The setup is cool and definitely had me curious, but the execution was a bit uneven. Some twists were easy to see coming, and a few characters felt kind of one-dimensional. Still, it had some suspenseful moments and was entertaining overall. Not amazing, but not bad either!

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I have read several of Ms. Worley's books before, and this was the first time that I really felt like I was reading YA. I think the others I have read straddle the genres much more easily. This one, I could tell I was reading a book for teens/tweens.

If you go into it knowing that, it's not bad - entertaining and fairly fast-paced. It really is the book version of a teen slasher movie, complete with questionable decisions and occurrences that defy belief. The swamp was an apt setting, and I appreciated the diversity of characters.

Ms. Worley also succeeds in trying to throw the reader off the trail of the villain's identity. I believed nearly every character was guilty at different times. I was surprised with the final outcome and also the truth about Haze's father, which was unexpected.

This was SO fun! So many callbacks to slasher movies and so fast paced. The real killer was a suprise to me and I loved the main character. Excellent and fast paced YA slasher. One of those you could picture every scene in your head.

This was a gruesome slasher, not a genre I’d typically jump in to, but the mystery and connections to a decades old serial killing made for a gripping and suspenseful tale that I couldn’t put down. I enjoyed this twisty and unpredictable novel beginning to end, and all the secrets that unfolded throughout.

Thanks NetGalley for the early copy for an honest review.

I’m typically not into slasher/horror stories, but I really enjoyed reading “The Debutantes” by this same author last year, so I decided to give this book a try to see if she could win me over.

“Final Cut” opens with a chilling scene from the killer’s perspective. While their identity remains hidden, the reader gets a disturbing glimpse into their twisted mindset, setting the tone for what’s to come.

The plot follows Hazel “Haze” Lejeune, cast as the lead in a low-budget horror film based on real murders committed by her father—the infamous Pine Springs Slasher. Back in her childhood hometown, Haze is determined to keep her connection a secret as she joins the cast and crew on set. A flurry of character introductions follows, and while it’s clear one of them is likely the killer, the large cast made it hard to keep track of who was who. Unlike in “The Debutantes,” I didn’t feel like I truly got to know many of the characters beyond Haze.

Aside from Haze and the more level-headed Nina, most of the characters felt underdeveloped. Nina, in particular, stood out as the more grounded and sensible one, and I found myself rooting for her survival even more than Haze’s. That said, Haze's increasingly questionable decisions - especially toward the end - were frustrating. I get that stress affects judgment, but some of her choices were hard to justify.

The final reveal brought a major info dump and an unrealistically high body count, which made the ending feel rushed and lacking in closure. A few more chapters from the killer’s POV might have helped with pacing and foreshadowing.

Overall, I’m glad I gave this book a shot. It was an entertaining change of pace, even if it’s not one I’d revisit. I gave it a solid 3 stars, and I think fans of slasher stories and “final girl” tropes will enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review.

I’ve been enjoying Olivia Worley’s novels since I read her debut one. I was excited when I saw she had a new book coming out soon, entitled “Final Cut.” Set in Pine Springs, Louisiana, 18 year old Hazel (Haze) Lejeune arrives in town to film a slasher film and be its “final girl.” The town is also where Haze used to live with her parents until 15 years ago.

Haze’s father, a high school teacher, was arrested and convicted of being the Pine Springs Slasher after five high school students were murdered. Soon after, Haze and her mother moved away from the town.

Haze’s co-stars were selected to fill the typical types of characters in slasher films. After accidents start occurring while filming, Haze and her fellow cast mates begin investigating. Then there’s the first murder and they realize there’s a killer in their midst. Haze just isn’t sure if the murders are from a copycat or if her dad was innocent.

This one had a couple twists. It started off a little slow, but picked up the pace towards the end. Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

I really enjoyed this one, I'm a big fan of slasher movies so I had to grab this one. I think it did really well not only plot wise but also keeping me on my toes in the mystery both in the past and present with giving enough info to keep in the game but also in the dark. Haze was a good main character I feel like she did things that most people her age would do in certain situations, of course she could have been smarter about some choices but with everything going on her choices weren't as crazy as some other character in other books. I was able to guess one thing about the killer because the scene was similar to a classic slasher but the whodunit part was a great guessing game because everyone seemed to have motive and opportunity and the why was pretty surprising as well. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who likes slasher films and themes.

Oh.My.God. From the incredible dedication to the last sentence I loved this book. I wanted to read it because of the amazing cover and the book did anything but disappoint. I had NO IDEA what was going to happen the entire time and I’m obsessed. I was shocked and my heart was racing but I still couldn’t put the book down especially when I got to the second half. This is the PERFECT summer slasher and exactly what I didn’t know I wanted. LOVE.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

I feel like I wasn't quite in the right mood for this book. I really wanted to get into this book, but couldn't really get into it. The characters are likable and the MC is a good main character. I just wasn't really drawn into the story, but I do feel this is a good slasher style book. I didn't really love the side characters. The background to the book is well set up.

Final Cut is a tough one to review. The book is similar to a slasher film so it's a lot of murder and guessing who the murderer is. There is a back story for Haze with her dad being a serial killer. When she's acting in this current movie, she and the other young actors realize that the story is very similar to the actual killings. And then people start dying. Brutally. The pacing is good and I found it really hard to put down. I kept changing who I thought the killer was and why. There are some twists and it's just a really fun read for slasher fans.

I gave this book 5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley for my earc.

Another fun read and my first book so far by this author. lets just say I'm a fan!! typically I'm not the biggest fan of gore or "screamer" type movies, because lets be honest we all know how they end.

Which is exactly how the author sets it up for this book because gosh I was invested once I started!! I can't say it was really predictable, I had NO idea who it was until the ending with the process of elimination. Hazel reminds me of Jenna Ortega from Scream, she's pretty much who I pictured for the entirety of the book.

I have to say perfect Halloween book and if you're a fan of young adult horror this is the one for you

This one sounded so promising. I love scary movies, and it had the throwback set-up. It just didn't work for me. My attention kept straying and I didn't connect with any of the characters.

This was a pretty fun book. I enjoyed the writing and the characters. I was completely blindsided by who it was that done it. This would make an excellent movie.

Such a good slasher book! I felt like I was on set with Hazel through every twist and turn of this book. Excellent story telling, scene setting and mind blowing twists!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Hazel Lejeune wants to be an actress and the opportunity to start her career has fallen into her lap. The problem? The horror-slasher film she's leading seems to be based on a true-crime serial killer, in a small town that she grew up in. Even worse, that serial killer was her father.

Thrillers can be very hit or miss, even more so when you're trying to translate what can easily be done in film into a novel but boy did Olivia Worley do a good job. Just in terms of enjoyment, I really had fun with this book. It's fast paced, fun, and there are mysterious deaths!

Our MC Hazel truly embodies a nerdy final girl. She's smart enough to be wary of tropes and certain people but just gullible enough to allow certain plot points to happen without it feeling contrived. Of course though, no slasher novel can go without its supporting cast either. We really get introduced to all the members of the film crew and all the different motivations for each. Some do fall a little into stereotypes, but that's to be expected when juggling so many characters needed and maybe some are just there to be red shirts (if you know what I mean).

The horror atmosphere is really well set up as the plot gets further along and more and more members of the crew get picked off. My only gripe was ironically the end. There were a lot of plot threads to weave together and it did feel a little rushed, with a 'oh, I guess that makes sense' attitude. But I did like where Worley chose to go with Hazel's father.

Hazel has loved watching slashers since she was a kid, so landing the lead role in a slasher film feels like a dream come true. The movie is being filmed in her hometown of Pine Springs—the same town where, fifteen years ago, her father was convicted of a series of murders targeting high school students. But when terrifying things start happening on set, Hazel begins to realize that the film’s plot closely mirrors her father’s crimes.

I really enjoyed this YA thriller! It was gripping, intense, creepy, and at times unpredictable. I never managed to guess who the killer was—and to me, that’s one of the most important things in a thriller: to surprise the reader. Olivia Worley definitely pulled that off! The book has that nostalgic ‘90s slasher vibe, like Scream, which made it super easy to picture everything in my head.

I also loved the small romantic subplot! Watching that relationship develop was especially fun.

Overall, I think this is a great thriller for teens that will definitely appeal to adult readers as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Wednesday Books) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

INSANE book. i love haze so much she is such a great character. one of the best horror books ive read and i love how it was set up! read this when it comes out!

Sometimes slasher movies can be hard to translate to the written word, but the author did a wonderful job. The characters were lovable and the pacing kept things tense. The multiple timelines really added a lot to the tension! I was constantly guessing and I was very, very wrong. I love that it wasn't predictable in the least. Overall, this was a really fun read and I quite enjoyed it. I would advise you not to start this book unless you've got the time to spend to finish reading it! It is un-put-down-able. If you like teenage slasher films, you'll like this novel.

I LOVE anything that feels like a slasher movie, and this one hit the mark for me. The character development and final twist was incredible and I definitely didnt see it coming. I recommend this one to fans of scream and Friday the 13th- the vibes felt the same to me and I loved it. The writing felt so authentic to the genre as well. I will be buying a copy as soon as it is released and will recommend it for everyone I know!

This YA thriller gave me the perfect Scream and slasher vibes. It's a horror movie set gone wrong. There was so much suspense and the plot really worked for me and kept me hooked. I thought the character development was really well done. I was hooked from the first page.