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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.75
"You want to know if I’m as evil as everyone says I am. The answer is no. And yes."
It's true that I seem to be having a bit of a love-hate relationship with Riley Sager's writing, and his books can go either way for me. Some I absolutely loved (Home In The Dark), while others somehow didn't work at all (Survive The Night). That said, I can never resist a good gothic thriller and I had a good feeling about The Only One Left. The blurb is nothing but enticing, that's for sure! And I'm now happy to announce that this particular book falls firm into the first category. I basically knew I was going to love this story almost immediately, and I loved every single minute spent with this book. The crumbling Hope's End mansion makes for such a perfect setting for a gothic story; the unresolved multiple murder back in 1929 and rumors about the only surviving family member Lenora Hope only adding to this ominous atmosphere. The main story is set in 1983, and Kit makes for the perfect character to help us tell the story of Lenora in past and present. Why? Well, her story is similar to Lenora with her being accused of murder/assisted suicide, but no real proof to have her convicted... In other words: guilty by public opinion. The great thing about how this story is written is that you honestly don't know for sure if both women are guilty or innocent until the very end, and it only made me want to turn those pages even faster. I also loved the flashbacks to 1929 with Lenora typing her story with Kit's help... The plot structure is clever, and there were a couple big twists I never saw coming. I had such a fantastic time reading The Only One Left, and I can recommend it to anyone who enjoys atmospheric and creepy gothic thrillers where nothing is as it seems.
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Suicide, Chronic illness, Cancer, Grief, Infidelity, Sexism, Classism, Medical content, Death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Violence, Abortion, Addiction, Confinement, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Drug use, Domestic abuse, and Medical trauma
leahdanielle131's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder and Suicide
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Infidelity, Child abuse, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
emmalwooten's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Blood, Suicide attempt, Violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Grief, and Pregnancy
amanda_reads13'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
4.5
Mind Blown! Talk about twists! I didn't know what to expect for most of the book and majority of my ideas were way off. Once the end came, it was twist after twist, and just when you thought it was done, a gigantic reveal comes outta left field. This one definitely kept me on my toes.
Lenora Hope has been confined to a wheelchair for decades. Unable to talk or move anything but her left hand. She is completely dependent on others and unable to communicate in any way except tapping her hand or t ing on a typewriter. When her caregiver disappears, Kit is hired to replace her. As Kit starts digging into Lenora's past we're led through a crazy story of betrayal and heartbreak.
I liked how the house was a character in its self. This old dilapidated mansion on the edge of a cliff slowly sliding into the ocean made for an eerie and suspensful setting.
There's so many twists in this book, which makes it both intriguing and a little over the top. There's almost too many twists. Within a couple chapters we're hit with twist after twist after twist. The majority of the twists I didn't see coming, I knew that
The story ended up being
Lenora is blamed for the murders. She decides change her name and to fake her sisters death then pass her off as herself. So for years Virginia has been living as Lenora.
Fast forward: Kit finds out that her father is a murderer. Jessie, the maid is actually Virgina's granddaughter. Kit's father killed Mary to try to keep the truth of his past hidden. The house falls into the ocean with Kits father and Lenora in it. AND: Virgina has been faking it this whole time. She can actually walk and talk but wanted to punish her sister for everything she did to her.
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Grief
antidietleah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Murder, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Death, Abandonment, and Alcohol
felofhe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Ableism, Alcohol, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Grief, Kidnapping, Sexism, and Medical content
ms_sarah621's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Murder, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Grief, and Confinement
Minor: Addiction
greavuem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Blood, Chronic illness, Murder, Mental illness, Suicide, and Violence
hellokatya'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
2.0
it felt like he was trying too hard to put as many plot twists as he could possibly make into the book, and the big reveal muddied the plot a lot. it took a bit for my brain to catch up with the new info and it ruined the reading experience for me.
too much of a “gotcha” for my taste.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Ableism, Blood, and Body horror
Minor: Child abuse and Misogyny
the_true_monroe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was just phenomenal and mindblowing. This is probably the first book that truly brought me to understand what to be mindblown means.
The only thing I can think of that I wanted clarified is what was up with Detective Vick- he worked there at the same time Kit’s dad did but I do not recall any part where we heard more after Kit said that he should be called right before the confrontation with her dad
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Classism, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Kidnapping, Blood, Grief, and Bullying
Minor: Abortion, Child death, Ableism, Homophobia, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, and Sexual content