A great book, with characters I really rooted for. Great psychological portrayals and surprising plot twists. Brilliant! Even better than Hidden Pictures, the only book I've ever read with actual jump scares. I'll definitely look for Jason Rekulak again!

This is definitely a slow burn, with the first third of the book being background, setting the scene and build up and I wasn’t sure where the story was going to pan out. However once we hit the wedding weekend I couldn’t put it down and read the whole book within a day. My main bug bearer was that characters are all pretty unlikable for most of the book - however redeemed by the writing, they are very well written and all felt fleshed out.

4* as I definitely don’t see this as an ‘edge of the seat thriller’. It’s a great read with a good story line and unlike some reviews I enjoyed the ending and thought it tied it up neatly. The writing really is a stand out, whilst the twists that weren’t completely jaw dropping - they were interesting enough to keep me hooked and littered throughout the book.

Thanks to netgalley & Little Brown Book Group for this ARC.

Another fab book to follow Hidden Pictures. .
I read this in 2 days as I couldn't put it down. Loved the storyline and characters. Slightly predictable but there was a lot going on to keep you pulled into the story

Having not read this authors previous book my expectations weren't as high as some of the other reviewers. It was a bit slow in places and the characters are horrible, even the dad was a complete misery who needed a punch. I did enjoy it though and thought it had a few surprises in it.

Outstanding…
A wedding, an isolated and luxurious New Hampshire private estate, an obscenely wealthy family unit. Perfectly crafted and well executed suspense with a highly polished cast of characters populating a propulsive plot with plenty of surprises along the way. Take nothing for granted in this tautly written, wonderfully blended, novel with a big heart at its very core. Outstanding.

Frank receives a phone call from his estranged daughter, Maggie. She’s inviting him to her wedding. He’s shocked but again they haven’t spoken in three years. She’s marrying into wealth and family complications. This is a slow burn mystery. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

I absolutely adored this book.
I instantly fell in love with the main character Frank, a UPS driver with a perfect 26 year record of no accidents. A simple man, leading a simple life with only one wish in the world. That he could reconnect with his daughter.
She calls him out for the blue to announce she is getting married and invites him to the wedding.
From there Frank seems like a fish out for water in the greedy, mega rich world of Maggie and her fiance.
It's hard to explain this book and ai think it's better to go in without any preconceived ideas of what to expect.
It's not a horror like the authors previous book, nor is it a thriller.
It is a delightfully written slow burn mystery which I couldn't put down.
I loved the characters of Frank and Abigail and found the lives and drama of the mega rich family Maggie is marrying into fascinating. And seeing this world through the eyes of Frank was charming and slightly scary!
I really didn't want this book to end, I even shed a tear or two when I had finished it.
Highly recommend but if you are expecting this to be similar to hidden pictures you might be disappointed..

I had high expectations for "The Last One at the Wedding" after enjoying the fast-paced "Hidden Pictures". I was thrilled when my request for the ARC was approved. However, this book ended up being a bit of a disappointment and not much of a thrill.
The plot was fairly predictable and I found myself yawning quite a bit as I read, which isn't what I expect from a thriller.
The characters were mostly unpleasant, and the descriptions of their posh, lavish lifestyle only served to alienate me further.
That said, I did enjoy the character of Abigail, the clever foster care child whom Frank's sister brings to the wedding weekend. She was a bright spot in an otherwise rather unpleasant cast. I also felt sympathy for the narrator, as I would surely feel quite alienated too in his position.
While it wasn't what I was expecting, it was not a bad book and touched on some interesting subjects that I won't spoil here. Unfortunately, the setting and pacing were off for me, and it didn't feel much like a thriller.
So, although it's not a bad book, it's nothing I would be too excited to recommend. Overall, it's a 3-star read for me.
Thank you @netgalley and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for this ARC!

Firstly, I did request this book due to how much I loved the authors previous book, Hidden pictures.
This one was good, but for me, didn’t quite have that added little spark, that Hidden Pictures did.

I completely understand that as a reader, we can have exceedingly high expectations after reading a book we just loved from start to finish, and I also know, you’re not going to get that feeling every single time. Which, in turn, can make you feel like it’s not as good.
But objectively speaking, if I was picking this book up blind, not having read him before, would I say it was good? Did I enjoy it?
Actually…yes & yes. It is a very well written novel, great characters, good plot line. A solid book. As I was reading, I did feel like I was treading water a few times as I didn’t think I was getting very far with it.
However, I was surprised to find that I was indeed, further into the story than I realised.
I put this down to the author developing the characters and settings the scene more, and the pacing of it being slower. These combined, gave that feeling.
I would recommend this book though, it’s a still a well written and enjoyable read.

Frank Szatowski hasn't seen his daughter Maggie in years. Then one day out of the blue she calls to say she is getting married and she wants him at the wedding. He is over the moon, that is until he meets the fiance and his family. While they are a wealthy family and his daughter seems happy, something just doesn't seem right. And the mystery begins!

This was another interesting novel by the author with lots of twists. I totally did not expect the finish and I can honestly say this was one I could not put down. 4.5*

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books UK for this gifted review copy.

Having read his previous book Hidden Pictures and loved it I was really excited to get this review book

I was not disappointed what a ride

Thank you for the opportunity to review the book

Frank has been estranged from his daughter Maggie for 3 years, and leaps at the chance to be part of her wedding after a phone call from her out of the blue.
But something doesn’t sit right with Frank. The groom is from a super rich family and there seems to be more going on that at first appears.
Interesting characters, an excellent exploration into narcissism, parenting, and the depths people go to for family, this book is a very different take on investigating a disappearance.

Hidden Pictures was a spark of light in a genre that sometimes gets tired. I had high hopes for this outing but if you’re after more of the same. This is not it. A gentle crime thriller about the perils of greed and fortune. I struggled with the narrator, a middle aged man who had good instincts but was so so rude! Also…. The spiders?!

This is an ok crime thriller but don’t expect it to be similar to what came before!

After loving Hidden Pictures I was excited to read more from Jason. But sadly this just didn't work for me.
While the pacing itself wasn't slow. The plot itself felt like not much was happening until over half way through. Which made it hard for me to be invested.
By the end I felt disappointed. Very much like "is that it" type of book.

after ‘hidden pictures’ i was super excited for this one. i enjoyed a good portion of this book but it felt lacking in places. i struggled to keep up with what was happening at times and the ending felt rushed and unfinished?

First of all I would just like to thank Netgalley, Jason Rekulak and Little Brown Book Group UK for an ARC of “The Last One at the Wedding” in exchange for an honest review.

I think I’m in the minority here, but I didn’t understand the ending at all. I don’t know whether I missed something? I’m genuinely not sure what happened- if someone could explain it to me I’d be very grateful.

This is a hard book to review. Hidden pictures is one of my favourite books, and I knew going into this one that it would be exceptionally hard to top it.

The writing was up to standard and I got swept away in the story, but something just felt… missing?

The “thrilling” aspect of the “thriller” seemed to be missing here, I think. It’s hard because I was genuinely invested in the story and I wanted to know what happened. But there was no culmination of events- there was no real twist (I guessed the only one I can think of) and the part of the ending that I actually did understand was subpar and felt very underwhelming for that much of a build up.

I feel quite forlorn actually after finishing this, I really wish that I had enjoyed it more than I did.

There was also a nice side-plot involving a foster child, but that’s not really what I wanted the book to be about when I went into it. I don’t know, I think I just expected more?

Not a bad book by any means, and as I said, the writing was brilliant, it just personally didn’t hit the spot for me.

Frank Szatowski hasn't seen his daughter Maggie in years, and it breaks his heart every day. So when she calls him out of the blue, to tell him that she's getting married and he's invited, Frank is overjoyed.

Maggie is marrying into one of the richest families in the country, and Frank finds himself overwhelmed by the social circle she now moves in. He'll do anything to reconnect, though, and arrives at their New Hampshire estate ready to bond however he can with Maggie's in-laws.

But as the wedding weekend gets underway, it becomes clear to Frank that although they have spared no expense, there's something strange about Maggie's fiancé. And maybe Frank shouldn't be celebrating just yet...

I was expecting so much more from this book If I am being honest , when I got approved for this I did do a wee dance .I absolutely loved the book hidden pictures and had great expectations as loved the style of writing .
In no way am I saying this was a bad book but it really was missing the WOW factor for me .
The book had a great start middle went a bit flat and ending was just not great .
When gifted these books we do have to give our honest opinions. I really wanted to love this book .

4* Had twists I didn't see coming. Not a likeable story or female character, but still an engrossing read.

This is my first tale by this author, and I found it well written and engrossing, though I was clueless about what it'd entail. The mention of bruising on Aiden's face and the 'mugging' that wasn't reported had me thinking 'Aha, domestic abuse role reversal' but in reality, it was so much worse. At least he showed backbone and a sense of morality, although far, far beyond a reasonable timeframe to process his trauma, making him semi complicit, but he got there in the end, tragically, trying to make amends. The author did well with Aiden's lack of on-page time to sow thoughts of cold feet and/or mystery, so the reveals - there are several - when they came, were unpalatable, if not brutally shocking. The author relied on money talking, greed and henchmen-type employees to make things sadly believable.

As to Maggie/Margaret herself? I don't think I've read about such a mainpulative, selfish, greedy and lacking-in-moral-fibre female lead. I couldn't fathom where she'd gotten it from, with seemingly decent parents, but boy, it started from a young age. I can't spoil the tale but she got some of what she deserved, though not quite enough. I'm glad that her father saw through her in the end and did what he needed to to protect an innocent and do the right thing. I had expected his blinkers to have fallen off well before this point, but better later than never. The final scene in the penthouse had me thinking 'Uh oh, faked accidental death' scenario, but it ended up with the guy finding his buried backbone and morality and seeing Margaret for what she'd always been. I felt a bit sorry for him, but he'd aided and abetted her to a large degree, knowingly, so he wasn't an upstanding character in my book, no pun intended.

It ends semi shockingly, but it's not a thriller. It's not even a mystery, but it's a sadly believable tale in 2024's world where money and achieving wealth seems so important and some will stop at nothing.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for my reading pleasure.

A good book which keeps you guessing. I don’t think there were any major twists but it was a good read that I ploughed through in a day.

Hidden Pictures was amazing, so I was pumped to read this early copy. But...yawn. It was advertised as a crazy exciting story, but it was more like a slow puzzle with missing pieces. The dad character got on my nerves the whole time, and none of the others were really that interesting either. The mystery stuff just kind of fizzled out, no big reveal at the end like Hidden Pictures. There wasn't even a little twist! It felt like it could have been good, but it ended up being just okay. I finished it feeling kinda blah.