Andrea Bartz does it again! Could not put this thriller down! What an incredible book by a brilliant author.

SYNOPSIS
-Abby heads to Isla Colel, a nearly abandoned island off Mexico’s coast, to understand how her fiancée Eszter died.
-Eszter supposedly died of an allergic reaction, but Abby knows she always carried an epipen.
-On the island, Abby falls in with a suspicious little group of expats, which all happen to be people who knew Eszter.
-One guy claims he knows what really happened. Then he disappears.
-Abby starts digging, and the deeper she gets, the more she thinks someone in this group killed Eszter.
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MY THOUGHTS
-The setting was super atmospheric—quiet, remote, almost eerie. You could feel the isolation.
-But it’s a very slow burn. Like, glacial. The tension is more about mood than action.
-Not much actually happens plot-wise. Abby keeps asking the same questions over and over.
-The multiple POVs and timelines helped add some texture, but didn’t fully land for me.
-I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, including Abby. They all felt kind of flat.
-The ending didn’t feel earned. It wrapped up quickly and without much impact. I wanted more payoff.
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TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️Moody, atmospheric island vibes and a promising setup, but the pacing dragged and the ending fizzled. Didn’t fully click for me.
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THANKS: Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now.

@andibartz’s newest novel is a paradise gone wrong thriller 💙 Main character, Abby, decides to travel to the tropical island where her fiancée died in a tragic accident. The island is nothing like she expected and the longer she is there, the more she realizes that her fiancée’s death may not have been an accident and everyone seems like they have something to hide.

★★★☆☆
I really wanted to love Last Ferry Out, but I struggled to connect with the story or the characters. The premise had promise, and Andrea Bartz is a talented writer, but something about this one just didn’t click for me. The atmosphere felt distant, and I found myself waiting for that emotional hook or plot moment that would fully draw me in—but it never quite came. While the book had its moments, overall it left me feeling a bit disconnected and underwhelmed.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A thriller/mystery set on a tropical island with a bunch of expats, a suspicious death and SO MANY SECRETS - I'm sold. You don't need to tell me one more word.

I'm going to start by saying that I'm a HUGE fan of the Bartz sisters. We Were Never Here was one of my recent favorites and I LOVED The Writing Retreat last year.

That being said, I was a little disappointed by this one. The Last Ferry Out had all the right parts, but I could not get around my hatred for Abby and what an idiot she was. If I can't connect with or at least enjoy the main character, I've got a steep uphill battle ahead. That said, I really enjoyed the setting, the time jumps, and the supporting cast of characters. I eagerly await what Andrea Bartz comes up with next.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Ferry Out sounded like a great mysterious read and I was excited to be given the opportunity to read it. Abby embarks on a journey to an island to find out what happened to her fiancé Estzer, who died mysteriously while on vacation there. Abby becomes friends with Estzer's friends and begins to find out that things aren't what they seem. This was a great story that kept me guessing all the way to the end.

This is probably my least favorite book by this author. I liked the setting and thought it was a good, quick mystery. I just didn’t find it to be too memorable or have anything unique about it. I do think for a summer mystery it fits the vibe!

This book was good! The mystery was decent, and so was the storytelling, but I really liked how it was laid out. It wasn't infodump - twist - infodump - twist; it was very much like getting a feral cat into your house or a carrier - it was tiny bits of bait lined up and evenly paced, and I really enjoyed that! Overall, would recommend this one. 4 stars!

This story brings us to a small island in Mexico where Abby travels to uncover the details surrounding her fiancé' Eszter's death. Eszter suddenly passed away from anaphylactic shock while staying at an Air B&B on the island. There are multiple POVs and several mysteries to solve along with a language barrier and suspicious people. The longer Abby spends on the island, the less she feels like she knows Eszter and it all comes together at the end!

This book hit close to home with the Madison and Mexico references. I had fun trying to solve each mystery and getting to know both Abby and Eszter. The isolated island setting was fun & I always enjoy Andi's thrillers!!

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

When her fiancée Ezster dies days before she is set to join her on an isolated Mexican Caribbean island, Abby decides to head to Isla Colel herself to trace Ezster’s final two weeks. What she finds is an island shrouded in secrets and that her fiancée may not have been keeping some pretty big things from Abby herself. And what she finds may mean Ezster’s death wasn’t just an unfortunate accident after all.

The book is told mainly from Abby’s perspective in the present day, but there are chapters that include flashbacks from various character’s POV’s, including Ezster’s, leading up to her death on the island.

I absolutely loved this story, top to bottom. It isn’t a high-paced action, in-your-face thriller, but it has a type of slow-burn magic that just kept me keep reading, chapter after chapter. The author dropped enough hints (and then huge bombshells) that I was just enthralled, and it created this tense atmosphere that pervaded the entire novel.

The expat community that Ezster, then later, Abby, befriends is also a fascinating secondary cast, creating a whole bunch of supporting characters that are both likable enough, but that you don’t know if you can truly trust. It adds such great drama and depth to the novel. I wasn’t sure where things were going with them at times. It was such a mind-screw.

The ending was amazing, and I was happy with how it all turned out in the end.

Apparently, I’ve been missing out on this author, and I intend to stop that. So BRB, while I go check out Andrea Bartz’s entire catalog.

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.