I will read absolutely anything Riley Sager writes, and based on the cover alone, I was very excited to read The Only One Left. If there's a creepy, dilapidated house— I'm in.

Kit McDeere is a home-health aide and her newest patient Lenora Hope has a terrifying backstory. 50 years ago, the Hope family murders occurred at a cliffside mansion where Lenora still resides. Even though most people think that Lenora was responsible for the murders, she was never convicted because the police simply did not have enough proof.

Now in her 70s, Lenora is mute and confined to a wheelchair. As her new aide, Kit is weary at first, but quickly forms a connection with Lenora despite her grisly past. Lenora begins to communicate with Kit via a typewriter, and tells her that she wants to confess everything that really happened the night of the Hope family murders.

I read this very quickly, anxious to hear Lenora's story and find out what really happened the night of those murders. While I was very invested in this story, I failed to feel connected to the characters and I didn't find any of them particularly likeable. While this isn't always necessary for thrillers, it would have made me up my rating a bit. Now let's talk twists— the ending is chock full of them. Be prepared to get your fill of "Huh??" and "Wait, what?". Many of these twists got me, but in the end I felt like there was just to many to make it even sort of believable. But overall, I still enjoyed this and Sager still keeps his title of one of my favorite thriller authors.

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Riley Sager is a master at keeping the reader guessing, and this novel is a brilliant example of misdirection. Set in a crumbling mansion atop a cliff overlooking the Maine coast, it's the scene of three grisly murders from the 1920's with a lone survivor- Lenora Hope, who most people believe murdered her father, mother, and sister one dark and stormy night. Flash forward 50 years to the 1980's, Lenora is now a bed bound invalid unable to speak or move anything other than her left hand, in need of constant care. After her previous nurse leaves unexpectedly, Kit McDeere is sent by the nursing company as a replacement. Kit has her own personal baggage to contend with, but soon comes to form an uneasy bond with Lenora, not least is the tantalizing possibility of knowing what really happened the night of the murders. Peopled with an interesting cast of characters, this book kept me guessing until the very end!

I would recommend this book to fans of mystery, gothic novels, and horror. There are some graphic scenes that may affect more sensitive readers, but overall the book is very readable. Definitely an engrossing summer beach read!

Wow. What else can I say but, wow. This is my second novel by Riley Sager and I am blown away. The characters, the atmosphere, the plot - it was all perfect. Truly, this kept me guessing until the literal last page. I will be thinking about this book, and recommending this book, for a very long time!

This was a fun read with lots of twists and turns. Sager creates a wonderfully creepy atmosphere of a crumbling cliffside mansion amongst the craziness of what is going on inside its walls. Trying to unravel all of the past secrets kept me reading late into the night. My only criticism is that the conclusion was pretty outlandish and requires a lot of suspension of belief. But, I still had a great time reading it and look forward to Riley Sager's next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin House for the ARC in return for my honest review.

In typical Riley Sager fashion,"The last one left: delivers on a tragic event (or two),mysterious characters, twists, turns and surprises. The storyline even includes a majestic mansion perched on the edge of a slowly deteriorating cliff, whose interior and staff are seemingly frozen in the Depression Era time period.

My overall impression is that this is a fairly quick read because you get pulled into the chaos and don't want to put the bok down until you find out the conclusion....and oh,what a conclusion it is!

Enjoy the twisty ride; it was fun.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin House for sharing this ARC in return for my unbiased review.

A SOLID 3 1/2 stars morphing into a 4 star :)

This book was unlike any of Sager’s books that I’ve read so far. It was thrilling, nail biting and twisty in ways that I can’t even describe. Sager takes you on the heart pounding familial tragedy of a lifetime with Hope’s End at the center of it. I found myself bouncing my leg with pure suspense while reading. So I guess the only question is what is happening at Hope’s End and who murdered the family 54 years ago?

The story gets going pretty well, building some interest in the main character as well as the history of the house, the spookiness of the setting, etc. Pretty standard enjoyable stuff.

It drags a bit after the story kicks off, with some of the same scenes over and over inter woven with a new minor character to keep things from getting too terribly stale. The middle of the book (and even just about up to the climax of the story) is a bit of the same stuff over and over - our main character mulling over what could have really happened, what the possibilities were. I didn't find it to necessarily be a "well crafted" mystery. The detective's skills were truly awful, and were based on his personal assumptions, but I suppose that was supposed to be that way. I didn't see a whole lot of purpose for this character.

Ultimately, for me, I wanted more of a well crafted mystery/ thriller and there was just too much going on for my taste, though Riley Sager fans will likely be satisfied with his latest offering.

A refreshing look at the Gothic thriller style novel! I enjoyed the creepy mystery set in absolute perfect conditions in an old mansion perched on a clifftop. The twists and turns left me guessing and the storyline was fresh and did not feel recycled or repeated. My favorite of Sager's so far. #theonlyoneleft #rileysager #netgalley #goodreads

The chills I just experienced reading the last couple of pages
I was Blown away

BRAVO RILEY!!!!!!!
THIS WAS AMAZING

This is how you do mystery murder and Mayhem

1929
A horrible triple murder takes place in a mansion off the Maine coast.
One person survives, young Lenora Hope and is accused of the grisly crime but there isn't enough evidence to convict Miss Hope of the murder of her father, mother and sister.

Fast forward to 1983 and her new caregiver arrives after her last nurse fled in the middle of the night with no explanation. Miss Hope is paralyzed and mute after a series of medical issues and only has use of her left hand that she uses to communicate with her new caregiver, Kit

And she is ready to tell exactly what happened on that bloody night with the use of an old typewriter and a determined Kit that after her own brush with the law and tragedy wants to solve the mystery that has turned into legend.

I had no idea where this was going up until 90% in and STILL I was surprised by the ending

This is my 3rd Riley Sager book and I haven't been disappointed yet.

This haunting thriller by Riley Sager is sure to keep you on your toes and second-guessing everyone and everything.

Caregiver, Kit McDeere, has been assigned to Lenora Hope, the infamous legend behind the schoolyard rhyme and decades-old crime that haunts the dreams of the townspeople. Though heavily suspected, Lenora Hope was never convicted of the murder of her family. Now wheelchair-bound, mute, and nearly entirely paralyzed, Lenora is now reliant on the assistance of nurses and caregivers to help her.

Enter Kit McDeere, the last thing that she wants to do is take up residence at the Hope's End mansion just a week following the previous nurse's late-night escape from the mansion. As Kit begins caring for Lenora, she noticed that there is something weird going on at Hope's End. The weirdness escalates as Lenora, with her one working hand, begins typing out what really happened leading up to the massacre of her family and she learns that things at Hope's End aren't always what it seems, including Lenora.

Sager in his typical fashion brought the twists and turns that will leave you reeling! I went into this book knowing that I needed to expect the unexpected, yet still, I would have never guessed the outcome of this novel. He did a fantastic job of making everyone seem suspicious. His characters were flawed and relatable and this story is so much better than I would have hoped for!

*Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.*

I enjoyed this book but you have to leave your senses at the door. Riley Sager did a good job of creating a gothic suspense novel. At times I could feel the lonely isolation creeping in and thought maybe I shouldn't read this before bed. Not much really happens until the end of the book.

This book was really good! I found myself sucked into the mysteries of it, and surprised with every twist and turn! I loved the gothic, creepy house aspect, which is my favorite subgenre. The writing was amazing and the story was oh so good!

Thank you to Penguin Group and Netgalley for an ARC of this book!

What I liked: I love the gothic mystery vibes! I was immediately sucked in and loved every minute! Absolutely amazing characters!

What I didn't like: I am kinda burnt out on excessive, convoluted, over the top plot twists. Authors have taken everyone's "I hated this book because it's so predictable" complaints and tried to throw in twist after twist after twist, the more unbelievable the better. I still found this more enjoyable than a lot of twisty books I've read recently but I think authors could definitely take a "less is more" approach going forward. Time to stop doing so much.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC!

This was fine, I guess. The mystery was interesting enough to keep me engaged for the most part and it was definitely easy to read—this would make a good palate cleanser book for a lot of people I think!

All the twists and turns towards the end felt kind of silly to me and it almost felt like there was TOO much going on. I didn’t hate this but I don’t feel like I have a lot to say about it, which might not be a good thing.

Although I've known of Riley Sager for years, this is the first book of his that I've read. What brought me to this particular book was the premise of Lizzie Borden, which is a true crime case that I've been fascinated by for years. The first half of the book there are quite a few similarities to the Lizzie Borden case but that eventually fades and the book moves into its own. The book began to have closer vibes to Verity by Colleen Hoover. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the atmosphere and premise of that book, they would most likely enjoy this as well.

The Only One Left was my kind of cat nip. Creepy house on a cliff with a murderous history? CHECK. Nosy employee? CHECK. Incapacitated elderly possible murder? CHECK. And don't forget the 80s setting for funsies. This was a fun story and very on brand for Riley Sager, with the delightful exception that is main character didn't make a bunch of dumb choices, only a couple.

Wait....what? Wow! Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for giving me the opportunity to read Riley's upcoming novel! I was in complete shock when I recieved the email that I had been approved.

I keep going back and forth on thinking...'Oh this one is a favorite' to 'I have loved all of this books'. LOL! Since I have read all of Riley's books I was bound and determinded to be able to guess every twist along the way and I was VERY unsuccessful. Bravo Riley.

Riley's writing is addictive and I loved the setting of Hope's End. Everything about this book will linger in my mind for days. I think what I love most about Riley's novels is the edge of your seat feeling with the mix of hints that tag you along through the book and them BAM...right at about 80% you're in for the unraveling, wild, eventful ride.

To those that wasn't a fan to Survive the Night and The House Across the Lake..... please pick up this novel. Coming June 20th, 2023.

🎧Song Pairing: Is There Something I Should Know? - Duran Duran (laughably, this book took place in 1983 so I looked up best of 1983 and this was the first song on shuffle and it’s accurate AF)

💭What I thought would happen:

Welllll I nearly didn’t give this a chance. The cover and title lack originality not to mention my hatred for The House Across the Lake…lo and behold second chances work out.

📖What actually happens:

Kit needs her job after being suspended as a caregiver for 6 months due to a death of her last patient. Kit was not convicted of murder after a lengthy investigation.

There is only one assignment she’s allowed to take, Lenora Hope - a woman who lives on a decrepit mansion on a cliff, also she supposedly stabbed her parents to death and hung her sister…

🗯Thoughts:

The problem of being a thriller reader - I can sniff out a plot twist like a bloodhound and this book continued to surprise me like a minefield. Wow.

I am excited for others reviews and to discuss. I need to talk about this book with someone. I feel like I need to reread to catch the small detailed I didn’t pay attention to in the beginning.

Not going to go into details, spoiler free zone. This one took me a quality hot minute to get into but that was on me with my pudding brain and busy work schedule.

Always clever and erudite, Riley Sager returns with his next classic in this unputdownable novel. I can't recommend this book highly enough. You would think Mr. Sager would have run out of ideas or tricks up his sleeve to make his highly addictive books interesting...but let me assure you, he hasn't. I couldn't put this one down until I had read the very last page. Anyone would enjoy this, and I repeatedly recommend all of his books wholeheartedly! But this one...I think it may be his best yet! Run and get this book for yourself! You won't be sorry!

At Seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope🪢

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mothers happy life 🔪

“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead. 👀

1929. All members of the Hope family are found dead, except for Lenora. She denied killing her family the night of the murders, but had never spoken of it since or left Hope’s End, the mansion she lived in.

1983. Growing up hearing the chilling rhyme about the Hope family, Kit ends up as Lenora’s caregiver in her old age. One night, Lenora types out on a typewriter, “I want to tell you everything” and this begins a revelation of the truth, or parts of it with twist after twist!

Ok, this book did NOT disappoint!!! I binged it in 24 hours and I was still thinking about it days later. Every time I think I called the twist, something else would happen. I did NOT see the ending coming! I will definitely be adding the finished copy to my Riley Sager collection!