I was able to read an advanced copy of this book, and HOLY MOLY Y'ALL.
This was the first book I've ever read from Olivia, and if she writes like this all the time, she is on my list of author's I will read ANYTHING they write.
I love being able to figure out who did it, but even more, I love when I'm wrong. I was wrong every dang time! I have been hyping this book up to all of my classes and now they are chomping for it to be our First Chapter Friday book.
PLEASE read this book when it comes out in October. It's an homage to slashers but also a dedication to the final girls. You won't regret it!

4.5 stars!

This was soooo twisty twisty and such a bloody good time. And for me, it’s finally a book that actually feels like Scream and how twisted it was. I loved the horror Easter eggs that were in this book too! I loved it.

the description was spot on and gave me everything I was looking for!
It pulls you in and won't let you go!

Thank you so much St Martins Press and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.


Im such a huge fan of slasher movies and this read did a good job of depicting one. The story did a good job of hooking me in from the beginning and having me constantly guessing who was responsible for everything occurring. I literally trusted no one. The reveal was also done nicely at the end and there were hardly any non active moments which is something I always appreciate! I also loved how Haze seemed to find herself and inner strength. I look forward to reading more from Olivia in the future.

If you're into fun slashers/thrillers where it keeps you guessing who the killer is the entire book - absolutely would recommend Final Cut by Olivia Worley!

The book is fast paced, keeps you entertained and engaged. I don't want to say too much to avoid spoilers - but I enjoyed the main character as well as the twist at the end.

Perfect read for around Halloween!
First book I've read by Olivia but it won't be my last.

Clever: showing intelligence or skill; ingenious.

Paying homage to the classic hits and roles of those slasher, 'heart in your throat' movies, this YA mystery/thriller delivered.

Clever, as to the mirroring of the movie characters' names, to the unexpected twists/motivations of the villain, and the bloodbath that ensued. The plot takes the reader all around town from the dingy motel to the small town police station and the gator filled swamp. At each stop, a little clue, a little mystery and, of course, more than a little terror.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a YA thriller book based on slasher films. The synopsis sounded great, and I read "People to Follow" and really liked it, so figured this was worth a shot.

It was a bit too YA for me. There were some great elements, but being trapped inside Haze's mind for most of the book was too much angst in a thriller. Also, I am not a fan of slasher movies (I can read just about anything but watching it - no way!). So, I maybe wasn't the target audience for this story.

I thought it moved way too slowly. There were some good parts, I enjoyed when we got the respite from Haze's point of view, and the dual story lines of the Pine Spring's Slasher versus the present day threats were well done.

There were some things that just didn't make any sense, namely, half of the thoughts Haze had and her actions, which I guess is typical for the slasher genre but didn't work for me in a thriller.

I appreciate the ARC and would definitely read this author again.

this was PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!

i knew this was going to be five stars early on & i’m so happy that held up as the book went on.

the author did a fantastic job at developing the setting/atmosphere - small town louisiana, eerie dark swamps, & an amateur movie set…. the perfect setting for a horror/thriller book.

i loved the characters!! haze was a great FMC and i found her decision making to be (if slightly irrational) what i would probably do if i were in her shoes. the romantic subplot was so so good & i was hoping it would go in the direction the author took it.

the plot itself had me hooked! this book felt exactly like classic slasher x scooby doo - two of my all time favorite things! i loved all of the references to classic slashers & the concept of a final girl.

regarding the plot twist/killer reveal: i will say that i guessed it BUT i still had so much fun reading this!!! the reveal scene was great and had my heart practically beating out of my chest - i genuinely didn’t know where that scene was going to go after the killer was unmasked.

once again this is me begging you all to read YA thrillers!!!!! some of my all time favorite books are YA thrillers & this subgenre is so slept on.

Final Cut is my fourth Olivia Worley book, but sadly, my least favorite. As soon as I started Final Cut, I had the feeling that I had read this story before—I haven’t, the book isn’t published yet, it just felt wholly unoriginal.

Haze Lejeune is a teenage actress. She has been cast in a slasher film. And this is great because Haze is obsessed with slasher films. She has been ever since she learned her father was responsible for the death of five teenagers in a very slasher way.

Once Haze gets on set, scary things start happening. At first, it’s threats. But soon, people are dying. A lot of people. And there is literally no emotion attached to that.

Haze becomes determined to figure out who the killer is, what it has to do with her, and if this all means her father is actually innocent (ie is this new killer the one responsible for the original deaths?).

Fast-paced and easy to read, but overall predictable and not engaging enough for me. Not recommended. I’ve liked Worley’s previous books, so I’ll give future work a shot.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

"'Scream' meets 'The Reappearance of Rachel Price'" was a perfect description. The story was enthralling from the start and had me rooting for the final girl and her friends the whole time. I enjoyed the plot twists every time a possible murderer was revealed and the ending surprised me.

This book gave me all the 90's slasher vibes I didn't know I needed. I grew up watching films like Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream so this was nostalgic for all the best reasons! I'll definitely be reading more of Worley's work.

I think this is the 3rd Olivia Worley book I’ve received as an ARC and this. is. the. best! It’s so great to see an author steadily get better. The pacing is perfect, the twist is unexpected, the characters are great. This is the perfect thriller for Halloween for those of us that don’t want horror.
Thanks to the author, St Martins Press, and NetGalley for this eARC.

A perfect book for fans of Scream, Final Girls, or any 80's/90's slasher films. This book follows a character named Haze who has been casted in a low budget horror film. However, once filming begins, a sting of "accidents" starts to occur. Is this just part of the film, is this a copy cat, or was the wrong slasher placed behind bars?

I like to think I am really good at figuring out the killer early on in the book, however, I was very wrong lol. Olivia Worley really lead me on and left things unpredictable.

I loved the cover of this book and it is initially what drew me into wanting to read. Definitely needs to be added to October TBR for spooky vibes!

YA
Graphic Violence
Animal Death
Murder
Parental Trama
Plot Twists

This book was so great! It was well written and the characters were so relatable. I really enjoyed it and will definitely recommend it to others!

When recent high school graduate Hazel Lejeune gets the lead role in a slasher film, it feels like a dream come true. This is her chance to break into the industry, build her reel, and prove to her mom that this ‘gap year’ can turn into a career. So what if it’s set in the nothing town of Pine Springs, Louisiana–the same place her father, the Pine Springs Slasher, was convicted of a series of murders fifteen years ago?

But when Haze arrives on set, she gets much more than she bargained for. The shoot is plagued with suspicious ‘accidents.’ Mentions of her dad dot the entire script. And then, a gruesome murder shocks everyone to the core. Now, it’s clear there’s a real killer on set—one who's determined to finish the film at all costs. But is this merely a copycat, or is the wrong Slasher behind bars?

Who doesn't love a good slasher book? I loved this book so much! It was a suspenseful and mysterious but also full of horror.

I received this ARC via email recommendation. It sounded promising, and it was a quick, easy, and interesting read. Definitely give it a try!

I didn’t know that a book could capture the unsettling feeling of a slasher film so perfectly. I don’t get scared during slasher films, but they have a way of creating tension in me while I watch a character fight for their life that has me on the edge of my seat and this book perfectly encapsulates that feeling without the usage of tense music. There are so many twists that I never saw coming and it made it perfect because the reveal of the killer was actually surprising. I also feel that the more gory scenes are written well. It isn’t over the top, but it still does a perfect job of giving us the gruesome vision of the scene. The swamp setting is fitting for this book because there is already something so mysterious about it. I’m also a little bit biased, but I love it when books have a film set element to them because it feels like home. I loved The Debutants by Olivia Worley and with my new love for this book, she is becoming one of my favourite mystery/horror authors. This is the perfect spooky season read, so make sure to pre-order so you have it just in time for Halloween!

This review is posted on my Instagram!

I absolutely devoured this book. This book is a slasher film in book form. It was such a fun read.

Just like watching slasher films, you want to figure out who the killer is. I was so sure of myself so many times. The twist at the end though!

This is such an incredibly written book, purely because it pulls you in so easily. It’s been a while since I’ve sat and just wanted to finish a book in one sitting.

The setting was beautifully described. I could visualize every place they went so vividly in my mind. I almost felt how humid it was from the descriptions.

This book will keep you on your toes. It was described as Scream meets The Reappearance of Rachel Price. I have seen Scream, but haven’t read the Holly Jackson book. This may have convinced me to read it.

There is no spice, which I feel is important to tell readers. Some people don’t like spice, and some people are all about it. There is definitely blood, murder, and violence.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Omg I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! Look, I’m the kind of girl who guesses who the killer is within the first 10 minutes of a movie or book. However, I was SHOCKED at the reveal. Would definitely recommend :)

I've had the genuine pleasure of reading and reviewing all of Olivia Worley's new books for the past three years in a row and I definitely think that this is her best book yet! The setting, the town and the swamp, was another character all in itself and it being the home of the Pine Springs Slasher added a whole additional layer of tension to the story. I also thought there was a vibrant cast of characters, all who stood out strongly and played off of one another well. I also really liked Haze as a main character. Her desires and motivations and personality came through so clearly.

When I was reading this, I worried that the piece would pigeon-hole itself into traditional slasher stereotypes, just because slashers are by nature a formulaic genre. But she did a great job paying homage to classics of the slasher genre and adding her own twists to the piece. The book also acknowledges slasher movie tropes, like the Final Girl, and does a great job almost winking at the reader by turning those tropes on their head and doing something new with them. I thought the mystery was very well done. I guessed some of it and some of it completely shocked me, in the way a good mystery does, when you look back and realize the clues were there all along. I also thought Worley did a great job showing why people are drawn to slashers, for good or bad, and showing that no one fits neatly into tropes like those, not even if we write the scripts ourselves. There is lots of focus on the nuances of human nature in this book that reminds me of Holly Jackson's mysteries. The author herself compared this book to The Reappearance of Rachel Price and I agree that there is a similar feeling when reading.

That said, I thought the ending was too quick. I wanted to see Haze confront her father for the crimes he did commit. I also wanted to see her get to fall in love and write her own story. I also thought that at times it was really hard to keep all the characters straight. There was one character who became important at the end whom I had entirely forgotten about. I had to go back to the beginning to remember how this character was involved in the story. Also, and maybe relatedly, I thought the pacing was too fast at the beginning and that's part of why it was so hard to keep all the characters straight.

That said, I think Olivia Worley's a rising star in the YA thriller/mystery genre and I really enjoyed this book! I definitely think that anyone who's a fan of Holly Jackson will be a fan of her work, especially this newest book!

When Haze is cast in the low-budget slasher, Swamp Creatures, Haze believes she will finally get some answers about her father. Swamp Creatures is being filmed in Pine Springs, Louisiana, a place known for the brutal killings of several high school students by the Pine Springs Slasher who is Haze's father. But as the shoot gets underway, several "accidents" occur and after one of the cast dies, Haze believes someone on set is to blame. As the killings continue, Haze must find out the truth about her father and what happened that night.

This book was heart-racing, full of twists with an ending I did not see coming. I could not put this book down as every chapter seemed to hold a new clue about the mystery of the Pine Spring Slasher and who is behind the deaths on Swamp Creatures. With so many possibilities, I could have never guessed the ending. Final Cut is the perfect book for slasher fans.

Final Cut is out October 28th.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review Final Cut. All thoughts and opinions are my own.