At its core a book about grief and loss. The last ferry out is a twisty thriller set on a Mexican island where our main characters fiancé mysteriously died. A great summer read with a twist I personally didn’t see coming. This was my first Andrea Bartz book and would definitely read more!

Driven by grief, Abby returns to the remote Isla Colel where her fiancée, Eszter, died—only to suspect the tragedy was no accident. As she befriends a tight-knit group of expats, one hints at the truth about Eszter’s final days—but disappears before he can speak. Amid hurricane-scarred beaches and simmering secrets, Abby must confront a tangled web of lies before she becomes the next victim

The Last Ferry Out has a great premise and takes place in an enticing setting. Abby travels to Isla Colel, a tropical island where her fiancée, Eszter' died. I enjoyed the premise of a woman searching for answers on an island with only one ferry going in and out on a weekly basis. I loved how this created a sort of trapped feeling which I enjoy in books. Plus, another person goes missing, well I thought this would be a slam dunk for me. Unfortunately, it was missing that little bit of something as well as a faster pace which would have earned this book a higher star rating.


I found this book to be slow moving, and I struggle with slow burns. I wanted things to hurry up quite a bit while reading. Some of those characters including Abby annoyed me at times. Hey, it happens we aren't meant to like them all. What I did enjoy was the setting, the atmosphere, the mystery, the secrets, and the twists.

Thank you #NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

So far, I really could not relate to the character or this book at all. The author is very repetitive. The grieving of one of the main characters and how both of their families did not approve of their relationship is so repetitive and at some points exhausting to read. Reading over and over again how Eszter was on this island and how Abby, her fiancée, is here now and having to read over and over again how Eszter walked on this street and was on this beach is BORING.

I’m giving myself until 33% before I decide if I want to DNF. At 34%, I’ll keep reading but this isn’t the book for me. I don’t relate to the characters. I like the idea of a remote island and that she doesn’t speak the language but I can’t relate to her job as a coder working for an AI start up or whatever. And I don’t like that Abby kind of pushed Eszter out of the closet and made her kinda say yes to getting engaged when it didn’t seem like she was comfortable with it.

The only thing keeping me going right now is that Brady is missing.

Okay I’ve stuck through with this book. It’s painfully obvious that at least one of the “dead” characters is still alive. I do love a good multi POV/timeline book and the unreliable characters like who do I trust keeps the reader engaged. I do have a problem with the main character falling from a cliff getting a broken arm and other injuries and then pulling herself up from the cliff in a tropical storm.

Overall, the last 3rd of this book makes up for the beginning. I still probably wouldn’t recommend this book. Just because the beginning half was too all over the place and forceful.

A few months ago, Abby's fiancee Eszter died while on vacation in Mexico. Abby goes to Mexico to try to make sense of what happened and finds herself thinking that there was more to it than just an accident. She befriends the same expats that Eszter had hung out with, and it seems like one of them might have been responsible. Things became even more suspicious when one of her new friends tells her he knows more about the accident and then he disappears the next day.

This one was ok. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't super page turning in what I wanted from a thriller. The random other narration chapters throughout sometimes made sense but other times didn't. It was also taking us backwards through their relationship, which felt weird. I also felt like the reveal was just ok. There was a really good twist at the very end, but before that it was just so so. It had potential and was ok to read, but didn't give me the suspense I wanted.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

if you like slow burns and a lot of atmosphere, you'll like this. the descriptive writing was well done, but i think domestic thrillers ie. mysteries between spouses i'm finding out is not for me. this was serviceable as a beach read, will read from author again.

I did not care for this book. This is advertised as "twisty" but it felt pretty straight and flat. I think my tastes differ from the stories Ms. Bartz tells, as I have previously not liked books of hers.

I usually really enjoy Andrea Bartz’s books, so I was excited to dive into her latest, set on a remote Mexican island. While this wasn’t my favorite of hers, it turned out to be an entertaining read once the story found its rhythm. It’s definitely a slow burn—took a while for the tension to kick in—and I think I just wasn’t in the right headspace for that kind of pacing.

That said, the setting was a highlight. The island descriptions were vivid and lush—paradise, if you ignore the whole people dying part. I struggled to connect with Abby, though; she wasn’t the most likable character, and some of her choices felt off.

Still, I’ll absolutely be picking up whatever Andrea Bartz writes next.

Thanks to Random House Ballantine for the ARC!

Ugh. I tried...I really tried. But I unfortunately had to DNF this at 40%. I just could not get into the storyline and life is too short to read books you aren't enjoying. The Last Ferry Out is touted as a suspenseful atmospheric thriller. Atmosphere was there.....too much. I felt like I was reading chapter upon chapter describing the remote Mexican island, with little to no action taking place. I have loved Andrea Bartz' previous books, so if you like slow burns perhaps give it a chance?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine Books for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback.

3.5 stars. This was a slowwww burn. It didn’t really pick up until 60% of the way through but once it did it was unputdownable! Abby’s chapter consistently ended in cliffhangers and I wanted to know more! I thought the ending was a little anticlimactic.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

This book has me from the first sentence. I was captavated within the story and following a long with Abby as trys to retrace her dead fiances tracks. This story holds a little bit of everything. I couldn't stop reading.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This one was good and somewhat enjoyable, but was missing something.

I adored this from start to finish — the voice, the heart, the pacing? Perfection. It gave me everything I didn’t know I needed, and then some. I’ll be thinking about this one (and recommending it nonstop) for a long time.

2.5 ⭐️ I have loved other Andrea Bartz books (and will continue to read what she writes!) but unfortunately this one was not it for me. Over halfway through the book, I still struggled to feel any connection to the characters, and felt that this “thriller” lacked suspense. The majority of the book is very grief-driven. While grief is understandably a part of the character’s journey, it was too much, making the book feel very long without the gripping nature a suspense/thriller needs to have to compel the reader.

“The Last Ferry Out” follows the grief-stricken narrator to a remote island where her fiancée recently mysteriously died. Determined to understand her fiancée’s last days, including who she spent them with, Abby travels to the island to essentially walk in Eszter’s shoes during her final days.

Thank you to Andrea Bartz, Random House, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Abby visits Isla Colel near Cozumel to investigate how and why her fiance, Eszter, died. Abby uncovers secrets and lies among the group of expats whom Eszter befriended and the false life Eszter created for Abby to believe. The novel is full of suspense and intrigue.

BOOK REVIEW ✨

The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz

“On a trip to the tropical paradise where her fiancé died, a young woman begins to suspect the death was no accident and the killer’s still on the island.”

Rating: 3.5⭐️
Genre: thriller, mystery
Yes, no, or maybe: Maybe

Highlights:
-suspicious death
-uncovering hidden secrets
-great imagery of island
-eerie isolated setting
-multiple POV and timelines
-suspects galore

I love a mystery set on an isolated island and there were SO MANY suspects! There were also a few twist and turns along the way. I enjoyed how the author jumped back and forth in time as well as giving us the POV of the victim. Overall this book had some great elements! I definitely plan to try more of Andrea Bartz’s novels.

Why isn’t this a 5⭐️ read??
Honestly, I just didn’t feel invested in the characters. They were a little flat to me. If you know me, I always want to be WOWED and stumped by mysteries/thrillers and unfortunately I wasn’t here. I would say this book is more of a palette cleanser which is not a bad thing!

I would suggest getting the audiobook and enjoying it on your commute to work or while doing chores!

**Available now**

I have to start this review by giving kudos to the cover design team. I love that Andrea Bartz's covers are always consistent but eye catching!

This book was a bit of a slow burn - definitely in the first half, but it picked up speed a bit near the end. I really enjoyed the island setting. The atmosphere was immediately eerie, and it gave the effect of a locked-room thriller with the ferry only going in and out of the island sporadically. I felt like there was something off with the characters that it didn't feel easy to connect with them/invest in their stories, so that is probably a big factor of why i felt like it was a slow burn as well. There were some good twists though and it was definitely a spooky and mysterious read that I think will be great for the end of summer/start of fall - not too beachy, but not super dark and cold either.

I like a good thriller set on a foreign island as much as the next person. Even when the author is someone I've had mixed results with, but I decided to give this one a go, and within the first few chapters, I realized it wasn't for me. None of the characters were particularly interesting and the twists that were meant to shock you just made me roll my eyes. But I hung in there. Hoping it would turn around. It did not. It was a bit of a mess. Too many POVs from stock characters are blended together. So many times I had to backtrack to remember who was telling the story because even though the timelines are separate, the voices felt too similar. Even the big ending was a let down. All in all, I'm left feeling a little dull. Will I read Andrea Bartz's next book? Sure. Probably. Will I break my TBR to do it? Absolutely not.

Thank you to Ballantine for my copy of THE LAST FERRY OUT.

This was just okay and I should have known better because her last book hit in a similar way. If this book is sitting on a shelf in your summer beach getaway or winter cabin - sure, go ahead and read it. Don't expect it to change your life, but go for it. If you've got anything else to read, choose something else.

Thank you @randomhouse for the eARc.

This story is very much character driven as the FMC attempts to learn the circumstances that led to the mysterious death of her fiancé. The pace is a little on the slow side while focusing on grief, love, secrets, and friendship. As the plot progresses, and as you can surmise from the title, the last ferry has left the island. This results in the perfect storm of bad weather, feeling trapped, and not knowing who to trust. It was eerie and suspenseful, and I was curious to see how the story would wrap up. Overall, this was enjoyable read and I enjoyed the audiobook.

Read if you enjoy:
✔️Characters driven
✔️Multiple POVs
✔️Dual timelines
✔️Summer thriller
✔️Secrets