Will Dean returns following First Born with his latest, THE LAST ONE —a mind-bending locked-in thriller when a woman finds herself trapped on an exclusive cruiser liner and everyone goes missing.

Caz and Pete are on vacation, the exclusive cruise liner, RMS Atlantica. Everything goes well on the first night, and they enjoy themselves; however, the following day, Pete is missing along with the other passengers.

She is shocked and fearful when she discovers all the cabin doors are open and horrified there are no passengers or crew. What comes next is a terrifying journey.

Three other passengers turn up: Smith, Daniel, and Frannie, and we do not learn much about them.

Will Caz make it out alive and solve the mystery?

While many may enjoy this one for entertainment alone, for me, not so much—The setting was good; however, I found it to be too over the top with two crazy twists.

THE LAST ONE reminds me of a TV series (which I do not care for) —one I will not name, which would be a plot spoiler. Yes, there are twists and turns, a maze of danger, madness, intrigue, mystery, and misdirection, with feelings of claustrophobia and fear, grappling for survival and a way out. However, I prefer my thrillers to be more believable. I was not invested in any of the characters and felt the book was too long.

One place you will never find me is on a cruise ship, even before this book. While I did not enjoy this one as much as First Born, I look forward to his next one.

Thanks to Atria Books for a gifted ARC via NetGalley for an honest opinion.

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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Pub Date: Aug 8, 2023

The last one by will dean is a very intriguing set up that sets it apart from the field. Caz and her boyfriend Peter are vacationing on a cruise ship across the Atlantic when she wakes up one day to find herself completely alone on the ship. Where is everyone else and why was caz chosen to remain on board? That set up hooked me up, but I wouldn’t consider this a “locked room”thriller. Once the reader finds out what is going on on the ship, the genre slightly shifts (I don’t want to give too much away). I was slightly disappointed about halfway through as the intriguing premise begins to become bogged down and starts to drag a bit. Overall, an enjoyable read but definitely not what I expected and not as fast paced as I hoped it to be.
However, fans of dean will enjoy this no doubt and he will garner new fans I’m sure.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had a very hard time getting into this "locked room thriller" I have decided that locked room thrillers are not my thing. That being said this book had an interesting plot but I felt it dragged out.

That ending, wow! Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Will Dean for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. As mentioned, what an incredible ending. I mean from the very beginning I was hooked. This is my 2nd Will Dean novel and not disappointed at all. The story follows Caroline (Caz), an introvert middle-aged woman, who goes on vacation with her boyfriend, Pete. This said vacation is on a ocean liner (said to be twice as big as the Titanic) crossing the Atlantic. Getting the vibes?
Everything is going great until the next day Caz wakes up alone...entirely. MIND BLOWN!

Now, I try to put myself in her shoes and honestly, I would've died from the initial shock of, well, everything! But then again, we don't know what we're capable of until we're put in extreme situations. All in all, I had fun, I had small heart skips, I was entertained. Dare I say a sequel? We can only dream and wait. 4.5 stars for me! Thank you, Will.

The intriguing premise was sadly undercut by the lackluster reveal, which felt like a cheap trick. No spoilers but I found it horribly disappointing.

This was a highly entertaining novel. I loved all the twists and turns, but it's definitely not for everyone. If you don't enjoy horror/psychological thrillers, look away now.

[My only real annoyance with this novel is that it was really long. Most of the time, I expect thrillers to be quick reads, but this one took me several days to finish. At the same time, I felt like I couldn't flip the pages fast enough. I wasn't a huge fan of the first ending, but the second ending was an absolute cliffhanger and I hope there's a sequel because I need answers (hide spoiler)]

Review will be posted on Instagram (@ellie.reads.a.lot) by publication date

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria publishing for this advance copy of The Last One by Will Dean in exchange for my honest review.

WOW this one was a trip! Such a unique premise - Caz is aboard a luxury cruise liner with her boyfriend when all of a sudden, she wakes up and there is no one on the ship. While this premise is unique, this happens in the first 30 pages of the book, and what spirals from there is WILD. I honestly don’t want to say too much more because this one took off on a totally random direction. My one very minor critique is that this book is long - a bit too long IMO. There’s quite a few introspective sections into Caz’s inner monologue, and while that’s important for the story, I’m not sure it really needed to be done as much as it was. Also, I’m struggling to find the connection with all the dogs on board (for my animal lovers that worry about this stuff, yes, the dogs are all fine and nothing bad happens to them!) - I *think* it might have represented that there was some sort of “life” on the ship alone with humans, but I’m not totally sure. Overall, still enjoyed this one immensely and was super engaged the whole time.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC - The Last One by Will Dean is out next Tuesday, 8/8/23!

This was a page turner for me. I read it in 2 days and every chapter kept me coming back because I just needed to understand what was happening and why it was happening. The short chapters were a gigantic plus for me too. It was such a unique storyline and I loved the idea of it.

However, once we figure out what’s happening it was all so disappointing for me. I also couldn’t form any emotional attachment to any of the characters and the book was entirely too long - it could have been at least 100 pages shorter. I also don’t understand why the author had to go there with that very last line. I wish he would have ended it when he should have ended it.

I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts on this one if you decide to pick it up. It is a ride!

Read if you enjoy:
📺 Reality TV
😬 Fast paced, nail biting situations
🙁 Unreliable narrators
👍🏻 Short chapters

Ok, WOW. This was a new author for me, and I was not totally enamored but was not disappointed either. The story is a total trip, and it is best to go in blind like I did. Also, don't expect a believable story, just go with it. If you do these things, you are in for a wild ride. Caz wakes on a cruise to find her boyfriend and pretty much everyone else gone. What follows is a pretty fast-paced, mostly thrilling, dark and disturbing tale. I enjoyed this for the most part. What did I not like? Extremely short chapters. Normally I like that, I just found some of them a bit jarring as each one seemed to end on a major cliffhanger. That was not all bad, though. There is also not a lot of character development and I found it hard to root for Caz. What did I like? Pretty much everything else! I still couldn't put this one down! Give it a chance, as it is very different as locked room thrillers go and I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Will Dean and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and various other retail and social media sites upon publication.

Hoooo. Leeeee. Crap!!!

That was one thrilling, sadistic, just plain messed up roller coaster ride. I devoured it.

I really did not know what to expect - even the description of the book (that I read afterwards, because I like surprises) wouldn’t have ruined anything except for maybe the first 5 percent of the story.

At one point, I thought the book was ruined. I had been guessing and guessing what could possibly be going on and then it was answered. Plain and simple. And I thought it was going to be horrible. I kind of wanted to guess until the end - it was that suspenseful.

But it was crazy good. And bad. Because I felt guilty reading it and enjoying it so much. I can’t explain why to avoid spoilers. Let’s just say I felt like a spectator - and that was wrong. But I know it isn’t real, which is my only defense!

This is a spectacular book. And that ending!?! OMG.

Welcome aboard the RMS Atlantica! Caz and her new boyfriend, Pete, are looking forward to a relaxing vacation as they cruise from Great Britain to New York on the luxury liner. But when Caz wakes up after their first night at sea, it is to an empty bed -- Pete is nowhere to be found. And then she makes an even more startling realization: All of the passengers are missing. Caz is alone on a massive ship in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean.

That's all I'm going to say about the plot, because the less you know going in to this unputdownable book, the better your reading experience will be. Will Dean has taken a traditional locked room thriller to the seas in this intense, adrenaline-fueled thrill ride, and I couldn't devour it fast enough. With short chapters, propulsive writing, and lots of cliffhangers and life-or-death circumstances, this 400+-page book felt much shorter, and I was riveted the entire time.

Dean manages to balance an incredibly exciting plot with rich character development and thought-provoking criticism of certain elements of modern life, and it all makes for a fascinating, dramatic, and at times incredibly dark reading experience. And that ending! I have some theories about what it really meant, but definitely wouldn't be opposed to a sequel.

There are so many twists, there is so much suspense, it's so engaging and has a bit more meat to the characters than I typically find in a locked room thriller. The Last One is exactly the kind of book I love to read in the summertime, preferably with a cold drink in my hand...but definitely not on a cruise ship. Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

Just wow! Will Dean hits it out of the park! Full disclosure I’m exhausted and have a huge book hangover from this book!
The characters were fantastic. This story was off the charts heavy and intense. What a creepy great deep dive of the human mind, heart and soul.
Thank you to NetGalley, Will Dean and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book

Caz wakes up after her first night on a luxury cruise ship to find she is the only one on this ship. What happened? Where is everyone? Who is steering the ship?

To keep this completely spoiler free my review is limited, and you should go into this book knowing nothing other than…

It is supposed to be a very long overdue vacation for Caz, but boy did it take a turn towards terrifying. This one had be strapped in. I could not put it down. The tension was unbearable, never knowing what would come next. The twists were shocking, and the ending left me speechless.

I don’t think I can fully convey how much I enjoyed this book. Will Dean kept me guessing to the very end. It was utterly gripping, and a fresh story filled with thrills, horrors, and suspense. If you’re looking for a book that will have your anxiety at 100, you will love this.

- Short Chapters
- Cliff Hangers
- Unpredictable
- Locked Room Mystery
- Survivor on steroids

This was my first Will Dean novel, and it will not be my last.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *

After boarding a luxury cruise ship with her boyfriend, a woman wakes up the next morning to find that she is the only person left onboard. It’s survivalist story, part locked room mystery, and full blown nuts. The writing is bad, the book is too long, the story is absolutely ridiculous, but I’ll be dammed if I didn’t stay up all night reading this. If nothing else, it’s certainly memorable.

Overall, this was a fun ride. I would advise other readers to go into the story without knowing too much about what is REALLY going on (that is revealed about 30% of the way in). There were some good twists and turns throughout the book. The one thing that didn't work for me were the super short chapters - normally that is catnip for me! But in this case, I think the chapters were so short that it took me out of the action at a few points.

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝘼𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙-𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮, 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡.

I had super high expectations for this book… I honestly recommend going into this one blindly. Everything the synopsis mentions happens in like the first two chapters, so honestly the whole book was super unexpected.

The story is super eerie and creepy. It freaks me out even thinking about being stuck at sea on a cruise ship… and being the only passenger on board when you wake up? Yeah, no thanks!

I’m so glad I didn’t know a single thing aside from what the synopsis mentioned, but oh man, the route the book took was so strange and surprising. I still don’t know whether I liked it or not - I guess I liked certain moments and not others.

This is a survival thriller so your blood will be boiling throughout the book. I can’t say much else about this book because anything could spoil the book - just go read it.

Fast-paced and tense, this is a super entertaining and captivating read. It might not be for everyone, but it was fun getting twist after twist. Again, go into this one not knowing too much. It was such a fun read!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books for the review copies in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed the concept, but it was way too long. It wasn't a book that I was rushing to pick back up.

I just finished this book and...wow. Completely had me guessing till the very end. Perfect beach read or travel book. Thanks to Emily Bestler books for the E-galley.

The Last One requires oodles of suspension of disbelief but remains a compelling thriller.

Caz and her relatively new boyfriend, Pete, board the exclusive RMS Atlantica ocean liner, excited for their journey to NYC. They spend their first evening enjoying the ship and listening to safety drills. The next morning, Caz wakes up to no sign of Pete and soon realizes she may be the only one on the ship. The other cabins are open and empty, with practically no indication that anyone was ever there.

What happened, and where the heck did everyone go?

I thought this thriller would hinge on one of two possibilities, and it turns out one of my guesses was correct. So a point for me.

It’s pretty dark and disturbing, but at the same time, it could have been a lot darker. Caz has a whole backstory of why she wanted to go on the cruise, but I did not find it added anything interesting to the plot.

While this isn’t my favourite thriller, as it’s fairly unrealistic, it is extremely tense and compelling. I enjoyed the author’s last book, First Born, making it two for two, so I think I’ll keep reading his books as they release.

3.5 rounded up.

Thank you to Atria Books for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

I have not been this entertained by a book in a VERY long time! I started reading this one before bed and got such an adrenaline rush that I could not sleep...then I finished it before going to bed and got such an adrenaline rush that I could not sleep! And then there was everything in between. The Last One is a completely nutcase ride and totally puts the thrill in the genre of "thriller." There was a cliffhanger at the end of every (short) chapter and a new twist or turn every few pages. This book was totally different than I expected, but it was in the best possible way. It was much more like The Hunger Games or even The Westing Game or The Inheritance Games than I was expecting, so if you enjoyed these titles and don't mind being a bit squeamish and very stressed out at times, I would definitely recommend this book.

My only critique is that it was quite lengthy and had a LOT going on, but it is hard to even truly complain about these facets because it all contributed to the overall excitement of the novel. If you are looking for a book to totally suck you in and take you on the craziest ride, this one is for you.