The Last Ferry Out starts with a premise I loved:a woman returns to the remote island where her fiancée died, a place only reachable by a once-a-week ferry. The setting delivers all the isolation and tension you’d expect, with layers of mystery, secrets, and grief woven through. While the atmosphere and twists kept me curious, the pacing felt slower than I’d hoped, and I didn’t always connect with Abby or some of the other characters. Still, the blend of past and present added depth, and the moody, trapped-island vibe was spot-on.

Upon finishing this book, I realized that I never really cared about the mystery or any of the characters. The premise does hit hard, a woman's fiancee is found dead after eating something she is allergic to and through her grief, she tries to figure out what happened. But unfortunately, I didn't feel any connection past that. All of the reveals felt very mild and none of them actually shocked me. This is definitely more of a slow paced thriller and I tend to lean more towards fast past ones so this is just a personal preference. I wanted things to be bigger and more exciting, but even the "exciting" bits felt slow. I also didn't really like any of the characters. They were annoying at times and I was constantly rolling my eyes at a character in particular (no spoilers!). I did like the setting of this book though! I think Bartz did a great job crafting this little island and the close knit community that lives there. Overall, I had a good enough time to finish it but it's not close to a favorite. This is my first time reading this author but I'm not discouraged from picking up some of her other books!

This thriller kept me on the edge of my seat. It was so good! This is an auto-read, auto-buy author for me! Highly recommend for the twists and turns.

This was not my favorite book of the summer. I had a hard time engaging with the characters. It felt like the book dragged. The ending had a big reveal I did not see coming.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

Abby goes to a tropical island where her fiance died for answers.. I previously read Andrea Bartz so I was really intrigued and this didn’t disappoint! Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC!!

Thanks to Penguin Random House for the widget. This is my 3rd book by Andrea Bartz and I really enjoy her writing style. Abby (FMC) has decided to visit Isla Colel to relive the last days of where her fiancee Eszter died. The book goes from bast to present with different POV from Abby and Eszter but also some of the other characters in the story. This is a fast paced thriller where things arent always what they seem and some of them are hidding more things than other. In true Bartz style then ending always leaves you jaw dropped and saying WTF in the best way possible.

Kind of a slow burn thriller, but I liked the themes of love and loss. Some of the twists were unexpected and great just like I was expecting a little bit more.

Unexpected delight. Really enjoyed this story and couldn’t put it down. Read all night. Strongly recommend and will read the author again. Great characters and wonderful writing.

In an attempt to trace the last days of her beloved, Abby arrives on Isla Colel to learn more of what happened to her partner Eszter, who died under suspicious and tragic circumstances. The island is nothing what she thought it would be and there's so many suspects. It's dark and twisty in all the right ways. The tropical locale and the "unputdownableness" of this work makes it a perfect summer read! Beware-you might find yourself staying up late trying to figure out where it's going.

Andrea Bartz has been pretty hit or miss for me overall, and this one lands somewhere in the middle. It was fine - the characters were kinda flat, the plot dragged in places, it got me excited in spots. Nothing overly terrible or overly incredible. Middling.

Gosh this was a slow burn. Too slow. I had a really hard time connecting with the characters and there was entirely too much build up without much pay off. I think This’ll be my last book by Bartz as she’s just not for me.

The Last Ferry Out had a great premise but was a little to slow for my liking. With that being said, I would like to try more books from her.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
I couldn’t put down *The Last Ferry Out*—once I boarded Isla Colel, I was hooked. Andrea Bartz gorgeously builds an isolated, hurricane-scarred tropical setting that feels haunted by its own silence and secrets, immersing you in Abby’s grief and desperate search for truth.

Abby’s determination to uncover how her fiancée Eszter died drives the emotional core of the story. Flashbacks to their relationship are heartbreaking and intimate, though at times the narrative shifts slow the momentum.

The cast of expats she meets—enigmatic, secretive, occasionally cultish—kept me guessing until the end. The suspense builds steadily, and while some twists are more predictable than others, the final revelations land with real impact.

For me it struck the balance between meditative grief story and cinematic thriller: richly atmospheric, emotionally grounded, and twisty enough to stay up late reading—but if you're looking for breakneck pacing or a puzzle-box plot, it might feel a touch measured in the middle.

A haunting, beautifully rendered psychological thriller with real heart and depth.

3.5 stars rounded up. I never really knew what was going to happen next in this book! The setting was remote and fun but I wasn't 100% hooked. I would read more of her books though!

Such a fun thriller. It was slow at times but I really enjoyed it and had a smile when it ended.
I loved it told their story in past of love, loss, secrets and grief.

Although the premise of this thriller—set on a tropical island and centered around a mysterious death—was right up my alley, the execution fell short.

Abby, grieving the unexpected loss of her fiancée Ezter, travels to Isla Colel in hopes of healing. Staying in the same home, hiking the same trails, and revisiting Ezter’s last days brings up raw emotions and unresolved grief. But when Abby notices inconsistencies in the story surrounding Ezter’s death, she starts to dig deeper—and things take a sinister turn.

I found the beginning of the book more compelling than the rest. Abby’s emotional processing felt relatable and real. But once the thriller elements ramped up, the story lost me. The characters became less believable, the plot relied too heavily on forced twists, and the tension started to feel manufactured. What could have been a moody, atmospheric mystery became uneven and, unfortunately, forgettable.

Book: The Last Ferry Out
Author: Andrea Bartz
Format: Digital
Genre: Thriller, Mystery/Crime
Places Featured: Isla Colel (fictional island off Mexico)
Review Score: ★★★

Another delicious summer thriller! I love a "locked door" mystery that is on an island rather than in a house and this was so fun.

Andi Bartz is one of my favorite thriller writers. Her latest, The Last Ferry Out, follows Abby as she explores a remote Mexican island, Isla Colel, where her fiancee Ezther recently died, trying to make sense of Ezther’s final days and her death. The Last Ferry Out has all the twists I’ve come to expect from a Bartz thriller. It also features a dynamic expat community, where each has their own reasons for living on Isla Colel and keeping secrets. The characters are richly drawn in ways that propel the plot and its red herrings. There’s also a backdrop of the tension between expats and locals, tourism vs. quiet paradise, and which benefits whom. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I enjoyed this atmospheric island thriller where Abby travels to the remote paradise where her fiancée Eszter died under mysterious circumstances. Determined to retrace Eszter’s final days, Abby uncovers a tight-lipped expat community where everyone has something to hide and a past they’ve left behind. As Abby digs deeper, she’s pulled into a web of secrets, suspicion, and unease beneath the island’s idyllic surface. The setting is vivid and a quirky yet compelling characters create the perfect undercurrent of mystery. The Last Ferry Out delivers slow-burning suspense with immersive vibes and well placed bouts of humor.

I was so excited to read the new book by Andrea Bartz--I've loved her reads in the past and this one did not disappoint. This was such a fast read for me and kept me on my toes. Thanks so much for the copy!