Wow! It's very hard to know where to begin with this one, or how to give a review without spoilers!

The book begins with Caz and her short term boyfriend Pete boarding a cruise ship, excitedly awaiting a relaxing break. But the next morning when Caz awakes Pete is gone. In fact, after searching the ship, it appears everyone is gone. She is totally alone.....

What happens during this story is shocking and terrifying and does require some suspension of disbelief to fully engross yourself in the plot. The way the story developed was completely different to how I imagined and the author keeps throwing in curveballs to throw you off track. The characters are believable, although some considerably more developed than others (possibly for reasons I can't disclose without giving anything away)

This is a fast paced, tension packed thriller and you relate to each character's increasing fear as the book progresses. I didn't guess any of the twists, which added to my enjoyment. However, the final line, while it did make me gasp, did leave me with a "really?!" type feeling. I think the book would have worked without this.

Thanks to author Will Dean, publishers Hodder and Stoughton and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book.

But having read it, I'm not sure I would ever step aboard a liner or a cruise ship (we're told several times that the RMS Atlantica is the former and that there is a difference, but frankly, I'll not take the risk).

The story is narrated from the perspective of Caz Ripley, owner of a café in a small town in Northern England who is, with her boyfriend Pete, taking the trip of a lifetime. Caz has, as becomes clear, lived a hard life, learning to cope both with her gambling-addicted father, whose behaviour ruined the family, and her substance-addicted sister. Caz has come out on top, sort of, but only with a lot of struggle - and she is haunted by many demons.

Caz will face another hard struggle as the voyage of RMS Atlantica goes fatally wrong, leaving her the only person on board an out of control ship. She will have to dig deep to survive, and it will be as much a psychological as a physical struggle.

I loved the way that in this struggle, Dean takes a perfectly ordinary seeming situation and plausibly turns it upside down. It would be spoilery to tell you what has happened, and in fact the exact details are only supplied gradually, leaving a teasing mystery - is there a plausible way out of this or not? Whether there is will depend not only on Dean's setup but on Caz's courage, resourcefulness and her appetite for danger. It may be that she's inherited fatal flaws form her gambler father...

While is slightly frustrating not to be able to give more detail about what happens, this really is a book you don't want spoiled, with shocks and twists right through. It succeeds though on its characters, especially, of course, Caz whose own history may give her the ability to win through. Or may doom her to destruction. The others we meet are understably less well defined, but Dean has some surprises there to, playing games with our sympathies - it would be dangerous to pick favourites, still less winners!

On the way to the cracking conclusion are plenty of scenes of utter terror, placing us in the position of a character who's enduring, and suffering extremes of cold, hunger and fear. It's a testament to the writing that each off these episodes reads as chillingly true: The Last Passenger had my heart racing and my Fitbit congratulating me on all the exercise I must be taking. There is a great sense of place - of the cold and dark on the unheated ship, of the thousands of metres of water beneath, the vast sky above, both elements deadly hostile and ready to confront Caz at any time.

All in all, a devastating thriller and more than enough to warn me off ever going after the "old grey Widow-maker".

I read this book with a lovely bunch of passengers during a readalong, and it could not have been more fun! Constant theories from day one kept my head spinning, which matched up perfectly with the book, because it also had my head spinning, A LOT.

It’s really hard to tell you everything I loved about this without giving away the twists in the storyline, but I will say I have a massive fear of the sea and of large ships/boats, and this book has done absolutely 0 to make this better, if anything it has made it 1000 times worse. The ultimate worst nightmare of waking up on a ship ON YOUR OWN, and seeing nothing on the horizon. I feel sick again just thinking about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Passenger and I can’t wait for more people to read it so I can drop in to the comments with my sheer SHOCK at that ending!

This is a really good read but it is difficult to say too much about in a review as it would spoil the pleasure of reading the book and all the surprises along the way. What I can say though is that this is a really good read that offers lots of suspense right to the very end. This is probably one of my favourite reads by this author.

Wow! This was totally unlike anything I have recently read and it gave me the fear!
It got more and more horrific as the story went on and most of the scenarios seemed totally unbelievable - until we find out what is really going on!
Very hard to review this without giving anything away, all I can say it that it is very relevant to certain aspects of today's social media infatuation.

Caz Ripley hasn't had an easy life. Things have improved of late & now she is looking forward to a five-day cruise aboard RMS Atlantica with partner Pate. Their first night is spent exploring the ship & meeting some of the people. When Caz wakes up the next morning Pete isn't there. Thinking he's gone for a walk on deck she leaves their cabin & discovers that the place is deserted. There are no crew & no other passengers. It appears she is alone.

I love Will Dean's Tuva Moodyson books & the premise for this one seemed interesting. I was totally unprepared for how totally gripping this was going to be. This was a brilliant read that kept me glued to the page. Not much else I can say without revealing spoilers so I'll just thank Netgalley & the publisher for this totally brilliant read- not sure I'm ready to forgive the ending though!

Remind me never to book a holiday on a cruise ship.
Ingenious storyline that had me guessing all the way through about what was happening and what was about to happen. I sensed there was more to it and sort of sussed that there were several things at play in the story.
I guessed some of the characters weren’t who they said they were but others had me fooled.
Enjoyable read with a clever twist at the end.

DNF at 40%

At first, I was intrigued but after a certain plot point was revealed I completely lost interest. The writer has a certain way to make you feel for the characters but I didn't feel the pull to continue.

Omg ! What a brilliant book.
I was up until the very early hours reading this, every time I thought ‘oh I’ll go to bed now’ something happened and I had to continue reading. It was fabulous !
Remind me not to book any cruises in the near future.
Oh and THAT ENDING !!
10/10
5 ⭐️’s

If you’re looking to read something a little bit outside of the box this is for you. Very well written and a very clever twist at the end. Highly recommend.

Oh my goodness! What a gripping read - I couldn’t put it down! I loved the concept and the development of the characters who find themselves in an unthinkable situation. Difficult to say much without giving away spoilers but this book is definitely one to read!

The Last Passenger" by Will Dean is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that takes readers on a thrilling journey over the water on a boat. The story follows a group of passengers that wake up one morning to find everyone else on board disappeared in a very f unexplained way.

Overall, "The Last Passenger" is an impressive and captivating thriller that delivers suspense, and atmospheric tension. Will Dean's skillful storytelling and ability to create a palpable sense of dread make this book a must-read for fans of the genre?

Wow.
I don’t even know where to start with this book review. It was such a whirlwind.
For anyone who has read it. The two words that I will say what people will resonate with are, that ending!!
Very early on in the book, we have the first twist where Caroline wakes up and she is the only passenger left on the ship
From there on, the pace of the book picks up and the writer writes at the pace where you feel like you are on the boat with Caroline, frantic to know what’s happened to everyone
Caroline is not alone, however. There are other people on the ship. All with their own secrets and stories to tell
The race is on for survival and making it off the ship alive!

This book was just fantastically written. At no point was I bored and there were times when my heart was literally racing thinking, please no.

The book was addictive and did not take me long at all to get through

I still can’t make my mind up about the ending. Was it a perfect ending? I don’t think so; but it definitely got me talking. Which is what a book should do!

A great book from Will Dean, who is now an auto buy author for me!

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an early copy of this book

I really enjoyed this novel. The initial premise - of a woman waking up alone on a cruise ship which previously housed thousands of people - absolutely hooked me.

Caz, the central character, is drawn beautifully, showing enough vulnerability to demonstrate the metaphorical journey that she goes on during this novel.

Due to the nature of this story, I don't feel there is a lot I can say without giving spoilers but I liked the concept - and the twists that occurred throughout the book.

A luxury cruise liner, abandoned with no crew steaming into the mid Atlantic. and you are the only passenger left on board!

A cruise ship is the perfect place for a locked room thriller as there is literally no escape. I have read one or two books set in the middle of the sea but this is in a class of it's own. I defy you to be able to compare this to anything else. Caz is expecting a luxury holiday with her loving partner but instead she experiences a turbulent journey all alone. Minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day things go from bad to worse. It definitely reads like a veritable televisual feast which I did enjoy.

I was surprised at the beginning but then when the crux of the story was revealed I could see most of the rest coming. A lot of the time I thought surely the author won't go there but boy did he! I found The Last Passenger to be a popcorn thriller that kept me reading but also eye rolling.

This was absolutely gripping A highly original concept. It made the Squid Game look tame. Impossible to describe this book without giving the plot away. It has so many twists and turns that you just do not see them coming. It is well written and engenders so much empathy for Caz, the main narrator.

Oh my Goodness! That was intense. Not at all what I was expecting, but Will Dean does it again. The Last Passenger pulls you in and drags you along with incredible speed, it's an adrenaline-fuelled rush, not just for the characters, but for you too.

What an unexpected novel. I am a fan of Will Dean so I am always happy to read whatever he publishes. The Last Thing to Burn was one of my favourite reads from recent years and I have recommended it countless times.
He is a versatile author, as The Last Passenger is very different. I have often thought that he writes the voice of a woman well, and this is further proof. Caz was likeable and relatable to me (a middle aged woman) and I enjoyed her back story as well as her traumatic experience as the only passenger on a deserted cruise liner.
I enjoyed the book and found it a page turner. The tension certainly builds. I think it will do well and will suit a wide audience.

Caz and her new boyfriend Peter board the RMS Atlantica, heading to New York, for a well deserved couple's holiday.
The first night is everything Caz dreamed of and the rest of the trip looked promising.
When Caz wakes the next morning she discovers Peter missing. Thinking he just left the room for food or a walk, she leaves to find him. Along the way she notices all the cabin doors open, the rooms empty. The utter silence of the ship. No passenger's. No crew.
And that's just the beginning of Caz's nightmare.

I devoured this book! The tension builds with every page and the setting of the ship makes you feel so claustrophobic. Well written and well paced.

The only thing that brought it down half a star for me was the ending which I felt was a bit too ridiculous. But everything else was flawless.

Thank you #netgalley and #hodderandstoughton for the copy of this book.

4.5 stars
A luxury cruise, a trip of a lifetime becomes a nightmare for 4 passengers when they wake up in the middle of the ocean, the only remaining passengers onboard. All the other passengers vanished in thin air.
Where has everyone gone?
Will anyone come to rescue them?

What a gripping read! So many twists and turns, and the end left me speechless.