This was my first Holly Watt book, and this certainly won't be my last! This was such a great thriller and I would recommend to all!

Big thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

I was super excited for this one. It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a thriller and I was READY. However this one just didn’t seem to hit the spot. I loved the idea of the premonitions they were all looking back at from what they said would be happening now when they were younger and the twists at the end were quite good. But it took a lot of going to get to the end. I found that I had to keep making myself pick this up rather than losing myself and being fully immersed in the story. No one is sadder about this than me.

Liked it . Due to health issues cannot not but will write a proper review at a later time
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

So so good it kept me on the edge of my seat
I had so many questions and the way i couldn’t trust any character until the end, that was the best part ughhhh

The Last Truths We Told, Holly Watt

Synopsis: Twenty years ago, nine university friends made a series of predictions about what would happen to each of them after college. Now they've all gathered together for the weekend. Not for a reunion but for a reveal.

🏠

I found this one to be a bit difficult to get through..

I enjoyed the premise of the book and thought it had a solid plot.

However, I felt it was slow and repetitive with the characters constantly questioning why each other would have written certain predictions. I didn't find myself caring about any of the characters and I lost interest quickly.

Had potential but not for me!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️

“The Last Truths We Told” is a suspenseful thriller book by Holly Watt.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Plot: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Characters: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Suspense: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Ending: ⭐️ ⭐️


What you’ll find in this book:
⭐️ Suspenseful mystery
⭐️ Hidden secrets
⭐️ Dark Reunion
⭐️ Unpredictable twists
⭐️ Fast-paced conclusion

My Review:

The Last Truths We Told by Holly Watt is a suspenseful thriller with a strong premise and a solid plot. The book follows a reunion of nine university friends who made predictions about their futures two decades ago. Now, years later, they gather for a weekend to reveal how their lives have turned out — but things take a dark turn when one friend, Lily, dies mysteriously before the reunion, and unsettling secrets begin to unravel.
Watt has crafted a compelling story that grips the reader from the start. The idea of predictions made years ago, paired with the mystery of Lily’s death, sets up a thrilling narrative full of twists and turns. The suspense is expertly built throughout the book, and the tension is palpable as Maggie, one of the friends, starts to uncover the secrets surrounding Lily’s death. The writing is solid, with the author creating an atmospheric and intense mood that keeps you wanting to know more.
However, the ending feels rushed, which is where the book loses some of its impact. While the buildup is engaging, the resolution doesn't quite deliver the payoff I was hoping for. The conclusion feels like it was tied up a little too quickly, and the pacing towards the end of the book falters as everything unravels at once, leaving some loose ends and unanswered questions.
Overall, The Last Truths We Told is a good read with a lot of potential. It’s well-written with an engaging plot and plenty of suspense to keep you hooked, but the rushed ending held it back from being a truly great thriller. Fans of psychological mysteries might still enjoy it, but the final act could have used a bit more depth and development.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my early copy. All opinions are mine and sincere.

#TheLastTruthsWeTold #NetGalley #BloomsburyPublishing

This was a really enjoyable read! The premise was what hooked me in the first place. I love when a book has varied characters and this book definitely has that. The twist and turn was so fun and I read this in one sitting. The mystery was so well done I couldn't guess what was going to happen next. A must read for mystery fans!

A dark tale of friendship and rivalry. Old friends have a pre-arranged date to gather together 20 years on from university days. They had all filled in predictions of what they would all be doing 20 years later.
However what starts as a great catch-up turns into a darkness amongst them.
Set on the wilds of wintry Dartmoor, you need to wrap up warm for this one.

I enjoyed this book and thought it was an interesting, different, premise.
I liked the predictions and the fact it's about old friends.
It's the first I've read by this author and based on this, I'd read more.
It was easy to read, kept me interested, and a good, solid story.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book.

Firstly, the premise was great - a group of university friends meet 20 years later and read out predictions they made for each other, in light of murder and deeply buried secrets. The book was very fast-paced with short chapters which I love. It felt quite Freida McFadden in its tone. Great varied characters.

What I would have liked was more development at the end and diving deeper into how Maggie understood what Ayda/Ivo had done. I still don’t really understand how she uncovered the subtleties of their crime.

Even a while after finishing this book I have thoughts... wavering between 3 and 4 stars...
I think I quite liked the premise of this book but I feel, for me, it fell a bit short in execution and I got a bit bored along the way. I think also the fact that I didn't really care about any of the characters didn't really help either.
So... we start in the present with 7 friend from university reconnecting after the death of one of the friends, some 20 years after they first all met. Apparently, as you do, they made some predictions about where they would be, what they would become, after uni.
This is what I found intriguing and even though I am not in contact with the people I went to uni with, and actually never think about them, I wonder what they might have had me doing now - I can bet that they would have never put me where I actually am though!
But I am afraid that I found myself really not caring about any of the "friends" and what they should have been doing compared with what they are doing. I guess it added conflict into a situation that found them brought together unnaturally. I mean, if they were meant to ave stayed friends, they would have? There are reasons that aren't bosom buddies anymore... And then when you throw in Lily's death, it all gets a bit convoluted and eye-rolly.
All in all, not really one for me. But I guess we can't win them all, and at least I got to the end and, thankfully, it all did come together nicely. Although I am not sure it was worth the journey...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A group of friends get together in a house in Dartmoor for a weekend to read their predications they wrote about 20 years ago. This leads them to reminisce about their time together and their past actions. It was full of nostalgia whilst they remember what they wrote about each other. It was unputdownable and a page turner of a read to discover how they are in the present compared to their past predications of each other. The story comes to point where they understand what happened in the past and how their future will be.

The Last Truths We Told is a story of a friendship group who have a 20 year reunion to share predictions that they'd made about each others lives and where they'd landed. Only one of them is missing. Lily had been hit by a train and killed, the friends are steeped in suspicion, lies and deceit which does make for an interesting read.

This is where I wish half stars counted in ratings because I'm not sure it deserves 3 stars but couldn't rate as a straight up 4 star book as in the beginning, I wasn't gripped in the way that I would hope to be when picking up a thriller. The last 30% of this book will have you staying up to finish it though, so be warned not to pick it up around that mark if you need an early night.

I was quite impressed that I'd worked out the who of this read but couldn't quite get the why, so as the story unfolded and we hit the fast paced section in the latter part of the book, I was really pulled in. Overall quite a good thriller read! .

Thank you to NetGalley and Raven Books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The betrayal and secrets was so well done, it was an addictive read with so much intensity and danger throughout.

A group of university friends gather for a weekend reunion on Dartmoor to reveal the predictions they made about each other twenty years ago. However, one of their number, Lily, is dead after tumbling from a tube station platform. Was it an accident? Did Lily take her own life? Or, is someone responsible?

So many elements kept me reading this at speed. The characters are well drawn, and the decision to head up each chapter with a prediction is an original way to dripfeed information about the subgroups, alliances, and petty jealousies. Discovering what their friends wrote down in the past ignites past tensions and makes the characters question how well they know each other, and whether they like these people they share a history with. The house itself, complete with priest holes and secret passages, and the wider landscape of the moor with bogs and disused mines adds to the unsettling atmosphere.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

This is the first book I have by this author and I was really impressed.
Twenty years ago a group of university friends, shining bright about to take their place in the world make a list of predictions about their futures now they are all gathered together again for a weekend. Did their futures pan out as predicted?
This book is the epitome of a pageturner, it pulled me in from the opening chapters and its quick pace , twists and turns and cast of characters insisted I read this quickly.

Full of deceit, secrets, sharp writing, layers of mystery and a deeply satisfying conclusion. Bravo, Recommend.

A twisty tale of secrets, lies, and the fragility of old friendships.
Watt weaves together a complex narrative with breadcrumbs and red herrings scattered throughout. Every reveal feels deliberate, and the puzzle pieces fall into place with a satisfying click. The pace is spot on—just when you think you have a moment to breathe, another layer of deceit is peeled back.

While the characters are interesting, I found it hard to connect with them emotionally. Perhaps it’s because they are all wrapped up in their own subterfuge, making them feel guarded and, at times, distant. Still, their flaws and desires drive the story forward, and Watt does a fantastic job of exploring the tensions and dynamics within the group.

The central mystery is gripping, and the exploration of how far people will go to protect themselves kept me hooked. Watt’s writing is sharp, and the themes of ambition, betrayal, and the weight of truth make this more than just a standard whodunnit.

If you love thrillers with layers of deception and an ever-present undercurrent of tension, this is definitely worth a read.

I enjoyed this book however not as much as I thought I would. It’s hard to describe and pinpoint exactly what it was but I just couldn’t get into it as much as I thought I would.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review

Nine university friends made a series of predictions about how their lives would fare. Twenty years ago, most of them meet for the weekend. For many, it’s a chance to reunite and catch up, for others, reliving those uni days aren’t the most comfortable. Besides, there are mixed fortunes: some have gone on to achieve much more than their peers anticipated but others haven’t quite lived up to expectation. One of them, Lily, is dead, telling one of her friends that something was frightening her. Maggie soon realises that everyone’s got a secret (or two) hidden from the people who were once their closest allies.

2.25*
I enjoyed the layout of the book with a prediction being at the start of each chapter giving it a topic for the characters to discuss. I also liked how this enabled the characters to revisit memories from 20 years ago which helps the reader understand them better. However, I felt it was very slow and repetitive with the characters constantly questioning why each other would have written certain predictions. I enjoyed the ending and I didn't see the twist coming. I don't think I was the right audience for this book but that wont stop me reading more of Holly Watt's work in the future.