This one kept my attention, but it felt like it took forever to read. Kiki goes to a party where her ex fiance, Jamie is attending as well. When people are leaving, they hear a gunshot and find Jamie dead in his car. It looks like a suicide but Kiki is determined someone shot him.

It felt like more editing was needed in this one, for instance, a character named Liam was referred to as Eric a couple times (there was no character with that name) and there were plot holes. It was an average thriller, a slow burn. The romance part wasn’t necessary, and I wish there was more background information about Same (Jamie’s best friend.)

I will say the beginning sucked me in but I was left wanting more in the end. It is full of unlikeable characters, but I enjoyed a whodunnit, so 3.5 stars.

Love the cover!

Kiki recently broke off her engagement to Jamie. She was being true to herself, she knew the spark was gone. When they run into each other at the party of a mutual friend, things are cordial; they are both moving on.

When Jamie leaves the party, Kiki has no idea it will be the last time she saw him. He seemed fine. He seemed like Jamie. But when he is found dead from a gunshot wound in his car, and the police are leaning toward suicide as COD...Kiki is wracked with guilt. Did he kill himself over her? Something else? Or, less likely, had he gotten himself involved in something that got him murdered?

This book was intense. Lots of suspects, lots of red herrings, and an ending you won't be able to guess. It's always a good time when the MC feels like she needs to do the police's job. Definitely worth checking out!

Thank you Kate White, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Kiki shows up for a party with old friends and her old finance. When she is getting ready to leave, they hear fireworks followed by a car horn. When they check it out, they realize Jamie is actually dead in his car. While Kiki doesn’t believe he would commit suicide, his family is content to leave it that way. Kiki finds some things in his apartment and starts investigating. Thought I had it figured out but I did not. Good book! Quick read also which helps keep one’s interest.

I preorder any new Kate White book the moment it’s available through booksellers. The first book I read by her was The Sixes (which I’m going to reread and review soon since it was pre-book-blog) and I fell in love with her suspenseful writing style, descriptive language, and compelling plots. Her main characters are always incredible women who mix strength with vulnerability.

Her newest book released this week! The Last Time I Saw Him is another suspenseful and compelling mystery that is a perfect summer read to sit on the patio and sip an ice cold beverage.

What to expect?

If you haven’t read anything by Kate White before, you should remedy that immediately. Kate is the former editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine and has been writing mystery novels for two decades. Her Bailey Weggins series is one of my all-time favorite mystery series. I keep emphasizing “mystery” because her books are more mystery than thriller, something that can help orient a reader to what style of book to expect. There are twists and turns that kept me hooked, but her style isn’t an out-of-left-field blindside. I find her mysteries well-crafted and the reader can solve them right alongside the main character.

What is The Last Time I Saw Him about?

The book centers around Kiki Reed, a career coach who lives in New York City. Kiki begins the book heading out to Connecticut for a party to support her friend Ava’s husband’s new book. Six months earlier Kiki ended her engagement to Jamie Larsson. Initially Ava told her Jamie wasn’t coming, saving her from an awkward encounter. But Jamie is at the party and Kiki does her best to stay out of his way, not wanting to bring up old emotions. Especially since Jamie seems to be moving on.

The party is winding down when a shot is heard from outside, and Jamie is found dead in his car. The police think it’s a suicide, but Kiki is certain it’s murder. Jamie seemed fine and was actively making plans for the future. Kiki knows her wouldn’t take his own life.

Feeling a responsibility to find out the truth, Kiki rents a house in the area to look for clues that prove to the police it was murder. The more she learns, Kiki realizes that something much more sinister was going on with Jamie, and she may be in danger next...

What did I think?

I love the way Kate White writes. Her scenes are filled with rich details that add a vividness to her stories. Often, she drops in what seem like mundane details—what they order for dinner (usually a decadent pasta and a glass of wine), what they are wearing, where they like to sit and do work or relax. I enjoy that she includes these little tidbits because it makes the characters feel like real people. She also builds the settings out, without being overly descriptive, but enough that the reader can conjure an image in their mind.

Kiki is an interesting character. Normally in this type of book, Kiki would be the one who got broken up with. I this case, she broke it off with her fiancé Jamie because she realizes she had feelings for his best friend, Sam. This isn’t as salacious as it sounds—Kiki never told Sam (or Jamie) about her feelings, nor did she act on them even after ending her engagement. At the same time, it seems that she did find some clarity by seeing how she responded to someone she’s more attracted to. And in true Kate-White-fashion, we get some details about why she and Jamie clearly weren’t a good fit. Since Sam is also invested in finding out who murdered Jamie, the two spend time together so Kiki is forced to make some decisions about her feelings (and see if Sam has any for her). This isn’t as simple as it might sound, but I won’t spoil it!

The tension is woven through the story expertly. Kiki may be sure that Jamie was murdered, but the police aren’t. Add to that the tension with Jamie’s family who blame her for breaking Jamie’s heart, the sexual chemistry with Sam, a former girlfriend who is prickly at best, and a string of suspicious characters, and this is a recipe for a great mystery.

Though Kiki is the main narrator, there is also an unknown male narrator with short chapters throughout that cranked the tension into high gear. Whomever that narrator is seems to be linked to another murder in the area. Kiki wonders if it is possible the two are related, but initially it doesn’t seem like they are. I enjoyed the way the two storylines unfolded and how they tied to one another. I didn’t guess the ending, which always makes for a fun mystery, especially when I realized all of the clues had been there the whole time!

A perfect breezy and compelling summer mystery!

Another page turner by Kate White.full of twists and turns.I was immediately drawn and hated to put it down .Perfect vacation read.# netgalley #the last time she saw him.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

This book had such potential for me, and while I found myself getting through it pretty quickly it became a book I finished and didn't think about again. I needed more from the ending.

This book was a page turner. I feel like the pace could have been quicker, but I still enjoyed it. The ending was a bit disappointing however. I think after everything that happened, I expected more.
I’ve got very luke warm feelings about this. I would recommend it, maybe not as a thriller, but more as a drama.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I love a good thriller, and Kate White has become a reliable author for me to pick up when I want something tense to read. When I got hold of a copy of her newest book, The Last Time She Saw Him, I could hardly wait to get started. This new thriller promised to be an exciting page turner, and while I enjoyed it, I have to admit that it was not my favorite Kate White novel.

The premise was interesting, with an ex-fiancee dead at a party, and there were plenty of possible culprits, if the police were to move away from the suicide explanation. The execution of the story left a bit to be desired, however, with Kiki investigating on her own and so many red herrings and side stories that the main mystery became diluted. I also struggled with the believability of Kiki's actions and decisions, and found myself thinking, "Why would she do that?" repeatedly. The final resolution was a little disappointing, too neatly wrapped up for my taste.

I was completely engrossed in the story, however, and until about the last 25% I couldn't put it down, as Kiki becomes more convinced that Jamie did not kill himself, and is hitting obstacle after obstacle to getting others to accept that he was murdered. I liked the book, it just will not be my favorite of Kate White's books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the digital ARC of The Last Time She Saw Him by Kate White. The opinions in this review are my own.

The book sounded promising, but in the end it just fell flat. The writing was well-worded, but it was incredibly slow and long winded. There was an attempt at adding depth to Kiki, but it ended up feeling more like unnecessary information than anything. The plot development was lacking and felt forced. The ending was somewhat predictable and I didn’t feel satisfied after finishing. I struggled through and had to force myself to finish. This one was just a dud for me.

Kate White is one of my favorite OG thriller writers. If she writes it, I will read it. I own every single one of her books. That's why I'm so saddened to say this was a MISS for me.

Kiki's attends a party where her ex-fiance will also be in attendance. They haven't spoken in months but upon seeing each other, are cordial. Later that night when he is found shot in the head in his car, Kiki refuses to believe the police theory of suicide. She decides she will not rest until she figures out who killed him and why.

This was such a slow burn with very little satisfaction once we get to the "big" reveal. It was so lackluster, almost like an afterthought, that I expected another twist to follow. But that wasn't the case. The side plots and execution just didn't work for me in the end.

Unfortunately, this was a flop.

I enjoyed reading this thriller! I definitely did not guess who the killer was. There were parts to the book that were fast past and engaging and parts that were a little slow and I felt like took you all over the place. Lots of characters to keep up with. I would recommend this to anyone that loves a good thriller.

Kate’s latest novel is a domestic suspense that is full of twists, secrets, and red herrings. The main character, Kiki, goes to a party in the Connecticut countryside where her ex-fiancee winds up dead. Police and friends believe he took his own life; however, Kiki strongly believes that he was murdered. She ends up spending a prolonged period in the countryside to advocate for the police to investigate further which may put her in danger!

I recommend reading this book, especially if you love psychological suspense novels full of secrets and twists.

Thank you to @harperperennial for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)

The Last Time She Saw Him by Kate White is a fast read. You can easily get through this book in a single afternoon! In this book, a man dies and its thought to be a suicide but his ex-fiancee feels like he was murdered. She takes matters into her own hands to learn what happened to him.

This book is a thriller/mystery with some romance. It ventures into paranormal romance which I didn’t love, but overall, this is an entertaining book!

Synopsis:

As Kiki Reed heads out to a party at a friend’s house in the Connecticut countryside, she’s more than a little nervous. Her ex-fiancé Jamie, a great guy who just wasn’t “the one,” will be attending, and she hasn’t seen him since she broke his heart a few months earlier. But when they come face to face, their exchange is brief and pleasant, which is a huge relief.

Then, as the party is winding down, a noise pierces the night. The last few guests run outside to find Jamie inside his car, dead from a gunshot wound.

Shocked and grieving, Kiki learns that the police believe Jamie took his own life, but she knows he was moving on from the breakup and just doesn’t believe it. Determined to find the truth, she searches for any evidence that will get the police to take her seriously. But as she peels away the layers, she uncovers something far more sinister than she’d imagined—and it may be her life on the line next. . .

Out now!

This is one of those murder mysteries and romances all rolled into one, one that I could not put down. There were enough twists and turns in this book to keep you guessing as to who killed who. I am rating it 3.5 stars only because it was hard to figure out which genre the author wanted the book to be overall.

I would recommend this book to my friends and family, so it wasn't all that bad. Still a very enjoyable read.

A murder-mystery, thriller, and romance rolled into one sounded gripping enough, especially coming from an author who has been in the game for a while. Unfortunately for me, this book couldn’t decide which genre it wanted to be in the most, so it never really stuck for me. The character development was lacking something for me, and the ended didn’t feel finished. Finishable, but not a favorite of mine from
Kate White.

This was a quick mystery read. Kiki just can't let it go her ex committed suicide. Author did a good job of throwing shade at several characters. I wasn't close at guessing who killed Jamie or the girl 4 years earlier.

I did enjoy this one, but it the twists didn't wow me. One of the characters at the end, I forgot who they were so that didn't help. But I loved the mystery and suspense of it all and I especially didn't want to put down the book the last 70%. I also felt like there were a lot of repetitive thoughts and questions happening for Kiki throughout the book. The final page of the book felt a little off the way it ended, but I also enjoyed that it ended on a good note. But overall, this book is suspenseful and makes you question every possible suspect.

The Last Time She Saw Him
by Kate White
Pub Date: May 14 2024

"The Last Time She Saw Him" is a psychological thriller and romance mystery combined. The story had a good plot, KiKi, the main character at times was a little overwhelming in my opinion. There were a lot of jaw-droppers in this story. All in all it was a very engaging read.

Short Synopsis: A young woman is left reeling after a broken engagement is followed by a shocking death—one she must prove was a murder and not a suicide.

Many thanks to #TheLastTimeSheSawHim #NetGalley & #HarperPaperbacks for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

💎 💎 💎

Well first I want to thank @netgalley and @harperperennial for the copy of this book so I can leave an honest review.

This book was not what I expected. I struggled with the amount of small details included in this book. I finished it because I was interested in the plot line but I feel like it fell so flat. It wasn’t as “thriller” or even a “romance” truly conflicted to what genre this book would even fall under. There was an allude to suicide so trigger warning. Such a bummer it fell flat too!

#arcreview #thelasttimeshesawhim #bookreview #netgalley #mystery

The Last Time She Saw Him is a standalone thriller in which career coach Kiki Reed can't accept that her ex-fiancé's death is a suicide. She had just talked to Jamie at a mutual friend's party, and even though their relationship didn't work out, Kiki is devastated by his death.

Kiki continues to look into Jamie's death even when members of his family want her to stop asking questions. Complicating things is Kiki's attraction to Jamie's best friend Sam! Sam is one of the few people who share Kiki's doubts about the official ruling on Jamie's death. The book is full of unlikable characters, even some who are supposed to be on Kiki's side, so at times Kiki isn't sure who she can trust. The story is engaging with a plot twist in the mystery I didn't see coming. The overall ending is a little ambiguous, but I enjoyed the book as a whole.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Harper Perennial. My review is voluntary and unbiased.