When Caz wakes up to find herself alone on a cruise liner, she starts to panic. Where is her boyfriend Pete who she’s on the cruise with? Where is the captain, and other travelers? Where did they all go? As she gets closer to the truth, she’s determined to survive the journey.
I really wanted this to work but it felt like two different stories. It’s explained why it changes genre direction, but it didn’t feel seamless. The first half of the book reminded me so much of the Netflix’s 1899 series, which if you love mind bending science fiction movies you have to watch! The second half of the book felt like a mixture of SAW toned down with Blair Braverman’s Small Game. Our characters felt flat and I never connected to any of them. I didn’t even find myself rooting for anyone in particular.
*Spoilers but not really*
Plotwise I was invested but there are so many things that don’t make sense. Why would anyone just leave their loved one behind on the ship? What exactly is this show? Why did we have to get the actors involved? What the HECK with that is with that ending and is there a second book planned Who greenlighted this show and I hope they have the bunch funding set aside for PTSD claims.
Realistically, I get why people are giving it 5 and 4 stars. It’s unique and it definitely held my attention but then it just tries to do too much. At over 400pages it’s just too long and didn’t stop while it was ahead. For me it worked, until it didn’t, and I just CANNOT with the ending. This has probably been the least helpful review I’ve ever written, as it’s hard to talk about without giving away major plot points. My advice, if you want to give it a go though, get it from the library.
First born review
The Last One comes out August 8, 2023. Huge thank you to Atria for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.
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