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clairebonney's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
justacatandabook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
Emma Carpenter and her dog, Laika, are living alone in a beach house on the Washington coast--hiding from the past. Emma spends her days walking the beach and devouring books on her Kindle. When she reads a terrible horror novel by H.G. Kane, she leaves a one-star review that causes the author to respond, dragging Emma into a rude online argument. Then weird incidents happen at her house. Is it just a coincidence, or is Emma in real danger?
I pick up each Taylor Adams book with a bit of trepidation as his books can genuinely freak me out and also stress me out! This one was no different. There's one setting--a perfectly done isolated beach house. Emma has but one neighbor, an older drunk named Deek. With so few characters, we easily become attached to her and, of course, her dog, Laika. Laika (aka "the space dog") was certainly the star of the show (and the cause of undue stress as I worried frantically if she would survive).
THE LAST WORD goes by at a frantic pace. It's terrifying and increasingly gruesome and bloody. It did indeed creep me out! My main issue was that I predicted a lot of this plot. Still, it did not diminish much of my enjoyment of this crazy, wild ride.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, William Morrow, in return for an unbiased review.
I pick up each Taylor Adams book with a bit of trepidation as his books can genuinely freak me out and also stress me out! This one was no different. There's one setting--a perfectly done isolated beach house. Emma has but one neighbor, an older drunk named Deek. With so few characters, we easily become attached to her and, of course, her dog, Laika. Laika (aka "the space dog") was certainly the star of the show (and the cause of undue stress as I worried frantically if she would survive).
THE LAST WORD goes by at a frantic pace. It's terrifying and increasingly gruesome and bloody. It did indeed creep me out! My main issue was that I predicted a lot of this plot. Still, it did not diminish much of my enjoyment of this crazy, wild ride.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, William Morrow, in return for an unbiased review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Gore, and Murder
bookishwithbeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Death, Murder, Child death, and Gore
Minor: Fatphobia, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
solenophage's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Tone's a little weird. The killer is such a played-up incel stereotype that he can only read as comical, but the other characters seem relatively grounded and we're supposed to take their plights seriously. It felt sort of unbalanced, how 'real' are these characters supposed to be? How much is this satire and how much is it horror? I don't think this book quite hit on a good middle ground.
Otherwise, it was a fun read. It was fast-paced and tense at the right moments, with a heroine that who, while not infallible, was clever and easy to root for. Despite the more outlandish elements, I was never fully taken out of the story and had a hard time putting it down.
And the dog lives, thank god!
Otherwise, it was a fun read. It was fast-paced and tense at the right moments, with a heroine that who, while not infallible, was clever and easy to root for. Despite the more outlandish elements, I was never fully taken out of the story and had a hard time putting it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Car accident, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Moderate: Gun violence, Infertility, Animal cruelty, Blood, Car accident, Gore, Mental illness, Grief, and Stalking
Minor: Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexism, and Suicide
roemsy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.25
Taylor Adams author of No Exit delivers again! This super fast-paced book sinks its claws into you from the very first chapter and does not let go. Unlike some thrillers, you don’t have to wait til the last half to get any action, this book is action packed all the way through. I actually could not put it down because I was dying to know what happened next. While at times it was a little outlandish I didn’t find that it took away from the story at all because we expect that from this genre. In terms of characters, Emma Carpenter was a troubled protagonist with dimension that you couldn’t help but root for. And don’t even get me started on Deek.
I also loved the meta aspect of it, about horror books and their tropes. I think fans of fast-paced thrillers and Adams’ previous work will devour this one as well. On sale April 25th, 2023, preorder your copy today I promise you won’t regret it!
Thank you to William Morrow, Taylor Adams and Netgalley for this gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I also loved the meta aspect of it, about horror books and their tropes. I think fans of fast-paced thrillers and Adams’ previous work will devour this one as well. On sale April 25th, 2023, preorder your copy today I promise you won’t regret it!
Thank you to William Morrow, Taylor Adams and Netgalley for this gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Vomit, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
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