I am thrilled to be a part of The Pulse which works with some of the most talented thriller writers currently working right now. We were lucky enough to get a peek at The Last Girl Left and I’m excited to share it with you all!

Tessa survived a heinous attack on her and a group of friends at an isolated beach house off the Maine coast five years ago and her life has been a wreck since. She’s unable to hold down a job, maintain relationships, or function wholly in her life. Her sister is at her limit, unsure of what to do next and gives her an ultimatum to move forward or move out of her house (where she’s been living for free). Then, an opportunity falls into Tessa’s lap. After reaching out to a publisher who expressed interest in a true crime story right after it happened and being shot down, Tessa desperately pitched another angle - return to the house and face her demons head on while writing about the experience.

Now she’s back in the off-season, the snowbirds have fled for the season and most places are shuttered until the following spring. A few seasoned locals remain and Tessa tries to put together pieces of that night while deciding who she can and cannot trust. But when she starts to hear noises around the property and gets some less than warm welcomes she starts to wonder if she made a dangerous mistake coming back.

I mean…we love a final girl story. I’ll never not be interested in picking a book up when I see that as a main theme. Tessa was a good final girl too, she wasn’t over the top stupid OR over the top survivalist. She was just a normal girl who survived something awful, trying her best to find ways to move past it. I do question her sanity at times, because what the heck who in their right mind would stay in the house they were almost butchered in…especially after weird things start happening!!

The setting was great, very atmospheric and creepy. The authors did a great job setting the scene, I could picture this deserted northeastern beach town perfectly. The authors did a great job at telling the story almost in a documentary type way that made me feel like I was listening to a true crime podcast and not a fictitious story, which also really added to the creepy factor and puts this thriller into borderline horror territory.

We met a handful of characters, all of whom were memorable and easy to distinguish and in the story with a purpose (no fluffy side characters to take up plot space). The plot moved at a great pace, I was never bored and always wanting to know what was going to happen next. And I did also enjoy the twists.

I would absolutely pick up another book by these authors.

Quick Take:
This was a fun, fast paced thriller about the sole survivor of a killing where three girls were brutally murdered going back to the scene of the crime years later to deal with what happened.

I love a final girl trope in a thriller so this was definitely right up my alley. First of all, I didn't really understand her reasoning for going to stay at the house in which this massacre took place, but I got past that and just enjoyed the experience. This was fun, fast paced, twisty and definitely entertaining. Because I read so many thrillers, I have a feeling the details of this one may become cloudy over time as there wasn't anything specific that stood out about this one, but overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it!

Format: Audiobook
Thanks to Netgalley & Brilliance Audio for this advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

To say that Tessa chose an interesting way to move past her trauma would be an understatement but man was she brave to do it! I enjoyed seeing her character try to accept what happened and move forward with her life. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending - I had some things figured out but certainly not all of them! I enjoyed the audiobook and the narration. There were some really frightening parts of this that will keep you up at night so be careful what time of day you read this!

"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒐, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒇𝒖𝒍, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕. 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅."

Special thanks to @thrillerbookloversthepulse @sonyasargentstrong @amazonpublishing and @brilliancepublishing for the #gifted copy, PR box, and eALC.

➡️ swipe to synopsis 👉🏼

MY REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫[4.5 rounded up to 5]

THIS 👏🏼AUDIO 👏🏼IS 👏🏼AMAZING👏🏼!

I was entranced from the first chapter. The chapters are short, which makes it feel like you're flying through the story. The story itself is unique in the viewpoint of the survivor and her pent-up anxiety. The off the wall idea to go back to "cure" herself is great writing material for her book in general, but of course SOMETHING is going to happen.

I had so many theories floating around in my head as I listened. Maybe it was every character on that island at one point, 🤔 [or maybe is the killer really dead?!] .

The ending threw me for a loop cause I swear I pegged someone completely different for all of it.

Do yourself a favor, and order this one asap, you won't be sorry!

PUB DATE:
April 23, 2024

QOTD ❓️⁉️❓️ Have you ever visited a murder house?
Where and what murder?

AOTD - I have not and I'm not sure I'd make it through the night, I'm a scardy cat.

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillerbooklovers #thepulse #pulsepoint #tbrpile #bookbuzz #thrilleraddict #bookaddict #thrillerlover #booklover
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I love a good final girl's story! In this one Tessa is the sole survivor of a serial killer while vacationing with girl friends. Years later and she has yet to recover. So why not return to the scene of the crime to write her story and take back her life. Little does she know this is the next act in her story! Nonstop action makes this one a great listen! Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for the book to listen and review!

The Last Girl Left 4 stars

A heavy trigger warning for rape. There is one scene in the story where Tessa (Theresa) has a flashback where she relives the events that had happened that night in the house where her friends were murdered and she was assaulted.

When Tessa is faced with an ultimatum she decides that the only way to reclaim her life is to visit the place where everything changed and her reoccurring nightmares began. She contacts a publishing company and gets into a contract where she promises to write her healing experiences of visiting the house where she survived and her friends didn't. But while she's there she begins to question sounds, left open doors, and a photo she was sure she had removed. Are these the result of her mind playing tricks on her or is someone actually in the house with her?

Although there were some difficult moments throughout the book, I truly did enjoy listening to the story and rooting for Tessa in her efforts to heal and take control of her life. When she was meant with skeptical comments or felt her hair standing up, I felt like a mama bear wanting to protect her or shake the people doubting her to trust her.

An issue I had was the therapy session at the beginning. As someone who has had multiple therapists, the therapist calling the main character by her dead name instead of honoring her new name threw me off. Although the reasoning for such was explained during their session, it still rubbed me wrong and didn't give the sense of a professional or good therapist. A good therapist has the goal of helping you, but not doing something that would cause a trigger especially if that trigger reminds the client of a traumatic situation.

Ultimately, this story was a 4 star read for me and I found that I hadn't had the ending figured out after all.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me listen to this audio ARC.

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for this audio

This was my first book by this author. I wasn’t sure what to expect but wow!! That plot twist was not what I was expecting lol it was so good!! Very well written. It was such an easy read that kept me on my toes.

I found myself drawn into the captivating mystery of the story, unable to put it down until the very end. The intricate plot kept me guessing, weaving through twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. However, as the story unfolded, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment with the resolution.

Despite this, the main character stole my heart from the very beginning. Their depth and complexity made them incredibly relatable, and I found myself rooting for them every step of the way. Their journey was filled with challenges and revelations that left me breathless, and I couldn't help but admire their resilience and courage.

Overall, while the ending may not have been entirely satisfying, the journey was undeniably worth it. The strength of the main character and the allure of the mystery made it a compelling read that will stay with me long after I've turned the final page.

Phew! This was so intense!

Who do you trust? Who can you trust?

5 years ago Tessa’s friends were brutally murdered and she was left for dead. Now she’s back where it all started to try to find closure and move on with her life.

I was creeped out and could definitely feel the panic Tessa must have felt.

This was a surprising sleeper for me. I stumbled on this book on Instagram and I’m so happy I did!

This was solidly entertaining and interesting!

I finished this quickly and felt satisfied when this one was over. Teresa/Tessa is an incredibly sympathetic character that I believed but couldn’t quite put my finger on why I believed her unease. By the end of the book, of course, it made sense.

Honestly? No huge surprises as the bread crumbs were big enough to pick up. However. The story itself and the emotional angle kept the book flowing and evolving in such a way that I needed to find out how this one ended. The relationships were realistic and authentic which also gave this book more to enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the copy. All opinions are my own.

There's been so much hype at The Pulse @thrillerbookloversthepulse surrounding this book, and for good reason- this was a really great read! Thank you to @brillianceaudio for the ALC and thank you SO MUCH to A.M. Strong and @sonyasargentstrong @amazonpublishing for this amazing book box with a physical copy!

Tessa is a Final Girl- the only living survivor of a massacre that ended the lives of all of her friends. On Cassadega Island, a small summer vacation town in Maine, she made it through the night of the attacks, but has been left physically and emotionally scarred. After 5 years of living with that trauma and failing to make and semblance of a life for herself, she has had enough and wants to dig herself out and try to get better. She decides to reach back out to a publisher who tried to secure a book deal from her years ago, and proposes something he can't refuse: Tessa will go back to Cassadega Island and stay in the house where she survived that terrible night. She'll stay there for a month and write the first draft of her book detailing what happened that night and what has happened since. The advance check hits her account and next thing, she's on the ferry heading to the island. In off-season, Cassadega is completely different from the bustling summer town she once visited, and Tessa gets to know some of the locals of the island. Then some eerie things happen that leave Tessa unsettled and unsure of who to trust and believe. Is it just the house that's freaking her out, or is there someone out to get Tessa?

This book had me hooked from the very beginning. Within the first few chapters, I knew this was going to be a book that I really liked. I found the writing clear, concise, and easy to follow without added fluff. I liked Tessa as a main character and found her raw and real - although I didn't agree with all of the decisions she made (girlfriend, WHY are you going back to that house?!?) Although I understood her feeling that she needed to do everything within her power to not only move forward from the trauma she experienced, but to also make some money to get back on her feet and pay her sister back for all the help she'd given her. This story did have me guessing about the intentions of all of the characters throughout, then gave me twists I did not seem coming! This book was absolutely bingeable on audio, the audio narrator, Hallie Ricardo, was awesome! I haven't listened to any books narrated by her yet, but found her narration to be really enjoyable to listen to and it helped bring the story to life.

Prepare to be swept away on a rollercoaster ride of suspense and thrills with 'The Last Girl Left,' a gripping novel that will leave you reeling from start to finish.
The story follows Tessa, a survivor of a horrifying mass murder, as she grapples with the trauma of her past. As the sole survivor, Tessa is haunted by memories that refuse to fade, and her journey toward healing is filled with danger and suspense. From the very first chapter, 'The Last Girl Left' grabs hold of the listener and refuses to let go. I went in blind and found myself completely absorbed in the story, devouring it in just a few days. The fast-paced story was so gripping that I could have easily read it in one sitting.

The audiobook narration is excellent, drawing listeners in. The narrator's ability to capture the tension and emotion of the story keeps you invested from start to finish, adding to the overall reading experience. What truly sets 'The Last Girl Left' apart is its relentless suspense and jaw-dropping twists. SO MANY TWISTS! I tried to work out the twists, but this book kept me guessing at every turn.

'The Last Girl Left' is a must-read for fans of thrillers and suspenseful storytelling. Read this book if you enjoy final girl stories, isolated settings, suspense, twists, jump scares, and edge of your seat thrilling perfection! Add this one to your TBR list immediately – you won't regret it. 5 STARS!

Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing/Brilliance Audio, A.M. Strong & Sonya Sargent for an audio 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 was a solid thriller with a final girl theme that really kept me on my toes to the very end.
✨I love it when a thriller is so scary it has me peeking over my shoulder. This is that book!
✨Everyone is a suspect; no one can be trusted – and the twists are intense!

I definitely recommend this one, friends.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Final girl stories
✨Isolated settings
✨Maine settings
✨Psychological thrillers

🎧Here’s where my review takes a turn. I’m sorry to say I didn’t love the narration. But I also have to clarify that a big reason why I didn’t is that the narrator’s voice was very monotone and flat in places – and I have to think this was intentional due to the internal life of the character. It just didn’t work for me, but this could just be personal preference. Despite this, I very much enjoyed the audiobook.

Tessa can't forget how her three friends were killed, especially because she was the lone survivor of said beach house massacre. When she is presented with a ton of money, which she desperately needs, to revisit the house to face her fears, she decides to take the task on. When she arrives, things don't seem right and it becomes apparent that someone is watching her. Can she last the month to get the job done?

This was such an entertaining read. I listened to the audiobook and the eeriness was portrayed so well. It would be my absolute nightmare to be in a haunted house so I sympathised with Tessa, feeling goosebumps at times. Fast paced, this was a fantastic thriller that I would recommend to anyone who likes a bit of scare factor in their books.

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 :)

I seem to be on a 'Last Girl' trend at the moment. Let me tell you, this one did not disappoint either! This book was so good! I had book the eBook and audiobook so I would alternate between the 2 depending on my situation at the time. I want to start by saying the narrator was awesome! She gave just the right amount of infliction so that you would actually feel the emotions that the characters are having. The book was very gripping. I didn’t want to put it down. And honestly, the only reason it took as long as it did to read it was because of tax season! I loved that this book was told in short chapters so it was easy to get in 'just one more chapter" and not overdo it, even though I wanted to read it all in one sitting.
Tessa is the sole survivor of a beach house murder 5 years ago. Since then, she has yet to overcome her demons and move on. But who could blame her!? With everything that went on! Everything she listened to as she hid and tried to survive! This is told from Tessa's point of view only. There are instances where she gets flashbacks to the night of the murders. She doesn't remember any of it so little by little, she is learning what really happened.
The ending was NOT what I expected at all! Part of it was, but the other part?!?! OMG, threw me for a loop! Did not see that coming at all. The epilogue was a nice little tidy up chapter.
While the ending of this book is good, I was hoping for a little more. Not sure what exactly but something more. Maybe a little more detail of the night of the murders or a little more insight to the culprit, little more info on previous crimes that the were commented on in the end. Even with that being said, this book is a strong 4 stars! Kind of waffling between 4 and 4.5. Great, compelling, bingeable read! Idk I would recommend this to. Everyone probably!

The Last Girl Left by A.M Strong, Sonya Sargent
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Pub April 23, 2024

Tessa was the sole surviving woman in a massacre where she listened to her three closest friends get butchered and Tessa herself was left for dead.
5 years later she decides her therapy isn't going well and she needs to return to the scene of the crime to overcome her phobias.

This book was so Haunting and I loved the writing. The entire thing was so easy to read. I switched back and forth between listening and reading when it was most convenient for me. And both options were pleasantly easy and just as eerie as the other choice.

If you're looking for an unsettling and twisted story that includes a few triggers such as r@pe, m*rder, and stalking. Then look no further than the last girl left.

Thank you to @thrillerbookloversthepulse and @sonyasargentstrong for hooking me up with audio and the wonderful book box (see previous reel)

For the past five years, Tessa has lived in a constant state of fear following the massacre of her friends, in which she was the only survivor. When dealing with Tessa’s fears and anxiety become too much for her sister, Tessa is forced to face her fears alone. She returns to the beach house on a secluded island where it all happened, and finds more than she bargained for.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 was impossible to tear myself away from. I felt it all for Tessa, the fear, anxiety, loneliness, skepticism about everyone in the town. I thought I knew where it was heading but I was wrong and the ending twist was well done. I listened to this one on audio and thoroughly enjoyed it. It vaguely reminded me of the University of Idaho murders, but not completely. Thanks to the publisher for my gifted copy. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 will be published 4/23.

Oh Em Gee! Look at this amazing package that was sent from #thepulse #pulsepoint Everyone at @thrillerbookloversthepulse is screaming from the rooftops about this one!

What it’s about:
Five years ago, Tessa witnessed THE most horrific experience of her life. Away on a girls trip in the perfect beach house her girlfriends were all murdered at the hands of a complete stranger. She happened to be the sole survivor however she’s been left with crippling anxiety and fear. When her actions hit an all time low she decides she absolutely must make a change to move on from her dark past. Strapped for cash she agrees to go back to the scene of the crime and write a tell all book about her experience and how she feels living in the house for the next month. The moment she arrives she senses someone is watching her and things aren’t right with her return.

💭The beginning scene in this one gave off major “Taken” vibes and was simply terrifying! Naturally this cold dead heart loved it! 🖤 I could feel the sheer terror poor Tessa felt and the anxiety and results of the attack. If you need a book that starts out with a bang to suck you in…this book is that! The writing is engaging, there is not one slow moment and I found myself looking under my bed before I dove back in to read this one! This one is an ultimate stressful thriller that you will not want to miss!

Thank you @amazonpublishing @sonyasargentstrong @strongsargentauthors for the gifted copy!