Thank you #thomasmercer for my complimentary copy. Everyone @thrillerbookloversthepulse has been talking about this one!

TERESA, a young college student, is raped and nearly murdered but she somehow survives a night of horror. Her three best friends are not as fortunate. Teresa is later able to identify thekiller, who was apprehended and shot by the local police. Five years later, Teresa, now known as TESSA is still understandably traumatized by that horrible night in a Maine beach house. Desperate to work through her fears, Tessa agrees to a book dealrequiring her to stay in the same beach house in Maine for a month while she writes about her experience.

I always love a Maine setting, and this deserted ocean front house on an island only accessible by ferry once a week is perfect. The story moves quickly and there are lots of chilling events, such as mysterious footsteps, strange phone calls, shadows in the window, and screams in the night. This one is perfect to read if you are alone for the weekend, or better yet, at a deserted beach house!

Five years ago, Tessa Montgomery and her 3 college friends were vacationing on an island off the Maine coast. They were all assaulted, her 3 friends murdered, and Tessa left for dead. She is the last girl left.

She has been living as a shell of herself for the last half decade. Aside from living with her sister, Melissa, she is a veritable recluse. She can’t get past the horrors of that trip no matter how hard she tries. Melissa gives her an ultimatum - seek help to move on or move out.

Tessa does one better: she talks to the editor that first wanted her story and signs a contract stating that she will go back to the place where the murders happened and write a book about everything. While the murderer was killed directly after Tessa identified him, the Cassadanga Island still holds Tessa hostage. She rents the same house she and her friends stayed in to find some closure and write her book. And then unexplainable things start happening while she’s there…

This book got me so good. I blasted my way through it so fast. It made my heart pumping and I didn’t know if it was supernatural or something more sinister. I loved how it all played out and I thought the twist and ending were well done.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Mercer for this eARC. The Last Girl Left is out this week.

She shouldn't still be alive, but for some reason, the killer hesitated. But the mental scars have left Tessa with amnesia about the event and as a result - a total mess. She's been staying with her sister for 5 years, unable to work or even go out. But when her sister gives her an ultimatum, Tessa takes it on herself to return to the scene of the crime - for a whole month!

Everyone assumes she's come to stay in the house as a crime junkie, because who in their right mind would stay in a murder house? But Tessa is has a reason to stay, and despite her therapist and sister's misgivings, and the creepy happenings after her arrival, she's determined to stick it out. Big mistake. Huge.

Guessing who was behind the creepy happenings had me so invested in this book. I predicted and guessed every time something happened, but I was wrong. The only thing I would say is that Tessa was awful brave for someone who was scared of her own shadow for 5 years! But this book stayed with me, made me laugh a couple of times, and scared the heck out of me - always a sign of an engaging read,

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance reader's copy from this husband and wife team!

I absolutely loved this book. The authors ability to make your heart rate escalate just by telling a story is always fascinating to me. I loved the plot twist & the eeriness throughout the book. I will be looking for more books by Sonya!

I really enjoyed reading The Last Girl Left. Imagine you’re on a trip to a quaint beach town. And next thing you know your friends are dead and you were saved for last but somehow survived. That’s what Tessa now has to deal with as she returns to said town 5 years after to “face her fears” of that terrible night. This town seems nice but is hosing some deadly secrets. Will she survive the month? Read this book and find out what happens.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

And the biggest thanks to A.M. Strong for this gripping thriller!

Gripping excellent, and exciting read. Had me on the edge of my seat. The characters were relatable. You found yourself rooting for victory. The situation was terrifying. I cannot imagine being in such and surviving such a scenario. I was so deeply immersed in the story and was amazed with how quickly time past. Would definitely read more from this author.

#THELASTGIRLLEFT #NETGALLEY #AMSTRONGANDSONYASTEWART

Another great thriller in this series. When I need a palate cleanser from horror novels, I like to read psychological thrillers. There is just something about an abuse survivor winning out in the end. Even if there is a cliffhanger, I know somehow there will be some vindication for the victim. This book was terrifying in how the author described Tessa’s all encompassing fear. She was fearful of everything, rightfully so. I felt she was nuts for going to stay at the very house where her friends were murdered but hey, I have never been in this situation so I do not know how I would respond to this issue. The twists in this book helped to explain some of the missing memories that Tessa had. Overall, I would give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Title: The Last Girl Left
Authors: A.M. Strong and Sonya Sargent
Pub Date: April 23, 2024

I knew this would be a great read as soon as I received this amazing book box in the mail! It really got all of us @thrillerbookloversthepulse so excited to dive right in!

Five years after surviving a horrific crime that left three of her friends dead, Tessa is still having trouble moving on with her life. She decides that the only way to do this is to face her fears and go back to the scene of the crime, a vacation home on Cassadaga Island. As soon as she arrives, things seem off….But the person who committed these crimes is dead, so what could possibly happen?

I loved the creepy and eerie tone of this book, as it takes place in a beach town on a remote island in the winter. The description of the town made me feel as if I was there with her and painted a clear picture of her experiences. It’s the kind of book that will make you question every little noise you hear when you are home alone! I loved the short chapters and found it to be pretty fast paced and easy to read! There are many suspicious characters, which made it fun trying to figure out what was really going on. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller, but definitely pick it up and bring it with you if you plan on renting a beach house anytime soon!

Happy publication day to #TheLastGirlLeft by @strongsargentauthors and @sonyasargentstrong 🥳🥳

This book has been going nuts over at @thrillerbookloversthepulse - if you’ve not seen any of the hype, where have you been…? The book swag box they sent out with the arcs was amazing (so jelly I’m in the UK… la sigh…)

Anyway! The first chapter of this book was “squeaky bum” frightening! I’ve never raced through a book quicker. This was a clever take on the final girl trope and I felt it flowed seamlessly. It was unsettling and twisty, as Tessa tried to overcome her demons and trauma of the last 5 years. Would I do what she did to overcome her trauma - erm… nope. Hard pass. I wouldn’t be setting foot in that beach house again. So fair play to her!

With nice short chapters, this was an easy read with great pacing. Nice and creepy, with an action filled ending. I suspected a few characters… I’m not saying if I was right as I don’t want to risk spoilers 😉

Pop this one on your TBR now.

Trauma is the name of the game here. Tessa’s life was shattered when she was the only survivor of a massacre that took her closest friends. Now five years later she still hasn’t gotten over it, still jumps at shadows, still worries someone will be coming for her. How do you finally get over it…why not try confronting it head on by renting the same house where the original massacre occurred? Nothing could possibly go wrong, right? Yeah, you’ll see! This one was a page turner. The opening, where we get a glimpse at Tessa’s experience on that horrible night, really pulled me in. The short chapters and quick pacing make this one of those books where you’ll find yourself repeatedly saying ‘one more chapter’. I’d like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Last Girl Left.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2N3PO4WDHWQAA/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

A psychological thriller which keeps you on the edge of the seat. Is Tessa so traumatised that she's imagining things that aren't there and jumping at every shadow, or is there more to it? Will she ever get over the horror of what happened to her and her friends five years ago by returning to the beach house, or will it make things worse? A must read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

THE ONLY GIRL LEFT was generating so much buzz 🐝 that I felt compelled to move it to the top of my stack. I now see why it’s so popular!

You have Tessa, formerly Theresa Montgomery, victim of a mass stabbing attack that left three of her friends dead. Since the attack she has become a recluse. Duh…. I would too. What I wouldn’t do is what she does next. After an ultimatum from her sister and the little business of the book deal she agreed to sell her story, she sets off to scene or the crime. Back to the isolated island to the isolated empty house on an isolated road. For a month!!! I. Would. Never.

She’s determined to face what happened and move on with her life. If only things were ever that simple. As soon as she arrives at the house strange things keep happening. The people she tells all think she is just on edge and understandably jumpy but she’s convinced something is going on in the house.

I wasn’t sure what to make of what Tessa was experiencing. Was it all in her head? Was something nefarious going on? Was someone really out to get her? Someone else?? The authors did an amazing job keeping what was going on secret until the end which I loved. I love not knowing!

I found this to be an enjoyable ride with a very well developed FMC and a well-developed plot that showed what she had experienced as well as what she was doing to try to get past it. The pacing in this book was also stellar and while it started off at a great pace, the pace sped up to nascar speed where I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to see what was going on!

The ending did for me exactly what I needed but I won’t say what that was as not to spoil a thing 🤫. You’ll have to read it and find out! And….

You’re in luck!

It released TODAY!

Thank you to my friends at thriller book lovers the pulse heartbeat, Netgalley, and the authors A.M. Strong and Sonya Sargent for my gifted copy AND for my swag box. It was AMAZING!

The Last Girl Left by A.M. Strong; Sonya Sargent was a fabulous thriller that I absolutely loved. It was suspenseful and very addictive.
I read it in one sitting, the first chapter draws you right in and you can not put it down.
An intriguing story with characters who draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, A.M. Strong & Sonya Sargent for a digital galley of The Last Girl Left in exchange for an honest review.

Oy Vey – this one was not great. Basically, Tessa is the sole survivor of a massacre she and her friends were renting. Five years later, she has been unable to cope with life, so she decides to face her demons & rent out the same house & stay there for a month to write a book regarding her demons.

The pacing was quick & the story was just so-so, but what killed it completely was absolute predictability. The “bad guy” or rather 2nd “bad guy” is EXACTLY who you think it is. The red herring of trying to make it look like the friend was not believable AT ALL.

This was just an average book at best, but with the complete predictability, I wouldn’t rate it anything above 2-stars.

This thriller had a lot going on. I loved the short chapters and the idea behind the story. However, some of it felt a little too rushed or a little too drawn out. Overall, this is an bingeable read with themes of grief and resilience that would be perfect for a day by the beach.

Tessa is the lone survivor of a murder spree five years ago that left her friends dead. Now she goes back to the scene of the crime to face her demons.

This is the perfect summer thriller read! Especially if you’re vacationing in an isolated beach house. I loved the plot of this one and knew the original crime was not over. The creep factor builds slowly and you don’t know who to trust in the town. The end gets super exciting and you won’t be able to put it down until the last page.

“The beach house wasn’t haunted. She knew that. But the ghosts of the past were there anyways.”

The Last Girl Left comes out 4/23.

The Last Girl Left follows Tessa Montgomery as she returns to the place where she and her three best friends were murdered five years prior, leaving her as the sole survivor. The story is set in a remote area deep in the woods leaving her almost entirely alone.

I love the final girl trope and I thought the concept of after the murders was such an interesting idea! The short chapters make it easy to keep your interest and make it a fun read! Roughly the first 75% or so of this book is a slow build with Tessa only hearing spooky noises and footsteps and the book does a good job of casting suspicion on everyone she meets. Once the twists start happening and the action begins, I couldn’t put it down! I appreciated how everything was tied up nicely and there were no loose ends. Overall it was an interesting story and I enjoyed it!

I wish we had learned more about the friends, they were brought up in multiple flashbacks but we only got a surface level description for each of them, so I found it hard to connect to them. I would still re-read this book though, it was a great gripping story.

WOW!!! This book just blew my mind and I’m still speechless! It was a total page turner and I could not put it down. I thought I had it all figured out, but NEVER even suspected that!!!

Thank you so much for the advanced copy!!!

I really just don’t know about this one. The premise was so exciting. I was very very interested in what the book was going to be about. As I started reading it, it just didn’t live up to what I expected. While the story was interesting and it was a page Turner, there was a lot about the book that just felt awkward and clunky. A lot of the ways that are main character described “the night “ Felt in authentic and uncomfortable. It was like she was talking as a storyteller, instead of as a real person. I have never heard anybody say “that fateful night“ so many times.

The book really kind of fell apart for me at the end. All the characters turned into almost a caricature of what real people would be like. Our big “main villain” Was almost comically weird. I don’t know very much about serial, killers and murderers, but I just can’t see them acting like that. He almost felt like a hyena who just loved murder? Like one second he was so excited to be murdering, another talking about how fun it was, but not in a way that felt chilling or scary, in a way that felt like a kid talking about how much they loved ice cream. the whole thing just felt a little weird and a little uncomfortable.

We’re still positives about this book. The mystery The whole thing just felt a little weird and a little uncomfortable.

Still positives about this book. The mystery definitely kept me intrigued, and I did care about finding out what happened to Tessa. I would call it a page Turner, even if I don’t know if I loved the story. Once I got about 25% of the way in it kept flowing I really enjoyed the pacing of the story, and I felt like our main character was very well developed. The way she spoke about her friends always felt very strange, as if she was reminiscing on strangers, whether than People that she was supposed to care about, and people that I was supposed to care about. I don’t feel like the story of her friends was that well developed, and I think it may have been better if the story had been written and split timeline as opposed to , small, small flashbacks. I don’t know anything about her friends other than what their plans were after college, because it was mentioned endlessly.

I don’t know if I necessarily love this book, I do feel like it was a little bit more creepy than a lot of the thrillers I have read, and I really enjoy thrillers. The way the story written was just a little unsettling for me. I don’t know if I would recommend it to friends.

My friends at Thriller Lover: The Pulse and I have been talking nonstop about this book - it is just SO good!!

Five years ago, Tessa Chamberlain was vacationing with four of her closest friends at a beach in Maine. She had no idea that a man they would meet there would come back to their house and brutally murder her friends. Tessa was the only one left alive, after being viciously attacked and scarred. She has been a shell of her former self, barely surviving so when her sister gives her an ultimatum, she decides to finally face the past. Tessa returns to the beach house where her friends lost their lives, retracing her steps to write a book about being the sole survivor. Soon after arriving, she begins hearing strange sounds on the porch and coming from the attic. Tessa begins to wonder if she made the wrong decision to come back to this place.

WOW!! This book absolutely blew me away! It started off with a bang and did not let up even for a minute. The pacing was quick and the story flowed so perfectly, with bits and pieces of Tessa’s past coming to light as she struggled to remember the specifics from the night that changed her life forever. I was immediately immersed in Tessa’s world and thought I had an idea where the story was headed but I wasn't even close! As I was reading, I had to remind myself that this wasn’t based on real events because it was just SO lifelike and chilling. Thank goodness I had the audio for this book, because I could not stop listening to it!

If you love fast-paced thrillers that will keep you fully engaged til the end, don’t miss this one! Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for the ARC! “The Last Girl Left” releases April 23, 2024! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)