This whole book felt like a super twisty, dizzying and slightly creepy game of Cluedo. I enjoyed it, a lot.
It kept me on my toes, made me believe I’d figured out “who did it” only to be proven wrong time and time again. Admittedly, there were a few parts that were predictable, I could definitely see where elements of the story were leading BUT there was so much more than I expected and I loved how it concluded. This was my first Riley Sager book, and I know I’ll be picking up another one soon.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.

Sager has been on a decline for me with his last few releases (Last Time I Lied, Lock Every door, Home Before Dark are some of my favourite thrillers!), especially with last year’s clunker.
The Only One Left is a bit of a return to form, with familiar tropes of a girl (who may be a murderer) taking a job as a live-in caretaker to a lady who, you guessed it, may be a murderer. it was entertaining enough but it just lacks the charm of Sager’s peak works - I also wish he would move away from the 20something female protagonist and try writing a male MC, because his leads are starting to blend together way too much. it took me about halfway into the book before I actually started caring about the mystery, but even then it was much less compelling in comparison to his previous works. and then the final 20% or so was just overkill in terms of ‘this person did it WAIT NO that person did it WELL ACTUALLY it was this other person’, I get he was trying to pack in lots of reveals but there comes a point when it’s just TOO much.
overall this was FINE, I definitely enjoyed it more than House Across the Lake, but it’s a bottom tier Sager for sure. his formula is getting stale for me, and i’d really like to see him explore some different types of characters in future books.

The atmosphere of this scary story gets ramped up upon the turn of each page. The house bit by bit falling into the sea keeps you waiting for what’s next. As more of the past is slowly revealed you are looking at all the suspects in the present with deep suspicion. Twist upon twist will have you reeling until the final page. A five-star story will leave you wanting more.
Thank you @NetGalley and @HodderBooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was one twisty book! Kit arrives at Hope House as a carer for infamous Lenora, known for a family massacre over 50 years ago. The longer Kit stays the more she finds out the real truths from that day.

I always know I am going to get a twisted tale when it comes to a Riley Sager novel and this was not disappointing. The story is intriguing, full of gothic mystery and has an interesting, engaging plot. I loved the characters and found myself engrossed by them and the atmosphere. Although maybe far fetched at times, this was a clever, well written thriller where you are hit by twist after twist. I can’t wait to see what the author writes next! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this early copy in return for an honest review.

Riley Sager's books and I have had an up and down relationship lately. I'm beyond pleased to report that things are definitely on an upswing with The Only One Left. Kitt, an in-home caregiver with few other options, reluctantly takes up the post of caring for the infamous Lenora Hope - the now aged sole survivor of a family massacre. With shades of Lizzie Borden and The Amityville Horror, I enjoyed this book far more than any of Sager's other recent works. It was a satisfying blend of twists I saw coming and some I could never have predicted. Shocking, dramatic and definitely a page-turner.

I received this arc for free from netgalley in exchange for a review.

Just like Lenora, I have a shameful secret myself that I feel I should reveal before I go any further…….

This is the first book I have read by Riley Sager 😱

I know he has a huge following and all his books sound really good, but for some reason they have been lost amongst my mountain of tbr pile of books. However, after reading this one I will definitely fix that massive mistake asap!

This book not only exceeds the hype surrounding it, it super exceeds any expectations completely, for previous readers of his work, but also for new readers such as myself! This is a book that should be on the very, very top of everyone’s tbr pile. Do NOT let this book pass you by otherwise you will miss out on an instant number one bestseller that has more hooks in it to drag you in than in Hellraiser 😹 (the book isn’t a horror, I just couldn’t think of anything else with thousands of hooks!)

After a six month suspension from work and an investigation into the death of her mother, Kit is ready to go back to work as a care giver, the only issue with that is the only job offered to her is to take on the care of the notorious Lenora Hope and staying in the equally notorious mansion, Hope End, the very house that Lenora killed her family.

After Kit was supject to an investigation into her mother’s death she is in no position to turn down the job. Kit has always been adament of her innocence, just as Lenora has always professed her innocence, so at least they both have something in common.

Kit’s new patient Lenora has suffered strokes that have left her completely immobile except the limited use of her left arm, unable to talk or move she is confined to her bedroom. Even so, Kit still doesn’t feel safe with her new patient, made worse by given the room that connects to Lenora’s bedroom with only a door to separate them.

But how dangerous can Lenora still be?

From her first night there Kit hears strange noises coming from the bedroom next door and as time passes other unexplained sights, shadows and noises keep escalating.

Just when you think you know where this book is headed it twists the plot 360 degrees and you are back to trying to work out what is actually happening at Hope End and all its residents.

As plot twist after plot twist reveals itself some are so unexpected they come as real surprises and some have you having to remind yourself to breath!

Whether you are already a fan or if you are new to his work as I am, this is an unbelievable, extremely clever novel that contains actual, genuine shock after shock and I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone and everyone, it honestly is that good!

Just like Lenora, I have a shameful secret myself that I feel I should reveal before I go any further…….

This is the first book I have read by Riley Sager 😱

I know he has a huge following and all his books sound really good, but for some reason they have been lost amongst my mountain of tbr pile of books. However, after reading this one I will definitely fix that massive mistake asap!

This book not only exceeds the hype surrounding it, it super exceeds any expectations completely, for previous readers of his work, but also for new readers such as myself! This is a book that should be on the very, very top of everyone’s tbr pile. Do NOT let this book pass you by otherwise you will miss out on an instant number one bestseller that has more hooks in it to drag you in than in Hellraiser 😹 (the book isn’t a horror, I just couldn’t think of anything else with thousands of hooks!)

After a six month suspension from work and an investigation into the death of her mother, Kit is ready to go back to work as a care giver, the only issue with that is the only job offered to her is to take on the care of the notorious Lenora Hope and staying in the equally notorious mansion, Hope End, the very house that Lenora killed her family.

After Kit was supject to an investigation into her mother’s death she is in no position to turn down the job. Kit has always been adament of her innocence, just as Lenora has always professed her innocence, so at least they both have something in common.

Kit’s new patient Lenora has suffered strokes that have left her completely immobile except the limited use of her left arm, unable to talk or move she is confined to her bedroom. Even so, Kit still doesn’t feel safe with her new patient, made worse by given the room that connects to Lenora’s bedroom with only a door to separate them.

But how dangerous can Lenora still be?

From her first night there Kit hears strange noises coming from the bedroom next door and as time passes other unexplained sights, shadows and noises keep escalating.

Just when you think you know where this book is headed it twists the plot 360 degrees and you are back to trying to work out what is actually happening at Hope End and all its residents.

As plot twist after plot twist reveals itself some are so unexpected they come as real surprises and some have you having to remind yourself to breath!

Whether you are already a fan or if you are new to his work as I am, this is an unbelievable, extremely clever novel that contains actual, genuine shock after shock and I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone and everyone, it honestly is that good!

Riley Sager has done it again. Here's another book that's a page-turner, with a fantastic ending. I don't know how he manages to fool me every time, as I again was convinced I had figured it all out.

This follows Kit who has just become the live-in carer for a paralysed woman accused of murdering her whole family. Then Kit hands her a typewriter, and Lenora types away her story, the truth.

If you've read Riley Sager's last book (The House Across the Lake), and didn't like the fantastical part of it, this is not for you. If you, however, don't mind a bit of unrealistic things happening in your thrillers, give this a try. I felt this was a bit too long.

Another excellent twisty novel from Riley Sager, one of my favourite writers of psychological thrillers.

An old murder, a dysfunctional family, a mansion on the edge, all the elements for a perfect slice of gothic drama are present here and as ever it is a compelling page turner.

I liked the mystery elements, just the right amount of unpredictability and the characters are darkly engaging.

Overall a terrific read. Can't wait for more, always a highlight of my reading year.

3.5stars.

After the last two books by Sager didn't work for me, i wasn't sure how much I'd like this. Fortunately, this one's way better than those two and works most of the time.

The book's setting and it's characters were quite interesting and the major twist was pretty good too. It was after the twist that i felt the book went into full OTT mode with (in my opinion unnecessary) twists that detracted from my joy of reading the book. Overall, recommended for fans of the genre who might not mind a little bit of OTT action.

The Only One Left, Riley Sager

Now a schoolyard chant the Hope family murders rocked the small, coastal town in Maine back in 1929. 54 years on caregiver Kit arrives with her own secrets to care for the only survivor and suspect, Lenora. Can she uncover the truth of the night? Is Lenora as harmless as everyone believes?

Riley Sager puts a new spin on each release. Last time I said I was tired of the drunk/drugged female schtick and thankfully this time, Kit is strong, mostly clearheaded and tough. Plenty of misdirection and red herrings here to keep you hooked start to finish.

The Only One Left is a gothic thriller about an old woman in a house on a cliff, who everyone believes killed her family many years ago. Kit is a caregiver trying to move on from her past when she is given no choice but to take the assignment of working at the Hope house, where Leonora Hope apparently killed her parents and sister decades ago. Now, Leonora is mute and bed-bound, and Kit has to form a judgement about her, but then they find a way to communicate, and the story gets much more complicated.

This is not a subtle book, but you're unlikely to expect that from the premise. It starts by slowing building up the story of both Kit and Leonora, and others in the house, and then you end up on a ride through a sequence of twists and turns, some predictable and others less so. By the end, there's been so many twists and surprises that you almost have whiplash. Intercut through the story is snippets of a typewritten narrative explaining what happened in the past, but due to the twists in the present day story, it does get a bit confusing and it's hard to remember what you read and what you assumed (which is a theme in the narrative itself too, in terms of assumptions about people).

The gothic atmosphere is pretty fun (there's tiny hints of We Have Always Lived In the Castle in the way the house and the murders are presented), but there's a few twists too many to really engage with the impact of what happens and the characters didn't quite work for me.

#TheOnlyOneLeft #RileySager
Brilliant.
the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred. It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything. As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.
Nice thriller. Loved it
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straighten for giving me an advance copy.

This captivated me from the very beginning. I spent the whole book trying to figure out the truth from the fragments we learn. But everytime I thought I had it figured out a twist would change things.
When it came to Kit and her past. I kind of figured it out but even then a twist changed things at the very end.
How everyone was connected and the truth surprised me. I hadn't suspected outside characters to play big roles.

The atmosphere here was unsettling. Not only the fact there was a potential murderer in the house telling the story. But the house itself is falling off a cliff.