
Member Reviews

The setting = brilliant! I loooved the choice of this remote island with a small population and the description of the whole setting was on point. The characters were a little more confusing to me. I didn't quite understand Eszter's motivations not Abby's. Unfortunately many of the tertiary characters were forgettable.
I did like the small plot twists but also found myself bored at times waiting to put the pieces together. Definitely not my favorite of the author's.

The Last Ferry Out Centers on Abby who goes to a remote island off the coast of Mexico looking for answers about her fiancé who died there. Abby meets a group of ex-pats who knew Eszter and tries to learn more about the circumstances of her desk. I found this to be a very slow burn suspense. I was interested in the story and I wanted to know what really happened BUT I felt like I was slogging through at some points. I can't really pinpoint why I felt this way. I will say that I loved the development of Eszter's character and storyline throughout. I appreciated the characterization of her relationship with her parents and all of the Hungarian phrases and mannerisms sprinkled throughout, It really brought her to life.

THE LAST FERRY OUT
Andrea Bartz
Eszter is dead.
Eszter died a few months ago while visiting an island in Mexico and Abby is filled with questions. She decides to visit the area to do her own investigation.
When she arrives, she seeks out the fellow travelers and expats that Eszter spent her time with while in Mexico. Initially, they seem warm and receptive to her but when she asks one question too many, she soon realizes her life might be in danger too.
As Abby comes closer to the answers, she travels further from the truth.
I enjoyed my time reading THE LAST FERRY OUT. It felt like a palate pleaser. It is extremely easy to read. The writing is precise and smart.
For the most part, the reading experience feels like wading in a shallow pool of water. It is very low propulsion without a lot pulling you forward. A soft, gentle wave rather than a tsunami.
Don’t expect to be up late-night reading, don’t expect to be on the edge of your seat. There are other thrillers for that.
THE LAST FERRY OUT comes out next Tuesday, May 20!
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the advanced copy!
THE LAST FERRY OUT…⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz delivers an intriguing premise and keeps the suspenseBuilding throughout. The story follows a woman grappling with her past and the secrets she’s trying to escape, set against the urgent backdrop of a ferry journey amidst rising tensions. Bartz does a good job of creating a tense atmosphere and developing characters who feel authentic and relatable. The pacing is steady, keeping readers engaged as the plot unfolds and secrets start to surface. The themes of trust, betrayal, and survival are woven into a compelling narrative that holds your attention. However, at times, the plot twists seemed somewhat predictable, and a few character motivations weren’t as fleshed out as they could have been. Some moments felt rushed or underdeveloped, which slightly hindered the overall emotional impact. While the book is entertaining, it didn’t quite reach the level of depth or surprise I was hoping for. Overall, The Last Ferry Out is a solid read for fans of suspenseful thrillers looking for a quick, engaging story. It’s a decent addition to Andrea Bartz’s work, though it might not stand out among the more memorable thrillers in the genre.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
This is an emotionally suspenseful thriller as Abby is grieving from the loss of her fiancé. She decides to travel by herself to an island where he use to stay. However, after meeting and talking to people that her fiancé had contact with, she soon begins to suspect that his death may not have been an accident after all. I really enjoyed the setting of the island, the characters, the different POVs, and the alternating timelines throughout. Although this book is slower paced, there are plenty of twists and suspense that hook the reader in and make for an enjoyable thrilling ride. I highly recommend this book for all the thriller lovers out there.
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦An atmospheric thriller
✦An emotionally suspenseful thriller
✦Multiple POVs and alternating timelines
✦A slower paced read with plenty of twists and suspense throughout
𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5

I really enjoyed the story that was being told and that it was kept me going throughout the book. I did it get confused at times with so many characters and time lines that were being told. I felt that some of the information being given wasn’t adding much to the story and seemed like it was just filling the pages.

Fabulous pic! I highly recommend! Such good one! I think everyone will want to read this one! A must summer read!

I did enjoy this book and flew through it pretty quickly, but I was often getting a little confused with so many characters (this could definitely be a me problem, though). I didn't feel like it kept me on the edge of my seat; the "twist"/"reveal" was a little obvious because it had been being discussed throughout the book, but it was nice to have it finally out in the open as the truth. I did enjoy all the gaslighting/suspicious questions the main character Abby went through. It made you question things! But for some reason it never felt like "omg I can't stop reading this I need to know what happens". Overall, it was a decent read!
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions.

Abby is struggling after the death of her fiancée when she decides to take a trip to the island where it happened. There she meets the people who last saw her fiancée alive and starts to wonder if there’s more to the story than just an accident.
For some reason, this book never grabbed me. The plot was slow moving and with so many unnecessary details I found myself skimming at times. I was never hooked by the mystery and the reveals were lackluster. The story was well researched and I would give this author another attempt but I was disappointed with this book in particular.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing a free ARC for review via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Author Andrea Bartz for advanced copy for honest review
What a ride this was! After Abby loses her fiancee, Eszter, to an anaphylactic episode, Abby goes to Isla Colel in search of what happened. Abby meets up with the local expats, each with a story to tell and a past life to get away from. As Abby goes around lining up pictures and trying to find out Eszter's last days, she is meet with an uneasiness that something is not adding up. The locals are keeping something from her and as you learn, so was her fiancee. With no spoilers, what was Eszter planning? Why all the secrecy? What would the locals do to protect their island? 4 stars, Recommend

Review: The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz
⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Slow to start but packed with atmosphere and introspection
📚 Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I wanted to love The Last Ferry Out—Andrea Bartz is a previous Reese’s Book Club pick, and the premise had me hooked right away: Abby heads to a storm-ravaged island in Mexico after the mysterious death of her fiancée, Eszter, prompted by a cryptic late-night text from a friend of Eszter’s, Brady. The island’s abandoned, eerie vibes? The complicated web of secrets? It all sounded like my kind of moody thriller. 🌴🌫️
But truthfully, I struggled to get into this one. I found myself setting it down… a lot. It wasn’t until over halfway through that I really started to feel invested, and even then, the pacing felt slow and the plot never fully gripped me. Abby’s waiting game—especially those drawn-out scenes like waiting for Brady at the Fonda while the minutes crawl past—mirrored my own reading experience. I kept waiting for something to crack open the story, but it stayed at a simmer. ⏳
What did work for me were the moments where Bartz leaned into grief and memory. Abby’s spirals of reflection, like when she can’t stop herself from rereading that haunting text—You deserve to know the truth about Eszter—or when she meets Rita and unpacks every layer of Eszter’s personality, those were the emotional gut punches I wanted more of. 💔
The book is strongest when it slows down to explore those themes of chosen family, grief’s lingering grip, and how we carry the people we lose. I also loved the Madison, Wisconsin connection (fellow Midwesterners, you get it)—it grounded Abby in a way the rest of the story sometimes didn’t. 🧀
Maybe it was fitting that I read this one while sitting on my porch in Wisconsin—where the slow pace and introspective vibes matched my reading mood perfectly, even if the book itself didn’t sweep me away.
Overall, The Last Ferry Out is more of a quiet, meditative thriller than a high-stakes one. If you like your mysteries introspective and character-driven with a side of tropical dread, it might work for you. For me, it was more of a slow drift than a gripping voyage.
And if there’s one thing I’ll carry from this book? It’s the reminder that everyone who comes into our life leaves an imprint—sometimes quiet, sometimes messy, but always permanent in some way.

I have read two other books from this author previously and enjoyed both. While I did enjoy reading this, it wasn’t my favorite of hers. I felt like the ending was a little underwhelming and overall I was just expecting more.

I don't know why I keep giving Andrea Bartz a chance because her writing never improves. Her characters are so incredibly unlikable and her stories very unoriginal with very tropey "twists" that make you roll your eyes instead of gasp. This story was so boring that by the end I didn't even care who did it, who died, or if more characters miraculously disappeared. With "gotcha" after "gotcha" moments that turned out to be farces, this book was a huge miss for me.

I wanted to like this but it just didn’t work for me. It was disjointed and at some points hard to follow along. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a gifted copy of this novel!
For starters, I loved the backdrop to this book. Set in an island that doesn’t have a lot of tourism, the island itself is almost a character as it’s depicted throughout the novel. This book is told in dual POVs and timelines as well, which all makes sense at the end. I also really enjoyed the LGBTQIA+ representation in this novel, and it’s something I picked up on right away. I also did not guess the twist at the end either! In terms of pacing, I will say that this was a struggle for me at times. Immediately interested in the plot from the first chapter, for me the pacing did fall off a bit in the middle of the book before picking back up again. Overall though, I think this would be a fun summer read!

This was a uneven thriller from an author that I love. Andrea Bartz has consistently been writing great novels that I've really enjoyed for more than 5 years now, but unfortunately this was my least favorite one so far. I was sucked in to start - a woman travels to a remote island in Mexico after her fiancee dies from an allergic reaction there a few months prior - but the story become rote and predictable about halfway through. Also, a few too many loose ends left me scratching my head. I wasn't crazy about the characters, the timeline was confusing, and I had a hard time getting sucked in. I still love Bartz's writing, and will keep reading everything else she writes! This one just wasn't for me though.

The Last Ferry Out is part suspense novel and part meditation on grief. Our main character, Abby, visits Isla Colel the island where her fiancé recently died. Abby arrives on the island not knowing what to expect or who to trust. There are a ton of secrets (everyone on the island is known for them) and a boat load of twists.
I liked this book a lot. The setting was well described. The plot was well paced. I liked the dual timelines and the multiple POVs. Enjoyed the secrets and twists. The novel is a welcome addition to the author's catalogue.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The novel will be published on
May 20, 2025.

The last three hours flew by—I couldn’t put this book down.
This is a perfect suspenseful beach read, set on a remote island off the coast of Mexico where a group of expats has built their version of the good life. But when a woman is found dead from anaphylactic shock just days before her fiancé is set to arrive, the cracks begin to show. As secrets unravel, it becomes clear that many of these characters are hiding more than just their real names.
The early character development is strong, making it easy to get invested in the different players. And just when you think it’s a straightforward whodunnit, the final 25 percent delivers some unexpected twists that keep things moving beyond the mystery itself.
Recommended for fans of a good time with just the right amount of suspense.

Another compelling, fast-paced, and hella queer thriller from Andi Bartz. She never misses, and it’s been such a joy to read her work throughout the years.
The geography of the island was a little confusing as a digital read, but I know the finished copy has a beautiful map.

I have loved every single one of Andrea Bartz’s books so far, and this one did not disappoint. I love the character building and relationships shown and I liked the dual timelines. I’m not typically a fan of any romance in thriller novels, but this one has just a bit of romance and I didn’t mind it.