Abby makes a trip to the island where her fiancee disappeared. She meets a group of expats who leave her with more questions than answers. I enjoyed most of this book (some parts seemed to drag on), but didn’t really connect with any of the characters.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this was intriguing and I enjoyed the island setting. However, I think it was too slow paced, you had to suspend belief so much, and it wasn’t executed well. It was ok, I didn’t stop reading it. But I was looking forward to it being over. It just didn’t feel that original and I wanted more to happen. It was so slow moving.

While this was a thriller, it was deceivingly slow burn where I knew something was wrong, somebody was lying, and Abby was definitely going to end up in trouble from a source unexpected as she looked into the island where Eszter accidently died of anaphylaxis. Isla Colel sounded like paradise and it is hard to think that something bad happened there, especially when there are baby turtles to rescue and new friends among the English speaking expats (with secrets and possible checkered past that they ran from and ended up on the island) who take Abby out whale watching and other fun island activities.

I will say it is kinda funny that all the bad stuff finally comes to a head only when a storm hits the island. Talk about good timing! :) I did have to keep reading though because I was invested in the story and whether Abby would get off the island with answers and maybe justice or become another casualty of Isla Colel! I found the climax to be most exciting and with all the truths coming to light, plus Abby finding out the last thing Eszter wanted to tell her, the actual ending was kind of meh. Except for the epilogue which was sneaky and had that little thrill.

So, I did enjoy this thriller set on Isla Colel except for the ending.

The Last Ferry Out drew me in right away. The author did a good job creating a suspenseful beginning to catch my attention. Mysterious, remote island setting, fiance's sudden death - of course I'm going to read it. However in the end Abby's character was not an easy one to like and I found myself disagreeing with some of her decisions and actions. The ending was disappointing to me as well in that the entire truth was only ever revealed in the mind of the murdered. This one was just not for me. Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group/Ballentine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Abby goes to Isla Colel to trace the last footsteps of her fiancé. She finds a group of expats that live on this hurricane-devastated island who had befriended her lost love. While she looks for answers about what actually happened, she gets more than she bargained for along the way.

I have loved this author's books in the past so I was really excited for her newest release. Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me. It wasn't the most engaging and I found myself not wanting to pick it back up.

This was A LOT of fun. I've been a fan of Andrea's novels since her first and this makes me excited for her next. A great beach read.

I was very excited to dive into this thriller by this author that I read from before. I have to say that the premise was great but I struggled to get into this. If you enjoy slow burn thrillers this will be for you.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
3 star

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. It was way too slow burn and I was just bored. I don't think this author is for me.

I hope others love this one.

Abby visits Isla Colel to make sense of her fiance, Eszter's death. When she meets a fellow expat who tells her she will tell her the truth about what happened to Eszter, she is elated. But the elation is shortlived when Brady goes missing in the night. As Abby searches for answers for what happened to Eszter and Brady, she starts to wonder who she can trust and realizes she might be in more danger than she realized.

I can always count on Andrea Bartz for a quick, fast-paced read and this one did not disappoint. I loved the characters and the pacing of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ah, <I>The Last Ferry Out</I>. You could have been good. But you weren’t, though.

So why didn’t this work?

One might be tempted to blame the slow beginning, but the story does pick up considerably around the 25% mark. Just enough of me wanted to keep reading; to figure out what was happening, that it wasn’t a chore. It didn’t take me a million years.

No, the major snag was a lot more basic than that. Even early on, I remember thinking that Abby’s plight, her grief for her dead fiancee, should have been incredibly affecting. So why wasn’t it? Well, perhaps it was because I could not bring myself to like or care about Abby.

The narrative shills her as a bright, friendly extrovert. What we get on the page instead is neurotic, controlling, and jumping at any conclusion dangled in front of her. For someone, again, shilled as smart and methodical, Abby in action proved not very bright.

One might argue that grief brings out the worst in everyone and we simply meet Abby at a bad time. But why shill her better traits, if we never see them in action. In a battle of telling vs. showing, showing will always win.

Moreover, the way she behaves toward and thinks about Eszter is so freaking condescending 100% of the time, I was cheering for a twist where Eszter faked her death just to get away from her. Shame that’s not what happened. She also proved jealous to the point of volatility and boy were her priorities out of wack. So your fiancee kept some secrets from you before her death. So what? She’s freaking dead. Maybe refocus on that, eh? And even living people are allowed boundaries! Yes, that includes not telling you everything! That she immediately jumps to assuming Eszter was cheating on her speaks more to Abby than to Eszter. As for the reveals of what Eszter was up to? Honey, it’s not like she was brewing meth in your basement and using your credit cards to do it. Get over yourself.

To Bartz’s credit, she does have Abby realize she’s been a massive tool by the end, but by that point, I’ve had to spend a whole book with her being a massive tool. Hell, the whole climax wouldn’t have even happened if Abby hadn’t jumped to conclusions and acted like a rash dumbass.

The supporting characters were better. I did, in fact, like Eszter a fair bit, what little we saw of her in flashbacks. She felt like a far more complex and interesting person than Abby, stuck between a controlling family, a fiancee who was, honestly, just as controlling, and a laudable if questionable desire to love them both anyway. The expats weren’t as well developed, but they were just interesting enough to serve as a somewhat colorful bunch of suspects and red herrings.

The prose was occasionally nice and actually quite vivid in its descriptions of the island. Unfortunately it also had a tendency toward convoluted metaphors, especially every time someone suffered a heart palpitation or two. Every. Damn. Time.

Then there was the ending. First let’s talk about the extremely pat, tacked-on moral. Blah, blah, blah, rat race bad. Blah, blah, blah. I thought I had more to say, but honestly, it was just trite. And then, there was the final reveal. Sure, it answered some unanswered questions, but it was poorly foreshadowed and came out of nowhere. I’m not quite qualified to say whether it hovers over the racist line or plunges right over it. I am qualified to say that it was stupid. Not helped by the fact that Abby didn’t even figure it out. No, we needed a culprit-POV chapter to learn what actually happened.

There were just enough smatterings of promise and good bits that I will give <I>The Last Ferry Out</I> two stars rather than one. But it’s not what I would call a good effort.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

THE LAST FERRY OUT by Andrea Bartz was a thrill ride from start to finish.

Four months ago, Abby’s fiancé, Eszter, died from an apparent allergic reaction while on Isla Colel, a once bustling tourist destination in the Mexican rainforest that was decimated by a hurricane. Even the ferry to the island now only runs every week or so. Abby decides she needs to visit the place where Eszter died and learn about the investigation. Just prior to death, Eszter sent Abby a six word text that she is trying to unravel.

When she gets to the island, she meets a group of residents who are all there for their own reasons. When one of the Group tells Abby that he knows what happened to Eszter and wants to tell her the truth about it, he also goes missing. As Abby attempts to find the truth she also encounters the dismissive attitude of the rest of the Group regarding Bradley‘s disappearance. How could he have gotten off the island when the ferry is not running? As she searches for answers, the truth slowly unfolds and possibly devastating secrets are revealed about her relationship.

I really enjoyed this one. It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I could feel the ocean spray hitting the rocks and the tension ratcheting up as Abby searched for answers. The writing was clear and concise which led to a very enjoyable read. It was one of those ‘one more chapter’ books that had me reading well past my bedtime. This is my first Andrea Bartz book, but she will be an author I follow and watch.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Abby has travelled to a remote island to seek answers concerning her late husband’s mysterious death. Whilst there she befriends an interesting group of expats, things aren’t really going as planned and when extreme weather leaves them stranded things go from bad to worse.

Think tense moody unsettling atmosphere with a picturesque setting,secrets and surprises and a potential killer on the loose.

I understand the desperate desire Abby has to gain information and knowledge, if I was told my husband was dead but didn’t have any answers as to how or why I would definitely lose my mind. Her stubbornness does lead to some questionable decision making but who are we to judge someone in that situation.

I loved the island setting, the sensation of being trapped and isolated is always one that gives me a rush when reading.

This is a good choice for a moody summer read either on a sunny day or overcast weather, both will do nicely 😆

I want to thank the Author Andrea for gifting me a copy of this book, I had a fun time reading and can’t wait to see what you release next!

OK this book was a little eerie, tense and it kept me on my toes! I actually really enjoyed it. It was a slow burn, but it kept me interested! Thank you NetGalley for my ARC!

This twisty mystery, told via dual POV, had me suspicious of every character right out of the gate. Abby travels to a remote island off of Mexico in order to feel closer to her fiancé Eszter after her untimely death. While there, she meets a group of friends that she thinks will help her come to terms with Eszter’s death. However, all they do is heighten her concerns about their relationship and ultimately what really happened to Eszter. Abby’s spiral into the story really causes the reader to question everything, the setting only enhances that, and the fact that there’s only one way off the island really makes for some paranoia. It was a good read that held my attention!

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC,
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was unique and kept me glued to it. The story was interesting and the protagonist did a great job in her own investigations to solve what happened to her fiance. While somewhat far fetched, it still kept me interested and wanting to find out what is next..
The only gripe I have with this book, why are there so many books now that have to have a gay/lesbian couple these days. While I love a great mystery, authors having to "shove" that in our face all the time gets tiring and annoying.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Abby has been unmoored by the unexpected death of her fiance, Eszter, who was on a solo trip to a remote island when she died of an apparent allergic reaction. Having suffered from severe allergies her entire life, Eszter was always careful. Abby doesn't understand how it could've happened and is unable to move past her many questions.

As the days pass, Abby decides she is going to need to go there, to Isla Colel, to the place where Eszter died. Perhaps there, she'll finally be able to find some closure. Upon arrival though, the island isn't quite what she expected. Once a bustling tourist destination, a hurricane decimated the island a few years back, and only a few hearty locals and expats remain. With ferry service sporadic, at best, it's about as remote a location as you can get, but Abby slowly begins to understand the pull it has on people.

She ends up locating a small group of expats who she believes hung out with Eszter in her last days; recognizing them from a photo Eszter had shared with her. Abby introduces herself and becomes friendly with them, gently pushing for information when she can. When one of the men, who seemed to have something he really wanted to tell Abby, ends up disappearing before he can, Abby grows suspicious. Is this some sort of cover-up? Is there more to Eszter's death than what's she been told?

We follow Abby as her quest for the truth reveals lies and dangers around every turn. Will she find out what happened to Eszter, or will she become another victim of the island?

This is a compelling Travel Thriller. I was drawn in from the start. I loved the small island setting, and our MC, Abby. Abby is an easy protagonist to get behind. By the time she reaches the island, she's practically bubbling over with questions, so when she ends up meeting the expats, she's quite forthright about her reason for being there. I appreciated how open she was about everything. It made me actually care about her getting the answers. I also liked how smart and determined she was.

I was surprised when we ended up getting short stints of other perspectives in addition to Abby's. They were fun though and ended up adding a lot to the overall puzzle. The biggest was Eszter's, who we get to follow during her time on the island. Eszter was harder to figure out than Abby. She wasn't as straight forward with her feelings and intentions, and I felt like I had as many questions as Abby regarding Eszter.

The small group of expats were also very mysterious. There was something almost cultish about the vibes they were giving off. They seemed so obsessed with the island, but did seem happy enough to bring Abby along to explore it. As stranger things started happening, I was so ready for Abby to pack her bags and go. It does feel dangerous. You don't know why, but you know something is off.

Then inclement weather sweeps in, as it does, and Abby is unable to leave the island, even if she wanted to. I liked how the author increased the intensity towards the end by using the weather issue to work against our protagonist.

It did have a slight lull for me around the mid-way point, where I was getting a little bored, but she definitely bounced back, and the concluding portion was absolutely gripping; featuring twist-after-demented-twist. Overall, I had a fun time reading this. I thought Bartz did a fabulous job with the setting, the use of the inclement weather, and with the cast of untrustworthy characters.

I definitely recommend this to Readers looking for a strong Travel Thriller to add to their Summer TBR. This one should definitely keep you guessing. Thank you to the publisher, Ballantine Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Of course, I'm looking forward to more from Andrea Bartz!!

When Abby’s finance, Eszter, takes a trip to a small, secluded island off of Mexico’s coast, things don’t quite go to plan. Before Abby was able to travel to join her, she gets a call that Eszter has died. Months later, searching for answers, Abby takes a trip of her own to the island. A twisty tale full of characters who can’t be trusted that will leave wondering if Abby will make it off the island alive.

Another well written novel by Bartz, but unfortunately this one let me down a bit at the end. This one left me wishing I was on the beach watching the sunset with friends while trying to slowly piece together the mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz. Abby’s girlfriend has died on a small Mexican Island. Abby cannot move on with her life as she loved Eszter very much. Eszter’s family wouldn’t even let Abby go to the funeral, as they didn’t approve of their relationship. So, Abby decides to visit the island where Eszter died and get some answers for herself. Abby befriends the group of Expats that live on the Island. The more she connects with them, the more she has a sense of unease. What really happened to Eszter. I really liked the atmosphere of this book, a small isolated island that you can only get to by ferry. It was definitely a slow burn thriller. However, I felt it was a bit too long, and there were some twists and turns that never really went anywhere. 3.5 stars

There was no big bang to draw me in so I was worried about sticking with it. It alternates between now and then with now being so much more engaging. The old hotel on top of the hill was very intriguing. Everyone has secrets on the island so very unclear on who may have been involved. The final reveal was a doozy. Was worth sticking with..