I'm still breathless as I finish this amazing book! Protagonist Haze is one of several people cast in the movie Swamp Creatures which is based on the killing spree of Cal Dupree, now in prison for killing the teens In Pine Springs, Louisiana. But Cal is Haze's father so she is worried about how things will play out as he continues to profess his innocence, but even she isn't sure as there was enough evidence to send him to jail. As readers, we go on location with them and shudder as there are "accidents" on set and no one knows who to trust! It's a nightmare that's delicious in its devious plotting!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Hazel "Haze" Lejune is currently taking a gap year before college and making a go of acting while she can. She's not just another young ingenue though, no she is starring in a movie that is shooting on location in the very same town where her father was convicted of murdering multiple teens. When bodies start to fall, it soon becomes apparent that the script is a reflection of the infamous murders and Haze is determined to unmask the killer. The hard part is staying alive until the final credits role.

I have loved all of the books I've read by Olivia Worley and Final Cut is no different. While readers are probably familiar with horror movie tropes (and this is a movie within the book which is a lot of fun) Worley deftly creates a fun, engaging YA story that will keep you guessing 'whodunnit' until the very end. 4.25 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was such a fun read and will be perfect for October! If you are a fan of classic slasher films, you'll enjoy this!

This was a super-fun and fast read! Even at over 300 pages, I flew through it. I’m a huge horror movie fan, especially the 80s slasher movies, so this book was perfect for me. Any horror movie fan will love this. Ir was suspenseful with a good mystery behind it. It’s going to be a perfect October/Halloween release.

Thanks so much for letting me read in advance!

I’m not usually a big YA or slasher fan, but the premise of Final Cut intrigued me—an aspiring actress lands a role in a horror film, only to find herself in the middle of a real-life murder mystery tied to her own past. It sounded like a solid setup for suspense, and to be fair, Olivia Worley delivers on a lot of that promise.

The story follows Hazel Lejeune (or “Haze”), who’s hoping to use a low-budget slasher film to launch her acting career and prove to her mother that taking a gap year wasn’t a mistake. The catch? The film is being shot in the same small town where Hazel’s father was convicted of a series of grisly murders years ago. Once production starts, strange accidents begin piling up, and before long, someone on set turns up dead—for real. From there, it becomes a race to figure out who’s behind the new killings and whether the wrong “Slasher” is sitting in prison.

There’s a lot to like here. The pace is quick, the setup is clever, and the book leans into its genre influences without feeling completely derivative. The meta angle—fiction bleeding into reality—is handled pretty well, and there are a few genuinely creepy moments. Hazel is a solid lead, and her emotional baggage adds some depth to the typical final girl formula.

But for me, as someone who doesn’t usually read YA or slashers, the story didn’t fully land. The characters beyond Hazel felt flat—mostly stock types you’d expect on a horror set (the diva, the director, the love interest, the suspicious local). The dialogue sometimes felt forced or too on-the-nose, and I found it hard to connect with the stakes when the supporting cast didn’t feel fully developed. There are a lot of red herrings, which keep things moving, but by the third twist, it started to feel a little formulaic.

Also, while the mystery has some strong moments, the final reveal wasn’t all that surprising. It wrapped up in a way that made sense, but didn’t quite pack the punch I hoped for.

That said, I think readers who are fans of YA thrillers or horror will get more out of this than I did. There’s clear love for the genre here, and Worley keeps things engaging enough to finish. It’s fun, creepy in parts, and moves fast—just not especially memorable for me.

Final verdict: If you’re a fan of Scream-style stories or YA murder mysteries, Final Cut is worth checking out. If you’re not already into that world, this probably won’t change your mind.