The Last Girl

I'm a bit of an old school horror movie geek, so The Last Girl sounded like just the kind of novel I'd enjoy, turns out I was right, I LOVED this

Rachel is starting over in a new school after a traumatic event. In order to get past her post traumatic fear she watches endless horror films, figuring she can train her responses. Now she's a huge fan of all things horror which brings her to the attention of a secret society within her peer group but all is not as it seems...

I loved the character dynamics in this, really intriguing interactions and relationships that were difficult to pin down keeping things unexpected and tense. The author plays on the classic psychological horror theme really well, plus the storyline is cleverly woven to keep the reader off kilter with a genuine sense of unease.

The Last Girl could easily become it's own Urban Legend, it is an homage to proper horror, an addictive rollercoaster of a read that like all the best horror films is also hugely entertaining even as you glance over your shoulder for that masked maniac.

Very much recommended.

I absolutely love this thriller. A book about girls who love murder. Perfect for anyone who is devouring crime books or podcasts. I highly recommend this great book.

Thanks to the publishers for granting me access to this via NetGalley prior to its scheduled April 2021 release.
The Last Girl is a must-read for horror fans...a lovingly crafted homage to movies that revel in gore, jump-scares and violence. Even readers like myself (who can only read horror stories during the day and who can conjure up threats from the merest hint of shadows and strange noises) will find themselves sucked into this story.
Even knowing the rules doesn’t always help. Sometimes you are up against something for which it’s hard to be prepared.
Our story focuses on new girl Rachel who’s started at an exclusive school where her mum teaches. She is not naturally sociable, and the trauma of killing a masked invader to her old home is something Rachel does not want to share with anyone. She is befriended by Saundra who is desperate to fill her in on the school gossip, but then Rachel finds herself part of a secret club.
Like Fight Club, the rules around this club are tight. Members cannot associate with one another, and nobody should talk about it. The Mary Shelley Club has a seemingly innocent aim, to gather and share a love of horror movies. Another aspect of the Club is the challenge that each member faces...to scare someone.
Initially, like Rachel, we see the Club as harmless - but there are signs that’s not the case. Before long we have a decidedly more dangerous scenario, and the question is whether Rachel will survive this experience.
Not to be taken too seriously, and not something you’d ever want to experience in reality, but self-aware enough to feel the author was having just as much fun writing it as I did reading it.

If Riley Sager was to write a YA novel it might turn out something like The Last Girl, the latest novel from Goldy Moldavsky, who has released several other YA thrillers, including the entertaining Kill the Boy Band (2016). The blurb sells the book story as “Scream meets Gossip Girl with a dash of One of Us is Lying” which is an honest way of selling what is a very clever, twisting thriller which surely has an author who is a massive horror film fan. Who knows whether the average teen reader of today will pick up on the multiple horror film references which populate this novel, but I certainly enjoyed them. Whether any seventeen-year-old girl would truly go to the cinema (on her own) to watch Evil Dead 2 I’m not sure, but she would certainly be a dream date for any genuine horror fans! The novel kicks off a year after Rachel Chavez survives a knife attack in her own home and in the aftermath has emotional problems and has to change schools. Once in the new school she struggles to make friends and becomes an easy target for the cool school bullies. However, whilst trying to start a new life she never quite escapes her past, which is a key part of the story.

For much of the story The Last Girl reads like a teen drama with Rachel doing her best to negotiate high school, which is populated with unlikable, spoilt and unpleasant teenager characters which just get worse as the story progresses. At a certain point she gets recruited by the Mary Shelley Club, who are fanatics obsessed with horror films and ultimately scaring people. Membership is very select and they do not fraternise with each other whist at school and carry out Fear Tests, which are like complex dares or pranks which aim to scare the living daylights out of whichever sucker is the target. However, as things escalate Rachel begins to be reminded of her assault the previous year. Although the novel has considerable fun with familiar horror tropes the various Fear Tests tested my patience and I cared little for these spoilt posh rich kids, with even Rachel letting her old best friend down. It was not a deep book, was a light read and has a tremendous twist at the end which I am sure teen readers will really enjoy.