Another smash hit from powerhouse, Mindy McGinnis. A solid follow up to her Poe-inspired series. The Last Laugh takes what was started in the Initial Insult and just takes it to the next level in all the best ways.

"The Last Laugh" by Mindy McGinnis is a poignant and thought-provoking novel that tackles complex themes with sensitivity and depth. McGinnis, known for her powerful storytelling and rich character development, delivers a story that is both heart-wrenching and uplifting, leaving a lasting impact on readers long after they've turned the final page.

One of the most compelling aspects of "The Last Laugh" is McGinnis's ability to create authentic and relatable characters. From the protagonist grappling with grief to the supporting cast navigating their own challenges, each character is brought to life with nuance and empathy. Readers will find themselves drawn into their lives, rooting for their triumphs and empathizing with their struggles.

McGinnis's writing style is both lyrical and evocative, painting vivid portraits of the characters and the world they inhabit. Her prose is filled with raw emotion and keen insight, capturing the complexity of human relationships and the power of resilience in the face of adversity. Whether she's exploring themes of loss, friendship, or the search for meaning, McGinnis's writing is sure to resonate with readers on a deeply personal level.

Moreover, "The Last Laugh" is not just a story about grief—it's also a testament to the healing power of laughter and the importance of finding joy in life's darkest moments. McGinnis skillfully balances moments of humor and levity with moments of profound emotion, creating a narrative that is as uplifting as it is heartbreaking. The result is a story that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the beauty of human connection.

The plot of "The Last Laugh" is engaging and well-paced, with twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the very end. McGinnis expertly weaves together multiple storylines, each one adding depth and richness to the overall narrative. The result is a novel that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining, leaving readers eager to see how it all unfolds.

In conclusion, "The Last Laugh" by Mindy McGinnis is a powerful and moving novel that will resonate with readers of all ages. With its compelling characters, lyrical prose, and heartfelt exploration of grief and healing, it's a book that is sure to leave a lasting impression. McGinnis has once again proven herself to be a master storyteller, and "The Last Laugh" is a testament to her talent and skill.

Buckle up, fellow fan, because "The Last Laugh" by Mindy McGinnis is an absolute triumph, capping off the duology that began with "The Initial Insult." As a devoted follower of McGinnis, I had high expectations, and she not only met them but blew them out of the water.

Drawing inspiration from the master of macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, McGinnis weaves a tapestry of suspense and intrigue that is simply irresistible. The intricate plot threads from the first book are expertly woven together, creating a seamless and satisfying conclusion. The nods to Poe's works are a delight for literary enthusiasts, adding an extra layer of richness to the narrative.

The characters- OH. MY. GOODNESS, the characters! McGinnis has a gift for creating individuals like Tress Montor. Tress will not be stopped; she will get to the truth no matter what it takes. "The Last Laugh" is both heart-wrenching and empowering. The psychological depth she brings to each character is commendable, making their experiences all the more poignant.

This duology is a masterclass in storytelling, blending mystery, psychological thrills, and a touch of the supernatural. If you're a fan of Poe or McGinnis or just enjoy a riveting tale that keeps you guessing until the final page, "The Last Laugh" is an absolute must-read. It's a fitting conclusion to a stellar duology, leaving you haunted and satisfied in the best possible way.

Bravo, Mindy McGinnis, bravo!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collin's Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books, and Mindy McGinnis for the opportunity to read The Last Laugh in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Laugh is the concluding novel to The Initial Insult duology, a series full of vibes and references to the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Picking up shortly where the first book left off, Tress finds herself in a bind. A pather troubles the local population, and Tress obtains a major injury, but also gains an eerie connection, from the panther. She also falls deeper into her own madness as her murder of Felicity starts to haunt her.

Enter Ribbit Usher, a joke of a guy, but also determined to find out what happened to Felicity. As he starts piecing clues together, he gains a lead he wasn't expecting.

With the mystery behind her parents death, a new feline friend, and the haunting of the murder she committed, Tress learns a great deal about her past, present, and self. 

An intriguing conclusion that I might have enjoyed even more than the first installment! Duologies are excellent for their concise and direct plotlines, and this is the perfect (and totally hilarious but also serious and unexpected ending) to a spooky fun gothic-style series. Perfect for a young adult audience and lovers of Poe's works and mysteries with a twist.

Brilliant, absolutely haunting, a book my staff and teens can't stop talking about.

This is a really satisfying conclusion to the duology, and somehow gets so much darker and weirder than The Initial Insult.

This was an absolute wild ride of a book. Definitely a lot of graphic descriptions. It picked up right where the last book left off and the rollercoaster kept going from there. I did get a little bored during Ribbit's chapters, I didn't see the craziness coming with her parents' rather interesting lives. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

This is the sequel to The Initial Insult. This one is even darker and wraps up the duology perfectly! Highly recommend both.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

McGinnis knows how to write a thrilling mystery. Do yourself a favor pick this book and the first one up. Clear your schedule for a weekend and read them both. You will not regret it.

4.5 out of 5 stars

I have been waiting very impatiently for this sequel ever since I read the ARC of The Initial Insult. The cliffhanger from the first in the series had me dying to read the sequel as soon as I could get my hands on it! It did not disappoint! McGinnis has no qualms about having her characters get dirty in this gritty sequel. I loved reading the perspective of the orangutan instead of the cat this time. This messy story left me breathless even at the last word on the page. McGinnis's dark tale begs to be binged!

https://www.tiktok.com/@bettysbooklist/video/7100353377082576170?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis.
The Last Laugh is a sequel to The Initial Insult, a duology by Mindy McGinnis. This book is fast-paced, descriptive, and raw; all things Mindy McGinnis! This is a book that is perfect for YA horror readers and fans of Edgar Allen Poe.

Mindy McGinnis is just an incredible writer through and through. In this sequel to The Initial Insult, the story is even darker and concludes in a remarkable way. I truly cannot recommend this duology enough! If you haven't started it yet, this is your sign. Highly recommended!

Mindy McGinnis is an auto-buy for me, and I’ve been anxiously looking forward to this one ever since I read “The Initial Insult,” the first in this duology. My expectations were VERY high—and they were completely exceeded. No one does gritty, visceral YA quite like Mindy McGinnis.

4.5 stars. I thought the first book was dark but dang this one upped the ante. There are so many characters and families in this story but the author somehow managed to flesh them out very well. The things people will do for money. Even killing your own sister. This duology was a wild ride. I highly suggest it.

Thanks to NetGalley for my eARC. This conclusion to the duology was absolutely wild! I know that McGinnis books are always filled with creative twists and turns, but I never see them coming! This Edgar Allen Poe retelling (more like reimagined) is fascinating! I’m not quite sure what else to write without spoiling book 1 or 2, but I will follow McGinnis anywhere she takes me because each book they write is so smart!

I seriously enjoyed this one, which is saying a lot because I wasn’t super enthused about the first one. But this wraps things up quite nicely and there’s some major Springer shit going on along the way. Like I can’t even with parts of this book. It was so entertaining in a sick, omg what’s going on here, kind of way…

I don’t even really like Tress. I think she’s kind of a pain in the ass, but she’s so good at it that you have to sort of admire that in her. 🤷🏻‍♀️ She’s a strong character even if she’s not likable all the time and she does have some redeeming qualities. But as far as the characters are concerned, there aren’t many that you can relate to, but (view spoiler) Lol… sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Anyway, they’re all interesting and definitely worth reading about.

Shit obviously got crazy in the first book, but even though I wasn’t looking forward to this read, it grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. It was so intriguing and thrilling that I could hardly put it down!! It’s just one thing after another. Major jaw dropping moments here. In fact, I threw my kindle down on the bed at one point because I was so thrown over by this book. I can’t give anything away because just about everything that happens is essential to the plot and you have to find out sequentially or else shit just won’t make sense. But trust me when I say this book is awesome.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoyed the first one. Actually, even if you didn’t, you may still like this one, because I know I certainly do. And the first one just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harpercollins Childrens Books, and Mindy McGinnis for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!

The best thing about a Mindy McGinnis book is that it pulls you forward and you just don’t want to stop reading it. Tress like the first one is still fighting to figure put what is going on with her and what happened to her parents, she is also struggling with the consequences of the choices she has made. While some of the events of this I wish I could rewrite and make them better, they did add to the store. I loved the story but I’m also glad to be out of Amontillado.

I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sequel book (and finale) to The Initial Insult, which I review previously and loved. This was no different. There was a lot of good twists throughout with character development, interactions between characters, and the plot. There was a part that was so vivid I became nauseous. The whole story was beautifully written in a horrifying way. I highly recommend for those with stronger stomachs or those (like me) who are obsessed with complicated morally gray characters!

Cover Story: Montell Jordan

GIF from Montell Jordan's music video "This Is How We Do It"
HOLY COW Y’ALL. I am losing it over this cover and the new, matching cover for The Initial Insult as well. These covers are a million times better than the original hardback for The Initial Insult. They capture the chaotic, dark vibe of this duology, and I love seeing the side-by-side of Tress and Felicity’s faces. Truly, this feels like such a breath of fresh air compared to all the cutesy cartoon covers out there right now. BRAVO, NO NOTES.

The Deal:

~*~sPoILeR aLeRt~*~ This is your official warning that The Last Laugh is the second installment in The Initial Insult duology, and thus, this book report contains some major spoilerage. Continue at your own risk, babies.

It’s the morning after the party at the Allen house. Tress Montor just murdered her best friend, Felicity, and she’s no closer to knowing why her parents disappeared all those years ago. She was also just mauled by a jaguar that escaped her grandfather’s roadside zoo attraction, and she can’t get medical attention for her arm without drawing attention to herself and putting her home and the other animals at risk.



Her cousin, Ribbit Usher, is still trending online after a video of him being bullied and humiliated at the party went viral. Everyone in school has seen him naked, and heard him admit all his most embarrassing secrets. Ribbit plans to get his revenge, but first, he has to find Felicity.

The Allen house is scheduled to be demolished soon, and Tress is the only person who knows Felicity is bricked inside a coal chute in its basement. As the aftermath of the party and Felicity’s disappearance coincide with Amontillado’s Homecoming and the seven year anniversary of her parents’ disappearance, Tress has to figure out what happened to her parents before people learn what she did to Felicity – if she even lives that long.

BFF Charm: No, Hell No and OH HELLLLLLLL NO

Hell No BFF Charm in Flames
It’s the same BFF charms I handed out before, but now with a slight shift in recipients!

No: Tress

Tress gets upgraded from a Hell No to a simple No this time around. She has realized the error of her ways, and now she’s nursing a NASTY jaguar maul, just trying her best to stay alive. She’s also dealing with the guilt and pain and regret of accidentally killing Felicity. As her story unfolds in The Last Laugh, it’s hard not to wonder how different Tress would have turned out if it weren’t for the adults in her family – or even more broadly, in Amontillado. She gets a bit of a redemption arc this time around, and though I was happy with the ending, I’m still not giving her a BFF charm and tbh, I doubt Tress would want one.

Hell No: Rue the Orangutan

Since the jaguar is still out on the prowl, this time, we get the occasional chapter from the perspective of Rue the orangutan. I actually loved Rue – she loves and protects Tress, and tries to warn her of danger. But Rue is still a wild animal and McGinnis quite graphically shows us exactly what Rue is capable of when her instincts kick in. And for that reason alone, I can’t give her a BFF charm. Hell no.

OH HELLLLLLLL NO: Ribbit

Since Felicity was left dead at the bottom of a coal chute at the end of the first book, we now get alternating chapters from Tress and her cousin, Ribbit Usher. After Ribbit went uber-viral for the video from the party, he’s been getting more attention from the popular people at school, and he plans to use that attention for two reasons: 1) to find Felicity and 2) to enact revenge. I can’t tell you much about Ribbit without spoilers but HOLY SHIT THIS GUY. *makes fingers into an X*

Swoonworthy Scale: ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Tress is fighting for her actual life throughout the entire book, there is nary a moment for romance in her story.

But Ribbit……whew, girl. Ribbit has been convinced since he was a kid that he and Felicity Turnado are meant to be together by some divine right. His plan to rescue her is all driven by the idea that he’ll be the white knight and she’ll be his Princess Peach or whatever and they’ll live happily ever after. And the whole thing STINKS of incel.

Talky Talk: Mindy McGinnis Award For WTFery

I won’t lie, this book was dark even for Mindy. There were times, especially in the first half, where things felt so dark it made my stomach hurt. But I was ENTHRALLED from start to finish, y’all. Every time I thought the story couldn’t get wilder, it WILDED. Every time I thought Mindy wouldn’t go there, she freaking WENT THERE. I assure you, you will not guess where this plot is taking you.

But most importantly, this book tied up all the loose ends from The Initial Insult in a masterful way. My main complaint with the first book was that it felt like a lot – maybe too much – was going on at once. But this go around, McGinnis has me putting my foot in my mouth (not literally, but then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone ate a literal foot in this book).

Bonus Factor: Family Secrets

The cast of Knives Out as a family portrait.
Everyone in Amontillado has secrets, but Tress’ family is particularly full of them. Tress was so frustrated and fed up with not knowing WTF was going on with her family that she tried to murder her best friend in the first book, so you can imagine how satisfying it is to watch the layers of the Montor / Usher family onion get peeled back.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Dan Scott Award for Awful Parenting

Evil Dan Scott from One Tree Hill
No, the parents were NOT better in this book. We finally get the backstory of Tress’ parents and it is even wilder than I could’ve imagined. Truly out of left field – I did NOT see it coming.

Relationship Status: Flight Risk

I read the second half of this book on an overseas flight and I could not read fast enough. My eyeballs could not open wide enough to ABSORB all the madness. It was a wild ride, and when I finished, I looked around me at a bunch of strangers on a plane, desperate to talk about WTF I’d just read.

So what I’m saying is read this duology immediately. I need to talk about it.