Psychological thriller

It’s 1986 and best friends, David and Samuel, enjoy nothing more than a summer’s day together on the beach. They befriend Julie who is visiting with her Auntie and it’s not long before all three are inseparable. As for all children, the summer seems to stretch into infinity, but it’s brought to an abrupt end when Julie disappears, and a child’s body is found shortly afterwards.

It seems to be in vogue nowadays for writers to give readers mountains of seemingly unrelated facts which then become clear as the plot progresses and so it is with The Final Chapter. I’m not a great fan of this approach but there’s no doubt it’s effective and an excellent way to draw in the reader. The plot runs along with two timelines. The first when the boys are children and the second nearer the present day when David is a famous writer and Samuel his publisher.

There’s a lot about this book to compliment. The atmosphere of a summer holiday on the beach was well drawn as were the shadowy, threatening character of Red as seen through a child’s eyes. However, much of the action didn’t have a ring of truth and once doubt sets in about the veracity of characters’ actions the author has lost his reader. Additionally, there was quite a bit going on away from the main theme. It was a major distraction and if that was intentional, here’s one reader who didn’t appreciate it.

The end twist will not be seen coming and was an excellent drawing together of the loose ends. However, it was weakened by the feeling of it being a little unbelievable and unlikely to have happened. It felt a rather too convenient way to close the tale without it being a credible explanation.

Anyone who enjoys “whodunnits” will enjoy The Final Chapter which despite its flaws was an enjoyable read.

mr zorg


Elite Reviewing group received a copy of the book to review.

The Final Chapter has an interesting premise, and I've never read anything quite like it, but I had a hard time getting into it. I liked it, but I didn't love it...the book has great reviews overall, so maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for it. I do think that it was well-written though, and I liked the ending. Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advanced copy. : )

Lifelong friends David and Samuel will never forget the summer they spent in a small French town in 1986 with a girl named Julie. Because that was the summer that Julie disappeared. Years later, David is a successful author and Samuel is his publisher. Both David and Samuel have now received a manuscript and it appears to be written by someone who knows what happened in the summer of 1986. Will everything be revealed in the final chapter?

I usually love thrillers like this and I love books that are essentially about books. However, I really struggled to connect with the characters. They seemed to be pompous, misogynistic creatures and I really wanted them to get their comeuppance but I wasn't sure if I was supposed to feel that way about them! It often felt like the author was on their side and I simply couldn't get myself there too.

I also wanted much more about the story of Mrs Vincent, who supposedly hanged herself and haunts the house where her husband still lives. In fact, a whole book around that story may have been a much better one than this!

I was slightly confused during some parts too and that might have been because of the frequent change of time period. I finished it but I don't think I'll recommend it!

Review ** spoiler alert ** I was intrigued by the concept of this book and enjoyed the story overall but I didn’t really warm to the characters.

I found the Julie/Emilie thing a bit far-fetched. If Julie really looked that much like her then you would have expected more reaction from her parents on the beach. I find it a bit of a coincidence that all the men were tracked down to leave the manuscripts.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- I LOVED this book!

<b>PROS</b>
-- Incredibly well written.
-- Fast paced.
-- Engaging plot that kept me guessing until the end (kudos to the author for surprising me with that twist!!).
-- Loved the setting. Especially in the "past" sections. The author made sights and sounds of the beach village come alive.
-- Flowed nicely between "past" and "present"
-- Interesting characters.
-- Very well done ending.

<b>CONS</b>
-- There really wasn't anything I didn't like in this one. If I had to be nitpicky, I guess I'd say that the "1986" parts of the book were the stronger sections. More vividly written. But again, that is me nitpicking! 😂

<b>SIDE NOTE: I believe they translate this book from the French book "Le douzième chapitre" released in 2018. And I must say whomever did the translation did a phenomenal job. So hats off to whomever you are!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

David and Samuel and Julie are childhood friends. When Julie goes missing the two boys lives are changed forever. When years later they receive a mystery transcript of a book describing the events of that fateful time, they are forced to relive their memories and at the same time they may finally discover what really happened to Julie in the final chapter. I loved this one, the story jumps between then and now and it's a great plot. Good characters with thought having gone in to how a childhood tragedy may have affected the adults they become.

This cleverly written thriller is about a book in a book, which I can’t recall ever reading anything quite like it. It tells the story of 3 childhood friends on their summer holiday in 1986 with their families, their current circumstances which are dyer, and the lead up to events that result in a devastating tragedy. The story is told via a manuscript sent to three people, all of who have a tie to the tragedy of 1986. As they read through the pages, they are alarmed by the vivid detail and true the book is to the real-life events that they experienced. However, the final chapter is different for each of them. All three final chapters are required to unlock the mystery behind the book, unraveling who the author is and why they have unburied the past after such a long period of time.

This book is full of surprises and twists. You think you know what’s happening and the ending completely throws you off balance! Although, it is quite slow paced to start, it is worth persevering through, it speeds up towards the end where there is a lot of action and revelations which all seem to come about at once. I come close a few times to giving you on the book, particularly try to get into it with the slow start, but I’m glad I didn’t. Once you get to the last 40-35% it truly makes up for the slow start and I didn’t want to put it down once I’d got to that point.

Personally for me, I like a book that can grip me from the start. Those first few chapters need to reel me in and unfortunately this book was a bit to slow to start. Like I’ve mentioned, it does make up for it, and it is a good book. The mystery element to it was fab, and it really did surprise me with the end reveal and final twist. I thought I had it sussed but I really didn’t at all, so it was clever how the author deceived the audience in that way.

** I received an advanced copy of this ebook to read and review. Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me this opportunity **

When a young Julie goes missing in summer 1986, friends David and Samuel share the terrible secret of her disappearance. Thirty years later, David has become a famous author, and Samuel his publisher.

Both receive nearly identical manuscript chapters telling the story of what really happened that long-lost summer. As David and Samuel read chapter after chapter, the mysterious author reveals their innermost secrets. Will they discover what really happened to Julie all those years ago?

I really enjoyed this novel set in a coastal resort in France. The storyline was interesting and even though it is told over two timelines, the build-up to Julie's disappearance and the delivery of the manuscripts, it is clear what is going on. It becomes obvious that someone doesn't want the truth of that night to be known while the mysterious author of the manuscripts wants the truth to be unveiled.

My only issue with it is the use of brackets during the novel - it's something that drives me round the bend!

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

I was looking forward to this book but I’m afraid it just did not grip me and pull me in. It was an interesting premise and different way of telling the story of the holiday that brought grief .

The final Chapter is without a doubt one of my favorite books of the year! I absolutely loved Jerome Loubry's writing style. Each chapter another secret was revealed. By doing so, this kept me wanting just ONE MORE CHAPTER before bed. So, I must ask you, who killed Julie?

Although I enjoyed this, I did feel like there was something missing and it's difficult to put my finger on what.

The plot revolves around two boyhood friends and their involvement in an horrific tragedy. Years later, they both start receiving chapters of a book which purports to tell what really happened, putting them in a race against time to unravel the mystery.

It was an interesting story, even if I did find the explanation of what happened to be a little spurious. There was a little bit too much reliance on coincidences instead of there being a more solid explanation and I didn't really buy how one particular character met their doom.

Still, it was intriguing enough to make me want to read more and I didn't think it was a bad book, just not brilliant.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

David and Samuel return every year to this village for a summer holiday courtesy of their parent's employer. They look forward to the relaxed fun they have and for two twelve year olds this was a good time. David had issues, severe abuse issues with his stepfather and Samuel had problems at times with his elder brother. In 1986 they met for the first time Julie, whom they befriended and who very quickly became one of their very close friends.

Julie goes missing and so does Emilie another twelve year old and it marks the end of those carefree days. Fast forward thirty years and David and Samuel are still carrying a secret which is haunting them and getting heavier by the day. David is now a successful author and Samuel his publisher. When they both get a manuscript outlining what happened that fateful day, they do know a reckoning is coming. They have to learn now how to deal with it.

The sender has sent three manuscripts out, and he wants an outcome.

The story is tense and complicated with flashbacks. I liked how it went back and forth between the time lines (there were three here) but it did not distract or detract from the story.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and the author for an ARC copy for an honest review

A unique book completely different from any other book read.

A quick way to explain this is a book within a book.

David, a writer, and Samuel, his publisher receive identical copies of a manuscript. Thirty years before, a girl they both knew was murdered. Now someone has put pen to paper and they seem to know everything, and someone has a third manuscript, but who?

David is a famous write of crime thrillers and Samuel is his publisher. The manuscripts tell the story of a holiday they took in the Summer of 1986 with their parents and the other employees, and their families ,of the factory where they worked were having the annual holiday paid for by the their Boss. Well, almost identical. The final chapter is different for each and that’s the crux. On this holiday the boys meet and befriend Julie , a girl their age, whose disappearance is just part of the terrible events of one horrific night.

The book is told in two timelines, one present, one 1986. The author has created a unique situation, but the book pace is a little slow, building up to the Final Chapter/Chapters, the book last 30% in fast paced and gripping with some great twists, this lifts the book to a four star.

A very different kind of thriller, clever and unique.

When he was 12 years old, David and his best friend, Samuel, spent a week at the beach on holiday. They met a girl their age named Julie and they all became instant friends. By the end of the week, terrible things happen and everyone leaves the beach suddenly to head back home. Now an adult who has put these memories behind him, David is brought back to his childhood and that week, when he receives a manila envelope with a story in it. It's his story - the story of his week at the beach that summer long ago. Who sent him this story and why are they dredging up painful memories?

This thriller is really a mystery that has the reader trying to figure things out the entire read. Even if you think you have the mystery solved, it's more complex than you think. You definitely won't want to put the book down until you've reached the conclusion.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC copy of #TheFinalChapter by #JeromeLoubry

I've just this minute finished the unputdownable The Final Chapter and what a masterclass in storytelling. I always admire authors who set out to essentially write two stories and present it as a story in a story, and this was no exception. I guessed the twist fairly early on, but that just kept me racing to the end to see if I was right. A heartbreaking narrative of ruined childhoods, growing up too quickly, and the long-term effects of guilt. This is sure to be a summer reading hit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Extremely well written and jam packed with secrets and deceit. Told through the present and flashing back to the summer of 1986, this story is unique in its plot is actually very sad.

3-4 stars. I gave the extra star because of the unique book within book formatting the author utilized. Overall, I had a hard time finishing this book, as it just didn’t grab me the way I was expecting. I was able to finish, get a couple thrills, chills, and shocks. Would recommend to those looking for an unique read, whose okay with not very fast paced stories, but love well written books!

This was a book I struggled to engage with and very nearly did not finish but plough on I did. The problem for me whilst not wanting to give any plot away was how the writer thought young boys behaved. For example both falling asleep on the beach! Not like any young lads I’ve ever met. This and the revisiting of their behaviour made no sense to me.

Summer 1986. David, Samuel and Julie meet on vacation by the sea. The three teenagers become inseparable, but Julie suddenly disappears. 30 years later, David has become a writer, Samuel is his editor. Since the tragedy, they never spoke about Julie again. One day, everyone receives an envelope. Inside, an enigmatic manuscript recounts the events of that tragic summer, shedding a whole new light on the case. Strengths: A dark and addictive novel that keeps you going and a cleverly constructed puzzle.

David and Samuel met Julie in the summer of 1986 on what was to be the last stay at the company's holiday village. They bonded well for 12 year olds. But Julie tragically died that summer. We meet David and Samuel again in 2017 when the story of that summer emerges through the manuscripts delivered to the 2 friends plus an ex policeman. They are identical except for the last chapter. We follow the story back and forward as the mystery unravels. It is interesting, well crafted and gripping.