Title: “The Last One”

Author: Will Dean

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publication Date: August 8, 2023

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)

“The Last One” by Will Dean takes readers on what should be a thrilling and suspenseful journey as Caz, the protagonist, steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica with her new love, Pete. Little does she know that this vacation of a lifetime will quickly turn into a nightmare. The anticipatory atmosphere of the novel quickly shifts when Caz awakens after her first night on board to discover Pete’s absence. Panic sets in as she realizes that something is terribly wrong. The tension builds as she ventures out into the corridor, only to find all the cabin doors mysteriously open. 

The premise of this story was really promising, but I felt that the story fell flat quickly, and continued to lose credibility as it went along. I have no problem with stories that require readers to suspend their disbelief, up to a point, but thought that “The Last One” went far beyond a reasonable narrative that readers would find at all believable.

I did not find the characters to be well-rounded or relatable, which made it hard to care what might happen to any of them by the story’s conclusion.The supporting characters come to play significant roles in the story, but I found that as the plot twists became more and more unbelievable, they too were not worth caring about. 

I really enjoyed some of Will Dean’s earlier work, so I will definitely give him a try in the future, but “The Last One” was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.