Slow to start, but give it a little bit of time and you won’t be disappointed. A twisty murder on an island full of people hiding secrets and pasts. Will the secrets ever come to light?

Abby is deeply affected by the loss of her fiancé Eszter. Seeking closure, she travels to the remote island where the incident occurred. The circumstances surrounding Eszter's death remain unclear. Although the cause was reportedly anaphylactic shock, Eszter was known to always carry her EpiPen. The last message Eszter sent to Abby read, "I need to tell you something." Upon arrival, Abby reconnects with friends residing on the island. While the consensus is that the event was accidental, Abby harbors doubts, particularly when Brody sends a text claiming he knows what happened to Eszter. Brody's sudden disappearance further complicates matters. As Abby uncovers secrets and deceit, trust becomes elusive. The narrative develops as a slow-burning mystery, engaging initially but at times feeling prolonged. Despite seeking more excitement and drama, the book contains unexpected twists and an unpredictable conclusion. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a slow burn mystery.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Pub/Ballantine Books for this advanced readers copy.

Okay, this book had me side eyeing everyone. I did not trust a single soul on this creepy, storm-battered island. Not the overly charming expats, not the moody bartender, and definitely not that one guy who conveniently disappeared right after saying he knew the truth. Yeah, okay.

Abby’s grief felt raw and heavy, and I liked that she wasn’t just wandering around in a fog. She came to that island for answers, and she was not letting up. Eszter’s death lingered over everything, and as more secrets came to light, I became fully convinced this place was cursed. The setting was perfect too. Washed-up paradise, barely any connection to the outside world, and a bunch of people acting like murder is just mildly inconvenient.

Some of the twists I saw coming, but a few had me sitting there like… wait, WHAT. The pacing dragged a little in the middle, but I was still completely locked in. It gave me that trapped feeling where you want to scream at the character to run, but also need them to stay and figure it out.

This author knows exactly how to grab you and suck you in. I seriously feel like this is her best novel yet! It was such a treat to read and had be on the edge of my seat the entire time. There wasn't a chapter were I felt like it dragged. Her writing is so delicious!

In a word: fine. This one just didn’t quite grab me. While the premise had potential and the atmospheric setting was enjoyable, the story overall felt a bit “meh.” The pacing dragged in several places, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged.

Early on, the book introduced a large number of characters all at once, which made it tough to keep them straight or feel particularly invested in any of them. That lack of connection didn’t help with the already slow momentum.

That said, I didn’t see the ending coming, which was a pleasant surprise. It’s not a bad book by any means. It just didn’t leave much of a lasting impression for me.

I would like to thank the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first Bartz book and it won't be my last, but it did have me longing for something more. I loved the setup - a beautiful island with a sense of looming danger, an island where people find solace when they're running away from something or someone.

Overall, I struggled with the pace of the book but found that it picked up for me maybe ~70% of the way through. I'm glad I pushed through because the ending surprised me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

When Abby decided to come to Isla Colel, she wasn't sure what—if anything—she'd find. She only knew that she needed to see the place where her fiancée, Eszter, died, to try and make sense of everything that happened.

To me this book was too slow, the first half draaaaaged on and wasn't holding my attention. Abby was not the most likable FMC but that tends to happen in Mystery/Thrillers so I kept reading along.

My final thoughts: Good, enjoyable, 3 stars. Would I recommend? Only if you're a slow burn kinda reader.

Thank you to NetGalley, Andrea Bartz, and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the eARC.

Abby's fiance Eszter dies suddenly on the small Mexican island of Isla Colel, so the book opens with her in a harrowing position on a cliff, in search of answers. Eszter sent Abby a confusing text that no one in a relationship wants to get...'we need to talk'. On her exploration of Eszter's last steps, Abby runs into a group of overly friendly expats living on the island that happened to know her fiance. But she quickly discovers nothing is as it seems and Abby - growing ever suspicious - can't trust anyone and doesn't know what to believe.

This story had a great hook and first chapter. I felt invested enough that I almost wrote a blurb at the half-way point, out of excitement. But then, things stalled - the main reveal didn't feel as brutal as it could have been. There were some tense moments about 7/8 of the way in, but with flashbacks coming so quickly, I found myself disengaging. Also, I felt that the epilogue felt forced to give us a last, AH-HA! moment, that to me, didn't fit with the rest of the story.

I'm glad I read it, but this falls into the category of, it didn't live up to the hype.

I’m a fan of Bartz’s books and this one was no exception! I loved the atmospheric setting and the unique characters. A bit slow to start, then I speed-read the last 70%. I liked the satisfying twists and the dual timeline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for this arc in exchange or an honest review.

So I was pretty excited to get The Last Ferry Out as an ARC, both from the description as well as because I had really enjoyed Bartz’s previous novel The Spare Room. Unfortunately, The Last Ferry Out was a bit of a slow burn for me and I had a hard time keeping myself interested in the characters and the plot. We are trying to figure out what happened to Abby’s fiance during this book and while that may have been a tad mysterious, it wasn’t thrilling or a nail biter type of book.l (at least for me).

My rating: 2 stars

Thank you Ballantine Books for my gifted ARC!

Andrea Bartz is an auto read author for me. I usually love her books, but The Last Ferry Out left me confused, because there is zero mention of a last ferry. It was a confusing and convoluted thriller - while also being … lackluster? Ouch, that hurts to say. I am serious when I say I usually love her books. I thought surely this would also be a smash hit but no. Sorry! Bartz is still an auto read author for me, though!

Andi’s books are consistently some of favorites. I find myself enthralled from the first page and struggle to put them down. This one is about who Abby whose fiancée, Eszter, just died while on a solo trip to small island. Abby isn’t convinced that the death was the accident that it’s been sold as, and wants to visit the places and people that made up Eszter’s last days. And it becomes clear pretty quickly that there is a lot more to this story…

This one was twisty and turny and I truly didn't see the ending coming! It kept me on y toes - my fave kind of thriller!

Making this even more fun is that Andi was a high school classmate of mine! Thrilled to be able to get an early copy of this one (thx @netgalley and @ballantinebooks !) Congrats @andibartz and make sure to pick this one up asap!

Im torn on how to rate this book because I enjoyed some of it and some of it I really wanted to skip over. It was promising and mysterious, it felt short and lacked enough grip to keep me fully entertained. I finished because I didnt want to have something lingering or the promise of learning that it somehow picked up and got better.

“Gators and haters” there is not a more perfect way to describe Florida 😂

After her fiancee dies while on vacation in Isla Colel, Abby is heartbroken. Something doesn’t feel right though. Esther is so diligent in what she eats and always has her epi-pen at hand. she decides she needs to visit and investigate further. When she arrives and befriends a group of ex-pats, one of them says something that gives Abby pause. Can she find out what really happened to Esther?

Phew! This book was a ride! I felt so much for Abby as she traveled to find out what happened to Esther, and felt for her even more as she found out all of Esther’s secrets along the way! I loved the different perspectives we get throughout the book as that gives us a look into what really happened, though narrators are not always the best truth tellers! The twists caught me off guard, and I did not see the ending coming! Now I just want to travel to Isla Colel which stinks since it’s fictional. I have been to Holbox which is mentioned in the epilogue though and loved it! Hit me up if you want an amazing hotel rec for there!

Thank you to @ballantinebooks for my gifted copy of this book!

The Last Ferry Out, by Andrea Bartz, is a light mystery full of twists and turns that will keep your attention.  The setting called to me, the characters were relatable, and the story was fun, but overall, I was a bit let down at the end. I think it may be that I was judging this book against previous Bartz novels, and that is probably not fair, but it just was not my favorite of hers. (I still managed to polish it off in one afternoon!)
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC ebook that I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

I think reading such an amazing thriller before this one made The Last Ferry Out feel a little flat.

Now don’t get me wrong. I read this book in one day. I was throughly invested into the story line and the main character Abby. The storyline made it feel like there were all these secrets on the island and at the end I did not get that.

The epilogue gave me what I needed from the rest of the storyline.

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 308
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

The last ferrry out is a fun summer mystery by Bartz. Abby returns to the island where her fiancé ezter mysteriously died hoping to find answers. Abby is taken in by a charming group of expats on this beautiful island. One in particular promises to reveal the truth about what happened. However, he goes missing and no one in the group seems to care. Abby is unsure who to trust and knows that as the danger ratchets up, she is getting closer to finding the truth., but will she will be silenced before she gets the answers?


This is a fun, atmospheric island thriller, but not my favorite of the authors works. This one is lighter on plot and character -both seem thinner than previous works. The atmosphere and setting is where the book shines. This is sure to please many readers of thrillers and those looking for a fun beach or pool read.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This thriller had great vacation vibes and camaraderie, all while making you second guess EVERY single character and their possible motives. I enjoyed the twists and turns this book took, especially the closing chapter! While it is not my favorite of Bartz’s works, it was still a page turner for me.

A fun little mystery, but not always deeply explored. The pacing feels a little uneven,lingering long on atmosphere but light on meaningful interactions or plot development.
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.

I really enjoyed The Last Ferry Out and all of the different twists and adventures it took me on. My favorite part was definitely the exotic location.