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.

📖 ARC Review

My Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 Blissful Stars

Ok so this is my first Jason Rekulak novel and I think what I’ve learned he’s a BIG tease 😜

There was several moments when I said to myself ahh ok something is going to happen, this is it and then just kidding nothing . It was like one of those Jack in the boxes and you keep cranking the handle waiting for that clown to jump out sitting on edge waiting and waiting ….

“ So I willed myself to accept Maggie’s explanation of Dawn Taggart , and I ignored the quiet voice in my brain saying something felt wrong “.

This is a slow 🐢 burn suspense read with a straight and arrow narrator that I really grew to love.

Read this if you like :
💒 Single POV
💒 Reliable Narrator
💒 GREAT Storytelling
💒 Lodge - Wedding Settings
💒 Slow Burn
💒 Second Chances
💒 Loveable Characters

Frank gets a call from his daughter Maggie , and he hasn’t spoken to her in years and is given the news she is getting married . Frank is so excited for the opportunity to rekindle his relationship with his daughter and says he wouldn’t miss it for the world !

Quickly out of the gate our quizzical narrator depicts something is off with Maggie’s rich finance and his wealthy family and Frank will NOT stop investigating to what this family is really all about .

Will Franks findings get him in trouble and cost him his life or will he rekindle his relationship with his daughter?

This story is far from a thriller , but does not lack in the great story telling department , our narrator was 🤌 and was far from perfect . The way the author pulled me in wondering where the story was going was so well done , I honestly had many thoughts going through my head wondering where the author was taking us and even though near the end we knew how it was going to transpire , I think it worked . Would I have wanted something different and a bit more shocking 😳 Yes ,but I think the author wanted something a little more subtle for readers who aren’t big thriller fans !

Thank you NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group & Jason Rekulak for this wonderful & fun ARC !

Respectfully Another Read by Angie

QOTD- Will you read this 🤷🏻‍♀️

I was ecstatic to receive an arc and did not waste any time getting started, as I absolutely loved Hidden Pictures. This is a slow burn, but with excellent writing that flowed so easily. Kept intrigued and could easily picture all the scenes. Finished within 48 hours, look forward to the next release!

I absolutely LOVED Hidden Pictures so I was super excited to be given early access to this book. Unfortunately for me it was extremely underwhelming. It’s marketed as an ”edge of your seat thriller” but I would describe it more as mild suspense that wasn’t very thrilling at all. I found the dad very irritating as a character and didn’t warm to him enough to invest myself into his story. The other characters weren’t particularly likeable either and the mystery elements didn’t really go anywhere. There was no jaw dropping twist like at the end of Hidden Pictures. There wasn’t any twist at all really. I feel like it had a lot of potential but for me it was a bit of a mid read and I just felt really meh after finishing it.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me early access in exchange for an honest review.

Surely one of the most highly anticipated thrillers after the huge success of Hidden Pictures.

The Last One At The Wedding sees everyday guy Frank contacted out of the blue by his estranged daughter Maggie, she’s about to get married and he’s invited. Maggie is marrying into one of the richest families in the country.

The characters are well established, fair to say it takes a while to get going. It builds up nicely and there are some good twists and unexpected turns. It’s smooth and steady rather than shocking and spectacular, but it kept me reading and entertained.

I think it’s a better novel than Hidden Pictures, definitely recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK

What an amazing read! Now in my top five reads of 2024 so far! I really enjoyed Hidden Pictures and can say that was even better!
I enjoyed the story being told from Frank's (Maggies dad) point of view and I really liked him, a decent and uncomplicated human being.
I liked his Tammy and enjoyed Abigail as a character, too. I was totally surprised by the turn the story took to show Maggies as the 'bad guy's this was unexpected and super clever, made me realise I had assumed that Aiden would be the buddy, was nice to not guess any of the story's plot at all.
I appreciated the thread in the story highlighting hoe parents are not good at seeing their children in a clear and unbiased way, as a parent myself, I can see how Frank may have looked away and not acknowledged that Maggie is a dangerous and manipulative person.
All in all, a super duper read, was sad when I got to the end!

I thought this book was going one way. I was wrong. This book is purposive. I read it in one sitting. I was hooked all the way to the end.