After loving 2 of her other books I was super excited to get this "Thriller" unfortunatley, i did not enjoy it at all. 10% in and I could not have cared less about the MC. 20% in, I was looking at my kindle like ugh. when is this going to get better. 30% in I was forcing myself to read. 40% i was forcing myself to care. 50% I was calling it quits. Too slow and draggy.

I was so excited for this book, I love anything Gillian McAllister touches. Imagine one morning you wake up and your husband leaves a cryptic note and is gone? Fast forward to a few hours later and you find out he is holding hostages?! That is what happened to Camilla and her life will quickly change. I do not want to give anything away, but you will not be able to put this book down. Four stars because I felt it dragged a bit and to be honest, a bit unrealistic. Lots of twists and turns in this one!

I really enjoyed this book! I found it to be a fun, easy read! Although I suspected there was more to the story right away and also saw one of the plot twists coming I was totally hooked by page one and found myself unable to put it down. As a mother of 4 I could relate to the struggles of the new parents and also found my heart breaking for the characters who were encountering struggles, which was nearly everyone! Loved that there was a happy ending for several of the main characters. I do not feel like that happens much anymore and I am always happy when it does. I would definitely recommend this book to friends!

4/5 ⭐️s
Coming February 2025! Famous Last Words centers around a hostage situation, mostly focusing on the aftermath of the people directly and indirectly involved. I really loved the way the author painted these characters, especially Cam and Libby. Good amount of unexpected twists! The story kept my attention and I just wanted to know what the heck happened!! Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review!

4.5 glorious stars.

I love mystery/thrillers. They are what got me back into reading about 10 years ago. However, I don’t read a lot of them anymore because they have become pretty predictable. This one was not predictable. Sure, I figured out some things. I had nigglings about certain characters and plot points and what their significance may be to the story, but I couldn’t put it all together.

Luke, calm and loved husband and father, wakes up early one morning and takes 3 people hostage. No one knows why. It makes no sense. The book is told from the perspective of his wife, Cam, and the hostage negotiator, Niall. The book also features a 7-year time jump.

This book was FUN to read. So fun. The first act had my adrenaline pumping it was written so well. While the second act was slower, all the pieces starting coming together and questions began to get answered. I felt like a detective trying to piece together things that I knew were important but just couldn’t quite figure out how they were connected.

The solution is satisfying. It’s not some crazy solution for a surprise factor. It makes sense and it was great ride to get there. I highly recommend this book for fans of the mystery/thriller genre. I will also start exploring Gillian McAllister’s backlist because this is the second book I’ve read from her, and I think she’s a bit of a genius!

I will post content about this book on my IG as we approach the release date: instagram.com/kraftykatreads.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister is a gripping and emotionally charged thriller that keeps readers on edge until the final page. McAllister masterfully weaves together suspense, moral dilemmas, and complex character dynamics, creating a story that is as thought-provoking as it is thrilling. The twists are perfectly timed, and the narrative's emotional depth adds layers to the already compelling plot. While a few minor details could have been explored further, the book’s pacing, tension, and poignant exploration of human relationships make it an outstanding read. A must for fans of psychological thrillers with heart.

This was such a fun, whodunit wild ride!!! Highly enjoyed the twists and turns this took me on. I loved the multi-character POV and the time jumps - it felt cohesive throughout and worked really well here. Could totally see this being a film adaptation as I was reading it. It was so vivid with the way Gillian does her writing you can picture everything as if you're in the middle of the action. This is one I'd recommend but just know you won't be able to put it down once you pick it up!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC!

Hm. Certainly enjoyable enough. But the prose is just workmanlike. And the story felt rather implausible. The guy wouldn’t try to communicate his intentions somehow? No one would be suspicious of the released hostage?

Oh wow, was this edge of your seat stuff. We will include this title in our New Year, New Books program in January for sure. Should be a big hit for 2025.

initial thoughts: Gillian McAllister is an instant “must read” author for me. this book had a great premise, two POVs, and was written in three seven year chunks. while a bit of suspending reality is required, this story was engaging and kept me reading. there was a bit of a slowdown in the second chunk, but nothing that didn’t cause me to put down the book and not pick it back up.

another great thriller/mystery from Gillian! this will be popular title once it's released.

a big thank you to NetGalley & William Morrow Books for the ARC.

I follow Gillian on Instagram for her sage writing advice and I've finally read one of her books. I'm so happy for myself! lol

I think the premise was very interesting and typical of Gillian to have some twisted, wowza and different elements to the plot.

Camilla's mild-mannered husband is caught up in a hostage situation, but he's the hostage taker. That's so out there since he's not the hostage himself.

We see how Camilla's life changes over the years because of the "siege."

I thought the plot flowed nicely and I enjoyed the couple of twists.

I will say the end when all our questions were answered was a tad confusing. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the story a lot.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an e-copy of FAMOUS LAST WORDS to review.

I rate FAMOUS LAST WORDS four out of five stars.

This was such a twisty, fast paced read! I absolutely devoured it in one day 🤯 It left me guessing with every chapter and had an ending I never saw coming. Easily her best book yet 👏🏼

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC! Make sure to grab this when it’s released on February 25th 😍

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#famouslastwords #gillianmcallister #arc #netgalley #newrelease #mystery #thriller #twisty #whodunnit

McAllister once agains delivers a suspenseful thriller that will engage readers from the very beginning.

Such an interesting book, I didn't want to put it down. Lots of twists and turns i didn't see coming. Honestly couldn't have guessed any of them. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC

As always, Gillian McAllister writes books that are so hard to put down, characters that you root for, and twists you don’t see coming. I loved the multi POV and I did not predict a few of the twists.

I would have loved a bit more closure at the end but nonetheless, really loved it.

I love this author, and once again she did not disappoint.

This was a very clever story that makes you want to read the whole thing at one setting. I almost did.
Cam has a baby and she has to return to work. Her husband leaves her a note that says“If anything . .
It’s been so lovely with you both. Lx”

At work, she gets a phone call from a hostage negotiator telling her that her husband has taken two men hostage. The story hits the ground running from there. What a ride. I loved this book.

Thank You to William Morrow for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley, this is my honest review.

This book had me hooked from the first sentence. Camilla and Luke are a happily married couple with a new baby. Camilla is returning to work after maternity leave. On her first day returning to work, she is blindsided by her husband’s early morning absence and later that day his involvement in a violent hostage situation. During the hostage situation, a second character, Niall the hostage negotiator, is introduced. The book alternates back and forth between Camilla and Nialls’ point of views. This story is suspenseful and has a few satisfying twists and turns. This was a quick read for me and I really enjoyed it!
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Highly recommend adding this thriller to your Want to Read list…Releases on February 25, 2025!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was an intriguing & unique thriller from the start. I loved the dual POV between Cam & Niall - and seeing the similarities in their fight for love within the hostage situation & the aftermath throughout the entire story. I loved the slow reveals throughout and putting the pieces together like a puzzle - definitely a fun, immersive read!

I really liked this! I love thrillers where a person commits a crime completely out of the blue, and their spouse has to figure out why they did it. Gillian McAllister's books have been hit or miss for me, but this was a nice break from the "popcorn thrillers" I've been reading lately.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for sending me this book!

I'm sad to write that I put this book in my DNF pile. I got 22% of the way in before throwing in the towel. I LOVED Wrong Place, Wrong Time but I also DNF'd Just Another Missing Person. I was hoping this one would feel like a return to WPWT, but alas, it's much closer to JAMP. The writing is dragged out, there's emphasis on useless filler such as describing the color of grass or the feel of something. The story is lost in the details and I find my mind drifting while reading. The plot is fascinating but it's the writing that doesn't work for me and I can't sit through so much needless information to get tidbits of the actual plot. I would also appreciate if Gillian McAllister would consider readers outside of her immediate area. As a US reader, I do not understand many of the acronyms or colloquialisms in her books. I read plenty of authors outside the US and it feels like they explain something first before they use acronyms in their books. I don't know which of the law enforcement positions are above others because I'm not familiar with the letters she uses. Overall, I think I'm done trying to give her books a shot and I just have to understand they're not for me. I think her plot twists are great and many readers may find they have more patience than I do.