Okay, I thoroughly enjoyed Hidden Pictures. The Last One at the Wedding is nothing like Rekulak's previous book, so do not go into this book expecting something similar. I enjoyed the book. I never once thought about DNFing the book because it kept me entertained and kept my attention. I just felt like there was something missing. I kept waiting for big twist or reveal, but nothing like that ever came. Our MC felt fully realized and like he could be a real middle-aged (stuck in his ways) man, but the other characters just did feel as fleshed out. They just felt like they were there, which I think might be part of my disappointment with this story. All in all, it just felt like a mediocre thriller. I will definitely pick up more of Jason Rekulak's books because I loved Hidden Pictures so much. I know this book will definitely be hits with so many readers though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

First off thank you Netgally, & McMillen Audiobooks for allowing me to review this audiobook.

This book had me speechless. It was so good! Frank is your typical dad, you can’t help but love him and feel every emotion that he feels. He just wants what’s best for his daughter as most fathers would.

The narration of Frank was so good! I honestly felt like Maggie’s dad was telling us the story. It was an easy book to follow & the perfect book for fall/spooky season! You won’t be disappointed!

Really enjoyed this slow burn mystery. Good writing, spot on narration of the protagonist, and strong use of foreshadowing (though I worked out main twist early). If anything, a little more propulsion would have helped the narrative drive for me. A tad drawn out.

This book was a lot different than I was expecting, I would classify this more as a domestic suspense. I mention this because I think I would have enjoyed the story having had those expectations going in. I was expecting more jaw dropping twists, and these were smaller twists throughout.
With that being said, I enjoyed the story. It was a slower burn, with a lot of drama, which I enjoy.
I did enjoy the smaller twists and the build up in the plot.
The narrator did an amazing job! This one is definitely worth the listen!
Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for the opportunity!

I enjoyed this book. I listen to an audio version of the book and think had I been reading the book the beginning may have been a little slow. However, even with the slower start I really enjoyed the book. I think part of this slower start was introducing us to the characters and what was to come. After getting a little further into the book the pace picked up more and I was more engaged in the story. I think it was nicely written and I liked the characters. There were twist in the book that kept me engaged and unsure how it was going to end. I think those twist also moved you from linking a character to not liking them at times, which for me is an important part of those twist in a thriller book!

4 wedding bell stars

Narrated perfectly by John Pirhalla, this story was full of surprises! Our main character is Frank Szatowski, a UPS driver with a perfect record. He’s estranged from his daughter and is shocked when she calls him out of the blue and invites him to her wedding.

The wedding is going to be at an upscale camp, Osprey Cove, in New Hampshire, and she’s marrying into an ultra-wealthy family. Of course, Frank would like to reconnect with Maggie and wants to be part of the wedding.

This one has funny moments, like when Frank shows up to pick up his sister only to discover that a foster child will accompany them. Frank knows it’s a bad idea to bring her along, and at first, he has no patience for her.

Frank soon discovers that there is more to the Gardner family, and he becomes uneasy about his daughter marrying into this family. His daughter’s fiancée, Aidan, is hard to get to know, and he still hasn’t met Aidan’s mother. She’s struggling with migraines.

The camp provides a perfect setting for this one, with remote cabins, water, and locked doors.

I really enjoyed listening to this one and the narrator really brought Frank to life.

I enjoyed this author’s earlier book – “Hidden Pictures” – and I found this one to be quite different. I’m curious to see what he writes next!

This was a very easy listen. I liked how the story flowed, the characters weren’t overly dramatized. It was very enjoyable. He is a good author.

Frank Szatowski is excited when his estranged daughter, Maggie, invites him to her wedding after years apart. However, when he arrives, Frank feels out of place in the luxurious world of Maggie’s fiancé and uncovers mysteries surrounding her new family that put their relationship to the test.

I loved Hidden Pictures, so I was excited for Jason’s latest book. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me, and I wish I had DNF’ed it earlier. I kept reading, hoping it would improve, but it remained boring and predictable. The characters were all extremely unlikeable and underdeveloped. The entire book is told from Frank’s perspective, with Maggie (Frank’s daughter) being a narcissist and Tammy (Frank’s sister) overly easygoing. The ending was predictable and slightly odd. John Pirhalla did a great job narrating Frank's character. Honestly, his performance was the only thing that kept me engaged otherwise, I would have DNF’ed this.

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak. I was a huge fan of Hidden Pictures so I was SO excited to get this book.. and I was NOT disappointed. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, Jason completely flipped the script and I was left guessing again.. until the last page. Really, until the last sentence. This book is the perfect mix of drama, thriller. The narrator was amazing. I FLEW through this book because I could not stop! READ THIS!

I listened to about 25% and the Dad was just kind of off - I like the previous novel but I didn't feel the tension in this one and wasn't inclined to continue.

4.5!
This book held my attention. Hidden pictures was my fav thriller last year so I was a little disappointed this was so different. But Jason’s writing is fabulous. And the narrators was really great too.

I received an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) of this as an audiobook.

** TW (f this can be considered a trigger): for folks with arachnophobia, be warned, there are multiple instances involving spiders. **

I very much enjoyed reading Jason's newest book The Last One at the Wedding. While my brain leaned one way with how the book would go, it veered in an entirely different direction, just the way I like it! If you are a Hidden Pictures fan, you won't be sad to pick this one up.

Frank and his daughter Maggie have been estranged for three years and suddenly she calls him to invite him to her wedding. It's a chance for them to make up and get back into each other's lives. When Frank shows up to Maggie's fiancee's family compound, things don't go as planned. What's normal behavior before a wedding? Why hasn't Frank been able to meet Maggie's future mother-in-law? Why is Aiden, Maggie's fiancee, so evasive? Things aren't adding up and Frank doesn't seem to be able to let it go.

Gripping read and if there was mention of spiders it would probably get a 4.5/5 stars from me!

After coming down from my high of Hidden Pictures I was excited to hear that Jason Rekulak had another book coming out. Perfect timing right?! The story started off strong but was definitely a SLOW BURN. Not even half way through I was looking at other reviews to see if it was just me. But nope, everyone said the same thing that the story was just slow to build up. In my opinion this book wasn’t as good as Hidden Pictures and I had high expectations thinking that it would be written similarly to the other one being a thriller. The Last One at the Wedding seemed more like a family drama than a psychological thriller. The storyline was definitely interesting and satisfied the requirement of being a mystery. I always read multiple books by authors instead of the ones that are highly recommended. The characters are likable, besides the daughter. She was irritating me throughout the whole story lol I couldn’t stand how she treated her father even though she invited him to her wedding after not seeing or speaking to him for years. Overall the ALC was easy to listen to and I enjoyed the narrator a lot!

I was really excited to give this book a go because (very unpopular opinion), I did not enjoy hidden pictures. But darn does Jason Rekulak know how to write a book! I will say that the first ~30% of the book is a lot of character building, but still building suspense that something isn’t quite right until the main drama begins about 45-50% of the way through. Does this book leave you wanting more! Very binge-able, very suspenseful, very surprising. Great book!

In this thriller, we follow an estranged father and daughter who reconnect when she invites him to her wedding. They haven't spoken in three years, and as they reconnect, strange things start happening that suggest her fiance may not be the best of men.

I found this story to be quite interesting. I'm leaning towards liking it because of the surprising twists and turns at the end. However, I can't say that I liked any character except Abigail, the foster child who gets caught up in the drama. None of the other characters are very likable. Frank came across as annoying and a bit overbearing, serving as the overarching voice of reason but also being very whiny. I could have done without the recurring appearance of "daddy long legs" in multiple chapters of the book. Maggie, the daughter, also wasn't very likable. While she's meant to be aloof and caught up in wedding planning, she never came across as likable.

Despite the unlikable characters, the mystery is pretty solid. The author adds some excitement at the end that makes everything worthwhile.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced audio copy of “The Last One at the Wedding” in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed Rekulak’s “Hidden Pictures”, so when I say a new title from him I jumped at the chance for it! I went in with no expectations, though having read the premise I suspected it’d lean towards a thriller versus the prior Horror. As I see the other GoodReads reviews, I think a lot of others were expecting a horror.

All this said, I liked this one! Some aspects were more easier to ascertain early on, but I didn’t call how it ended. Overall, I’d give it a 3.75 ⭐️

Rating reasons:
-Creepy atmosphere
-Good cast of complex characters that I found myself flexing between liking and disliking at different points in the story
-Twist/ending that wasn’t easy to guess

2.5 stars
I really liked the set up at the beginning of the story. There was some suspense about what had happened in the past that brought me in. There was suspense about what was going to happen at the wedding. And then it went off the rails for me and never looked back. I’m still trying to figure out if the satire of this one just went over my head, or if it just didn’t gel. The narrator didn’t help the situation either. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Hidden Pictures so I think this author just isn’t for me.

A good listen. I liked the previous work by this author so I was excited to check this out. It was good. Kept me guessing and intrigued. A bit different than the previous book I read but I liked the whole rich family with secrets, wedding on a private property in the woods.

I needed a little bit more from that ending. It wasn’t as climactic as I was expecting. It felt kinda meh. I enjoyed the book but just wanted a little more action and less backstory. The narrator was fantastic.

Thank you for an advance copy of this book by an author I enjoyed in the past. This tells the story of Frank...a UPS driver who last minute gets invited to his daughter Maggie's wedding, who he hasn't spoken to in several years. The surprises start the second he goes to Boston to meet Maggie and her fiance and just go from there. Things just aren't adding up for Frank, but he doesn't want to alienate his daughter who he just got back in touch with. This is more of a complex family drama than a thriller for me, but either way I was invested. Frank is a complicated, stubborn but loveable character. There are some good twists as the story got to the last 1/4 that I wasn't expecting. I enjoyed the audio of this book as well.