Firstly you know I dropped everything to read this book immediately!!! And what can I say? Well she has done it again, another absolute banger!!! This is a 5 ⭐️ edge of your seat thriller that you need to add to your TBR right now!!!
Kaia’s lost her husband to tragic accident. She goes
on the 5 day rafting trip because it was something
she had already planned with her late husband. But this
stretch of water was a bloody murder scene 7 years
earlier when a guide murdered a group of rafters. Then
history starts to repeat itself and before I knew it I was
neck deep in a fight for your life survival story that didnt
allow me to come up for air until the very end. I think I
held my breathe the entire time. It is also takes you on
a seperate journey of love/loss/hope and the discovery
of much needed friendships. It also has a tiny supernatural aspect. Gosh I loved it so much

Drop everything! Noelle W. Ihli is back with another high-tension survival thriller.

Kaia’s on a five day whitewater rafting adventure of a lifetime through Camas Creek where seven years earlier a guide went berserk and murdered a group of rafters.

The incidents on the trip start off small, screams in the night and missing supplies, but you know things are going to escalate…

Once again Noelle creates characters that you care about before dragging them through hell. You feel it, it becomes real and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

Buckle up your life jacket tight, this book will leave you gasping for breath.

Read it as soon as you can!

Thanks to Netgalley and Dynamite Books

Another incredibly bingeable thriller from Noelle Ihli. The white water river rafting setting felt immersive and vividly described, and the pacing made this very difficult to put down once I started reading. I especially appreciated how cinematic the scenes felt throughout the story, which made the tension and atmosphere even more engaging as a reader.

Warning: once you start this book, you will NOT want (be able) to put it down.
Noelle does top notch thriller over and over again. This one is no exception.
I struggle to visualize what I’m reading sometimes, but this book was an exception. The writing is so vivid.
I won’t be able to shut up about this book now.

Clear your schedules and leave the adulting to someone else! This action-packed, pulse pounding thriller is a one-sitting read that you won't be able to put down. The pure terror that consumed me was so intense that it felt like one big fight or flight, adrenaline rush that lasted four to five hours. I can almost guarantee that I lost a few pounds due to my increased heart rate. It took me hours to calm myself down until I finally crashed for the night. I don't think I've ever read a book that made me feel that way. And, after reading this, it's safe to say that even if I ever wanted to go on a river trail, I won't be doing it now. But let's talk about the girl power in this story because it was fierce! I was immensely inspired by the grit and determination these women exhibited in the face of danger. Their perseverance to survive and help one another was truly admirable. I could only hope that I would be as courageous as they were. This book will forever be one of my top recommendations and needs to be read by all! You will not be disappointed. Expected pub date is 7/16/26.

Thank you to Dynamite Books and NetGalley for granting me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I recently read "The Last To Drown," by Noelle Ihli and I must say, it was an amazing captivating experience from start to finish. This was my first Ilhi book and I love her writing style. I'm already eager to delve into her back catalog to see what else I have been missing.

From the very first pages, I was spellbound. What makes it truly exceptional is its unique premise: early in the book, a group of women, having just completed an adrenaline pumping day of whitewater rafting, find themselves camping on the riverbank. As they prepare for another day on the rapids, they gather to share a chilling campfire story. a 'ghost story' as I'd call it, which immediately drew me into the unfolding mystery and suspense.

The vivid descriptions of the whitewater rafting expeditions were incredible, transporting me directly into the heart of their perilous journey. The desperate struggle for survival, the narrative created an atmosphere of relentless suspense. I found myself completely engrossed, turning pages late into last night, utterly compelled to discover the fate of each character. It’s rare to find a book that so effectively combines high stakes adventure with such a gripping, unique plot device.

I absolutely loved The Last to Drown by Noelle W. Ihli. This was an easy five-star read for me and exactly the kind of thriller I can’t get enough of: fast, intense, creepy, and impossible to put down. Noelle has such a talent for dropping you straight into the chaos from page one and keeping the tension high the entire time. Even when I started to piece together some of the bigger reveals early on, it didn’t lessen the experience at all because the real thrill was in watching everything unfold.

The setting and atmosphere were perfect. A women’s whitewater rafting trip already feels intense, but adding the history of a brutal murder on that same stretch of river made everything feel even more unsettling. Once things start going wrong, the story turns into a full-on survival nightmare in the best way. There were several scenes that genuinely had my heart racing. The whole book played out like a movie in my head. I especially loved the little details from The River Guides Almanac woven throughout the story because they added so much to the reading experience.

The pacing is classic Noelle W. Ihli: relentless, anxiety-inducing, and so addictive. There’s no filler, no overdone descriptions, just sharp writing and nonstop momentum. I also really appreciated that underneath all the terror and suspense, there was still something deeper here about survival, healing, and finding the strength to keep going. The female characters were strong, believable, and so easy to root for.

This is my first read by Noelle W. Ihli and already she has earned her place on my auto-read author list, and The Last to Drown is another absolute hit. If you love survival thrillers, wilderness horror, strong character work, and books that make you feel like you’re holding on for dear life right alongside the characters, definitely pick this one up.

★★★★★

Thank you to NetGalley and the Dynamite Books for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.