This book will be beloved by any thriller lovers, but especially by those who love a story drive by a strong friendship, guilt, and determination.

The Louisiana bayou is the real star here—haunting, vivid, and steeped in folklore. I loved the atmosphere, but the plot didn’t quite pull me in. Still, I’d try Anna Bailey again.

Anna Bailey’s Our Last Wild Days is eerie, atmospheric, and dripping with bayou vibes. When Cutter Labasque is found face-down in the water, most of the town of Jacknife shrugs it off—everyone except her former best friend, Loyal May, who’s still carrying the weight of their fractured past. As Loyal digs into the truth, guilt and old betrayals bubble up right alongside the town’s long-buried secrets.

What really grabbed me here was the setting. The Louisiana bayou practically becomes a character—swampy, sultry, and pulsing with danger. Bailey threads Cajun folklore through the story in a way that makes it feel layered and hauntingly authentic.

This is part coming-of-age, part slow-burn thriller, and it perfectly captures both the beauty and the darkness of Louisiana culture. It’s one of those stories that lingers long after you close the book. Big thanks to Goodreads for the giveaway copy—this was my first read from Anna Bailey, but definitely not my last!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the review copy of this book.

Excellent atmosphere and character building. This book drew me in from the beginning.

When Loyal's childhood friend, Cutter, turns up dead by apparent suicide, Loyal knows better and goes searching for answers and begins uncovering much more than she intended.

This book is a haunting, atmospheric read that completely drew me in. Bailey has a way of peeling back the layers of small-town life to reveal the secrets, fears, and fractures hiding just beneath the surface. Our Last Days is less about “big plot twists” and more about mood, character, and the quiet unraveling of people when tragedy strikes.

Her writing is sharp yet lyrical, and the characters felt so raw and real that it almost hurt to follow their choices. It’s dark, heartbreaking at times, and unflinching in how it portrays grief and desperation. While it’s not a fast-paced thriller, the slow-burn suspense and emotional depth made it a memorable read.

If you like stories with atmosphere, flawed characters, and a touch of mystery that lingers long after the last page, this one’s worth picking up.

Dark and atmospheric are the main words I would use to describe this book. Our Last Wild Days sucked me in from the very beginning. I really enjoyed this book and would love to read more from the author.

I listened to this one. I don’t think I could have read it. It felt really long. It definitely gave the same vibes as Where the Crawfish Sing. The complexities of the characters and their personalities was really great but I wasn’t in love with the story. Even the mystery was very slow burn. This one just didn’t keep my attention very well. It wasn’t for me but I think there are many who will enjoy this atmospheric and character driven story!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted e-book!

Overall, this was an okay read. I really liked the atmosphere, but I wasn’t overly engaged in the plot and the rationale for the ending seemed very out of left field.

This novel had a great sense of place, I could feel the swamps and see the alligators through the author's descriptions. But I just couldn't get into the characters and had to set this aside.

In Our Last Wild Days, Anna Bailey delivers a moody, atmospheric mystery steeped in the heat and shadows of rural Louisiana. At the center is the infamous Labasque family—isolated, rough-edged, and living off the grid in a swamp-side shack. To the townspeople of Jacknife, they’re outcasts best kept at arm’s length.

So when Cutter Labasque turns up dead, face down in the muddy waters, the town barely bats an eye. It’s ruled a suicide—open and shut. But Loyal May, Cutter’s estranged childhood friend recently returned to care for her ailing mother, isn’t buying it. Haunted by past guilt and unresolved betrayal, Loyal teams up with a small, unlikely crew from the local newspaper to uncover the truth behind Cutter’s death.

What begins as a personal mission soon unravels into something much bigger: a tangled web of secrets, lies, and corruption rooted deep within the community. As Loyal wades through the figurative—and literal—murk of Jacknife, she discovers that some debts can’t be repaid, only reckoned with.

Our Last Wild Days is a slow-burning, emotionally charged thriller that explores what it means to seek justice, redemption, and forgiveness in a place where the past is never truly buried. But ultimately, the pacing was a little too slow for me - it was tough keeping my attention.

Comparable to Where the Crawdads Sing, I feel as though I was Not the ideal reader for this story. The characters felt very stereotypically hillbilly like and the pacing was very slow, to the point I just didn’t care to pick it up. Wish I liked It more. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I am still thinking about how I feel about this book. I love books with swamps and best friends but it just was not relatable for me. It is kind of a weird little book. It is good but also just maybe off for me.

Our Last Wild Days is about a woman who searches for answers after her friend who has been distant ends up dead in their hometown in the bayou of Louisiana. This was a mystery that kept me turning pages and guessing until the very end. I was captivated with this read and liked the setting of this book a lot. It was written well and all of the characters in this were interesting. The author was new to me and I am so glad to have discovered this author. I highly enjoyed this one and would recommend to any reader who likes mystery or thriller books. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this read in exchange of my honest review of Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey.

From the moment I cracked open Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey, I was transported—mosquito-bitten, sweat-drenched, and haunted—into the thick, oppressive swamps of Jacknife, Louisiana. This isn’t just a mystery; it’s a moody, Southern Gothic slow-burn that seeps into your bones and lingers like swamp heat. 🌿🐊

When Loyal May returns to her crumbling hometown to care for her mother, she’s barely unpacked before her childhood friend Cutter Labasque is found face-down in the bayou. The town shrugs it off as suicide—but Loyal knows better. What unravels is a taut, lyrical journey into the murky waters of corruption, grief, and long-buried secrets.

The Labasques—rough, reclusive gator hunters—have always been the town’s outcasts. But as Loyal digs deeper, questioning her own past and the fragile web of loyalty she left behind, she uncovers something far more dangerous than wild animals: the truth.

Bailey’s writing is rich and cinematic. You feel the heat, smell the decay, and sense the danger slithering beneath the surface. While the mystery takes its time, the emotional payoff is worth every slow-building page. By the explosive ending, I was breathless.

🌿🖤 Themes: rural poverty, addiction, betrayal, redemption, and the ghosts we carry
✨ Vibe: lyrical, atmospheric, tense

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing an advanced copy for an honest review.

I just wrapped up Our Last Wild Days, and it really stuck with me. The story is set deep in the Louisiana swamps, where Loyal May comes back home to care for her sick mom. But things get complicated fast when her old friend Cutter Labasque turns up dead, and everyone around says it was suicide. Loyal doesn’t buy it, though, and starts poking around to figure out what really happened.

The book does a great job of making you feel the thick, humid atmosphere of the bayou—it’s almost like another character in the story. The town itself is full of secrets, and the people you meet are far from perfect. Loyal’s search for answers feels personal and raw, which makes the mystery hit harder.

Final thoughts: If you like mysteries that are moody, full of twists, and set in a place that feels alive with its own stories, this one’s a solid choice. It’s gripping and emotional without feeling over the top. Definitely worth diving into.

I really enjoyed this book all the way through. Loyal was such a good main character that wanted to do right by her former friend, and did everything that she could in order to find out what happened to her. The side characters had so much depth, which added so many layers to this story and so much more enjoyment. I will absolutely be checking out more books from this author if they are anything like this one.

Thank you to Atria Books, Anna Bailey, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Loyal May heads back to her hometown in Louisiana to help her mother, only to learn her childhood friend Cutter has died under suspicious circumstances. The locals call it suicide. Loyal isn’t convinced with this. Hit by grief and doubt, she starts digging and uncovers small town secrets, and unsettling truths hidden in the swamp.
I absolutely loved the setting and atmosphere with this book. It’s a slow burn with each new detail you get pulled in deeper.
If you enjoy southern suspense with tension, complex relationships and beautiful writing be sure to pick this one up.

With evocative Southern gothic atmosphere and rich descriptions of swamp life, Our Last Wild Days has a lot going for it—but its slow pacing and uneven character development hold it back. Loyal May's quest for redemption and justice offers moments of intrigue, and the setting is a standout character in itself. Still, the mystery surrounding Cutter’s death unfolds in fits and starts, and some emotional beats don’t land as powerfully as they could. Worth the read for the mood and setting, but the payoff feels just a bit too tame.

Dark, atmospheric, with tension lurking just below the surface, Our Last Wild Days sucked me in and never let go. This book began as a bit of a slow burn for me and I do struggle with them, but the author won me over with her wonderful writing, vivid descriptions, and the mystery surrounding Cutter Labasques's death. I could almost feel the humidity of the swamp, as the family of alligator hunters in Jacknife, Louisiana, went about their business. When Cutter is found face down in the swamp, it is not her brothers but her childhood friend, Loyal May questions Cutter's death.

If you are looking for a book that is heavy on emotion with a fantastic southern setting, Our Last Wild Days may be the book for you! You could cut the tension with a knife as this gritty southern book gets closer to the reveal. The story slowly builds and readers soon get to meet several of the key characters who are flawed, damaged, and beaten down.

Loyal is struggling. She has left her job and moved back home to help take care of her mother. But her past is determined to haunt her. When her best friend from her childhood, Cutter is found facedown in the swamp, she is determined to find the truth. Loyal owes Cutter a big apology and she never gets to say the words.

I enjoyed Loyal. She is a complex character. She is resolved to find out what happened to Cutter. She knows she did not kill herself. So, she looks to Cutter’s brothers. And trust me…they definitely could have done it!

I fluctuated between 3 and 4 stars on this one. This tale is a bit long and slowed down in the middle. But, I loved the twist at the end and the setting of the Louisiana swamp…nothing is creepier! And talk about ominous characters and alligators…this book has them in abundance.

Need an atmospheric tale with disturbing characters…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.