, some of which were not handled as well as others and just felt, once again, like things were just being thrown in to be relevant to today's readers.
Some themes and thoughts on how well they were processed are as follows:
-"dooms day" family - this was actually a fascinating concept and I wanted more of the "then" portions. It was reminiscent of the non fiction "Educated" by Tara Westover.
-Constant mention of "he's old, and pudgey (I'm very much paraphrasing here), it's something he would say being stuck in his time. It's not appropriate now but I smile and let it slide". - A few times was enough to have me thinking "yes, we love an aware mc", but after constant mentions it just felt too try hard to be a part of the woke culture. I think one mention and even a challenge would have been satisfying, but it was just constantly bought up and left... What was the point?
-Rewilding - I wanted more of this! The conversations, paired with some of the more life skills based ethos of the dooms day preparations, were something that I enjoyed learning about and think would have been great to explore more of.
-Bitcoin

I found some threads to be confusing... I think it's because I missed a few crucial points where I had a lapse in concentration (e.g. the initial reveal of Wren's history). Often it felt like they were lots of other stories smooshed into one and I was confused as to who was who when we got more in depth with the connections of the other women.

I don't understand why Wren was so hooked on this guy... Maybe she saw a lot of her family in him, but wouldn't that be a sign to maybe avoid him..?
The ending was not a favourite.
So, I had some problems with this one, but despite that, it was a sound thriller that I'd still recommend if you like the sound of it.

A twisty, immersive, compelling thriller that was a one-sitting, page turning read for me! Lisa Unger is brilliant.

I don’t even know what to think of this book. After my download didn’t work, I went out and bought this book because it sounded so good I wanted to get my hands on it.

It wasn’t at all what I thought it was going to be. The plot was very different than what I imagined. Maybe that’s on me.

It kept me interested enough, and wanting to read to finish it, but the overall plot was just okay. Not very twisty, quite predictable actually. Very long and drawn out. I found myself confused how there were so many chapters left over still.

Overall, a big meh, from me

Wren Greenwood, a journalist / podcaster, finds Adam through a dating site. She falls in love with him, but after a few months he disappears from her life, leaving Wren to assume she has been ghosted.

But then she discovers Adam might have something to do with the disappearance of several missing women.

Wren has to face her own dark past in her search for the truth.

A tense, well-crafted thriller and one that is timely in our digital age.

This is the second book I have read by Lisa Unger, having devoured Confessions on the 7:45 in one weekend. I'm now a firm fan!

Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

Wren has had a traumatic past but she has moved on to have a good life. Wren has wiped her past away in the online world, but Wren's past haunts her dreams and never really leaves her. Wren writes an advice column named Dear Birdie for people needing more than a Dear Abby, needing to write about darker problems; her life experiences allow her to be honest and understanding in her answers, maybe even harsh sometimes. Wren's best friend, Jax convonces to sign up for an online dating site, Torch and she has a few hookups but then meets Adam. he catches her attention and is everything that she is looking for. The time she spends with Adam has her falling for him, and she feels comfortable enough to tell him her secrets. The day after she confesses her horrible past to him, he vanishes with only a text that something came up and he has to leave. Wren is devastated.

The next thing Wren knows, a private detectrive, Bailey Kirk, is on her doorstep about a missing girl, one that is linked to a man who looks very much like Adam. Wren discovers through the PI that three women, all with troubled pasts have gone missing, along with all of their money and all had hooked up with "Adam" on Torch.

As Wren tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, she is contacted by an anonyous text, could it be Adam. should she follow the voice in her head and get help or should she follow her heart and go after Adam. Wren decides she needs to go home to the same town where her past became a tragedy, back to the Hollows.

This was a slow burner but one that had enough action to keep me interested. The character development was well done and the story had a satisfying ending. I like the way this author tells a story and I enjoyed this book over a stromy weekend,. Great read.

Wow, the beginning of this book hooked me in, but I found it hard to keep up with. I think the main reason for this was because we (the reader) we’re referred to as ‘you’ making us Adam, the man Wren has been ghosted by. It was a unique twist and element but I didn’t like it.

I enjoyed the flashbacks to the past and learning about Wren’s past. It was almost as interesting as the actual story! Unfortunately, the confusion was too much for me and it dampened my enjoyment of the story. However, I loved the authors writing so I would still love to check out their future works. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a chance to read and review this book.

I loved reading Last Girl Ghosted with its complex and absorbing plot. In a storyline that included some very dark themes including PTSD and guilt, I was mesmerised from start to finish. My first book by Lisa Unger, I was mightily impressed and I know I will be reading more from this talented author. A very worthy five-star novel.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was one of my last reads of 2021 - it was immensely enjoyable. Every woman can relate to this story: you meet an amazing guy, you go on a few dates and poof! He disappears.... only in this case, the "ghosted woman" just can't let go, and investigates why he left. I stayed up all night reading this book. It was a real page turner! Highly recommend.

I never received this book so I cannot review or comment. It sounded right up my street hence why I wanted to read. I wish I could've.

3 stars for enjoyment

Woman meets men in a dating app, they dive into it. Man, disappears without a trace, deletes his socials and woman starts to suspect, this isn’t the first time he has done it.

Chase ensues and woman isn’t sure if shes the prey or the predator.

Man, Lisa Unger kept me on the edge of my seat with that doubt. This was one of the craziest games of cat and mouse I have seen in a while - completely and utterly enjoyable in a very messed up and crazy way. Suspend your desbelief and fasten your seat belt because Last Girl Ghosted is a crazy ride you MUST embark on. I will definitely be seeking more Lisa Unger books. To say more is to risk spoiling the story,

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to HQ Digital, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Last Girl Ghosted.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Wow!! What a ride!! I just had to finish this and finally did at 2am. Couldn't put it down without knowing how it was going to end. Will definitely be checking out other books by this author!

As soon as I read the blurb for Last Girl Ghosted, I knew I needed to read it. I really enjoyed the first half and was hooked but found it went in a different direction and a bit downhill after that. The reveal also seemed pretty obvious. That being said, I think this will be an enjoyable read for most people and although it’s the first book I’ve read by Lisa Unger, I’m sure it won’t bey my last.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, I did not enjoy the writing style, but I kept going because I was curious about Adam, who was he? What he had done? Where are the girls?
Wren was determined to find out the truth.
Thanks to Netgalley for this book.

An incredible balance of predictability and surprise, Last Girl Ghosted lulled me into thinking I knew what would happen next, only to be blindsided. It happened so many times, and I fell a little more in love with this book and its ability to misdirect and surprise each time.

There were some critical insights into privacy, identity, and the internet. Most of us are so used to social media as a constant presence we forget that it can be used against us. Not only can others access our information, but the image they present can be false or misleading.

There are a few small reasons why this wasn't five stars for me, but the biggest factor is the annoying "I need to prove myself by putting myself in harm's way" trope. It's a fucking dangerous precedent that only works in books (and tv/movies), and if this were a true story, Wren would have died in a million different ways (as would several others in this book). The "I'm a strong, independent woman who can take care of herself" commentary did get a little preachy at times, but the rest of the story made up for it. I am always here for a strong female protagonist, but I'd rather this strength developed through actions, not buzzwords and speeches. Finally, a few too many coincidences betrayed an otherwise well-planned and well-written narrative.

I enjoyed how Last Girl Ghosted was written, with the past and present-day storylines adding different perspectives to the same story. The past was heartbreaking, with a heavy, looming sense of doom and fear. As more time passed, it only got darker and more terrible, and the present timeline seemed to follow suit by becoming more thrilling. It felt like Wren was playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with everyone in her life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Last Girl Ghosted and would highly recommend it as one of my favourite 2021 thrillers.

Wren met Adam through online dating, and according to her friends, she had this relationship with Adam way too fast. After Wren told Adam her deepest secret that she never told anyone, Adam just gone - ghosted her.
💞📱
Bailey, a private investigator, approached Wren about a missing girl, Mia Thorpe. But it's not just Mia Thorpe, four women met this Adam through online dating, and all these women disappeared, walked away from their family, their lives, and all their money was gone goo.
💞📱
What's Adam agenda? What's connection of all these missing women to Wren? What's Wren deepest past secret?
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

LAST GIRL GHOSTED is a dark mystery/thriller by international bestseller author Lisa Unger. It is a dark and disturbing story of secrets, obsession, betrayal, and vengeance. This exciting thriller about an online dating match turned deadly cat-and-mouse game, from the New York Times bestselling author of Confessions on the 7:45. This novel will keep you guessing in order to know what was going to happen next.

Wren Greenwood a successful columnist and blogger, but a loner with a secret past, is convinced by her best friend to sign up for an online dating app and see who she can meet. When she does, she finds an intriguing picture of a guy named Adam; they meet at a downtown bar, and for the first time in her life, there was a powerful connection with a perfect stranger and Wren thinks she's in love. She had fallen for him hard.

Wren and Adam are happy but soon after, at their most recent arranged meeting, he stood her up! He didn’t answer any calls or texts His phone had been disconnected and all his online profiles were gone. She had been ghosted!

What had she done wrong? Maybe it was her fault. She shared too much, too fast. But she soon learns that she is not the first girl that Adam did this to. Wren is visited by a private detective Bailey Kirk; representing the father of another young woman who went missing after hooking up with a guy online who looks just like Adam. Or, when a couple of other women met up with him turn out to be missing as well.

Now she wanted answers. She had to find him! Chasing a digital trail into his dark past—and hers—she finds herself on a dangerous hunt. And she's not sure whether she's the predator—or the prey.

Now what follows is a fast paced, thrilling game of cat and mouse.

Most of the story is told by Wren POV and sometimes Bailey; with flashbacks to scenes from Wren's frantic childhood.

Last Girl Ghosted is a well-written fast-paced mystery/thriller with well-developed characters and a believable, twisty plot leading up to an unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for my digital copy.

⭐️4.5 Stars⭐️
Wow Lisa Unger writes a hell of a story with Last Girl Ghosted, she certainly has a way with words and knows exactly how to form deeply layered characters. Cleverly crafted, this story is so much darker than I could have imagined it would be.

Our protagonist Wren Greenwood is a successful advice column writer with her pseudonym ‘Dear Birdie’. Wren is damaged from an unimaginable and tragic childhood and is still healing. Her best friend Jax thinks Wren should date around a little and creates a profile on the online dating App Torch for her. Wren soon meets Adam and feels a powerful connection to him. Their relationship grows fast and when Wren confesses her past to Adam she finds herself ghosted with all digital traces of him gone.

Something feels off and Wren will not let it go and tries to find Adam. The plot now takes a completely different direction and I found it utterly absorbing and unputdownable..…..

Last Girl Ghosted is dark, gritty and disturbing on so many levels. There are also references to a virus sweeping through China then Europe, bushfires in Australia and a theme of missing women, PTSD and abuse in the story.

I will now pick up anything Lisa Unger releases, love her writing. A gripping, utterly suspenseful and dark psychological thriller.

Lisa Unger is the queen of plot and pace.

This novel is lightning quick, with realistic characters and fully immersive plot.

Wren is on a dating app when she meets Adam. He seems great and then completely disappears. You’ll want more!

Wren meets Adam through a dating app and the pair immediately hit it off; there are no red flags until he disappears quite literally from both social media and her life. Wren has no idea why or where Adam has gone but when a private investigator comes knocking all may not appear to be as it seems; has she had a lucky escape or is there more to this story?

This was a fast paced thriller with many layers; Wren and Adam's relationship and the mystery surrounding that as well as Wren's past that was slowly revealed was completely gripping. I haven't been disappointed by a Lisa Unger book yet and Last Girl Ghosted was no exception; a must read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

Once again, Lisa Unger didn’t disappoint. Her latest novel is dark, chilling, and twisty and featuring complex and multi-layered characters. It is the story of a young woman who falls in love only to discover that he is not the man she thought he was, and he’s been keeping secrets from her. As she tries to discover the truth, she finds out that the past that she’s been keeping hidden is catching up with her. While I enjoyed reading this novel, it is not my favourite from this author, mostly because I couldn’t really like or connect with the protagonist. However, the story is still gripping and disturbing, full of suspense and tension that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.