Book review ✨Her last summer by @emilyfreud_ .
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Overview of book✨:.
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Twenty years ago, Mari vanished while backpacking through Thailand with her boyfriend, Luke. He was accused of murder, but has always insisted he’s innocent. Besides, her body was never found.

Now, he’s finally ready to talk. And filmmaker Cassidy Chambers wants to be the one to uncover what really happened, back then, in the dark of the jungle.

But as she delves deeper into the past, Cassidy begins to fear what lies ahead, and the secrets buried along the way.

No body. No crime?.
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I have read all the books my @emilyfreud_ but this is by far my favourite of all time .
It was such a fast paced book that keep me on my toes from start to finish , I honestly did not know where it was going at all.
The settings of this book were amazing I felt I was there with the story .
The ending I honestly had to lift my jaw from the ground , not read a book as twisty as this for a long time . Can see this book being a best seller summer read . If you can please go and read as you will not be disappointed one bit..
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Thank you @emilyfreud_ and @netgalley for advance reader copy .

This was brilliant I really really enjoyed it. I’m gutted I didn’t have a holiday to enjoy it on the beach I think it would be a perfect beach read. It was full of twists and turns a crazy thriller which amazing characters and a brilliant story plot I couldn’t love it more.

Where to start, this book was amazing and completely blew me away!

The story cleverly tells the tale of Luke and Mari, young teenage backpackers through Thailand, whose tragic story ended with Mari disappearing never to be found. Cassidy Chambers, an ambitious filmmaker hears Luke's story and hopes to finally uncover the truth of what happened to Mari. But is she ready to discover what really happened out there?

Luke's descriptions of the past are expertly intervoven into the story and the author's portrayel of Luke means you're never entirely sure whether to trust him. Cassidy is another strong, likeable protagonist and I really empathised with her and her determination to find out the truth.

When the action moved to Thailand, the underlying tension increases almost unbearably and the details of the trios efforts to make it through the jungle is brilliantly portrayed and I loved this element of the story. This then turns to unimaginable horror and fear and we share Cassidy's every struggle and terror, willing her to make it through. The tension and increasing menace is palpable and the more I read, the more anxious I became!

The remoteness and wilderness of the jungle is brilliantly described, adding to the overall terrifying story.

This is an accomplished atmospheric thriller, I would highly recommend it to everyone. I've loved all of Emily's books and will be eagerly awaiting her next one.

Thanks to author Emily Freud, publishers Quercus Books and Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love love love everything about this book and author. She sure knows how to bring the suspense in. I could not get enough of this book. Highly recommend.

This book definitely had me hooked from the very beginning with the build up of tension and suspense throughout.

Omg this book blew me away it was such a gripping well written thriller which had me gripped throughout. From start to finish it had that tense atmosphere which I didn’t know how it was going to end. I will definitely be recommending this fantastic thriller. Thanks to netgallery and the publisher for my advanced copy.

This plot feels familiar but the author manages to make it feel fresh. With lots of intrigue and suspense, it’s a real page turner by an author new to me. A great read.

This was not I was expecting I thought it would told in a podcast type format it wasn't it was told in standard Nobel format whist I was little disappointed by this the opening was strong and drew me but there after I wasn't drawn.

The plot of the book begins really well, and the idea of the film/series that is going be made has amazing back story. From the opening chapter I thought the book as going make a larger point about society obsession about true crime entertainment and examine the morals of that among the story this wasn't the case. What started off strong soon fell into a far fetched thriller with weak characters. Whilst I really liked the sub plot of the missing backpackers I found the main story into the making of the movie boring and I found the characters stereotypical without much development. I soon worked the big twist and kept reading merely to be proved correct however the epilogue did make my reading on worth it. All in all this book wasn't one I loved it was okay and didn't require deep thinking. Would make a good holiday read to zone out with

This outstanding destination thriller cements Emily Freud as the queen of psychological suspense: Slip this into your travel bag for take off, and I defy you not to finish it before landing!
I was fully immersed the whole time I was reading: the pages drip with claustrophobic tropical heat, and I could practically smell and taste Thailand on every page. I loved the novelty and escapism of the setting - comparisons to Alex Garland’s The Beach are well worth making, and Freud’s subtle eye wink to the reader with carefully positioned nods to it really pays off!
What Freud does so well is capture the essence of the character and their internal struggles on the page: I really ‘got’ who Cassidy was, and as the layers of her are stripped back throughout the book you realise how deeply Freud has got under the skin of her. Coupled with this, I was fascinated with the world of factual documentary making Freud paints such a vivid picture of: it so clear she knows her stuff, and she weaves in facts and terminology so effortlessly that is is never baggy and just sits beautifully layered over the intricate plot.
With rich and vivid prose and a stunningly crafted plot, there is simply nothing not to like about this fine example of the genre:
Someone buy the tv rights now!

Quite a bit of this went exactly where I thought it was going. It was going to be one of those I think of as "perfect beach read".
Then it threw me off completely, and Needless to say, I liked it more because it did so.
On top of all that excitement, you have the never knowing what the truth of the cold case is.
I sped through this one Sunday afternoon, and it made the afternoon fly by, and the housework get neglected.
It was worth it though, to get to the end, and get the answers.
Enjoyable stuff.

Several years ago, Mari and Luke were backpacking in Thailand when she went missing. Despite the search, Mari's body was never found, and Luke returned home, still insisting that he was innocent.

Needless to say, not everyone believed him. Twenty years later, he has now finally and unexpectedly agreed to tell his side of the story, and filmmaker Cassidy Chambers is excited at the prospect of being the one to bring the story to a wider audience that is as eager for answers as she is.

But has Cassidy bitten off more than she can chew? Because the past may quite literally be a different country, but jungles of Thailand have their own ways of protecting their secrets...

This is an excellent, well-written and original take on a familiar trope. The story almost feels as though it has been ripped from the headlines, and the writer does a great job of maintaining the pace throughout, and delivering in terms of suspense and unpredictability. All in all, a compelling read

I finished this book and my immediate thought was: If one of the streaming services don’t snap this up for a movie, it’s a travesty.

The story was so captivating from the get go. I picked the book up before bed and intended to read a few chapters… before I knew it, I’d read 100 pages and didn’t want to go to sleep. The writing is excellent, original, full of suspense, easy to follow, and honestly, addictive.

As opposed to a traditional whodunnit, this is one of those novels where you’re left questioning everything and anxiously awaiting what’s going to happen next. When you think you know what’s going on, you’re wrong. The final chapter was just chefs kiss, it really couldn’t have ended any better for me.

My only gripe: As the story began picking up, I felt like I didn’t really get to know Cassidy as much as I would’ve liked. Her character was equally as interesting as it was frustrating, but I felt like Emily had portrayed her brilliantly as a human being who makes mistakes and follows her heart. That being said, I won’t deny there were definitely times I wanted to reach into the book and shake her.

If anyone knows how picky I am with books, they’ll understand what a gem this one truly is. I’m giving it 5 stars, and swiftly adding it to my favourites list.

The book will be published on April 11th 2024, and I’d highly recommend ordering it asap!

Thank you to NetGalley & Quercus Books for the ARC ⭐️