3.5⭐
Genre ~ thriller
Setting ~ The Atlantic Ocean
Publication date ~ August 8, 2023
Page Count ~ 445 (133 chapters)
Audio length ~ 12 hours 48 minutes
Narrator ~ Jenny Funnell
POV ~ single 1st, present tense
Featuring ~ locked room, being stranded, short chapters

Loved that there was a picture of the RMS Atlantica showing us where everything is located that we'll read about.

Caroline's/Caz's boyfriend, Pete, has booked them on a cruise. How exciting! But when she wakes up the first morning she seems to be the only passenger. She starts to freak out and frantically goes deck to deck and room to room to find any signs of life. Is she really stuck out here in the middle of the ocean all alone? Where could everyone have vanished to in the night?! Luckily she finds 3 out of the 1,000 passengers, so she's not alone.

This one started out great for me and the tension was high. I expected to be on the edge of my deck chair throughout and I liked this one well enough, but I wasn't as thrilled about where the plot takes us as I hoped I would be. It was really long, but the chapters were short, so that helped me stay interested. The cover is eye catching. The last chapter did make me intrigued to see what this author writes next.

I started out reading this one, then saw it was available on Libby, so I listened to some of it while I scrubbed my bathroom grout with a toothbrush.
Narration notes:
Jenny did fine for Caz, but her other characters were meh. I especially could not stand when she spoke for the 60 year old man, Smith, oof.

I have enjoyed the story that Will Dean crafts and creates. I'm about halfway through this book and I still have no idea what will happen which is a quality of his thrillers that I love! Once finishing this one I plan on reading First Born (his first novel) and have no doubt it will be a big hit for me as well.

A great summer thriller- atmospheric, claustrophobic, whodunit that had me on the edge of my seat. Well written and richly developed- with an intense build and a satisfying ending I didn't see coming. I love it when a thriller can suprise me or suspend my disbelief. Entertaining read overall

I thought this book's concept was very intriguing but it was a little too slow for me. The ending though. I mean, what the heck! I am interested in reading more from this author.

When I skim to the end of a book, I don't often post about it.
However, my experience with The Last One lends to listing pros and cons.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for my eARC for review.
Caz and her new-ish bf Pete board a cruise ship and when she wakes up the next morning, absolutely nothing is as it was the day before.
Pros:
- short chapters usually ending on a cliffhanger.
- unique take on a locked-room (ship) mystery.
- a big twist happens very early on to set the stage for what's to come, then another about 1/3 in.
- the ending - yikes!
Cons:
- after the first few chapters, the action wasn't sustained for me.
- I really enjoyed the author's previous The Last Thing To Burn, but this didn't work for me like that one did.
- much longer than I anticipated, with characters I never really connected with.
- a lot of ruminating from Caz about her family life that bogged the story down for me.
But don't go by my opinions. There are many a mixed review on this one, so check it out for something different!
Released on Aug. 8.

My first Will Dean! This concept was pure insanity but I had to keep reading to see what happened next. The middle dragged a bit but once I hit the last quarter I could not put it down. The characters were unique and the ending was enraging yet satisfying. Would definitely read anything else by this author!

This was a gripping, suspenseful, anxiety inducing thriller and I loved every moment of it!!! After reading this I have no intention of boarding a cruise ship ever. The twist kept me up ant night turning the pages and the ending jaw dropping good. Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Loved this book! The premise was insane. A woman wakes up on her vacation on a cruise to find that she’s alone. What the hell is going on!! My only issue with this book was the slow start. I considered not finishing because I was bored for a while. But I’m glad I didn’t because I loved it. The ending was absolutely perfect for me but I can see how a lot people might not love it

This book was pretty good. I liked his first book and I felt like this was a good follow up. I would recommend if you liked first born.

I really liked the idea of this story as it definitely is terrifying at the thought of it. I feel it was a big long winded at times just for the ending to wrap up too quickly. Overall, I liked it.

I have heard so much about this seen so much about this that when i got to read oh boy was i blown away. I never read anything from this author but wow i loved it such an interesting story. One i would love to read over and over. I would read another like this from this author for sure.

Caz is so excited when her boyfriend, Pete, takes her on vacation aboard the luxury cruise liner, RMS Atlantica. They have a great first night, but when Caz wakes up the next morning and reaches for Pete, he's not there. As she leaves their room to look, she realizes that the ship is empty. Not empty, as in the passengers are elsewhere, but empty empty. No passengers, no crew. The giant ship is in the middle of the ocean, and Caz is all alone on it. I won't say much more to avoid spoilers, but this is a crazy read. It has a tense, eerie feel-- you rarely get a "locked cruise ship" story, but that's what we have here. The story certainly keeps you wondering, and it offers an interesting, timely commentary on society. I won't say on what. ;)

I found this book hard to put down, and the story is really unique. Those are all major plusses. It goes a little off the rails as it continues, though. And there are a lot of unresolved plot points that made me feel as if the story didn't truly finish. (The actual ending is also cray cray.)

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC.
I believe this is my first Will Dean book and from the beginning I was hooked. I loved the short chapters and the suspense being built on this cruise ship. You really do have to suspend your belief reading this though and let the book take you for a ride. I liked/disliked every character in this book at various points, with the exception of Smith. Didn’t care for him at all lol. The ending really lost me though. That was really my only disappointment and I wished there was more resolution.

One of the craziest books I've read, this is a locked room mystery on a cruise ship. Unlikeable characters, crazy plot twists, it's one of a kind and deserves a lot of buzz!

OH MY GOSH I really liked this book! It had me hooked from the beginning and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next!

The Last One
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Will Dean

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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.

And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board. But that's just the beginning of the terrifying journey she finds herself trapped on in this white-knuckled mystery.

My Thoughts: First and foremost, you have to suspend belief some for this book. At first, I was like what? It took awhile to get connected and on page and with the character(s). The synopsis is short for a reason, actually, I did not even read it going into this book as I loved the last Dean book, “First Born.” Caz wakes up after a wonderful night with her boyfriend, Pete, on a luxurious ship, all alone, she soon realizes. She explores the ship to discover any clue as to why the entire ship is abandoned. Then a series of things happen revealing the real premise of the story.

The story is narrated solely by Caz, in her perspective. You really do not get a grasp for the story until about a third of the way in. I will try to vague up the details to not spoil the reading adventure. I can say it has been awhile since I was taking on a “reading adventure,” but this story really does. Our MC, Caz, has had a hard life and I did relate to her character. There was one character that rubbed me wrong most of the story, but in the end, he/she surprised me. The characters were well developed with depth, banter, mystery, and really were creatively designed. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, suspenseful, twisty, and absolutely brilliant. The characters are built up, the plot is delivered in many twisty layers, the pace and flow were right on, the twists were intense, and the ending is a two part. You really had no clue as to what would happen next. The story had an ending that you thought was the ending, then another late twist that was mind-bending and thought provoking.

This book has been released as “The Last One” in the US market and “The Last Passenger” in abroad markets. This was a long read or listen at 448 pages or almost 13 hours, and at times, you thought what else could happen? Overall, I did enjoy this read and would definitely read other books by Dean. Since this is on the longer side, it might be easier to follow along in the audiobook. The reviews have been mixed with either loving it or hating it, I think I fall in the middle, while I loved most of the book, there were parts that I did not like. I recommend giving it a try and going in as blind as possible.

Caroline (Caz) and her boyfriend, Pete, embark on a cruise from Southampton to New York. The first night on the ship is a pleasant evening filled with good food and company. But, when Caz wakes up the next morning Pete is gone and she soon discovers that she is on a deserted ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Is it a bit farfetched? Yes (maybe?). Do you have to suspend disbelief? Oh, yes. But, all I can say is Wow! It was such a compelling book. The story grabbed me from the beginning and just didn’t let go. And if you realize this book will provide entertainment and not necessarily realistic, then you’ll be happy to go along for the ride.

My description was a little deceiving in that Caz isn’t completely alone on the ship. The characters are so well-described, the tension on the ship is palpable, and the descriptions of the events are very well-done. I swear, at times I could almost fell the ocean spray. This is a book I thoroughly enjoyed simply because, at least for a while, I was as mystified as Caz about the mysteries surrounding the ship. And don’t get me started on the ending. Sometimes I can’t help myself and I read the last chapter or two. This time I didn’t and I’m so glad I restrained myself.

This is a great book for a lazy summer day. It’s entertaining, well-written, the chapters are short (although I found it nearly impossible to read just one), and the action nearly non-stop. I really enjoyed it! NetGalley provided an advance copy.

This story is rough. It is extremely fast-paced and completely entertaining, but it has an absolutely ridiculous conclusion. I finished reading this and felt disappointed. It teeters between the thriller and horror genre without settling on one. I wish it would have pushed itself into the horror genre with a bit more action and gore, then the ending would have been more satisfying and, honestly, believable.

Guys, holy guacamole!!!

What an insane read. This book gave me all of the Ghost Ship/Survivor/Titanic like vibes and I am here for every single bit of it!

I devoured this in about 2 days. I was so intrigued with where this was headed and how it was going to play out that there was no way I was waiting to find out.
The twist and turns and surprises just kept coming and man oh man was it so enjoyable!

My first read from Will Dean and I will absolutely be checking out more!
If you haven't read this one yet, bump it up your TBR!

Major thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC copy - out now!!!

This book is so creepy. Exactly the way I lie them. I loved how the author paced this so well as pacing is EVERYTHING to me. Particularly well depicted as Caz searches and slowly begins to understand what is happening.

At times, later on the author gets bogged down a bit, but overall this is a very clever, creepy read.