Will Dean's The Last One is a wild ride to say the least. Caz Ripley takes a vacation with her boyfriend Pete hoping for time with him and some time to focus on herself. When she wakes up aboard the Atlantica, not only is Pete gone, she appears to be the only person on the ship.

The story starts somewhat gently before it ramps up. Caz assembles a small crew of companions who find themselves facing down the elements and unexpected challenges in their attempt to survive the voyage.

The plot of this novel is driven, intense, and thoroughly unnerving. With every twist and turn the stakes rise higher. When it finally seems like things are evening out, it's turned on its head once again. This is the kind of story where you feel the fear and tell yourself it's only a book all the while knowing it's not that far off from being possible.

Dean crafts the world artfully, the ship a heavy character throughout. Seeds of distrust are sown from the very first page and even at the end it's impossible to know who was on Caz's side.

The only area this novel falls short is with its narration and dialogue. Caz, written in first person, is repetitive, morose, and ultimately she exists as a blurry figure. Sometimes she's a wallflower, sometimes she shows strength, but never does she emerge as a defined individual. She's constantly caught up on her father's gambling habit and never seems to recognize her emotional scars outside of this or focus herself into an actual personality. She is a victim of first person narration and it feels like her only purpose is to convey the story.

Meanwhile, the dialogue is unrealistic from the start. Characters don't have unique voices, they're an extension of Caz's narration. At times their wording was so bizarrely prose-y that I thought for sure the twist at the end would be Caz experiencing some 'third man syndrome' and they were all in her imagination.

Overall an excellent plot and top-notch thriller that's brought down by awkward dialogue and an unremarkable, flat first person narrator.

Caz is on a cruise with her boyfriend Pete, but wakes up one morning to find herself all alone on the boat. There’s no way to continue on with the plot without spoilers. What I can say is I was able to guess the plot twist to some extent. I kept wondering how in the world a girl on a cruise ship alone could be a 448 page book... regardless, it was WAY too long. I wasn’t interested until maybe halfway through. it started to pick up and then I just found the whole thing unrealistic and kind of dumb? there were plot holes and just generally did not enjoy this one.

thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW!! I LOVED this one and have already recommended it to everyone who will listen. I love the setting (who doesn't love a creepy cruise ship vibe?!). So many twists and turns. Will Dean will become an auto-buy from me from now on! Thanks for an awesome read!

Mystery | Adult
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A locked-room thriller set on a cruise ship at sea, crossed with the Mary Celeste. Terrifying. Disturbing. Not sure what other words to use for this one. Caroline “Caz” Ripley boards a cruise ship in Southampton with her boyfriend Pete. It’s a serious step for a middle-aged couple on their 13th official date. They check in, unpack, take the mandatory evacuation exercise, and then enjoy dinner on the ship as it leaves port. When Caz wakes up the next morning, Pete is gone. Thinking he’s let her sleep in, she dresses quickly to join him for breakfast, and discovers a terrifying situation. She is alone on the ship. All the passengers are gone. There is no crew in the dining area. There is no crew on the bridge. I won’t say anything more to avoid spoilers, but I will say this is a riveting and deeply disturbing story of trust, terror, and psychological torment. I actually hated parts of it, rolled my eyes a couple of times, but I kept reading. My initial suspicion proved more or less correct, but then it goes way beyond into an abyss of what I consider to be abuse of this poor woman’s mental health. I’m not going to recommend it, because I think it’s too disturbing and too silly a premise. But absolutely some people will love it. It is a provocative novel of terror, a commentary on plummeting societal mores, and an absolute distraction from the fires, smoke, and drought that is my life at the moment. So I’ll leave it at that. The writing is a bit forced at times, but author Dean is a master at creating suspense and unexpected plot twists. My thanks to Atria Books for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919433

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC of The Last One by Will Dean.

Caz thinks she is taking a cruise with her boyfriend, Pete. When she wakes up on her first morning onboard, everyone is gone...including Pete. The ship is still cruising like nothing happened but all the doors are open and there are no passengers and no crew.

This is a twisty book that kept you locked in until the final sentence. I would say this is a suspension of reality book for sure, but it is very entertaining.

4.5/5 stars - what a wild ride! This book was truly a trust-nothing kind of story. I had no idea what to expect, and was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

What to expect if you pick this up: Nothing is as it seems. I’ve heard some chatter on bookstagram about the first major twist (you’ll know when you get there), and while I wasn’t disappointed per se, I was kind of hoping for a different direction. I will say that once it was revealed, I did become really invested in the outcome. Pacing is great - there are plenty of twists and turns. Character development was also really good. You definitely care about the characters and how they bond.

You’ll be a fan of this if: You enjoy being kept in the dark, survivor stories, and fast-paced mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to review this thriller!

I received this book as an ARC from #netgalley.

Caz has plans of going on a trip with her boyfriend, Pete via the ship, Atlantica. When she awakens after the first night, she finds she's alone aboard the ship, which is still traveling.

This book is the telling of what Caz experienced aboard the Atlantica.

The book is well written and compelling. It kept me engaged, but boy was it dark. I must admit I didn't enjoy the wrap up. I also saw the little twist at the end coming, so that was a little bit of a bummer.

#thriller #psychological thriller

The Last One by Will Dean tells the story of Caz who is going on a cruise with her potential soulmate level boyfriend. After the first night she wakes up and is completely alone! Her boyfriend and all the other passengers and crew have disappeared.

I enjoyed several things about this book. The first was the suspense. Not knowing what happened to everyone kept me reading. The twists were not expected at all. Some of them seemed unnecessary, but not in a bothersome way. I will say the final twist made me mad. I will spend days, possibly weeks, deciding if it was brilliant or ridiculous. Either way, isn’t it the sign of a good book that you’re thinking about it after you move on the the next one?

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Last One by Will Dean threw me for loop after loop...and that ending!!! Wow. This book is a page turner and perfect summer read. 5 stars

Oh, what to say about The Last One. I'll start with the positives.

This kept me on the edge of my seat. The chapters are short and Dean is a master at leaving cliffhangers at the end of each one, making me want to read on and on. The entire premise of someone waking up completely alone on a cruise ship had me really perplexed and I wanted to know the outcome. As a whole, I binged this book and I thought the page-turning aspect of it was solid, but I was not a fan of the major twist. In fact, once that hit I actually considered putting it down. It's not what I was expecting (but looking back, perhaps I should have) and thought it was a strange development.

But I read on. It continued to be suspenseful. The more the story was explained, I found myself getting on board with it a little more (no pun intended.) But let's talk about the ending. Talk about the ultimate cliffhanger. If it was left this way, with no sequel in the works, that's not cool. Too many questions.

BUT, if there is going to be a sequel, fine. It works.

This was a tough one for me. I enjoyed many aspects and didn't enjoy many others. Yet, I found myself unable to put the book down and I'm still thinking about it.

For that, I'll give a solid 3.5.

Thank you Atria Books, Emily Bestler Books, and NetGalley for the eARc!

Thanks Netgalley , author Will Dean & Atria Publications for sharing ARC .
Caz steps aboard the exclusive cruise liner EMS Atlantica, what is supposed to be a start for beautiful vacation with her new love interest Pete. One the first night on the ship , they dance , enjoy good food & make merry. But when Caz wakes up next morning she finds Pete missing ! As she continues to explore the ship she realizes that it looks abandoned & to her horror she is probably the only one remaining in the still sailing ship ! Turns out this is now the beginning of a terrifying journey & has to figure out what’s going on & how to survive?!
This book ARC is wildly discussed in bookstagram with most of them handing it nothing less that 5 star review & honestly the story idea is crazy good , locked room plus survival action thriller , it’s quite a page turner. But saying so even though it he plot line you need to suspend reality a lot (which is did) I still did not feel the same level of excitement like many others have.
It reminded of series Lost , where initially I loved it & was so curious but as the story progressed I started getting bored wondering where are the answers ? We kind of get to know some details more towards the end which felt rushed & a cliffhanger ending which I did not care much for .
Maybe the anticipation I had over this book was way too high seeing others review it & it did not meet my expectations, IDK, nevertheless, it’s definitely a one time read .

Thrills and some serious Chills (literally and figuratively).

The Last One by Will Dean threw me for a loop! This was a case of a book not being what it seemed.. and taking me by surprise. A mostly good surprise. A character driven novel, this suspense kept me going, even though I found it WAY over the top.

A buddy read with Kaceey that gave us lots to talk about.

Thank you to Atria for the arc via NetGalley.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest. This is my first from Will Dean. The premise is cool—I'd love to see it as a movie. I've never wanted to go on a cruise and this solidifies my decision LOL.

When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing. So are nearly all of the other passengers.

Phew, what a twisty, fast-paced journey this book provides. From chapter one to the end of this book I was invested in finding out what happened on RMS Atlantica. The Last One is a great mix of survival fiction, thriller, and commentary on modern life & entertainment. The characters were flawed but drew me into the story even further. If you are looking for a propulsive book to keep you invested in the story, The Last One is a great choice. I personally feel this is best read in one to just a few sittings rather than a slower uptake. Finish out your summer reading with a bang & find out what really happened on RMS Atlantica.

Thank you to the author, the publisher & Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Went to the Atlantica, an exclusive cruise liner to travel the Atlantic Ocean. Caz (Caroline) boards the ship with her new boyfriend, Pete, nervous but excited. They enjoy their first night making memories and she starts to loose up. However, she never imagined she would go to sleep that night and wake up the next morning the last one on the huge ship.

I really wanted to love this book but I struggled. I couldn’t form a connection with the characters. I kept waiting for a revelation or turn, but I wasn’t finding it. This book has amazing potential and I’m very thankful for Atria Books and netgalley for providing me with this arc for my review.

For now I found myself struggling to pick this up and am I’m a book slump. If you are looking for a thriller mystery on a huge cruise ship with some spooky vibes absolutely give this a try!!

This book is a WILD ride. It’s VERY hard to talk about without spoilers, and I also think it’s best to go into this as blind as possible.

Personally I found this super intriguing and utterly unputdownable. The first quarter or so is a bit of a slow burn, but the pace really picks up at about the 30% mark and I finished the majority of this in one sitting. I do think this was a bit too long (I believe it clocks in at nearly 500 pages), but the chapters are short, the twists and turns are surprising, and the plot moves along at a good clip.

Unfortunately, I did not love the ending (and when I say ending, I mean the very end, as in the last chapter). This was a solid 4 stars right up to that point, but the ending really soured the book for me. However, I’ve seen other reviewers love it, so it really could go either way.

This book creeped me out so much that I had nightmares. In addition to that, I couldn’t even get on the boat for like a week! After saying all of that, I am giving this book 5 stars! I did not know where it was going to go, and it took some turns I was not expecting. I will definitely be watching out for this author in the future, because this is unlike any thriller/order I’ve ever read.

Not every book works for every reader. I've seen tons of 4- and 5-star reviews and was looking forward to this one. However, I started and finished it in one evening (skim, skim, skim). The writing was clunky, the set-up was obvious, the reveal was too shallow with details, and the ending was insulting.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books, for the digital review copy.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for e-ARC of the book.

Caz is on a vacation with her boyfriend Pete on the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica. This liner is incredible, it is like a whole city on water. The first evening seems magical but the Next morning when Caz wakes up Pete is gone.

It was a fast paced, short chapter book so time just flew as I was reading. I had a lot of theories going through my mind, I kept trying to connect facts with all information that was provided. This book can be compared to an onion or cabbage as with each layer (chapter) there were more questions than answers and it was a wild journey to get to the core of it.

The premise was unique...and definitely had me hooked on this page turner! Wonderful characters and was shocked at the ending, and then shocked again on the last page!