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madisonjordan5693's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Child death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts
randilion28's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The author also describes the environment so vividly that you feel like you are there at Camp Nightingale with the girls. It has that creepy, deep woods vibe that I love reading about. I would 10/10 recommend this read!
Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, Gaslighting, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Alcohol, Body shaming, Death, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
laceybananareads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Moderate: Mental illness and Murder
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Emma returns to Camp Nightingale as an art instructor…fifteen years after her friends vanished from the very same cabin where she’s now staying.
I’m thrilled to say that with this book I’ve officially finished Riley Sager’s entire backlist! I enjoyed this one, though it doesn’t take my top spot for Sager (which is reserved for THE ONLY ONE LEFT). I will say that I’m rarely surprised by thrillers and I was genuinely shocked by at least two twists in this one, which is the primary reason for my rating.
That said, there was a part of me that was a little let down by how everything ultimately resolved here, and I felt like there was a lot of slow foundation laying in the beginning that took me forever to get through (this one took me 4-5 days to read which is LONG for me given the length and genre). But, I’d still recommend this one overall and I know a lot of people have LOVED it, so even the criticisms might be a me problem!
CW: Kidnapping; death/injury; mental illness
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, and Terminal illness
weyheyitsrachel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Emma was a great main character. I liked seeing her POV from the past and present. Sager did a great job portraying the teenage girl friendship dynamic. I didn't question any of their actions leading up to what inevitably happened. It all made sense, so when the twists came, I kid you not... my jaw dropped.
I'm so glad I picked this as my first Sager book. It was one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time. It had that sort of horror element to it, too, which I enjoyed. If you're looking for a truly haunting thriller, I highly recommend this book!
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Mental illness
gneumann's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this was fun! i’ve enjoyed sager’s other books more, though.
Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Murder, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Forced institutionalization
epeolatrist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Murder and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Suicide attempt
marpaige's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Grief, and Child death
aprilblues348's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Death, Alcohol, Cancer, Child death, and Toxic friendship
bookcheshirecat's review
4.0
“Everything is a game, Em. Whether you know it or not. Which means that sometimes a lie is more than just a lie. Sometimes it's the only way to win.”
➽ The Last Time I Lied is another fun Riley Sager Thriller! It's one of his older works that was still enjoyable to read. The story follows Emma, who spent a summer at Camp Nightingale 15 years ago where three of her bunkmates mysteriously disappeared. Her new friends were never found and ever since Emma has been hiding them in her drawings in order to deal with her lingering trauma. However, the camp is supposed to be reopened soon and she's approached by the director again. Emma gets roped into becoming one of the counsellors and the resident art teacher, but there are a lot of bad memories at Camp Nightingale and not everyone has forgotten what happened with her bunkmates.
➽ The story talks about Emma's trauma and mental health, as she's still trying to cope with the disappearance of her three friends. With the camp's reopening, she hopes to finally get some closure, but something strange is going on. Maybe she can finally find out what happened back then, as there are still so many unanswered questions. The story is told in dual timelines of Then and Now, looking back on Emma's fateful summer. She develops a codependent, slightly toxic friendship with three girls who are older than her. I didn't really like them, as they were your typical, mean Queen Bees, but the story was still compelling!
Graphic: Ableism, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Stalking