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lmayfieldx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Stalking, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Gun violence, and Death
reahbee's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Gore, Alcoholism, Sexism, Gun violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Pandemic/Epidemic, Infertility, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, and Physical abuse
missgrangerr's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Gore, Death, Murder, Animal cruelty, Blood, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Mental illness, Gun violence, and Self harm
rafiniert's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Vomit, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Infertility, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Child death and Sexism
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Grief, and Mass/school shootings
_alyssabrown's review
2.5
Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Child death, Cursing, Car accident, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Self harm, Violence, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Stalking, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Stalking, Death of parent, Vomit, Grief, Infertility, Physical abuse, Violence, Suicide, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Car accident, Mental illness, Murder, Alcoholism, Child death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.5
"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.
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Vomit, Alcoholism, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Misogyny, Stalking, Death of parent, Gun violence, Infertility, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Bullying, Body horror, Self harm, Suicide, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
laurasalwaysreading's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Death, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Grief, Infertility, Self harm, Stalking, Violence, Animal cruelty, Car accident, and Child death
lovelymisanthrope's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
"The Last Word" is a fast-paced thriller that follows Emma Carpenter and her golden retriever, Laika, as Emma house sits for a woman named Jules in a beachfront property. With nothing else to do, Emma spends her days reading, and after she posts a negative review of a book, she feels like she is being stalked by the author. Can her and Laika make it through the night alive, or will she become just like the victims in the author's gruesome horror novels?
In true Taylor Adams fashion, this book is graphic, gruesome, and really made me uncomfortable at times. I was so anxious throughout my reading experience because I kept waiting for something to happen to Laika and I was distraught. My anxiety hindered my enjoyment of the novel because I CANNOT read about an animal dying, and I was so worried the whole time.
Emma is a complex character, and I enjoyed reading from her perspective most of the time. Some of her rationale felt a little too convenient to propel the story forward, but I really enjoyed uncovering why she was running away from her life. I also adored her love for Laika. She did everything to save her dog, and I loved seeing their interactions together.
The big twist of who Kane, the author turned stalker, was turned out kind of interesting, but I also felt like I saw it coming.
My favorite aspect of this novel is that Taylor Adams presented this timely discourse about whether an author should be on review platforms. On the one hand, an author could use reviews to help them better hone their craft and listen to what their readers want from them in the future. On the other hand, a review platform is supposed to be safe place for readers to share their thoughts. I really enjoyed seeing this idea manipulated into a story.
Taylor Adams is definitely talented at what he does, and I will continue to pick him up in the future!
Graphic: Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, Murder, Violence, Death, Mental illness, Torture, Stalking, Physical abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Car accident
beyourbestshelf'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
5.0
Moderate: Murder, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Infertility, and Child death
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Car accident