Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC to read for an unbiased review of this new Thriller
THE FINAL SCENE by Steph Nelson that is now available in Kindle ebook, paperback, and audiobook

The Oregon Coast has stunning sites and is beautiful with plenty of hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path wonders to discover.  Who would think there could be anything nefarious lurking on the outskirts of a small town?  Brooke, a young single mother certainly didn't one late night after her shift from work.  Silently stalked by a stranger, she was captured and brought to a remote cabin in the woods to play a game.  One she wasn't a willing participant.

"This is it. This is how I die." That was 10 years ago.

The dated cabin is tucked far away from other houses or businesses and you wouldn't know it was there unless someone told you.  It is unlocked and she can roam the surrounding yard, however, if she goes too far it could cost her life. The cabin is monitored for most of the day by video, and the cast plays silent roles since there is no audio.  It's like Groundhog Day set in the 1960's. Step out of line or go out of character, the collar around your neck will let you know.

Brooke is the longest player in this twisted reenactment of her captor's story.  Many other unwilling people have been captured to come and play the other two characters in this live-action tale, but have failed by not following the rules.  Failure equals death and a new cast member replaces you.  Brooke is smart, she plays the game well, but The Final Scene is coming for them all.  


I enjoyed this suspenseful tale. The premise was new to me and it hit the thriller aspect well. I thought this was an interesting concept and a terrifying way to live for a decade. I found it a quick read and entertaining. If you like thrillers, I recommend giving this a try.

This book was a 5 star read all the way up until the last couple of chapters which brought it to a 4.

The good:
- A very creative premise that was unlike anything I have read. It was definitely a twist on your normal thriller. It did have a similar premise to two TV shows I've seen: An episode of American Horror Stories and a season of Search Party. None had been completely like this though.
- I caught onto part of the twist but didn't catch in on the whole thing until it was revealed.
- I really loved the story and was very invested in it. It kept me thinking about it even when I put the book down.

The bad:
- The ending was exceptionally rushed compared to the story. I really wanted it to last a little longer and be a little more.
- The "why" of it all is never revealed. It doesn't have to be but I wanted a bit more on Grace.
- The bonus epilogue I found pointless, it didn't add much to the story.

I would highly recommend this though if you love a good horror/thriller and are tired of the same plot. This was eerie and different. The ending isn't perfect but it also does wrap up, which is important to me.

"The Final Scene" by Steph Nelson is a compelling mystery novel that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Nelson's intricate plot weaves together suspense, drama, and unexpected twists, keeping you hooked from the first page to the last. The characters are well-developed, each with their own secrets and motives, adding layers of complexity to the story. With its fast-paced narrative and cleverly crafted suspense, this book kept me captivated until the end and couldn’t be put down.

Interesting story of kidnapping and getting psychological clarity however the premise of the restraining devices was unbelievable and the playing of the scenes as well. The connections between players seemed forced.

This was a pretty quick and easy thriller. Not really a twisty one but still pretty edge-of-the-seat. The characters were good and the writing was great.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

This book was so gripping and I flew through it!

I really loved the premise, but I wish we got more backstory on Grace, Mitch, and this weird torturous acting thing she’s been running for decades. It was unique, but I felt like we needed to know WHY it was happening to connect more with the characters.

I felt as though the writing was confusing at times because it seemed like points of view would switch within a paragraph and I didn’t know who I was listening to at any given time. I figured out that there was a lot of shifting going on and was able to navigate it, but I didn’t love that.

I also felt that we needed more information on why the cast members were selected. There was a general, “oh, revenge” type explanation, but that wasn’t quite enough for me.

Honestly I’m probably being nit picky because I really enjoyed this book but just wish it was a little more polished and provided more backstory.

Definitely adding this author to my list so I can read more of her work!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC 🫶🏼

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline is pretty unique given it's a hostage/kidnapping storyline. The writing is strong and I was unable to predict. I did not enjoy the romance sections of it, but I'm sure there are plenty that will. Overall, wonderful thriller!

“Enticing. Grip-taking. Heartbreaking. Will leave you holding on for the characters’ struggle for survival.”

Wow. I love when a story just grabs you from the first chapter and keeps that hold on the reader until the final page. And that’s what this book gives you exactly. A haunting thriller where you see from different perspectives of different victims.

When we first open up, we hear the heartbreaking kidnapping of Brooke, who was walking home from work one day when a man followed her and drugged her unconscious. The creepy factor in this first chapter is the ten year time skip from the day she was taken to the present. Brooke had been kidnapped for ten years, watching people come and go from being killed and replaced in the hell she had called home.

Her kidnappers have chosen a handful of people to reenact an elderly woman’s, named Grace, childhood experience, up til her wedding night. She has emotional damage as she gets her abductees to portray herself and immediate family around her in order to please Grace.

After one of the deaths causes a pit in her chest to enlarge from fear, Brooke is determined not to see anyone else die in the house. The whole story is a whirlwind of traumatic events and heartaches as the real truth to why they were chosen comes to light.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Thrilling. Captivating. Everything you’d want in a book to make your heart beat rapidly in suspense on if these people are going to make it out alive or not. I look forward for future releases from Nelson, as this one has already made me a fan.

Do you ever read a book, then go to review it, get a glimpse of it's overall rating, and then wonder - did we just read the same book?

Here's what I think happened. The premise is great. The first half of the book is pretty good. It is also a fast-paced easy read. So, I presume, for most people they just slid straight through and gave it the four star rubber stamp and moved on with their lives.

Meanwhile, I'm over here kicking it around and the more I sit with it the more problems I find. So, I'll get answer the easy question first - SHOULD YOU READ IT?

Maybe, if you like the genre, are quite bored, have the ability to simply enjoy and not think too much about every book, and the only other options are the side of shampoo bottles. For me it was about a four hour one-sitting read. And, I did finish it. So, there's that.

I really don't like reviewing books that are less than three stars because I know the author worked hard. But, this one just irks me because it could have been so good.

Alright, enough foreplay let's get into it. SPOILER ALERT - after this point there will be plot points discussed.
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Let's go!

The beginning half or so is a pretty good well-paced story. The premise is unique and we immediately (by chapter 2) know who the bad guys are. So, no mystery to spoil there.

Unfortunately, once the book has gotten going and is set up it starts to devolve. If you told me the second half of the book and first half were written by different people I would believe you.

Brooke was taken on her way home from work ten years prior. Since then she has been held captive in a cabin by a crazy lady, Grace, and her henchman, Mitch. Throughout these ten years other captives have come and gone, full grown men, other women, and a few kids. Grace, the 70+ year old mastermind, has an aplomb for throat slitting and Mitch does the kidnapping and is her backup with a gun on his hip. To make maters more dire each captive gets to wear an electric collar that can shock or explode if a button is pushed or they go past a buried perimeter. Fun.

So, we have this great premise set up. We get to see Brooke and the current cast playing out Grace's recreations of her upbringing and even learn how and why other "cast" members have been killed - being in the same room as the real Grace (can't have two in one time period), not sticking to the script, trying to figure out how to escape, etc. Further, we learn there is another house with more captives playing out other scenes from Grace's past.

Now, the spiral. As soon as they introduce Derek, the new person to play Grace's dad, things go down hill. The dialogue becomes weird and just ick. We get this forced romance. Which, okay, you're held captive for ten years with another adult that might happen. However, this one is instant lust, but the book goes for a little enemies to lovers trope because Derek is too machismo and that's Brooke's type and she knows it's bad for her and blah, blah, blah.

Then there is a sex scene. What?! Ma'am I'm sure they might go have some sex but this is a mystery/ thriller novel an in depth open door sex scene was not on my BINGO card and was very weird to be put in a book like this.

Anyway, "The Final Scene" is imminent. It's clear everyone is going to die so now (after ten years) they've really got to kick it in gear to escape. So, here's a cool idea Brooke should seduce creepy Mitch. Even though she's a curvy girl this tactic hasn't occurred to her? In ten years? Oh, and Derek is Grace's type so he's supposed to go seduce her too. Good thing they have six days to pull off this plan.

Wonder of wonders they sort of manage it. They each get their target alone. Brooke gets her part done - she strips for answers to questions and some how escalates the bargain to include touch and that turned in to sex with Mitch pretty quickly. Like, Brooke, maybe you shouldn't have suggested Mitch should take clothes off too. Or, how about just touching? Mitch oddly enough wasn't really pushing for sex. It was all Brooke. Weird.

Meanwhile Derek has Grace alone and, while she has the buzzer for their collars and a hunting knife, it has been established Derek is a former cop and a big guy. He couldn't disarm her before getting shocked? She's 70+ and sounded pretty small even if she is in good enough shape to wear a tummy shirt (as fit seventy year-olds do?).

Well, the plan has gone to shit and we readers are stuck in this weird place with some truly horrible dialogue. And, throughout it all we still don't have a clear motivation for Grace or Mitch. Basically, he's like I started helping her and I'm in too deep now I like the money. But, then he orchestrates some shenanigans. Clearly he's a little more in to it. However, Grace has all these people acting out scenes from her past as some sort of immersive therapy for her, but we never really figure out her trauma. She hints at a domineering possibly abusive husband, but seems to have loving parents and ones that she loves. It's weird.

Then part of the final escape is they figure out if a collar goes off the whole perimeter goes down. So, yippy!, they jump across and then - poof! - the collars just open. Okay.

Don't worry there is a happily ever after for the captive love-birds because clearly this was just a romance book masquerading as a thriller.

There is also an entire subplot I'm skipping here because again it had potential but was executed with way too many coincidences. No, I am going to just say that in this subplot a body is dumped which, of course, leads to an investigation. But, whhhhhhhhhy? They've had all these other bodies. Were they dumped in an urban area? Probably not because they are being held in a rural cabin on the Oregon coast. Seems like plenty of places to dump a body out there where absolutely no one is - oh and, of course, the psychopaths control the local police. Why? Because they had some money in a BFE town in Oregon. Okay.

Alright, I'm really done this time. The End.

The Final Scene is a gripping thriller that hooked me from the first few pages. It was insanely creepy but just the right amount to keep you entertained throughout the novel. I liked that they provided enough background for each of the characters because it allowed to form a level of attachment to them and truly feel their stress and pain. I also enjoyed how the characters and their storylines interconnected with each other and the plot twists. It was an extremely unique story that felt like something out of a Criminal Minds episode.

—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was unlike anything i have read before. It was so fast paced. It was an intense unique story that kept me up all night after reading it. It felt like a horror movie in the best way.
Highly recommend !

This felt like a criminal minds episode. It was fast paced, and exciting. It was a quick read which I enjoyed.

Well, I couldn't sleep. So, I thought I would start this book and read until I was tired. But, it's 4AM and I've just finished the book. While I didn't get any sleep, I was treated to a wild messed up ride. This story will make you angry and keep you invested.

Started off intense & gripping, a new take on kidnapping….but fell off midway through. Romance felt forced in this & I wanted more insight into the main characters. Overall a good read with slight issues though. Definitely will try this author in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for forwarding this ARC to me!

This was such a fun and quick ride! It’s honestly such an interesting idea and I really liked the execution.
I was a bit worried that this would be a very sexual and abuse story because of the long time Brooke has been held captive. Most of these kinds of stories fetishise the Stockholm Syndrome but not this one!
We had a lot of POVs and I just really enjoyed how everything was coming together. It’s not like I was at the edge of my seat but it was definitely decent executed.
There was actually a really well written spicy scene in there, that was a very welcomed moment!
I ate this up in a few hours and I can really just recommend this to every crime enthusiast, it’s not the thriller of the year but a perfect read for an in-between book. Also this really got me back into the thriller mood after reading lots of fantasy.

All in all a really nice story with lovely characters that you can actually root for!

This has got to be one of the BEST thrillers I have read in a long time! Steph does such a great job in creating the perfect scenes in your head. You feel as if you're in the cabin with them. Your heart starts pounding when Grace pulls up. I like how theres two narratives in the book, the life inside the cabin and the outside world all getting tied in. I highly recommend reading the bonus material at the end of the book. Really brings everything to a perfect ending.

When I was searching around for some interesting blurbs, I came across some brilliant descriptions which make me jump right into the book. This was one such book that intrigued me with an interesting plot.
Brooke was kidnapped on her way back from work and she is placed as a captive in a cabin in some unknown woods. It has been several years. But then, it is not just Brooke. Other people have also been kidnapped and all have been acting out a certain part that was designed for them. Escape from the cabin is impossible even though it is wide open as it could mean sure death. If you don't play your role as expected also you might end up dead. This all changes when a new person arrives as a captive. It might just be time to turn the tables around trying to escape the clutches of the perpetrators.
The concept was interesting in the first place and different from other plots involving kidnapping and captivity. People are being held as open captives and cannot escape. This was very intriguing. The read was a pretty quick one, but some places seemed to drag me back. Maybe 30 - 35 pages less could have made it more crisp. The characters were interesting, and the backstories unfolded well. The author had done a nice job of keeping the story exciting even though most of the story was confined in the cabin. There was a parallel story running which did intrigue me, but the way it connected with the main plot and the action at the last was exciting enough.
In short, a decent read for thriller fans which can be read within a day or two. But then the dullness mars the read at one or two spots.

4 Stars ~

Brooke was kidnapped 10 years ago, leaving behind a daughter, Jesse. Kept in a cabin with a device tied around her neck, threatening to detonate if she puts a foot out of line, or forgets her lines.
Brooke is playing the character of the mom of young 'Grace', who is actually a 70-year-old lady with a wicked passion for replaying her childhood, with the perfect cast.

Brooke has been through so many other cast members that she feels nothing but the will to survive for the sake of Jesse. Until one day a replacement for Grace's 'Dad' arrives and the end of the replay is nearing.

This was such a fun read. The premise felt so unique to me, which kept me wanting to read more. Looking forward to checking out other books by Steph Nelson in the future for sure.

Highly recommend you give this one a shot!

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC of The final scene in return for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and gobbled it up in one setting. It was such a unique plot and that had me on the edge of my seat from the very first chapter. Grace gave me old hitchcock character vibes and I loved reading how the characters intwined. I have recommended this book to so many people since I finished it and will be reading more by this author.

3.75 rounded up to 4

Holy moly! What just happened? This book was so twisted and ruthless. The story is about several characters that don’t seem to know each other but their lives are still tied together. It’s a very six-degrees of separation. There is some decent character development, I really found myself rooting for Brooke and Derek. The writing style isn’t super deep, but it is entertaining. I really liked the end but wish I could’ve known more about what happened with Brooke and Derek afterward-the QR code don’t work in my copy. There’s so much blood and gore! If that’s your thing, this is the one for you! There are triggers in this one, so do check into that before reading.