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awesomejuice's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
linziclaire's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Dana Diaz is a Latina comic trying to make it in the Austin Comedy scene after leaving Los Angeles and her life with her best friend Jason behind. After one of her sets, she meets Amanda and the two of them begin sharing secrets.
What starts out as a friendship ends up turning into a revenge scheme that Dana is both happy and appalled to be a part of.
One of the biggest themes throughout the book is that of male apathy towards rape culture. Both women were abused in some form or another. Either through emotional or physical abuse, these women had to put up with multiple instances of having their minds or their bodies violated.
There are some minor spoliery bits ahead…proceed with caution.
I had some problems with this book but at the same time some of it was so true to life that I couldn't help but be impressed by the narrative skill of the author.
I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I understand anything remotely tech related, but it seemed as though some of the things that Amanda was able to do in order to track people down weren't as detailed as they could have been. Don't get me wrong, they were listed in detail, but they didn't feel very real.
Amanda herself was also a problem for me. She went from friend to crazy town super fast. I think that the more dynamic story would have been for Amanda to go Single White Female on Dana rather than just coming up crazy right away. Maybe the author was attempting to avoid that?
One of the biggest problems I had with this book was Jason. I realize that the character is meant to be both the love of Dana's life AND a total dick. The problem was that there were such major transitions in character so swiftly in scenes. One second he's kind and sweet and the next he's a raging raving jerk. I had trouble believing that Dana would somehow not know that her best friend of 20 years was like this. Or that his controlling behavior suddenly began when she moved out. Surely he was controlling women long before it's revealed that he does.
The motivation was never 100% clear with Amanda as well. She'd never hurt a woman, only men, right? But she threatens Dana with jail, or threatens Dana's loved ones if Dana doesn't follow her plans. What's the endgame here?
What I did like, though, was the pacing of the book. You're certainly not going to feel like this story is dragging on. There are a few plot points that are really quite unnecessary, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they detracted from the overall storyline.
I also enjoyed the comedy scene that gets portrayed. Kim (the other female comic) was one of my favorite secondary characters. I wish there had been more comedy sets written about, but at the same time, a good portion of stand up success is in body language so I understand why it wasn't.
While I did find this thriller short in some areas, I was overall OK with it. It was a quick read for me and I did stay up a little extra late so I could finish it. It's worth a read if there's nothing else around.
Dana Diaz is a Latina comic trying to make it in the Austin Comedy scene after leaving Los Angeles and her life with her best friend Jason behind. After one of her sets, she meets Amanda and the two of them begin sharing secrets.
What starts out as a friendship ends up turning into a revenge scheme that Dana is both happy and appalled to be a part of.
One of the biggest themes throughout the book is that of male apathy towards rape culture. Both women were abused in some form or another. Either through emotional or physical abuse, these women had to put up with multiple instances of having their minds or their bodies violated.
There are some minor spoliery bits ahead…proceed with caution.
I had some problems with this book but at the same time some of it was so true to life that I couldn't help but be impressed by the narrative skill of the author.
I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I understand anything remotely tech related, but it seemed as though some of the things that Amanda was able to do in order to track people down weren't as detailed as they could have been. Don't get me wrong, they were listed in detail, but they didn't feel very real.
Amanda herself was also a problem for me. She went from friend to crazy town super fast. I think that the more dynamic story would have been for Amanda to go Single White Female on Dana rather than just coming up crazy right away. Maybe the author was attempting to avoid that?
One of the biggest problems I had with this book was Jason. I realize that the character is meant to be both the love of Dana's life AND a total dick. The problem was that there were such major transitions in character so swiftly in scenes. One second he's kind and sweet and the next he's a raging raving jerk. I had trouble believing that Dana would somehow not know that her best friend of 20 years was like this. Or that his controlling behavior suddenly began when she moved out. Surely he was controlling women long before it's revealed that he does.
The motivation was never 100% clear with Amanda as well. She'd never hurt a woman, only men, right? But she threatens Dana with jail, or threatens Dana's loved ones if Dana doesn't follow her plans. What's the endgame here?
What I did like, though, was the pacing of the book. You're certainly not going to feel like this story is dragging on. There are a few plot points that are really quite unnecessary, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they detracted from the overall storyline.
I also enjoyed the comedy scene that gets portrayed. Kim (the other female comic) was one of my favorite secondary characters. I wish there had been more comedy sets written about, but at the same time, a good portion of stand up success is in body language so I understand why it wasn't.
While I did find this thriller short in some areas, I was overall OK with it. It was a quick read for me and I did stay up a little extra late so I could finish it. It's worth a read if there's nothing else around.
bjohns86's review against another edition
3.0
Ummmm....this was a strange “thriller”. I couldn’t connect with the absurdity of much of the story along with this bizarre approach to creating a dialogue around the Me Too movement. The conversation and insights into competing perspectives on the strength and controversy of the movement is necessary. This story left much to be desired in relation to critical inquiry of the movement. It’s usage as a plot device just doesn’t sit right with me.
I was strangely entertained and kept on the hook while also bothered by how the story evolves.
I was strangely entertained and kept on the hook while also bothered by how the story evolves.
marisaelainegettas's review against another edition
4.0
I give it a 3.5. Really interesting premise, fell down a bit on execution. I did read it in one sitting, so obviously I found her writing propulsive.
jessicamap's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to HMH Books for the free copy in exchange for my honest review
3.5 stars - rounded up for Goodreads
I’ll start off with saying that this book won’t be for everyone. I’m not a person that is usually triggered by topics within books, but this deals with harassment experienced by women. I didn’t know that Amy Gentry had started this book before the #MeToo movement and before a lot of men in the stand up industry had been implicated. LAST WOMAN STANDING is one that takes that female rage and frustration and turns it on the horrible men that committed these acts.
Dana is trying to make a name for herself in the world of stand up. After a set one night, she meets Amanda. The two begin to discuss the wrongs they have experienced at the hands of their male counterparts in the industry. Fed up, they decide they should go at this STRANGERS ON A TRAIN style and take care of each others’ list of enemies. How far will they go to get vengeance on those that abused and harassed them?
There were plenty of twists in this book but it started off a little on the slow side for a thriller. The revenge plot is nothing new to the thriller genre, but it’s always great to see the whole “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” in books and the direction the authors take it. Men underestimate women and don’t understand the lengths we will go to – vindictive and focused is a dangerous combination! Like I said, this will not be for everyone, but it’s a book that’s very timely and covers very prominent issues.
3.5 stars - rounded up for Goodreads
I’ll start off with saying that this book won’t be for everyone. I’m not a person that is usually triggered by topics within books, but this deals with harassment experienced by women. I didn’t know that Amy Gentry had started this book before the #MeToo movement and before a lot of men in the stand up industry had been implicated. LAST WOMAN STANDING is one that takes that female rage and frustration and turns it on the horrible men that committed these acts.
Dana is trying to make a name for herself in the world of stand up. After a set one night, she meets Amanda. The two begin to discuss the wrongs they have experienced at the hands of their male counterparts in the industry. Fed up, they decide they should go at this STRANGERS ON A TRAIN style and take care of each others’ list of enemies. How far will they go to get vengeance on those that abused and harassed them?
There were plenty of twists in this book but it started off a little on the slow side for a thriller. The revenge plot is nothing new to the thriller genre, but it’s always great to see the whole “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” in books and the direction the authors take it. Men underestimate women and don’t understand the lengths we will go to – vindictive and focused is a dangerous combination! Like I said, this will not be for everyone, but it’s a book that’s very timely and covers very prominent issues.
amyb24's review against another edition
3.0
This is a well-written and -paced novel that was fun to read. Overall I recommend it.
What made it hard for me is that Dana is supposed to be a standup comic--a GOOD standup comic. And the material written for her couldn't have been less funny! I know delivery makes the joke, but I just couldn't find a voice for the words that would elicit a giggle nevermind a real laugh. It distracted me from the story every time Dana did her act.
You should still read this book if you like women-centric revenge stories.
What made it hard for me is that Dana is supposed to be a standup comic--a GOOD standup comic. And the material written for her couldn't have been less funny! I know delivery makes the joke, but I just couldn't find a voice for the words that would elicit a giggle nevermind a real laugh. It distracted me from the story every time Dana did her act.
You should still read this book if you like women-centric revenge stories.
eculatta's review against another edition
4.0
Loved her Good as Gone and got an email from GoodReads describing this one: "I wrote about violence against women in my first novel, Good as Gone. But the kidnapping in Good as Gone was a very rare type of crime. In Last Woman Standing, I wanted to create a page-turning thriller out of something many women have personally experienced." Sounds great!
Read this psychological thriller in about 24 hours of page turnin' fun. The ultimate #MeToo book. He said/she said and who do you believe? But not like you’d expect. Or maybe exactly like you’d expect. The same events described in a different light take on new meaning. It all spirals out of control so quickly. I felt like I was dropping through quicksand. This book made me second-guess everything and everybody.
Slight spoiler-y reaction: I was beginning to wonder if it was Jason instead of Mattie. If Jason is really rotten to the core. 248 I wasn’t really expecting a psychological thriller. But I got one. It’s good. /Spoilerish over
QUOTES:
I want you to be scared of being alone with strange women, like I’m scared of being alone with strange men. -116
It had left me with a craving for closeness coupled with the need for infinite space. Wasn’t that what comedy was? A kind of intimate distance, a way to get a response that you could predict and even, in the best of circumstances, control? 134
And all he wanted was to get back at Jason. I wasn’t even a person to him – just something he could take away from his brother to prove who was the bigger man. I felt too disgusted for tears. 231
Sometimes it feels so dark, just waking up every day as a woman, in a woman’s body. What we go through. What we have to live with. Groped, harassed, stalked, followed down dark alleys. It makes you paranoid. He snorted. Except you’re not really paranoid, because there really are people out to get you. Men. A lot of them. 244 Every woman I know has gone through something. Raped, assaulted, harassed, forced out of jobs. Trapped in abusive relationships. We talk about it with each other when the guys aren’t around. And since most of us aren’t out there making revenge pacts, I don’t know what the incentive would be to lie. 245
Read this psychological thriller in about 24 hours of page turnin' fun. The ultimate #MeToo book. He said/she said and who do you believe? But not like you’d expect. Or maybe exactly like you’d expect. The same events described in a different light take on new meaning. It all spirals out of control so quickly. I felt like I was dropping through quicksand. This book made me second-guess everything and everybody.
Slight spoiler-y reaction: I was beginning to wonder if it was Jason instead of Mattie. If Jason is really rotten to the core. 248 I wasn’t really expecting a psychological thriller. But I got one. It’s good. /Spoilerish over
QUOTES:
I want you to be scared of being alone with strange women, like I’m scared of being alone with strange men. -116
It had left me with a craving for closeness coupled with the need for infinite space. Wasn’t that what comedy was? A kind of intimate distance, a way to get a response that you could predict and even, in the best of circumstances, control? 134
And all he wanted was to get back at Jason. I wasn’t even a person to him – just something he could take away from his brother to prove who was the bigger man. I felt too disgusted for tears. 231
Sometimes it feels so dark, just waking up every day as a woman, in a woman’s body. What we go through. What we have to live with. Groped, harassed, stalked, followed down dark alleys. It makes you paranoid. He snorted. Except you’re not really paranoid, because there really are people out to get you. Men. A lot of them. 244 Every woman I know has gone through something. Raped, assaulted, harassed, forced out of jobs. Trapped in abusive relationships. We talk about it with each other when the guys aren’t around. And since most of us aren’t out there making revenge pacts, I don’t know what the incentive would be to lie. 245
adamantane's review against another edition
4.0
The twists and turns keep you guessing until the penultimate chapter. The narrative was also relatively realistic in the sense that the ending was not all fluff and sparkles. It is a highly topical read that does not shy away from the systematic issues. Also nicely quotable, at moments.
sarah_'s review against another edition
3.0
Strangers on a Train for the #MeToo era. I liked this one okay, but didn't love it. I never quite connected with the main character, Dana, and her standup never came off as funny. The first half of the book was pretty slow, and kept me only just engaged enough to keep going, but the action and suspense really took off in the second half. The plot is twisty, but most of the twists are easy to guess. There's lots here about what women go through and how men behave towards us, and questions about how far it's okay to go for revenge. I don't particularly recommend this unless the blurb sounds really inviting to you, because I think there are better thrillers out there, but overall it was thought-provoking and attention-grabbing.
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
justacatandabook's review against another edition
3.0
Dana Diaz is an aspiring comedian trying to make it in Austin, TX--with the ultimate goal of making it back to L.A. someday. She once lived there with her best friend, Jason, but left in a bit of disgrace. While performing in L.A., she meets Amanda Dorn, a computer programmer who applauds during her set and catches Dana's eye. The two bond over being women in a man's world and soon learn that both have had similar struggles with harassment. But then Amanda proposes a plan: they'll each seek revenge on a man that has harmed the other. Dana quickly finds herself pulled into Amanda's revenge schemes. She also finds herself unable to trust anyone--even her friends.
I really loved Amy Gentry's GOOD AS GONE, so I was so excited to read this one. It didn't appeal to me as much as GOOD, but I enjoyed pieces of it. This was a weird but also interesting book that certainly capitalized on the momentum of the #metoo movement and did a good job of highlighting the aftermath of sexual assault and violence against women.
Dana is an intriguing character; I liked that she was a comedian, because that's not a character you usually see in books! She's also a minority and a fairly strong female--all pluses. No one expects her to be a comic or funny. It's also heartbreaking and eye-opening to see how much she's been through: as we learn about her experiences, we see how often she's had to endure sexual harassment, sexual violence, assault, and more during her career and life.
"It was true that my appearance--short and brownskinned and shaped like my mother minus the control-top pantyhouse--did not prepare most people for my extracurricular activities."
Even worse, so many of the women in the book seem to take this behavior as par for the course. To get ahead, they must endure being harassed, or they see this sexual assault as part of life. For instance, maybe it's just part of the acting business, Dana rationalizes.
"Maybe I really was the only one who couldn't take the joke."
The plot of this book was a little complicated for me; it seemed to struggle to find itself between fiction (a struggling comic attempting to find herself) and thriller (revenge scheme gone horribly wrong). For me, it really took off when it became more of a thriller. There were lots of twists and turns, most of which were quite surprising. Some of them were bizarre. Amanda and Dana's plans are a little crazy and things sort of spiral from there.
Still, I liked Dana overall, even if she made some questionable decisions. I appreciated how her character highlighted the plight of violence of women. As the book went on, it became more exciting and interesting, even some parts were a little crazy. 3+ stars.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 01/15/2019.
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I really loved Amy Gentry's GOOD AS GONE, so I was so excited to read this one. It didn't appeal to me as much as GOOD, but I enjoyed pieces of it. This was a weird but also interesting book that certainly capitalized on the momentum of the #metoo movement and did a good job of highlighting the aftermath of sexual assault and violence against women.
Dana is an intriguing character; I liked that she was a comedian, because that's not a character you usually see in books! She's also a minority and a fairly strong female--all pluses. No one expects her to be a comic or funny. It's also heartbreaking and eye-opening to see how much she's been through: as we learn about her experiences, we see how often she's had to endure sexual harassment, sexual violence, assault, and more during her career and life.
"It was true that my appearance--short and brownskinned and shaped like my mother minus the control-top pantyhouse--did not prepare most people for my extracurricular activities."
Even worse, so many of the women in the book seem to take this behavior as par for the course. To get ahead, they must endure being harassed, or they see this sexual assault as part of life. For instance, maybe it's just part of the acting business, Dana rationalizes.
"Maybe I really was the only one who couldn't take the joke."
The plot of this book was a little complicated for me; it seemed to struggle to find itself between fiction (a struggling comic attempting to find herself) and thriller (revenge scheme gone horribly wrong). For me, it really took off when it became more of a thriller. There were lots of twists and turns, most of which were quite surprising. Some of them were bizarre. Amanda and Dana's plans are a little crazy and things sort of spiral from there.
Still, I liked Dana overall, even if she made some questionable decisions. I appreciated how her character highlighted the plight of violence of women. As the book went on, it became more exciting and interesting, even some parts were a little crazy. 3+ stars.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 01/15/2019.