This was a very different thriller than many others I have read. I very much enjoyed the cult-like themes, and the explorations of those. I also always love a podcast tie-in-- I especially enjoyed this one since the host had a personal connection to the story he was reporting. The tensions remained super high throughout, and there was a satisfying payoff at the end!

This was an anger inducing, fast paced and compelling thriller that captured me almost immediately and carried me through until the ending. Ashley Winstead has a talent for ridiculous plots that are engrossing and entertaining and in this second thriller from her, she also comments on the role of women in society, both assumed and actual. As a woman, I found a lot of the discourse really infuriating, but that was the intention - to shine a light on female anger as a valid emotion instead of one to be kept hidden. The social commentary, while a little heavy handed at times, was nicely intertwined with the plot, which focused on a sex cult and didn't pull any punches in that department. Although much of the plot was fairly predictable (there weren't many twists and turns here), I really enjoyed the ride and this has cemented Winstead as a thriller author that I will continue to read from.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When I was reading about this book I saw someone who's review said something along the lines of: "now THAT'S how a thriller is done, and upon reading it for myself I could not agree more. The subject matter is dark and the atmosphere is very tense, both of which I think are things that make a thriller worth the read. This book does contain several triggers, so definitely do a bit of research before diving in, but if you can manage to get through it, it is quite the thought-provoking thriller.

I took this photo last year of Ashley Winstead’s THE LAST HOUSEWIFE because I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. However, I get chronic migraines which caused me to completely forget about this photo.

Anyway, if you love dark psychological thrillers, then you need to read this ASAP. People! There is a cult! FIVE BIG STARS from me!

I’ll leave the synopsis below.

SYNOPSIS: While in college in upstate New York, Shay Evans and her best friends met a captivating man who seduced them with a web of lies about the way the world works, bringing them under his thrall. By senior year, Shay and her friend Laurel were the only ones who managed to escape. Now, eight years later, Shay's built a new life in a tony Texas suburb. But when she hears the horrifying news of Laurel's death―delivered, of all ways, by her favorite true-crime podcast crusader―she begins to suspect that the past she thought she buried is still very much alive, and the predators more dangerous than ever. Recruiting the help of the podcast host, Shay goes back to the place she vowed never to return to in search of answers. As she follows the threads of her friend's life, she's pulled into a dark, seductive world, where wealth and privilege shield brutal philosophies that feel all too familiar. When Shay's obsession with uncovering the truth becomes so consuming she can no longer separate her desire for justice from darker desires newly reawakened, she must confront the depths of her own complicity and conditioning. But in a world built for men to rule it―both inside the cult and outside of it―is justice even possible, and if so, how far will Shay go to get

This was a very dark thriller that looked into a fiction cult that imprisons and kills women. This was very dark. I really enjoyed the podcast transcripts that were included throughout the text.

When Shay learns of the death of her college roommate, she leaves behind her comfortable Texas life as a wife and sometime writer to revisit her college campus and find answers. In doing so she teams up with her childhood friend, Jamie, who runs a successful podcast and the two find themselves down the rabbit hole of cults, police corruption and rich men behaving very badly.
Overall, an interesting read. Moved along quickly. I don't know if I quite buy that three otherwise intelligent young women would just fall under Don't spell after just a few meetings so easily... but... otherwise it was a fun, fast paced read.

WOW! WOW! WOW! One of my favorite books of 2022!!

"Picture me like this, my dear sisters, as a I speak to you...Before we begin, I need you to know: We no longer exist of them, you and me. We are no longer a mirror reflecting their anxieties, their desires. We are not their saviors, or seductresses or symbols. We exist only for ourselves. Tragic and sublime, ordinary and animal, in the mold of all humans, long before and long after us."

there are just so many things that I loved about this book I cant even begin ... let see...

- sex cult (yes please sign me up) run by rich powerful "trusted" men
- Mixed media (Shay relives her nightmare by sharing her story on a true crime podcast)
- murder, obsession... the list can go on and on

This book was such phenomenal!! I read this book so quick... the vibes were so creepy, the dual timeline through the podcast element and how Shay's past comes rushing back into her life when she tried so hard to move on... the TWIST at the end... oh man this book was so good and I loved it so much !!

I had heard this was one extremely dark and disturbing and maybe it says something about me that I didn’t find this that twisted! This felt pretty run of the mill for me and gratuitously sexual in an effort to be edgy. Not my favorite.

I loved this book so much! It was so creepy and kept me turning page after page. I was sad when it was over. I will be recommending this to everyone who enjoys dark thrillers.

My favorite thriller of 2022! The Last Housewife by @ashleywinsteadbooks is a culty, twisty, take the man down thriller with dual timelines, a little mixed media, and a whole lot of mess. Its content warnings galore but everything in the book, however difficult the content, is there with intention. Ashley put the CW at the start of the book to prepare her readers (which I think more should do).⁣
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Inside the book is a story of Shay, a girl who was seduced into a cult along with two of her college friends. She manages to escape but eight years later when one of her friends turns up dead she’s thrown back into a web of lies, punishment, and seduction. Her obsession with finding the truth becomes too much and Shay is forced to confront her past head on. Will she lose herself to the cult of male dominance or will she get our unscathed?! Well I guess you’ll have to read to find out.

Shay Evans and her two best college friends, Clem and Laurel, meet Don Rockwell, a self-possessed, older, wealthy man. Preying on their weakness, he seduces them completely, isolating them from their families, other friends, and activities, and demanding total capitulation to his demands. By the end of their time with him, Clem is dead, and Shay and Laurel vows never to return.

Shay reinvents herself, never looking back, until eight years later when she learns that Laurel was also dead, found in the same place and position as Clem. With the help of podcaster Jamie Knight, host of Transgressions and Shay’s childhood friend, she returns to Westchester, New York to find out what really happened to Laurel.

To learn the truth, she realizes she has to enter the dark world of a secret society, one where men hold complete control of women based on a philosophy eerily similar to that held by Don Rockwell. As Shay gains more access to the inner workings of the society, the line between her quest for justice and her sexual desires shifts and fades until a shocking confrontation that bares the full reach of the cult.

It is imperative to read the detailed content warnings Ashely Winstead provides on her website and in the book before reading the novel. Even after reading them and after seeing several reviews, even feeling like I can handle almost anything in books, I found it too much for me and didn’t find it to my taste.

While I do like books about cults and somewhat enjoyed the reach of the cult, its similarities to NXIVM, and how it played out, that storyline was overshadowed to me by the intricacies of the activities of the cult, and there was too much abuse and debasement of women (regardless of consent) by men and by each other for me to feel comfortable with the book. I am definitely in the minority on this one. Most people have raved about the book, so I would encourage you to read multiple reviews before making a decision.

The most amazing book of 2023! Winstead does it again and I AM SHOOK! My jaw dropped for most of this book and it was so dark, disturbing, and SEXY! I loved every minute of it and devoured it in just a couple of days. BRAVO to Winstead! I cannot wait for her next book!

I loved Ashely Winstead's debut novel, and couldnt wait to pick this one up.

A group of college students, a manipulative older man, one friend dead. Several years later, Shay Evans is listening to a podcast as I way to stay in touch with her old life. What she doesnt expect is to hear that another friend from her past has died. Now on the hunt to solve what she suspects is a murder, Shay must dive back into her old life and dig up things she worked so hard to put behind her.

Dark, twisted, clut-like. I enjoyed this one!

Anybody who follows me on my socials has heard me talk about this book -- probably my favorite from 2022. It's dark and disturbing and I tore through it one sitting, then flipped back to the beginning and read it again to see what I missed. Ashley, you are a brave, brave author for writing this one, and you knocked it out of the park. I can't wait to see what you do next.

I cannot believe this was my first Ashley Winstead book! This book was intense with all the major trigger warnings. It was non-stop from the first chapter until the very end. I’m usually pretty good at guessing the end of a book (having read many thrillers), but this one was quite surprising.

I have literally spent 4 whole months, FOUR, thinking about The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead and what on earth I should rate it. For one, I actually had a ton of issues with the content in this story, but at the same time have to imagine that a lot of it is more realistic than I would like to think it is. The book revolves around a sex cult and there are so many triggers that I wouldn't even dare to try to list them all since I know for sure I would miss more than one. For that reason, you most certainly should NOT go into this blind if you have any sensitivity to triggers at all. Thankfully, the triggers (could there be more? maybe) are listed at the very beginning so if you can't or don't want to find them through reviews you can definitely find them that way.

Beauty and all that comes with it is a major theme throughout the novel and something that Shay struggles with. Despite the darkness of the story, I can appreciate what Winstead was trying to do here, and the conversation with her at the end of the book is a must-read. This would honestly make a great pick for a book club, and there is more than enough content to fuel a great discussion. Alexis Van Aiken narrates the audiobook, and if you are bold enough to dive into The Last Housewife, I would highly recommend it. Van Aiken did a phenomenal job, and I can only imagine it takes a special kind of person to be able to voice this book. I loved the podcast aspect of the story and the something extra having it offered. If you can get past the dark and disturbing, there is a lot to think about here and it just might be Winstead’s best yet.

Well, that was a twisty trip down a dark plot full of sexual dominance that I could have gone my whole life not reading about. Stripping away the toughness of reading about young ladies being sexually manipulated, the thriller/mystery kept my interest and the twist was good. I read this one based on all the praise that the author's previous book, which I haven't read, recieved. I haven't read that one and might not because I learned that the dark psychological thriller of this one left me feeling disturbed. And with that I will say that while I might have had a negative response to the subject matter, I thought that the writing was good and that the author weaved her tale very well. For those who love really dark and twisty, this book will work for you it just didn't for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Lots of triggers abound in this thriller - it basically encompasses true crime and a sex cult! I did enjoy this thrill ride and all the twists and turns, but if still fell a little flat in some areas. The beginning was a slow burn, but once I got about 50% through it the pace really picked up. I felt a little disconnected from the characters as some of the descriptions were surface, not too deep in nature. Overall, a solid thriller read. Thankful for the ARC!

THE LAST HOUSEWIFE REVIEW

rating: 4.5⭐️
genre: suspense thriller
read this if you liked: In My Dreams I Hold a Knife

review: After reading (+ loving) In My Dreams I Hold a Knife last year, I was anticipating The Last Housewife. Let me just say, even with the content warning page, I was not prepared for just how dark this one was! Did I love every minute of it though? Absolutely! The subject matter was heavy and Winstead did a fantastic job of writing about this group of individuals and didn’t shy away from it at all. You can tell she did extensive research on this book. The character development is top notch - there is so much depth to each and every character in the book. One of my favorite parts of this book is how it’s told in transcripts from the podcast - it adds an interesting layer to this story and I loved that information was slowly revealed this way! I’m sure this book won’t be for everyone, but if it’s on your list definitely give it a shot (just read the trigger warnings first!) oh and if you read it, make sure to read the author interview at the end - it really made me appreciate this book, the author and the characters even more!

Such a weird book. It was constantly changing - the pyschosexual nature of the book was a bit odd as well. It felt like watching the Kardashians - the entertainment factor gave it a higher rating than the quality of the actual book.