This was my first book by Anna Bailey and I really loved her writing style. Very descriptive, I could visualize clearly what I was reading.

Packed with tension, this storyline goes to a small community, bringing back an unsolved murder and its mysterious twisty events.

Thank you so much to Atria Books for this eARC.

Highly recommend.

This was a beautifully written book. The only thing more vivid than the setting were the characters and both worked together in a way I which they felt so intrinsically linked to each other. It’s very refreshing to see a modern murder mystery in which the plot focuses on the characters and character relationships than how many twists and turns it can pack in. If you like more literary leaning mysteries than give this one a try. A very talented author I will be keeping an eye on in the future.

The character development in Our Last Wild Days was very well done. You come to know them as real people and it makes for an immersive reading experience. Anna Bailey also tackles some tough topics (homophobia, women’s reproductive rights, police brutality) in some subtle and not so subtle ways. I only wish the pace had been a little faster.
Very solid read overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book!

Definitely add this book to your list! A wonderful story based in Louisiana bayou. Loyal is a reporter who’s returned home to watch after her sick mother but when one of her old friends is found deceased. She digs for details to figure out what really happened. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Loyal goes back to her hometown in Louisiana to take care of her mom. She’s been a “big city” reporter in Houston and has gone to work for the small town newspaper. Soon after returning, she finds out that her best friend has been found dead in the swamp and Loyal begins to uncover secrets. This book was not really a mystery, and it was a little slow for my taste but if you like slow burn Southern Gothic, this is probably right up your alley.

I ran through this one quickly. It was dark and heavy about a woman who comes back home right when her best friend dies. It really sucked me in.

Our Last Wild Days is one of those stories that slowly gets under your skin—the kind of mystery that’s less about shocking twists and more about the emotional echoes of a life left unfinished. Set deep in the swamplands of rural Louisiana, the novel follows Loyal May, a young woman returning to her hometown of Jacknife to care for her ailing mother. But her homecoming is clouded by tragedy: her childhood friend Cutter Labasque is found dead in the bayou, and the town is quick to call it suicide.

But Loyal knows Cutter. Or at least she did, once. And while their friendship ended in betrayal years ago, Loyal can’t shake the feeling that something about Cutter’s death doesn’t add up. As she digs into the murky circumstances surrounding it—alongside a few misfit colleagues at the local paper—Loyal uncovers a tangled mess of corruption, secrets, and long-standing resentments that the town would rather stay buried.

This book shines in its atmosphere. The setting is rich and vividly drawn, full of Southern gothic flavor and slow, sticky tension. You can practically feel the humidity and hear the hum of insects as you follow Loyal through crumbling houses, foggy bayous, and backroom deals. Bailey does a fantastic job of exploring the social and environmental decay of a town left behind—and the pain of trying to make peace with your past while living in its shadow.

The pacing isn’t fast, but it’s deliberate. The emotional weight builds as Loyal confronts not only the truth about Cutter’s death, but also the guilt and grief she’s carried for years. The mystery unfolds with a quiet intensity, making it a rewarding read for those who love slow-burn suspense with strong character development.

If you’re into literary mysteries with a gritty edge, complex female friendships, and atmospheric Southern settings, Our Last Wild Days should absolutely be on your radar. It’s moody, introspective, and filled with the kind of ache that lingers long after the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance reader’s copy!

I have a lot of positive things to say about Our Last Wild Days. The setting (the small town Louisiana Bayou), the interesting and colorful characters, and the vibes. The plot was absolutely top notch too - I love that for a thriller, the plot ended up being something totally believable but also twist that I didn't see coming at the end. The way Bailey weaves in the elements of the folklore of the cajun culture was perfection.

Unfortunately, I struggled with the pacing overall and found my mind wandering quite a bit throughout. Something about the actual writing style didn't fully resonate with me and I found it difficult to connect. There were a few instances where the setting, timing switched up without warning and I had to take extra time to get my bearings which also took me out of the story.

Overall, Our Last Wild Days is super solid for a crime thrillers and I know many readers are going to love this atmospheric read.

An interesting and suspenseful dark read. A plausible plot for what happens to those people who society deems unworthy of investigating and investing time to know the truth of what happened to them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

So many adjectives come to mind when I think about describing this book- atmospheric, gripping, tragic, mysterious, gruesome, dark, and unlike anything I have read before. I hadn't yet read anything by this author before requesting this ARC, but I think I have become a fan. This book's contents are disturbing at times but it's like that train wreck you can't look away from.

The characters are written strikingly well, you feel their pain along with them as they strive to put together the pieces of their lives. The kind of lives they are living are rough and unfiltered, Anna Bailey brings readers along on an adventure into the Louisiana swamp where both a murder mystery and deeper, darker town secrets are lurking. Piece by piece the mystery becomes clearer and it's an incredibly gritty journey to get to the truth.

There is a lot of violence in this book including police corruption and the death of animals, so please be mindful of the contents before choosing to read. Regardless- Step into this novel with an open mind- it gets pretty wild pretty quickly and will take you on an adventure that you likely can't predict.

Ranking this book at 4 stars based significantly on creativity and how much I don't think I will ever forget what I read in this novel.

“Our Last Wild Days” is Anna Bailey’s newest thriller set in Louisiana. Loyal May has just returned to her hometown to car for her mother and gets wrapped up in the mysterious death of her childhood friend, Cutter, in the bayou. This book is atmospheric and suspenseful.

I loved the sense of place that was so pervasive throughout “Our Wild Last Days”. The situation, the setting, and the characters all contributed to the richness and well-rounded was of this story.
I appreciated the varied imperfect characters and how the story progressed through their points of view. Not only was this a book with mystery and presence, but a book that enabled readers to have empathy for the many characters involved.

Loyal May returns to her childhood home of Jacknife, Louisiana to care for mother and work for the small town’s local paper. Shortly after her return, Loyal’s estranged childhood best friend, Cutter Labasque, is found dead in the swamps. While law enforcement assumes it was suicide, Loyal does not believe that Cutter would kill herself, and begins to search for answers of her own.

The writing is incredibly atmospheric, and I felt fully immersed in every scene of the story, with the setting so descriptive both in terms of the environment and the residents that inhabited it. The author did such an incredible job of setting a suspenseful scene for this mystery. As the book went on, I did struggle to keep track of the many side characters, and felt the story wasn’t always holding my attention—perhaps just because of so many different characters and different things going on. Ultimately, it wasn’t the best match for me for this reason, but I’d give it a read for yourself!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my gifted ARC and e-ARC!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Southern Thriller
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: May 20, 2025
📖 352 pages

📍 Jacknife, LA
💚 Plus-Sized FMC
🍻 Multiple POV
⚜️ Good 'Ole Boys
💀 Drug Operation

The writing is excellent, and though there are some sensitive political topics (that I prefer my books without), I still enjoyed the story of an ex-best friend fighting to find the truth of her friends' passing, as well as the twists the author managed to incorporate. I loved that we got to read so many of the other characters' POVs, as it made them feel more authentic. Overall, I loved the swampy setting and liked the book.

Thank you so much, Atria Books and NetGalley, for the digital review copy!

⚠️: bulimia, drug abuse, racism, abuse of power, abortion

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for access to this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Omg another absolute banger of a book from Anna Bailey!! I read their debut novel, Where the Truth Lies, a few years ago (and LOVED it) and have been patiently waiting for their next book! Being approved for the ARC was truly like Christmas came early.

This literary mystery is gripping right from the first page. The author’s writing is perfectly atmospheric, drawing you into the world as if existing within the story in real time. The southern gothic vibes were on point; you could feel the swampy heat, hear the cicadas, and feel the tension that is ever-present in a small town rife with poverty, racism, and corruption. The murder mystery keeps you guessing until the end, and many plot elements/points were so timely. The ending was so perfectly executed; I rarely feel this way about a thriller.

I loved this book so much, it will certainly be on my best of the year list. If you enjoy breathtaking and BEAUTIFULLY written literary thrillers, do not sleep on this one!!

I really enjoy settings that take place in the swamps just because it adds different dynamics and culture to storylines. I enjoyed the characters a lot in this book, but I felt like a few of the characters development felt rushed. There were a few dynamics between different characters that I would have liked to see develop more as well. I would still recommend for someone looking for a quick twisty book as I didn’t see the ending coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for early access to this book. What a treat! A slow-burning and atmospheric mystery full of complicated, flawed characters. Bailey is so good at setting the scene that I swear I could feel the stifling heat in the air. As other readers have stated, this book truly transports you to the bayou and gives an authentic feel of growing up in a small town in Louisiana. This was a new point of view for me, and I couldn’t wait to finish it. I loved the ending.

An atmospheric Southern Gothic thriller about a small town with big secrets set in an alligator-infested bayou. We follow a young reporter looking to find out how her estranged friend really died. Brooding, dark and beautifully described, the story is definitely a slower-burner, but the characters really bring it to life, with a downtrodden family, friendships gone wrong, and one woman’s quest for redemption all mingling into one gritty, elegant drama.

This was my first ARC that I received on NetGalley. Anna Bailey did a wonderful job with this bayou thriller! If I didn’t have so many adult responsibilities, I would have read this book a lot quicker! I didn’t want to put it down! I enjoyed the different character POVs and had to know what happened and who did it! This was also my first book by Anna Bailey and I plan to read her other one soon! Great read!

3.5 stars

I think I’m probably really picky about southern small town settings since that’s where I’m from. This one didn’t pull me in as much as I’d hoped, but I did enjoy it. I felt some of it was a bit unrealistic, but that is 100% my own opinion. In the end, this was a solid read, and I will read other books by this author.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.