This one sounded soo good but sadly I just didn't vibe with the writing style. Because of that, the characters and the ending meant nothing to me.
Thank you to the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review of The Last Girl Left by A.M. Strong

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I recently dove into The Last Girl Left by A.M. Strong, and it was quite the entertaining ride! This psychological thriller follows Tessa Chamberlain, who is returning to the beach house where a tragic massacre took place five years ago—one that left her as the sole survivor. With the haunting memories still fresh in her mind, Tessa decides to confront her past head-on by renting the same house on Cassadaga Island, Maine, during the eerie winter months when the island is a ghost of its summer self.

First off, can we take a moment to appreciate the book cover? It’s absolutely captivating and sets the mood perfectly for the kind of suspense that awaits inside. The initial half of the book had me hooked; I was flipping pages like crazy, completely engrossed in Tessa’s journey back to the scene of her trauma. The atmosphere was so evocative, with all the creepy vibes you’d expect from a murder house. There were some intense moments sprinkled throughout that really ramped up the tension, and I loved the feeling of déjà vu that kept me guessing—and second-guessing—what might happen next.

However, I have to admit that my excitement started to wane in the latter half. While I was hoping for a shocking twist or an unexpected reveal that would leave me reeling, the resolution felt a bit too convenient for my taste. I had already pieced together much of the mystery early on, which dampened the thrilling experience I was expecting. It was almost like I was waiting for that “aha!” moment that never came.

That said, The Last Girl Left is still an easy read with plenty of entertainment value. It’s perfect for anyone looking for a chilling tale that won’t require too much heavy lifting. If you’re in the mood for some psychological suspense with a compelling premise, you might find this book hits the spot—even if it doesn’t quite deliver that jaw-dropping finale I was hoping for.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Five years ago, Tessa was the only survivor of a brutal murder spree. The culprit was killed in the hunt to arrest him, but she is still haunted by him. In an effort to finally heal, she decides to go spend a month back at the house where she was attacked. When she gets there, she starts to notice what sounds like footprints and strange voices in the middle of the night. No one believes her and she does not know who to trust.

This was a pretty good thriller! It was really fast-paced and had a lot of intrigue that kept me wanting to know what happened next. I do think the setup feels a little unrealistic - a woman going back to an isolated murder house when she is afraid of most things? Despite that, it was still really enjoyable to read and I do think while the whodunit was maybe not radical, there was still a good twist to tie it in more.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the perfect atmospheric psychological thriller about a girl who survived a traumatic experience but returns to the location to move past and recount the events in a house on an isolated island in Maine. There are creepy haunted house vibes, short chapters with lots of twists, and a main character that I found was easy to root for on her journey. Don't sleep on this fast-paced thriller with Final Girls vibes!

Tessa, the lone survivor of a beach house massacre, returns to the same house five years later to face her fears and write a book. As she revisits the scene, eerie events unfold, making her question her sanity and safety.

I loved this book! The suspense and atmosphere were gripping, and Tessa's character was well-developed. The mystery was perfectly balanced—not too predictable or far-fetched. The setting on a creepy island in the off-season added to the tension. The twists kept me on edge, and the shorter chapters made it a quick, engaging read.

Highly recommend for fans of thrillers, mysteries, and horror movies!

Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, A.M. Strong and Sonya Sargent for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW!!! I absolutely LOVED this book! It had everything I love in a psychological thriller: Brilliant writing, lovable characters, short chapters, suspense and great twists.
I was hooked right from the start, I just couldn't put it down, I read it in one sitting.

Tessa was a great main character. She was strong but still vulnerable, charismatic and complex.
I thought all the characters were well thought out. The writing was excellent. I haven't read any other books by this writing duo before, but I'll definitely be on the lookout for more.

The book was very atmospheric, it had me on the edge of my seat most of the way through. At one stage I thought I had it all figured out, but I was completely wrong. The twists were great, I didn't see them coming at all.

I very highly recommend. 5 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The writing is quite interesting and I would say there’s not a boring moment. The chapters are short and the characters stand out. I would say the plot twist would not make your jaw drop but expect very nasty twists and scenes. The ending is good!
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Tessa is a survivor. Years ago she and some friends travelled to a beautiful rental on the beach in hopes of having the time of their lives, and they did, until they met a man who would forever change Tessa's life. One fateful night all of Tessa's friends were brutally murdered; the killer thought they killed Tessa too but she survived and identified him. She soon found out that the police chief killed this man at his home when he resisted arrest. Tessa now lives with her sister but is struggling really bad. When the tragedy first happened she was offered a book deal but declined. Now, her sister is at her wit's end with Tessa and threatens to kick her out. Tessa decides she's had enough of not living a full life and takes up the offer to write a book. The only catch? She has to return to the island and beach house where the events took place to really get a feel for the atmosphere for her book and to hopefully heal. However, soon after arriving, weird things start to happen and she fears the nightmare from five years ago isn't over just yet.

The book starts off a little slow, but I think it was to gain a full understanding of Tessa's personality and feelings. I liked Tessa a lot and found myself really hoping she heals. The atmosphere of the book was good; it was a little creepy at times and definitely thrilling. I figured out one twist (sort of) but it turned out to only be a small part of an even larger twist. The location description was really well done; I could really picture the layout of the island. The characters were likeable (some not so much, for obvious reasons) and the shorter chapters really kept me interested.

I really enjoyed this, It was a quick read with a lot of great twists. I would recommend this and would like to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read this book for free. This was my honest review.

I loved the beginning of this book. Excellent story idea, with a well liked main character.
I figured out the twists by the halfway point, if not earlier. It just wasn't believable to be anyone else.
Overall I'd rate this book as a 3.5. I'll round it up on Amazon and Netgalley.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

Great story line about a traumatic experience survivor taking back her life and fighting her demons. However, I feel like I’m more reading about her feelings and what’s happening to her rather than feeling it or being invested in the story.

The MC is hard to like because he’s remakes very dumb decisions all the time.

3 stars and glad I read it!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this eArc of The Last Girl Left.

Let’s start out by saying this book definitely gave me “Final Girl” vibes. Do I dare say I actually enjoyed this one a bit more?

This story was creepy, atmospheric, and thrilling. This one is definitely a slow burn, but then you get to a certain point and it moves very quickly. The chapters were short and very intense. I was absolutely creeped out most of the book and wasn’t sure which characters I could trust. There were things I wasn’t sure were real or not and I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of the book.

When I had to put this down, I definitely wanted to pick it back up. I absolutely want to check out more books by authors!

This is a quick (both well paced and short) read. I read it on a medium long flight and it’s good plane reading. I think it’s trying to make interesting points about the true crime “craze” but it misses the mark a bit. I also think it doesn’t deliver on the suspect of the first chapter. If you pick it up in the airport bookstore, so you have something for a flight, you’ll enjoy it. If you’re picking it off your shelf of other options, it might sit for a while.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher to review.

WOW WOW WOW. I loved this one. Right from the start, I was hooked with the story. Girl survives and is fearful for her life, but decides to return to the scene of the crime, what could go wrong? This had me on the edge of my seat and I could feel the claustrophobia of the house and the island. I totally thought I had the ending figured out and I was completely wrong. The ending had so much action, I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough. The short chapters kept me up at night wanting to continue on. Even though this book takes place in November, I think this would make a great beach read.

🔪 Psychological Thriller
🔪 Isolated Island in Maine
🔪 Suspenseful
🔪 Haunted House
🔪 Short Chapters

**4.25 stars**

I didn’t know what to expect going into this but WOW was it good!! The writing is incredibly atmospheric and I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next pretty much the entire book. I find that mystery elements of novels can sometimes seem either too boring/predictable or just wayyy too far fetched, but shockingly this book had a mystery that was just right. Not super predictable but not out of left field and very very well done.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers, mysteries, or horror movies (because this felt like a thriller/horror movie the entire time). I feel like so many different readers would enjoy this; those who love jump scares, those who want crazy twists, those who don’t want crazy twists…. Just read it! I’m honestly shocked this book doesn’t have more hype.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, A.M. Strong, Sonya Sargent, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel!

Thank you, NetGalley and Sonya Sargent Strong for my copy of this book. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Courtney, Shelby, Madison & Theresa all go on vacation to The Cassadaga Island in Maine. Only one comes back...

5 years later, Tessa, who has changed her name to avoid the press goes back to Cassadaga Island, to the same house where her friends were killed, in order to move on from her fear. Her sister, Melissa, thinks it is a bad idea, but Tessa is determined. Along the way she meets Cindy whose house near to the "Murder House" as it has been nicknamed, and she befriends Roxanne, a waitress at the local diner.

Tessa's paranoia starts to get to her, from windows and doors being open, footsteps in and around the house and her name being whispered. Soon she suspects people that she has come in contact with on the small island.

I really liked the characters, and I had the same feelings about Roxanne that Tessa had... At first, she's, my friend, then, can I trust her? Noah also creeped me out although I couldn't put my finger on why. I loved the writing and could see the scenes playing out as I was reading it.

I would recommend this book.

I was captivated from start to finish. The story just pulled me in. I was a little annoyed with the MC, it found her to be repetitive at times,but the ending made up for it. I would recommend you give this one a read.

The Last Girl Left is by far my favorite final girl story.

Five years after becoming a final girl, Tessa returns to the scene of the devastating crime that took the lives of three of her friends. She has no job, no friends, no significant other. Can facing her demons head on help her get her life back?

Taking place off the coast of Maine in November, it was the perfect eerie setting. The story was so suspenseful and I was in edge throughout, scared of all the bumps and noises in the night. It ended with an intense edge of your seat nail biting conclusion that had me like 🤯

Five years ago, Tessa Chamberlain was the lone survivor of a beach house massacre that left three of her friends dead—and Tessa with an inescapable, unending dread. Now she’s going back to face her fears.

Renting the same beach house where she almost died, Tessa returns to lonely Cassadaga Island off the coast of Maine long after the tourists and summer residents have departed for the winter. But as the fog rolls in and the nights grow longer, she wonders if she made a terrible mistake. There are footsteps on the porch, creaks from the second floor, and an unsettling feeling of being watched.

If only someone believed her. Because the terrors Tessa thought were long behind her are starting again. And this time, trapped and alone, she might not be lucky enough to survive them.

Wowza!!! An amazing read from start to finish. Will recommend to others.

The book is well written and the story is engaging, but how can the main character make SO MANY stupid choices??? I wanted to give her a shake to make her a little smarter. Despite this, I recommend reading it!

4,5 stars

Wow! Absolutely loved this one!
Thanks to #Netgalley and #amazonpublishing for my early copy.

This book is written by what appears to be a husband and wife duo and I will certainly be looking out for more by these two!

The reader is promptly introduced to Tessa, the sole survivor of a beach house massacre five years ago in which three of her girlfriends were brutally murdered. She is clearly stuck in the past and can’t seem to move on, although the killer was appraised soon after and then shot by the sheriff.

Now Tessa wants to regain control of her life, and the only way is to return to that beach house in Maine and conquer her fears.

Big mistake!

I loved the claustrophobic feeling the setting lent to the story. A small island in Maine in the off-season, with only a handful of bars and shops open, was the perfect setting for this spine-chilling thriller.

This is one of those books where you can’t really trust anyone.

When inexplicable things start to happen like her neighbour going missing, a person only she had seen and spoken to, I began to doubt her sanity.

Add to this a cast of unreliable characters and you get the perfect mix for a psychological thriller with things that go bump in the night!😱

Loved the spooky moments at the end and the big reveal, which I didn’t see coming!