I enjoyed this book and thank Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read it.

Unfortunately not for me. The blurb sounded excellent and I was excited to read it but it fell flat for me and I just skimmed to the end.

I was quite astonished to find out, after reading this novel, that it is the author's first book. Her background has certainly helped, but I was still impressed.
Having read many apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic novels, I was very pleased to see what was, for me, a totally new take on this, by having the main characters take part in a survival contest as the apocalypse was starting. The confusion then suffered by one of the contestants was interesting - at first it annoyed me but eventually I realised the self-protection given by this refusal to acknowledge reality.
The twist was great - I had guessed that what she perceived to be tragic must have been something different, but despite the small signpost, I was unsure for a while how it would play out - I was happy it wasn't happy-ever-after, and I was happy with the result. I have tried to give no spoilers, if you are thinking this sounds a bit daft!
In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book and happily recommend it, it was excellently done - even to those of us who have read much of this genre. I am happy to see this was written well before 2020!

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will. Enjoy

When I first read about the premise of Alexandra Oliva's debut novel I was intrigued yet concerned that its audacious plot would ultimately defy any fathom of believability. Yes, it is a story that you have to give yourself over to, and yet, this reality TV show turned nightmare
is a thrilling mix of 'Station Eleven' meets 'Battle Royale' meets 'The Hunger Games!

Whilst a reality tv based novel may sound a bit tacky, it actually makes a great basis for a thriller that plays around with reality in terms of what its characters are aware of, as well as
breaking down the readers perception of events to very surreal effect. This is further built upon by switching between timelines between the present, as well as Zoo's past before the show. In the beginning this is a tad disorientating but ultimately effective.

I really enjoyed the use of the reality tv framework, using a modern entertainment form to really play around with reality but also the fragility of the human psyche. The heroine is very interesting, and adding the producers gave it a slight Orwellian flavour. I will say that at times it was perhaps trying to balance too many characters and perspectives. I would really recommend this if you would like a fresh take on the thriller which plays around with other genre elements of horror and dystopia. It may be a little slow in its build at some points but is ultimately a really interesting ride.

The idea of this book really appealed to me, however, I struggled to read it. It's only 350 pages but it's taken me far longer to read than a book of that length would normally take me.

Imagine all that happens on a reality show, and every word of it written down, plus all the stuff you don't see that happens off camera - it makes for a very long 350 pages. I understand that if you commit to writing about a reality tv show you have to be in it for the long haul - it just wasn't for me. It felt a little groundhog day.

There is also the mechanism of the flip flop story telling. To begin with this confused me as I thought I had missed something. The action goes from the reality tv show as it begins and progresses to the reality tv show much later on. Once I realised that it was ok, but I couldn't understand the need for it.

Towards the end there is a twist which I can see maybe necessitates the flip flop approach, except by then I had worked out what was happening anyway and just waited for the character to catch up. I thought it was a little far fetched but can see that the way the character has to cope without a vital piece of her everyday life could just about mean that she is slow on the uptake.

This is YA fiction - however I think the YA audience are just as smart if not smarter than some of the older generation. I personally feel they may get bored with the book before the ending.

I did enjoy the parts of the book which related what was happening and what the TV editor would be broadcasting - very interesting and will make me rethink some of what I see on TV.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC copy to review.

Interesting concept and it did keep me on he edge of my seat!
Read so long ago now I forgot to feedback!

I can see why people are loving this!

I enjoyed this book but the ending seemed a little rushed to me. Would have liked it to have been expanded some more

Wow! What a page turner! Couldn't put it down. A very thrilling concept and kept me on the edge of my seat

3.5 stars - This book will be popular (not just because of marketing but) because it will appeal to different types of people. You get a little bit of a lot of different things - and not too much of any one thing. It's an interesting commentary on everything from how the media shapes public perception to psychological unraveling in the face of severe trauma to subtle messages about choosing to eat organic food.

The idea of this book was a clever concept, but unfortunately didn't translate as well into the story.

I loved the premise of this book. It starts with a reality TV show and then a pandemic hits and the contestants are none the wiser. It follows the last contestant who is determined to win and reach home. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and felt for Zoo when realisation struck.

Don't know why I waited so long to read this, it was excellent! Would make a good movie, definitely recommend!

The plot was unique and not like anything I have read previously. The tension was well built and as the pace began to increase I was hooked. The story is gritty and actually horrific in places. The concept is thought provoking and all is not as it seems, which increased my intrigue. The book was very descriptive, which I enjoyed, but I could imagine some readers finding it made them loose interest in some paragraphs. I could imagine this transferring well to the big screen.

Oh flipping heck! I absolutely loved this book. It’s was a bit of a change for me. Yes, it’s described as a crime thriller but it’s so much more than that. I would describe this book as multi-genre rather than a crime thriller. Crime thriller, horror, YA, dystopian, romance, survival….so many genres covered in one unsettling but completely mesmirising book. Weeks later and I’m still thinking on the themes in this novel. It did a very good job of scaring the you know what out of me too, bravo Alexandra Oliva.

Zoo wants a monumental challenge before settling down with her husband and starting a family. Well, that’s what she’s telling people anyway! So when the opportunity to appear on a new reality show arises, Zoo jumps at the chance. The show is a massive undertaking. Twelve contestants are thrown together in the wilderness with the barest of survival skills. The aim, to be the last one standing, to survive in the wilderness the longest. For those who can’t cope there is a key phrase which when uttered makes a producer appear and whisk them away to civilisation. But what if something catastrophic were to happen after filming starts. Something that changes life, as Zoo knows it, for ever…

I adored Zoo. Her resilience, her attitude, virtually everything about this character really appealed to me. The only thing I found slightly frustrating was Zoo’s refusal to accept the obvious, but then why should she? She was only seeing a fraction of the picture I was!

I sat from start to finish on the very edge of my seat. I had a feeling of impending doom which only worsened the further I progressed through the pages. I was expecting something in particular to happen, but it didn’t. Oh my gosh, Oliva knows how to keep you teetering on the edge. I wasn’t at all disappointed that I couldn’t work out what was going to happen. As a crime fan I automatically try and work out how the story will end so it’s always good to be proved completely wrong.

I loved the way the media are portrayed in this novel. They manipulated everything the viewer saw and heard. They made their favourites look great whilst leaving certain characters looking shameful and totally egocentric. The complete control these nameless characters had over the other characters was powerful stuff and made me question exactly how much we see in these ‘reality’ shows is actually true and how much is manipulated content.

The ending of this novel broke my heart. Was I completely satisfied by the conclusion? Well, no. Probably not but that just left me wanting more. We all love a happy ending but sometimes no matter how much you want it, you aren’t going to get it. By the way, Zoo’s real name isn’t Zoo. The author has labelled each character with a mangled version of their job description. Zoo works in an animal park with school groups, not necessarily a zoo. Other characters are called Rancher, Waitress, Air Force…

The chapters alternate between the past and the present. The past being the start of filming when all of the contestants were working together and learning their new survival skills. The present chapters feature only Zoo and her fight to survive to the end. She has no idea how much time has passed, she has no idea where she is. All she knows is that no matter what is thrown at her, no matter how many mangled props she comes across, she must fight to the end. No matter how bad her nightmares become.

Would I recommend this book? Daft question really. I loved this book and can see it featuring on my top books of 2017 list. It made me nervous, it confronted my worst fears, it was everything I didn’t expect it to be! So very well written. Zoo will stay with me for a long, long time to come. What an experience!

Five out of five stars.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Last One. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Where do I start? I got this from Netgalley as it looked good. I must admit it took me a while to get into the story and a while to finish but towards the end of this book it seriously messed with my head! Like woah! What just happpened? It took me a while to work it all out but I loved it Which is why I awarded four stars. The Last One is written well, easy to read and contains short chapters. I know for certain I wouldn't like to go on this TV show. Be careful while reading this book as everything is not as it seems. I would highly recommend this story to you all even though it started off slowly for myself.

Disappointing. The plot involving people on a TV survival challenge is a good idea, but I felt the book became repetitive and ponderous. The story jumps between 3 time periods - before the TV challenge, at the beginning of the challenge and the current time, which can get confusing. The author also swaps between the contestants own names and the TVnick names, which can be confusing at first. In the end I didn't care if Zoo survived or not.

Reminded me of the Mockingbird novels a lot. Wow amazing book, can't say too much without giving the game away but honestly this is a must read. The 1st sentence is just the start and this book will take a hold of you and not let go until the final sentence!! Even then it will stay with you a while....great read!!!

A fast apocalyptic/reality game show thriller. - Not my usual genre - but I enjoyed elements.