Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - The Last Word

This was such an entertaining popcorn thriller, but unfortunately loses half a star due to the last 30%. The book requires a lot of suspension of disbelief, which I had no problem with the first 70% as it was just so much fun, but the last 30% is a mess full of twist after twist after twist. There were MANY times the author pulls a “sike! Books not done yet” for what felt like no reason. Overall though, I had a really good time with it lol.

Content Warnings

reahbee's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

THE DOG IS FINE. Lest anyone dnf for fear. No promises on any of the people.

This was so much more than the suspenseful, slasher-y book I thought I was getting into (though it was that too.) A master class on how to end a story, with plenty of twists to keep you guessing.

Content Warnings

emory's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated

Content Warnings

hardella's review

Go to review page

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I really enjoyed this book! The main character was relatable and also had layers. While I

do think that they absolutely should be held accountable for driving so dangerously especially with a child in the car, and that wasn’t really the message, the character was still likable.

the plot twists were fun and even though I guessed some, they definitely threw me off at times. I thought the different perspectives was fun and well done. I was worried because I don’t ever want to read from a killer’s pov (with the exception of my sister, the serial killer) I think it was done tastefully and in a non glorifying way.
Also the line “Okay, that’s fine. I’ll get in another way.” still has me terrified!

*the dog is okay*

Content Warnings

alexisgarcia's review

Go to review page

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.0

i am so disappointed by this… and before i explain why, the irony of writing a negative review on a book thats plot centers around an author hunting down a reader for leaving a bad review, is not lost on me.

i absolutely loved No Exit by this author so i thought this had to be good. i think the premise is super interesting and different, but it fell short. while this was definitely tense and action-packed, it was almost too much. there was an absurd amount of twists and turns that weren’t executed well. it felt like the authors gun ran out of bullets so they just started throwing rocks. these twists were predictable while also feeling so unnecessary and overdone. also the ending??? what kind of hallmark/lifetime movie did this turn into at the end?

*slight spoiler****

also, if you’re an author and you’re writing a mystery or thriller and it is based around one of the main “villains” having a mental illness, just don’t???? this heavily perpetuates mental health stereotypes and stigmas, which simply aren’t true. this is so played out and just downright harmful and inaccurate.

Content Warnings

mizmanderz's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.5

Finished reading: August 7th 2023

"Coincidences are fine in real life. But in fiction, they're bad writing."

I’ve been meaning to try his books for years now, and of course there was no way that I was going to resist the blurb of The Last Word for long. I love books with bookish angles, and what is more fascinating AND terrifying than a thriller read where an author slash killer goes after a person leaving him a one star review? And while things can be said about the plot being over the top and you definitely have to suspend your belief, I personally didn’t care because I was too busy enjoying the ride. This was exactly the dark, twisted and exhilarating read I needed! There is just something about the writing style that makes it very easy to fly through the pages, and the plot itself only increases that pace. The POVs are somehow blurred in points, and at times it takes a second before you realize who is in the spotlight; this would usually highly annoy me, but somehow in The Last Word it only added to the suspense. There are plenty of twists along the way as well, and with (at times) two contrasting POVs telling how the events happened it makes you wonder what is the real version. Again, this is usually something that would bother me, but in this case it somehow worked. Even the characters: none of them are exactly likeable, but since the main focus is on the plot and the life or death situation it's not as important. The Last Word definitely tips its toe in the horror genre though, and warnings are in place for particularly gruesome and graphic scenes as well as animal cruelty. If you think you can stomach those and like your thrillers on the dark and twisted side, I can highly recommend this story.

Content Warnings

More...