Caz embarks on a cruise with her boyfriend, Pete..... but wakes up to find herself seemingly alone on the ocean liner.

I absolutely love this author but this one totally bananas. The other two books I have read by this author were quick-start, gritty novels with pretty grounded stories. This was the total opposite. Off to an extremely slow start, I was fully 30% in before the book maybe started to go anywhere. I was fully 50% in when it finally got interesting. Now I love a good locked room mystery, but the sheer magnitude of set up involved in the twist is mind boggling to the point where I found myself distracted from the story by how absolutely preposterous this whole thing was.

While the very end had a pretty interesting twist (though I have SO many questions), this one was as much a nightmare for me as it was for the main character. LOVE Will Dean but hated this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and author Will Dean for this wild rollercoaster of a thriller.

I am as they say, shook from this book! I can imagine a blockbuster movie made from this.
It held me as captive (pun intended) as the Atlantica viewing audience was shown to be.

I am a watcher of reality television even as I loathe all its depictions of flawed human nature.
I am not a fan of social media for its attention-farming greed and hungry-dog demographic viewership.

This story depicted both of those industries and just how pervasive in human existence they have become in our modern online, tele-connected world.

Aside from the moral examination of the above, this book was loaded with action, suspense, horror, and mystery.
The ship itself functioned as tormentor and prisoner.

I was utterly fascinated by the premise and rooted by the physical and emotional torture Caz endures along with her other passengers.

Spoiler:
I did not care for the last page. I would have liked a happy ending after all that I felt *I’d* endured in my reading experience!

Five stars.

Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, just wow. All I can say is this book took my breath away. It gave me Hunger Games vibes and I could easily see this book being adapted into a movie fit for the big screen!

After embarking on a cruise from England heading toward NYC with her new boyfriend Pete, Caroline (who goes by Caz) finally lets herself relax for the week. But relaxation is the opposite of what she gets. She awakes on the cruise liner Antarctica to find that she is the only passenger left on board. How and why is this happening? Well you’re have to read to find out the truth about how it all came to be. And to see how Caroline’s story ends.

This story was intriguing, risky, and had all the components of a truly bone rattling mystery to solve.

Although, I was able to sense the twist that came on the last page I was still left shocked. And I have high hopes that in the future a sequel could be delivered!

Whatever you’re doing, drop it and get your hands on this book!!!!!

Thanks so much Atria Books and NetGalley.

Caz is on this exclusive ocean liner on vacation with her boyfriend, Pete. When she wakes up the next morning, he is missing. In fact, everyone is missing. She's trapped.

I thought this was a fun and thrilling adventure as Caz tries to figure out the mystery of what happened to everyone on board. I thought the ending was way too far fetched and unnecessary.

This book begins with our main character, Caz, boarding a luxury cruise liner with her boyfriend Pete. They are looking forward to a relaxing vacation aboard the Atlantica. The first night on the ship was filled with dinner and dancing. As Caz woke up the next morning Pete was gone. She soon finds out that everyone on the ship is gone as well. How could this happen ?
Soon you are hit with the twist and it was just kinda farfetched for me. I liked the idea of everyone mysteriously disappearing from a ship but this story left me with too many questions.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book for review.

Caroline and Pete set off for adventure on the RMS Atlantica, and exclusive automated cruise liner. Caroline thinks it will be a good way to destress until she wakes up to discover Pete is missing. Upon further inspection she soon discovers all of the passengers aboard the ship have seemed to disappear...a modern day ghost ship

The Last One is a new thriller/mystery by author Will Dean. This author is typically a 4 to 5 star read for me so I was excited to get the chance to get an early look at his newest novel. I have to say this was my least favorite read of all of his novels which was quite disappointing. I wasn't a fan of any of the characters and despite having an interesting plot twist I just didn't find the plot as entertaining as I had hoped. For those who have never read anything by this author; please take this review lightly as I have really loved all of his other novels. I just don't think this particular read was a good fit for me but I look forward to reading future works by this author.

A whiplash ride of a thriller!

Honestly I can't recall the last time I spent so much time picking apart a mystery. This story was the perfect slow drip of character background and current tension that there was always something to discuss. The setting on a cruise ship was incredible, the characters varied and for the most part were likeable, and how the challenges unfolded I really believed the response and reaction by the characters. Some suspension of disbelief was necessary but that didn't affect my enjoyment. As the ending drew near Dean cranked the fear up to 11 and I was all in for whatever was about to happen!!

Except what did happen. The ending would be a 2 star from me. Gosh I loved 95% of this book. I was so excited to have a near perfect 5 star thriller. Sadly the ending did not work for me.

I would still highly recommend this to any thriller reader! The rest of the book is worth it.

The Last One by Will Dean is an adrenaline-pumping thriller that will leave you breathless. From the moment I picked up this book, I was hooked. The suspense and mystery had me racing through the pages, desperate to uncover the truth. I had no idea what was happening, but that only added to the thrill. The author kept me guessing until the very end, and oh boy, that ending! It's the kind that will leave you stunned and craving more.

The setting of the story, an empty cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic, was brilliantly depicted. I could vividly imagine the terror and isolation that Caz, the protagonist, experienced when she realized she was completely alone. With no way to communicate with the outside world, the sense of helplessness and fear was palpable.

I won't go into detail about the plot because it's best experienced firsthand without any spoilers. Just trust me when I say that The Last One will keep you on the edge of your seat, questioning what happened to everyone and how it will all end. Will Dean has crafted a masterpiece of suspense, intrigue, and relentless thrills. The twists and turns are abundant, and each chapter ends with a cliffhanger that compels you to keep reading. It's a book that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.

I want to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this gripping novel. If you're a fan of suspense, mystery, and thrillers, I highly recommend picking up The Last One. You won't be disappointed.

I’m sorry, WHAT?! This book wasn’t what I expected AT ALL, and I’m here for it! This was like a locked room mystery on steroids! I mean, WHAT?! I’m still trying to grasp that ending.

After reading this book, it’s safe to say I’m never taking a cruise again or if I do, I’ll definitely read the fine print 😉

Y’all need to add this to your tbr! Save! Preorder! Whatever you have to do, but you are going to WANT to read this book.

🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️/5

Releasing in August. Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

O.M.G.

I have no words to describe how I felt when I got to the last page of The Last One. Will Dean created a world where I felt as though I was living on the edge from the first page to the last.

Cas (short for Caroline to her family and close friends) finally agrees to go on a cruise with her boyfriend. At one point she mentions she's gone on a total of 13 dates with Peter. [At that same point I thought to myself, that I'd never have agreed to go away with someone I've seen a grand total of 13 times... and perhaps Caz should have listened to me!]

They board the ship and when Caz wakes up the next morning, she's alone in the cabin. But in fact, she is actually alone on the ship.

Or is she?

This story had my blood pressure much higher than it should be from start to finish. And I certainly don't believe in spoilers so just let me say this: O.M.G. Just WAIT until you read the last page!!!

4.5 stars.
I am a SUCKER for survival stories. (Can thank my fifth grade teacher for making us read Hatchet) This book took me on a ride, that's for sure. It made me feel uncomfortable many times, especially when talking about how unexplored the sea is o•
This was a lot darker than I anticipated, which is a plus.
The only thing keeping it from being a full blown five star was the ending, not that it was bad, it just wasn't what I was hoping for.


Review will be posted to tiktok shortly

4.5⭐️

I have never read a premise like this before. It was like a combination of The Hunger Games and Yellowjackets (showtime). It was utterly original and SO much fun to read. I would recommend this to people who love a good thriller mixed with life or death competition.

Caroline, Daniel, Francine, and Smith (four strangers) have the opportunity to take the cruise of a lifetime. One morning, Caroline wakes up alone without her boyfriend. She looks everywhere on the ship to realize, that she is the only one left aboard. After frantic searching, she comes across Daniel, Francine, and Smith. All four of them team up together to try and find out where the rest of the passengers have gone. In their search, they realize that all the luggage is gone, the lifeboats are locked, they have no access to food or water. As they become increasingly more desperate to survive, they begin to receive televised messages from "her" who tells them they must complete different tasks. They tasks are dangerous and will push them to their limits.

This book was the ULTIMATE thriller. I hope that this gets adapted to the big screen because this would be such an amazing show to watch. This is also definitely worth a preorder if you ask me!!

Thank you to to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the ARC!

Hunger Games meets Truman Show meets the Leftovers. it's all about survival for the four passengers. It's gripping, disturbing and a whole new level of "no, this is not ok".

That ending though. I'm 100% perplexed. Did it all start over again? And HOW?

Dean is a great writer, no matter how preposterous the plot you get hooked.

3.5 stars.

I DEVOURED this read. So good this is definitely my new favorite over First born. If you have the chance grab it!

Loved this! The premise of this book made it impossible to not read. A woman and her partner board a luxury cruise ship, but when she wakes up that first morning, she’s the only one remaining on the ship 😱 This book obviously could have gone in a hundred different directions, and I was worried that it would either be too easy or too far fetched. But the direction that Will Dean took it was absolute PERFECTION and something I never would have thought of yet still super believable!! I loved this so much. High rec!!!

What did I just read!? I cannot get over this book! I canno recall a book ever making me panic like this one did. My heart was seriously racing during some parts. The ending I am not a fan of and I’m questioning some things because of it? But this one will have you reeling!

oh boy, go into this one only knowing the vague synopsis because the reveals start revealing immediately and knowing any of them ruins the fun!

this is a survival thriller and be warned, this definitely gets darker than i expected from a mainstream thriller (some of its descriptions borderline horror), it’s very tense and definitely fast paced. really surprised by how much I liked this one since I was lukewarm on this author’s previous stuff.

After years of hard work in her cafe and heartbreak over her father's suicide over his gambling addiction, Caz decides she deserves a holiday. Her boyfriend, Pete, suggests they get tickets for the Atlantica, a luxury ship destined for New York City.

One morning during the transatlantic voyage, she wakes up and realizes she's alone on the ship. Everyone else has vanished, seemingly into thin air. She manages to find a few other people who have also been left behind, and they band together to try and figure out what happened.

I don't want to say too much as I don't want to spoil any of the book, but trust me, it's worth it to go in completely blind.

This book started a little slow for me, but WOW I'm glad I stuck with it. It had so many twists and turns that I truly didn't see coming, and at the last page I almost screamed out loud. Definitely one of the best endings of any book I've read so far this year!

I think my students will enjoy this one, and it raises lots of questions, ethical questions that would make for good discussions with the class. How we are manipulated by the media. How we decide what is fair and what we need to survive and intense curiosity about other lives

I loved his other books so my expectations were high and unfortunately this one didn't work for me. It was interesting but also went too far, I think a lot of the points could have been made without it being so over the top. And an ending of how she coped after the level of trauma would have been more interesting. Hard to talk about without spoilers, but it didnt have the depth i was hoping for , so if i read it as a light thriller, it was interesting 3.5