What do you think?
Rate this book
The Only One Left
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2023)
At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead
As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.
Hung her sister with a rope
Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead
As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.
385 pages, Hardcover
First published June 20, 2023
About the author
Riley Sager
17 books39k followersRiley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, most recently THE ONLY ONE LEFT and THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE. His first thriller, FINAL GIRLS, won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel and has been published in more than thirty-five countries. His latest novel, MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, will be published in June.
A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, cooking and going to the movies as much as possible. His favorite film is "Rear Window." Or maybe "Jaws." But probably, if he's being honest, "Mary Poppins."
A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, cooking and going to the movies as much as possible. His favorite film is "Rear Window." Or maybe "Jaws." But probably, if he's being honest, "Mary Poppins."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39,406 reviews
June 20, 2023
Publishing day is here 😑
TW: toxic parent relationship, cancer, suicide, language, abortion, family drama, alcoholism, cheating, use of w*ore word, murder
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:At seventeen, Lenora HopeHung her sister with a ropeNow reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.Stabbed her father with a knifeTook her mother’s happy lifeIt’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.“It wasn’t me,” Lenora saidBut she’s the only one not deadAs Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.
Release Date: June 20th, 2023
Genre: Horror
Pages: 368
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The cover is a great
2. Kept me guessing for 50 pages
What I Didn't Like:
1. Take a shot every-time the word murder is mentioned - (101 times)
2. Some parts feel like repeats of Lock Every Door
3. Kit is stupid
4. 98 mentions of the word terrace
5. That ending is too much
Overall Thoughts:
Well here we are again. Finding ourselves in another Riley Sager book. Perhaps you're wondering what I'm doing here reading another book by this author when I've hated all his other books, well I believe in chances. Maybe this will be the one that I'm convinced is a great book. Maybe not?
If you LOVE books with so much going on than this is the book for you!
As usual we got our normal Sager setup;
✔️Poor female character (always broke)
✔️No family or friends (that care or have abandoned her)
✔️Hot handyman
✔️Creepy location/isolated location
Oh does she? You've known her for like 30 seconds!
Kit's dad is a handyman too. Is Sager fucking with us? Is there a camera in my Kindle so he can see my reaction? Another handyman...
Another woman meeting another woman and instantly becoming friends with her after 20 seconds.
Mary disappearing like Erica did from Lock Every Door. One day she's there and then gone.
This book is 360+ pages and on every page you WILL read about the murder over and over again.
Mary's suicide note survived being on her while she was in the water for almost two weeks.
Kit asks Jessie if anyone else knew about the typewriter and Jessie mentions only Mary knew about it and that Lenora could type. That isn't true as Mrs. Baker did know about it because she mentions that Mary bought Lenora a typewriter.
Also makes zero sense why she didn't get the two pages she saved from her lockbox that Lenora typed to show to Detective. Vick.
Speaking of the detective. He's an idiot. Of course someone would leave in the middle of the night if they didn't want to be questioned why they had a suitcase. You leave during the day and you risk people asking questions.
I am confused. Lorena is clearly pregnant - as seen in the photo, but her family just doesn't notice she's pregnant?
Mrs. Baker comments that the house was built in 1913 when Lenora was born but Lorena was born in 1912.
The gross way Riley Sager writes about a girl who just turned 17 in sexual situations made me creeped out. Talking about them having sex and her grabbing this grown man's penis. No no no. Can men just stop writing about underage girls having sex in an enjoyable way.
So I know that the police thought she killed her family but what happened that she got off of the murder charge? The book hasn't mentioned anything about that. Was someone else arrested? They just her be free and didn't charge her?
Here I am actually somewhat enjoying this book but Riley Sager gotta Riley Sager and of course the trespasser on Lenora Hope's property is Kenny. The fucking fuck chance that it would be Kenny that happens to come torment this ladies house while Kit is there for only 4 days is like win the lotto chances. Not only that but he couldn't have been that far from her and not have noticed it was her if she could jump off the porch and catch him in a few strides. I eye rolled. It makes no sense that Kenny would go make fun of the lady who was accused of murdering her family if he's already sleeping with a woman who's also accused of the same thing.
You know a good way to know if someone is sneaking out and walking around?... Look at their feet. If they are dirty she's been walking. Plus if she was walking wouldn't she have some kind of muscle mass on her legs?
I don't know how they kept all this typing quiet. Typewriters are not quiet at all. Nothing about a typewriter is quiet. When you reach the end of the row it's loud and then you have to slide it back.
It feels so outlandish that all this stuff happened in a week;
-Kit finds Mary dead
-House is completely falling into the ocean (every night)
-Dragged Lenora downstairs
-Everyone went to a funeral
-Lenora writing so much in 4 days with like one hand
-Her dad showing up
-Kenny showing up
I don't get why Mrs. Baker left the typewriter there if she was worried about Lenora being able to communicate with it or even letting Mary bring it into the house.
Honestly I don't know why I always feel like I'm reading the same book by this author. There's always some woman that's in financial trouble, finds a way to make money/house, finds out this mystery there, won't leave, has to solve mystery, and then gets fucked over by person she thinks she can trust who she thinks she is helping.
So the house had a 17 year old cook with no experience cooking for them? This rich family and this is what they had.
Berniece holding onto the secret of what happened that night in 1929 for fifty-four years only for Kit s to sit down for 2 seconds and say she has to tell her is stupid. Like why would she tell this stranger everything???
So everyone thinks this 17 year old girl killed her parents and somehow was able to hang her sister all without anyone fighting back and her sister just standing there letting herself be hanged.
Don't let Detective Vick solve your murder. He thinks a hand typed message as a suicide note is a confession. Like anyone can type that message. Also detective just walking around with a copy of it. Like he has no other cases going on.
Kit has thee weakest case as to that Virginia is alive and Mrs Baker is Lenora - the urn is empty (they could have put her ashes over the edge of the cliff) - and she has blue eyes (lots of people have blue eyes). Ah and how easy everyone just admits things to Kit is laughable.
The baby was born but he was only 6 months old. How was he eating? How was he okay enough to be wiggling around and crying? A baby thst small couldn't even eat on their own. Okay we'll pretend it's just a normal full term baby.
How did the detective not notice Virginia and Lenora looked similar? He worked at the house and didn't recognize them in the least? He even watched Virginia in the room and never thought it was weird. It's even the same room they put Virginia in before.
Also Berniece gets all that money and is blackmailing the family for that long but she never goes anywhere, just stays in the same town? And once Lenora aká Virginia was unable to do anything for herself why did Mrs. Baker continue to pay the ransom? It's not like she could go to prison as she has no idea what's going on? Also once Virginia was ruled dead how would Berniece had known the truth that she was still alive if the doctor was in on the lie? How deep does this cover up go... Are the grocery people in on it too that they don't think it's odd that adult diapers are being delivered to the house. Who's filling the medicine if the old doctor is dead?
Oh Kit - she's so fucking dumb! She suspects it's Carter that killed Mary. Does she wait until she's away from him and in a safe place to accuse him? No! She does it right in her car. She then threatens him with a fucking corkscrew opener lol. How ridiculous. Dude is right there and could just grab it from her. And once she has Carter out of the car does she drive away somewhere safe and not led what she believes is a killer to her dad's house? No again! She drives the few feet to her dad's and jumps out so he knows where he lives.
Oh and once Kit goes to her dad's and finds the house empty you just KNOW her dad killed Mary because even though he KNEW she was coming over (she LITERALLY called him like probably an hour before) he decides to leave this suitcase out and leave the house. Like wtf??? Oh let's talk about how she just now remember that everyone calls him Pat - Patrick McDeere aká Ricky!!! Ricky!!?? Who would ever tie those together?
No she didn't. He knew she was alive when he saw Virginia and when he read the notes that were typewritten.
Don't worry... Kit doesn't pick up any weapons once in the house, she's got her trusty corkscrew. She puts it next to Virginia's bed - I'm sure that won't be used later to go into Ricky (It did!)
Why would Mary go to Ricky's house to get blood work when she already had Virginia's blood? She didn't need his. She had the woman's and Virginia never mentioned the kid being someone else's so why would she need to prove that? Not only that Pat(ricky) mentions that Virginia write the store when Mary got back from talking to him do if that's true why would she still leave the gate open? Why wouldn't she had let Carter know everything that happened? She knew at that he was a murderer, but she did nothing to protect herself?
Why did Kit's dad run into the house while it was crumbling? What was the point of that?
So Virginia could walk (not shocked it was mentioned in chapter 33)
So stupid. Imagine pissing and shitting yourself for over 50 years just to spite your sister. The other reason is that incase her son found her she'd be there... Dude that's how she'd want him to find her? Living life like she was paralyzed and then what was her game plan just get up and tell everyone she was joking?? What would her son think of her then? She's a nutcase.
How did caregivers not notice that Virginia had legs that were toned from walking? Were her feet never dirty from the ground and walking? She just walked around in the dark with no lights.
Omg now we find out that Jessie is really Virginia's granddaughter. Are you kidding me???! Why would Mrs. Baker tell Jessie anything about the past? She knows what a messed up family they are but she'll put her in danger telling her about them.
Apparently Jessie can make fake passports.. I mean who can't honestly?
How Kit just forgives Virginia is weird to me. Like no no no she was pretending to be sick for so long and even months after she knew she should tell her everything but she just disappears one day.
So Virginia becomes a superstar because of her life. She gets to travel. Gets married in her 70s. And lives this grand life.
Wow what a convoluted ending.... So Ricardo was actually sleeping with Archie. They were going to run away that night. Ricky was some random local help that left that night too. Lenora is pretending to be Mrs. Baker and had Virginia killed off but told people that the real Virginia was Lenora. They were being blackmailed by Berniece because she thought Virginia was sleeping with Ricardo and thay was his baby. The real Mrs. Baker moved to Canada with the baby. Virginia tried to kill herself. I'm sorry this plot is one step away from the evil twin did it and switch places with the good twin and took her life. Jessie is really Virginia's granddaughter. Kit's dad is Ricky and Ricky was paid off to leave Virginia alone. Ricky killed Virginia's mother. Virginia's mother killed Virginia's father.
Final Thoughts:
Sometimes less is more. There was just too much going on in this book and not in a good way. This book read like one long soap opera. I'll admit the beginning of the book started interesting for me and I was enjoying it but then somewhere down the line just too many insane things kept happening. Sadly the things happening were pretty predictable so I wasn't ever shocked when they did in fact happen.
Thank God this is the last book that the author has to write for his contract because I'd be curious to see what he comes up with when he isn't forced to write a book every year.
Recommend For:
• Mysterious stories
• Soap operas
• Complex storylines
• Timelines
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own thoughts
previous review
ANOTHER book from a female perspective. Maybe this one the main character will fall in love with a male handyman ghost. 🙄
TW: toxic parent relationship, cancer, suicide, language, abortion, family drama, alcoholism, cheating, use of w*ore word, murder
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:At seventeen, Lenora HopeHung her sister with a ropeNow reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.Stabbed her father with a knifeTook her mother’s happy lifeIt’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.“It wasn’t me,” Lenora saidBut she’s the only one not deadAs Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.
Release Date: June 20th, 2023
Genre: Horror
Pages: 368
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The cover is a great
2. Kept me guessing for 50 pages
What I Didn't Like:
1. Take a shot every-time the word murder is mentioned - (101 times)
2. Some parts feel like repeats of Lock Every Door
3. Kit is stupid
4. 98 mentions of the word terrace
5. That ending is too much
Overall Thoughts:
Well here we are again. Finding ourselves in another Riley Sager book. Perhaps you're wondering what I'm doing here reading another book by this author when I've hated all his other books, well I believe in chances. Maybe this will be the one that I'm convinced is a great book. Maybe not?
If you LOVE books with so much going on than this is the book for you!
As usual we got our normal Sager setup;
✔️Poor female character (always broke)
✔️No family or friends (that care or have abandoned her)
✔️Hot handyman
✔️Creepy location/isolated location
I pause before driving away. “Thanks for helping me with the gate. I’m not sure what I would have done if you hadn’t come by.”
“I think you would have managed somehow.” Carter studies me, his head tilted in curious appraisal. “You strike me as being pretty resourceful.”
Oh does she? You've known her for like 30 seconds!
Kit's dad is a handyman too. Is Sager fucking with us? Is there a camera in my Kindle so he can see my reaction? Another handyman...
Another woman meeting another woman and instantly becoming friends with her after 20 seconds.
Mary disappearing like Erica did from Lock Every Door. One day she's there and then gone.
This book is 360+ pages and on every page you WILL read about the murder over and over again.
Mary's suicide note survived being on her while she was in the water for almost two weeks.
Kit asks Jessie if anyone else knew about the typewriter and Jessie mentions only Mary knew about it and that Lenora could type. That isn't true as Mrs. Baker did know about it because she mentions that Mary bought Lenora a typewriter.
Also makes zero sense why she didn't get the two pages she saved from her lockbox that Lenora typed to show to Detective. Vick.
Speaking of the detective. He's an idiot. Of course someone would leave in the middle of the night if they didn't want to be questioned why they had a suitcase. You leave during the day and you risk people asking questions.
I am confused. Lorena is clearly pregnant - as seen in the photo, but her family just doesn't notice she's pregnant?
Mrs. Baker comments that the house was built in 1913 when Lenora was born but Lorena was born in 1912.
The gross way Riley Sager writes about a girl who just turned 17 in sexual situations made me creeped out. Talking about them having sex and her grabbing this grown man's penis. No no no. Can men just stop writing about underage girls having sex in an enjoyable way.
So I know that the police thought she killed her family but what happened that she got off of the murder charge? The book hasn't mentioned anything about that. Was someone else arrested? They just her be free and didn't charge her?
Here I am actually somewhat enjoying this book but Riley Sager gotta Riley Sager and of course the trespasser on Lenora Hope's property is Kenny. The fucking fuck chance that it would be Kenny that happens to come torment this ladies house while Kit is there for only 4 days is like win the lotto chances. Not only that but he couldn't have been that far from her and not have noticed it was her if she could jump off the porch and catch him in a few strides. I eye rolled. It makes no sense that Kenny would go make fun of the lady who was accused of murdering her family if he's already sleeping with a woman who's also accused of the same thing.
You know a good way to know if someone is sneaking out and walking around?... Look at their feet. If they are dirty she's been walking. Plus if she was walking wouldn't she have some kind of muscle mass on her legs?
I don't know how they kept all this typing quiet. Typewriters are not quiet at all. Nothing about a typewriter is quiet. When you reach the end of the row it's loud and then you have to slide it back.
It feels so outlandish that all this stuff happened in a week;
-Kit finds Mary dead
-House is completely falling into the ocean (every night)
-Dragged Lenora downstairs
-Everyone went to a funeral
-Lenora writing so much in 4 days with like one hand
-Her dad showing up
-Kenny showing up
I don't get why Mrs. Baker left the typewriter there if she was worried about Lenora being able to communicate with it or even letting Mary bring it into the house.
Honestly I don't know why I always feel like I'm reading the same book by this author. There's always some woman that's in financial trouble, finds a way to make money/house, finds out this mystery there, won't leave, has to solve mystery, and then gets fucked over by person she thinks she can trust who she thinks she is helping.
So the house had a 17 year old cook with no experience cooking for them? This rich family and this is what they had.
Berniece holding onto the secret of what happened that night in 1929 for fifty-four years only for Kit s to sit down for 2 seconds and say she has to tell her is stupid. Like why would she tell this stranger everything???
So everyone thinks this 17 year old girl killed her parents and somehow was able to hang her sister all without anyone fighting back and her sister just standing there letting herself be hanged.
Don't let Detective Vick solve your murder. He thinks a hand typed message as a suicide note is a confession. Like anyone can type that message. Also detective just walking around with a copy of it. Like he has no other cases going on.
Kit has thee weakest case as to that Virginia is alive and Mrs Baker is Lenora - the urn is empty (they could have put her ashes over the edge of the cliff) - and she has blue eyes (lots of people have blue eyes). Ah and how easy everyone just admits things to Kit is laughable.
The baby was born but he was only 6 months old. How was he eating? How was he okay enough to be wiggling around and crying? A baby thst small couldn't even eat on their own. Okay we'll pretend it's just a normal full term baby.
How did the detective not notice Virginia and Lenora looked similar? He worked at the house and didn't recognize them in the least? He even watched Virginia in the room and never thought it was weird. It's even the same room they put Virginia in before.
Also Berniece gets all that money and is blackmailing the family for that long but she never goes anywhere, just stays in the same town? And once Lenora aká Virginia was unable to do anything for herself why did Mrs. Baker continue to pay the ransom? It's not like she could go to prison as she has no idea what's going on? Also once Virginia was ruled dead how would Berniece had known the truth that she was still alive if the doctor was in on the lie? How deep does this cover up go... Are the grocery people in on it too that they don't think it's odd that adult diapers are being delivered to the house. Who's filling the medicine if the old doctor is dead?
Oh Kit - she's so fucking dumb! She suspects it's Carter that killed Mary. Does she wait until she's away from him and in a safe place to accuse him? No! She does it right in her car. She then threatens him with a fucking corkscrew opener lol. How ridiculous. Dude is right there and could just grab it from her. And once she has Carter out of the car does she drive away somewhere safe and not led what she believes is a killer to her dad's house? No again! She drives the few feet to her dad's and jumps out so he knows where he lives.
Oh and once Kit goes to her dad's and finds the house empty you just KNOW her dad killed Mary because even though he KNEW she was coming over (she LITERALLY called him like probably an hour before) he decides to leave this suitcase out and leave the house. Like wtf??? Oh let's talk about how she just now remember that everyone calls him Pat - Patrick McDeere aká Ricky!!! Ricky!!?? Who would ever tie those together?
"On the phone, I gave away that Virginia was alive, accidentally leading him right to her."
No she didn't. He knew she was alive when he saw Virginia and when he read the notes that were typewritten.
Don't worry... Kit doesn't pick up any weapons once in the house, she's got her trusty corkscrew. She puts it next to Virginia's bed - I'm sure that won't be used later to go into Ricky (It did!)
Why would Mary go to Ricky's house to get blood work when she already had Virginia's blood? She didn't need his. She had the woman's and Virginia never mentioned the kid being someone else's so why would she need to prove that? Not only that Pat(ricky) mentions that Virginia write the store when Mary got back from talking to him do if that's true why would she still leave the gate open? Why wouldn't she had let Carter know everything that happened? She knew at that he was a murderer, but she did nothing to protect herself?
Why did Kit's dad run into the house while it was crumbling? What was the point of that?
So Virginia could walk (not shocked it was mentioned in chapter 33)
"For a restless girl like me who lost every time my father forced us to play the game in which he locked us in our rooms, I shockingly had no trouble spending most of my time in bed. Very quickly, I learned how to lay very still, sometimes for hours, while my mind roamed the world, going wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted."
So stupid. Imagine pissing and shitting yourself for over 50 years just to spite your sister. The other reason is that incase her son found her she'd be there... Dude that's how she'd want him to find her? Living life like she was paralyzed and then what was her game plan just get up and tell everyone she was joking?? What would her son think of her then? She's a nutcase.
How did caregivers not notice that Virginia had legs that were toned from walking? Were her feet never dirty from the ground and walking? She just walked around in the dark with no lights.
Omg now we find out that Jessie is really Virginia's granddaughter. Are you kidding me???! Why would Mrs. Baker tell Jessie anything about the past? She knows what a messed up family they are but she'll put her in danger telling her about them.
Apparently Jessie can make fake passports.. I mean who can't honestly?
How Kit just forgives Virginia is weird to me. Like no no no she was pretending to be sick for so long and even months after she knew she should tell her everything but she just disappears one day.
So Virginia becomes a superstar because of her life. She gets to travel. Gets married in her 70s. And lives this grand life.
Wow what a convoluted ending.... So Ricardo was actually sleeping with Archie. They were going to run away that night. Ricky was some random local help that left that night too. Lenora is pretending to be Mrs. Baker and had Virginia killed off but told people that the real Virginia was Lenora. They were being blackmailed by Berniece because she thought Virginia was sleeping with Ricardo and thay was his baby. The real Mrs. Baker moved to Canada with the baby. Virginia tried to kill herself. I'm sorry this plot is one step away from the evil twin did it and switch places with the good twin and took her life. Jessie is really Virginia's granddaughter. Kit's dad is Ricky and Ricky was paid off to leave Virginia alone. Ricky killed Virginia's mother. Virginia's mother killed Virginia's father.
Final Thoughts:
Sometimes less is more. There was just too much going on in this book and not in a good way. This book read like one long soap opera. I'll admit the beginning of the book started interesting for me and I was enjoying it but then somewhere down the line just too many insane things kept happening. Sadly the things happening were pretty predictable so I wasn't ever shocked when they did in fact happen.
Thank God this is the last book that the author has to write for his contract because I'd be curious to see what he comes up with when he isn't forced to write a book every year.
Recommend For:
• Mysterious stories
• Soap operas
• Complex storylines
• Timelines
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own thoughts
previous review
ANOTHER book from a female perspective. Maybe this one the main character will fall in love with a male handyman ghost. 🙄
June 25, 2023
I am starting to feel as if I am marooned on OUTLIER ISLAND 🏝️
It’s 1983, and home health aide Kit McDeere has just been cleared to return to work after a 6 month suspension she was given after a patient died on her watch. Pills that should have been locked up overnight were left within reach of the suffering woman.
Was it negligence, or did Kit assist the patient in taking her own life?
Her new assignment?
The one that nobody else will take, and the only one that she is being offered….to care for 71 year old, Leonora Hope, who in 1929, at the age of seventeen, was accused of killing both her parents and her sister in their cliffside home-although Police could never prove their case.
Leonora is now silent, bedridden, and has only partial use of one hand. Mrs. Baker, the dour housekeeper, assures Kit that no matter what Leonora may have done in the past, she is most certainly harmless now.
She instructs Kit on the very strict routine she will be expected to follow, and leads her to her room, so she can get started. It adjoins her patient’s, but still contains the uniforms and personal articles of her predecessor, Mary, who left suddenly in the night…
I LOVED the gothic atmosphere of the house that is tilting precariously above the crashing waves on a crumbling cliffside…
Kit discovers that Leonora can “type” or at least hit one key at a time on a typewriter, and that she wants to tell her story about that tragic night.
And, until the FINAL 💯 PAGES, I was LOVING this story….
BUT THEN…it got TOO TWISTY for my personal taste, relying on too many coincidences, and becoming too OTT. I did like certain PARTS of the final reveal but I feel like we could have gotten there on a much more plausible path.
Sometimes less is more, but this is the author’s second book in a row where he has taken the amount of twists further than he needed too-IMO.
Sigh.
So, here I sit (again) on Outlier Island 🏝️. I do hope that you enjoy this as much as many of my friends who have awarded it the full 5 stars. If not, I will be waiting . 🍹
3.5 ⭐️ (since I loved the first two thirds) but rounding down because the ending counts for a lot for me!
A buddy read with Mary Beth who LOVED all of the twists, so be sure to check out her review for another perspective!
Thank You to the Chandler Public Library for the loan.
Available Now!
It’s 1983, and home health aide Kit McDeere has just been cleared to return to work after a 6 month suspension she was given after a patient died on her watch. Pills that should have been locked up overnight were left within reach of the suffering woman.
Was it negligence, or did Kit assist the patient in taking her own life?
Her new assignment?
The one that nobody else will take, and the only one that she is being offered….to care for 71 year old, Leonora Hope, who in 1929, at the age of seventeen, was accused of killing both her parents and her sister in their cliffside home-although Police could never prove their case.
Leonora is now silent, bedridden, and has only partial use of one hand. Mrs. Baker, the dour housekeeper, assures Kit that no matter what Leonora may have done in the past, she is most certainly harmless now.
She instructs Kit on the very strict routine she will be expected to follow, and leads her to her room, so she can get started. It adjoins her patient’s, but still contains the uniforms and personal articles of her predecessor, Mary, who left suddenly in the night…
I LOVED the gothic atmosphere of the house that is tilting precariously above the crashing waves on a crumbling cliffside…
Kit discovers that Leonora can “type” or at least hit one key at a time on a typewriter, and that she wants to tell her story about that tragic night.
And, until the FINAL 💯 PAGES, I was LOVING this story….
BUT THEN…it got TOO TWISTY for my personal taste, relying on too many coincidences, and becoming too OTT. I did like certain PARTS of the final reveal but I feel like we could have gotten there on a much more plausible path.
Sometimes less is more, but this is the author’s second book in a row where he has taken the amount of twists further than he needed too-IMO.
Sigh.
So, here I sit (again) on Outlier Island 🏝️. I do hope that you enjoy this as much as many of my friends who have awarded it the full 5 stars. If not, I will be waiting . 🍹
3.5 ⭐️ (since I loved the first two thirds) but rounding down because the ending counts for a lot for me!
A buddy read with Mary Beth who LOVED all of the twists, so be sure to check out her review for another perspective!
Thank You to the Chandler Public Library for the loan.
Available Now!
June 24, 2023
The Only One Left is Riley Sager’s BEST thriller to date! This twisty Gothic mystery will leave even savvy thriller readers gasping until the very last page.
Welcome to The Fall of the House of Usher meets Verity!
“At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
‘It wasn’t me,’ Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead”
In 1983, Kit McDeere lost her job as a home-health aide when one of her patients died under suspicious circumstances. Kit is given one last opportunity of employment, a job that will require her to care for Lenora Hope, the longtime suspect in the murder of her whole family. She accepts the job working at Hope’s End, a decaying mansion on a cliff, but soon suspects things are not as they appear. Secrets, lies, and deception run amuck in Hope’s End. Who actually killed the Hope family? Will Kit find the answers before the decrepit mansion collapses?
I absolutely devoured this book. I am a huge Riley Sager fan and had been disappointed in some of his more recent over the top thrillers. However, he got this one just right! If you read one thriller this year, make sure that it is The Only One Left! You will not be disappointed!
5/5 stars
Expected publication date: 6/20/23
Review selected for June 2023 issue of Library Reads. You can see it here: https://libraryreads.org
Thank you to Edelweiss, Penguin Random House Publishing and Brian Wilson for the ARC of The Only One Left in exchange for an honest review.
Welcome to The Fall of the House of Usher meets Verity!
“At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
‘It wasn’t me,’ Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead”
In 1983, Kit McDeere lost her job as a home-health aide when one of her patients died under suspicious circumstances. Kit is given one last opportunity of employment, a job that will require her to care for Lenora Hope, the longtime suspect in the murder of her whole family. She accepts the job working at Hope’s End, a decaying mansion on a cliff, but soon suspects things are not as they appear. Secrets, lies, and deception run amuck in Hope’s End. Who actually killed the Hope family? Will Kit find the answers before the decrepit mansion collapses?
I absolutely devoured this book. I am a huge Riley Sager fan and had been disappointed in some of his more recent over the top thrillers. However, he got this one just right! If you read one thriller this year, make sure that it is The Only One Left! You will not be disappointed!
5/5 stars
Expected publication date: 6/20/23
Review selected for June 2023 issue of Library Reads. You can see it here: https://libraryreads.org
Thank you to Edelweiss, Penguin Random House Publishing and Brian Wilson for the ARC of The Only One Left in exchange for an honest review.
October 1, 2023
Thank you Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are ALWAYS honest.
Full review to come.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: faster pace compared to his previous books that I read (Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied, synopsis trapped my ass, writing wasn't totally asstastic ... I guess....?
Cons: makes no damn sense, repetitive, forced suspense, ending was so buckwild it felt like Sager was trolling
Full review to come.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: faster pace compared to his previous books that I read (Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied, synopsis trapped my ass, writing wasn't totally asstastic ... I guess....?
Cons: makes no damn sense, repetitive, forced suspense, ending was so buckwild it felt like Sager was trolling
June 23, 2024
**4.5-stars rounded up**
After a client overdoses while under care, home-health aide, Kit McDeere, finds herself suspended from her job for 6-months. That's a long time to be out of work, stewing on her past mistakes. Kit doesn't like the feeling.
When her suspension is up, her boss tells her about her new assignment. Oh baby, it's a doozy!
Unfortunately, she's lucky to even still have her job, so Kit doesn't put up much of a fight though. Beggars can't be choosers. At least it will get her out of her Dad's house.
Kit is headed to Hope's End, a once lavish estate on the rocky coast of Maine. Set high on a cliff, the home has slowly begun to decay over the decades, leaning ever closer to the sea below.
Even so, it's not the mansion itself that disturbs Kit the most. It's who lives inside it. Lenora Hope, Kit's latest client, is the sole survivor of the Hope Family Massacre of 1929. As the survivor, Lenora was the main suspect and was accused of killing her father, mother and sister.
The crimes are so infamous in the local area, there's even a creepy little song about it:
At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead
Kit knows what it's like to be accused of something however, so she tries to stick all she thinks she knows about Lenora Hope into the back of her mind. Regardless of her past, Lenora is now a woman in her 70s, who has been left mute and incapacitated by a series of strokes.
Confined to a wheelchair, Lenora is completely dependent on Kit for her daily care. Her only means of communication is pecking out her thoughts on an old typewriter.
One night, through her typing, Lenora makes Kit and offer. She wants to tell her everything that happened back in 1929. Is Kit ready to hear the truth?
There was something about the synopsis of this story that told me that I should read it via audio. I was interested to see how the perspectives would be done and how the audio could possibly elevate the overall storytelling.
In spite of the fact that I bought a hard copy on the day of release, I did actually hold out until I was able to get the audiobook from my local library. I'm so glad I made that decision. I loved this audio. It's actually the first Riley Sager novel I have listened too.
I may have to go back and reread some of the others that way, if they are all done this well!
The narrators' voices were perfect for the different perspectives they were portraying. It really helped to bring this story to life for me.
The setting of Hope Manor was also fantastic. With Lenora confined to her room, it's really just the workers that keep the property afloat, flitting about interacting with one another. Kit, as the new girl, just tries to go about her work, soaking it all in.
There's so much history in the house, and each individual there offers their own perspective on the past, as well as the present. Trust, there's drama.
I loved the use of the typewriter as a way for Lenora to communicate and tell Kit her story. There was something so ominous about that act. Lenora watching each letter appear as the past unfolded before her.
There's also some unsettling things going on around the house that provided a nice, is it supernatural, is it not supernatural-feel, that I tend to enjoy so much. Oh, and bonus, this is set in 1983 and I love the 80s!!
There were a lot of well done red herrings in this, as your mind works to try to figure out the truth. I suspected a lot of people; pretty much everyone, honestly. There were also a ton of twists and I enjoyed how Sager built the intensity as the story progressed.
It felt dangerous and definitely got my pulse racing. Right after I finished though, I did struggle a bit on how to rate it. Part of me thought, it was one twist too many, but then the other part of me thought, shut the f*ck up.
As you can tell, the good side won. I loved this. Another engrossing, memorable story from Sager. I cannot wait to see what he delivers next!
After a client overdoses while under care, home-health aide, Kit McDeere, finds herself suspended from her job for 6-months. That's a long time to be out of work, stewing on her past mistakes. Kit doesn't like the feeling.
When her suspension is up, her boss tells her about her new assignment. Oh baby, it's a doozy!
Unfortunately, she's lucky to even still have her job, so Kit doesn't put up much of a fight though. Beggars can't be choosers. At least it will get her out of her Dad's house.
Kit is headed to Hope's End, a once lavish estate on the rocky coast of Maine. Set high on a cliff, the home has slowly begun to decay over the decades, leaning ever closer to the sea below.
Even so, it's not the mansion itself that disturbs Kit the most. It's who lives inside it. Lenora Hope, Kit's latest client, is the sole survivor of the Hope Family Massacre of 1929. As the survivor, Lenora was the main suspect and was accused of killing her father, mother and sister.
The crimes are so infamous in the local area, there's even a creepy little song about it:
At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead
Kit knows what it's like to be accused of something however, so she tries to stick all she thinks she knows about Lenora Hope into the back of her mind. Regardless of her past, Lenora is now a woman in her 70s, who has been left mute and incapacitated by a series of strokes.
Confined to a wheelchair, Lenora is completely dependent on Kit for her daily care. Her only means of communication is pecking out her thoughts on an old typewriter.
One night, through her typing, Lenora makes Kit and offer. She wants to tell her everything that happened back in 1929. Is Kit ready to hear the truth?
There was something about the synopsis of this story that told me that I should read it via audio. I was interested to see how the perspectives would be done and how the audio could possibly elevate the overall storytelling.
In spite of the fact that I bought a hard copy on the day of release, I did actually hold out until I was able to get the audiobook from my local library. I'm so glad I made that decision. I loved this audio. It's actually the first Riley Sager novel I have listened too.
I may have to go back and reread some of the others that way, if they are all done this well!
The narrators' voices were perfect for the different perspectives they were portraying. It really helped to bring this story to life for me.
The setting of Hope Manor was also fantastic. With Lenora confined to her room, it's really just the workers that keep the property afloat, flitting about interacting with one another. Kit, as the new girl, just tries to go about her work, soaking it all in.
There's so much history in the house, and each individual there offers their own perspective on the past, as well as the present. Trust, there's drama.
I loved the use of the typewriter as a way for Lenora to communicate and tell Kit her story. There was something so ominous about that act. Lenora watching each letter appear as the past unfolded before her.
There's also some unsettling things going on around the house that provided a nice, is it supernatural, is it not supernatural-feel, that I tend to enjoy so much. Oh, and bonus, this is set in 1983 and I love the 80s!!
There were a lot of well done red herrings in this, as your mind works to try to figure out the truth. I suspected a lot of people; pretty much everyone, honestly. There were also a ton of twists and I enjoyed how Sager built the intensity as the story progressed.
It felt dangerous and definitely got my pulse racing. Right after I finished though, I did struggle a bit on how to rate it. Part of me thought, it was one twist too many, but then the other part of me thought, shut the f*ck up.
As you can tell, the good side won. I loved this. Another engrossing, memorable story from Sager. I cannot wait to see what he delivers next!
December 5, 2023
No doooobra, nie miało to wiele sensu, ale bawiłam się dobrze 🥹🥹
July 20, 2023
A mansion, a murder, and more twists than I could count!
I was on the library list, but couldn't wait and got my own copy from Audible. Yes, it was worth it!
Hope's End has 36 rooms and a bird's eye view of the sea. "What you're feeling is the house" says the housekeeper, Mrs. Baker. Boy, she wasn't lying! So close to the cliff''s edge and a straight drop down to the water, I almost felt dizzy myself. 😱
Kit-Kat is the new "nurse" tending to Ms. Hope at the mansion. Kit soon learns that she wants to share what really happened the night of the murders! She wonders why Ms. Hope trusts her, but must know the truth.
Click, click, tap, tap..............
The old, cranky typewriter spills the beans one page at a time. I was anxiously awaiting the taps to learn more too! The lies, the sprinkled hints and the half truths. Keep em coming! Just when you think the final twist happens, slap! another kicker will knock you silly.
This one was like walking through a spooky crooked fun house! Thanks Mr. Sager for a page turner that kept me curious throughout. 👏👏👏
I was on the library list, but couldn't wait and got my own copy from Audible. Yes, it was worth it!
Hope's End has 36 rooms and a bird's eye view of the sea. "What you're feeling is the house" says the housekeeper, Mrs. Baker. Boy, she wasn't lying! So close to the cliff''s edge and a straight drop down to the water, I almost felt dizzy myself. 😱
Kit-Kat is the new "nurse" tending to Ms. Hope at the mansion. Kit soon learns that she wants to share what really happened the night of the murders! She wonders why Ms. Hope trusts her, but must know the truth.
Click, click, tap, tap..............
The old, cranky typewriter spills the beans one page at a time. I was anxiously awaiting the taps to learn more too! The lies, the sprinkled hints and the half truths. Keep em coming! Just when you think the final twist happens, slap! another kicker will knock you silly.
This one was like walking through a spooky crooked fun house! Thanks Mr. Sager for a page turner that kept me curious throughout. 👏👏👏
July 6, 2023
Ok this might be best one yet!! The ending definitely gave me whiplash but I loved every minute of it and had such a BLAST 🤩
July 1, 2024
4.5/5 🔪 🩸
This genuinely shocked me, I had been in such a thriller slump prior to this and this gave me that adrenaline feeling. A gothic old mansion atop an eroding cliffside, full of dark rich family secrets. I was too afraid to read this at night. The plot twists just kept on coming and I didn't see them coming.
♡︎.ᐟજ⁀➴ Plot:
As rumour has it, Lenora Hope murdered her mother, father and sister in their home. Since then she suffers multiple strokes that leave her paralysed and in need of constant care. Our main character Kit, a carer, gets this assignment as punishment for letting a previous patient die on her watch.
This was so eerie and and exhilarating, the plot moved at a good pace and was just addicting. It has a somewhat isolated setting with the presence of an unreliable narrator (both of my favourites.) It was unpredictable - and this is coming from someone who has read 18 other thrillers this year (all of which were somewhat predictable and underwhelming). All parts of the story come together and get tied up in a neat little bow. The ending felt extremely satisfying right up until the last page.
♡︎.ᐟજ⁀➴ Characters:
In thrillers, I feel like most of the time their often too short to get attached to the characters - I can't say too much with out spoilers, but the only character I really resonated with was
I feel like they all are well developed characters though and they are all written really well - I felt they all got their deserved ending. I found Kit a bit frustrating sometimes in the way that she was quite brash, but other than that I enjoyed following her journey ♡.
₊˚⊹♡ reading log
hours of reading: 5.6
avg. minutes per session: 18
avg. pages per minute: 3.3
14/06 11:31am
oh my goodness i did NOT see that coming that's so wild, i sort of got an inkling that the plot twist would be in that overall area because of the few chapters before it, but honestly i thought it was heading towards a completely different direction
13/06 11:10pm
so now i’m too scared to read this at night - i’m suddenly aware of all my surroundings and looking out my window constantly - this is going to give me nightmares
13/06 9:13am °˖➴
i'm at 30% and I don't have any theories yet, which is unlike me but this jessie girl drives me up the wall
12/06 8:06pm °˖➴
i am getting creepy vibes off the bat this is a good sign:)
₊˚⊹♡ pre-reading
i am on the hunt for a thrilling thriller please it’s been so long - this has been on the TBR for a hot minute so let’s get stuck in ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆
︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶⠀୨♡୧⠀︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶
june tbr:
ಇ.first lie wins
ಇ. the only one left
ಇ.leather & lark
ಇ. if something happens to me
ಇ. the familiar
ಇ. the warm hands of ghosts
ಇ. a court of silver flames
+the ballad of never after
This genuinely shocked me, I had been in such a thriller slump prior to this and this gave me that adrenaline feeling. A gothic old mansion atop an eroding cliffside, full of dark rich family secrets. I was too afraid to read this at night. The plot twists just kept on coming and I didn't see them coming.
♡︎.ᐟજ⁀➴ Plot:
As rumour has it, Lenora Hope murdered her mother, father and sister in their home. Since then she suffers multiple strokes that leave her paralysed and in need of constant care. Our main character Kit, a carer, gets this assignment as punishment for letting a previous patient die on her watch.
This was so eerie and and exhilarating, the plot moved at a good pace and was just addicting. It has a somewhat isolated setting with the presence of an unreliable narrator (both of my favourites.) It was unpredictable - and this is coming from someone who has read 18 other thrillers this year (all of which were somewhat predictable and underwhelming). All parts of the story come together and get tied up in a neat little bow. The ending felt extremely satisfying right up until the last page.
♡︎.ᐟજ⁀➴ Characters:
In thrillers, I feel like most of the time their often too short to get attached to the characters - I can't say too much with out spoilers, but the only character I really resonated with was
I feel like they all are well developed characters though and they are all written really well - I felt they all got their deserved ending. I found Kit a bit frustrating sometimes in the way that she was quite brash, but other than that I enjoyed following her journey ♡.
₊˚⊹♡ reading log
hours of reading: 5.6
avg. minutes per session: 18
avg. pages per minute: 3.3
14/06 11:31am
oh my goodness i did NOT see that coming that's so wild, i sort of got an inkling that the plot twist would be in that overall area because of the few chapters before it, but honestly i thought it was heading towards a completely different direction
13/06 11:10pm
so now i’m too scared to read this at night - i’m suddenly aware of all my surroundings and looking out my window constantly - this is going to give me nightmares
13/06 9:13am °˖➴
i'm at 30% and I don't have any theories yet, which is unlike me but this jessie girl drives me up the wall
12/06 8:06pm °˖➴
i am getting creepy vibes off the bat this is a good sign:)
₊˚⊹♡ pre-reading
i am on the hunt for a thrilling thriller please it’s been so long - this has been on the TBR for a hot minute so let’s get stuck in ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆
︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶⠀୨♡୧⠀︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶
june tbr:
ಇ.
ಇ. the only one left
ಇ.
ಇ. if something happens to me
ಇ. the familiar
ಇ. the warm hands of ghosts
ಇ. a court of silver flames
+
May 23, 2023
A spooky mansion frozen in time, perched on the rocky cliffs, and slowly crumbling towards the churning waters of the Atlantic below - this is Hope’s End, the home of elderly Lenora Hope, the only surviving member of her family. Her mother, father, and sister were murdered in a blood fest one night in 1929, with Lenora being the main suspect. However, she completely denied it and the evidence wasn’t enough to convict her, but the townspeople have always believed that she’s guilty, and her reputation is reduced to a schoolyard chant, much like the infamous Lizzie Borden -
At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
It’s now 1983, and Kit McDeere arrives at Hope’s End as a caregiver to Lenora. It isn’t a job that she wants, but after one of her patients died in suspicious circumstances, well it’s a case of beggars can’t be choosers. To say she’s apprehensive is an understatement, Kit has grown up with the stories about Lenora and understandably, that makes her anxious. She’s even more anxious when she discovers that Lenora’s previous caregiver, Mary, left the house in the middle of the night and hasn’t been seen or heard of since!
The creaky old mansion is the perfect backdrop for this creepy story, and I hadn’t a clue what was really going on, who or what to believe, but of course that made it all the more interesting! With twist after twist towards the end, Sagar has created a story of mystery and suspense that ensures the pages keep on turning ever faster.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
It’s now 1983, and Kit McDeere arrives at Hope’s End as a caregiver to Lenora. It isn’t a job that she wants, but after one of her patients died in suspicious circumstances, well it’s a case of beggars can’t be choosers. To say she’s apprehensive is an understatement, Kit has grown up with the stories about Lenora and understandably, that makes her anxious. She’s even more anxious when she discovers that Lenora’s previous caregiver, Mary, left the house in the middle of the night and hasn’t been seen or heard of since!
The creaky old mansion is the perfect backdrop for this creepy story, and I hadn’t a clue what was really going on, who or what to believe, but of course that made it all the more interesting! With twist after twist towards the end, Sagar has created a story of mystery and suspense that ensures the pages keep on turning ever faster.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
April 25, 2024
4/5 ⭐️ This was so good! I really enjoyed myself, like I knew I would. It had all the creepy and suspenseful vibes it promised. The story follows Kit, who works as a caregiver for a home health aide agency. She has been assigned to take care of Lenora Hall. When she was younger, Lenora was accused of murdering her entire family. That immediately had me hooked because along with Kit, I also wanted to know if it was true and why she did it! It also takes place in the 80’s, so the vibes were immaculate! 🙂↕️
I loved this book and the vibes but my main issue was the main character, Kit. I wish she would have been smarter 🤦🏻♀️. Some of her actions had me questioning her intelligence. She needed to learn to keep her mouth shut and stop trusting everyone she came across 😭. That annoyed me so much!
This was definitely more of a slow burn thriller but I enjoyed it! And those twists?? I did not see them coming at all!!! So good!
I loved this book and the vibes but my main issue was the main character, Kit. I wish she would have been smarter 🤦🏻♀️. Some of her actions had me questioning her intelligence. She needed to learn to keep her mouth shut and stop trusting everyone she came across 😭. That annoyed me so much!
This was definitely more of a slow burn thriller but I enjoyed it! And those twists?? I did not see them coming at all!!! So good!
July 2, 2024
My first Riley Sager book and I have mixed feelings. It started off amazing. I loved the first half, especially the eerie horror vibes. But then the second half dragged and wasn't that enjoyable.
The characters were all meh but the story was pretty decent. Baker in particular was too annoying. I didn't really connect to any of the characters and thank God for that....
The ending killed it for me tho, in a bad way. There were too many reveals and plot twists and the more that happened the less it impacted.
Thanks to lovely Tanu for the BR. The book might have let me down but it was fun theorizing with you 🥰
~•~•~
What do we think of this book guys?
The characters were all meh but the story was pretty decent. Baker in particular was too annoying. I didn't really connect to any of the characters and thank God for that....
The ending killed it for me tho, in a bad way. There were too many reveals and plot twists and the more that happened the less it impacted.
Thanks to lovely Tanu for the BR. The book might have let me down but it was fun theorizing with you 🥰
~•~•~
What do we think of this book guys?
May 13, 2023
Riley, here takes this.... 🔫 and shoot me already! Cause I'm done with this s*** show.
Can I get at least one decent and likeable character from this book? Is it that hard to write only one good character so I can root for him/her through this entire hell ride?
SUMMARY:
Kit McDeere, she is a caregiver. After being suspended for six months by her agency because she is alleged to have killed her patient, she returns to work and is assigned to become a full-time nurse for an old lady that lives on the cliffs inside a massive mansion.
Lenora Hope, she is now seventy-one years old. Over the past twenty years, she's suffered a series of strokes that have left her mute, paralyzed, and confined to a wheelchair. All she has is limited use of her left arm. Hope's family had been murdered on October 29, 1929; her parents and sister were dead inside that mansion, and the only one left was Lenora Hope, who everyone believes is the murderer. But now she wants to tell Kit everything about what happened that night, and as she begins typing, the truth starts to reveal itself......
👁️ This story is told in first person POV alternate between (Kit and Lenora (?))
🕰️ There is a Dual Timelines in here (Past and Present).
⚠️So here is the thing: since the positive and negative things in this book come together, I'm going to put them all together in "MY THOUGHTS."⚠️
MY THOUGHTS:
📌 I really loved how the story began; it literally hooked me up from the opening because it was told from Lenora's POV, which made me feel the mystery and start guessing right from the first page.
Right from the start, I felt like I was exactly inside Hope's End (the name of the mansion). I really enjoyed 'The Murder Tour'," and how and where they got killed were presented in that tour. And I was picturing it inside my head.
📌 This book is very well written; how the house looks and every room that the character visits are perfectly described. You can get the full picture of those things that the author wanted to tell you. But here's the thing: because it perfectly described every single thing, I felt the story started slowy.
Also, the author is not using the apostrophe mark when Lenora is typing to inform or ask Kit for something. I liked this detail since we know the only thing that works is her left arm, so why bother with an apostrophe mark?
But the detail also became a major problem in this book; some things were certainly overdescribed.
📌 The Characters
As I said in my opening, there is literally no likeable character in this book; even the main character herself (Kit) was NAH. Also, Lenora's POV was very intense and interesting at first, but I don't know the more I read from her POV, the more I felt "digusting." Well...'disgusting' is the right word to describe all of these emotions.
📌 The Twist
Before I explain the twist in this book, I want to give you a little bit of an explanation: "What is a great twist for me?" For me a great twist is not something jaw dropping or caught me off guard. But the definition of great twist for me is something that makes more sense, acceptable, or at least have a little bit of reality check to the story itself. And the last one that didn't end up looking like it was forced to be there. It's okay to be predictable as long as there is a sense inside it.
And unfortunately, I couldn't find a great twist in this book, but I want to do some justice to the twist. Not all of the twists in this book are bad, but I will rule out that this one is not my cup of tea, so it might work out for you but not for me. I felt the twist was too forced out to be the twist.
📌 The Ending
Bwhahaha😂, i don't know what to say.
If i want to put it in one word i think i'm going to use "Weird".
📌 Why 2 Stars?
I don't usually want to give specific explaination what makes me give this book 2 stars, but this time I think I should. It was because of my very high anticipation and expectation toward the author and the story. I was really excited when I finally read this book, and those things went too high, and that's why at the end it felt flat. I expected more, but this is all I got, so yeah, 2 stars.
If you lower your expectations a little bit, it might be work out very well for you.
I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL:
☠️ When a 31-year-old woman fucked a 20-year-old boy who appears to be her neighbor. They even fucked before Kit left her house to take care of Lenora; for what use are you telling me their story? Duhhh🙄
☠️ The wild thoughts that some characters had I don't know how to react to those thoughts. I found it cool, but at the same time, it also bothered me.
☠️ I can't understand Kit's father; to be honest, he was very odd, unreasonable, a douchebag, and a piece of sh*t.
WHAT I FELT WHEN I WAS READING THIS BOOK:
#{1%-5%}
For f*cking sure, I was being overly excited.
#{5%-30%}
I started to think about what kind of book I read; it was still good, but Jesus, it's hard to explain *sigh*
#{30%-55%}
I was losing my patience and getting tired of the house, the rooms, and the people's descriptions.
#{55%-60%}
I was thinking maybe I should move on and leave this book behind. (DNF'd)
#{60%-70%}
I saw hope, and I got this: maybe I can finish this book.
#{70%-100%}
The story was getting more ridiculous, and the twist was also getting more unacceptable, but never mind as long as I can finish this book. Since I'm no longer excited.
OVERALL:
Uhmm, well yeah I was disappointed🙂.
CREDIT:
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
🐥
Can I get at least one decent and likeable character from this book? Is it that hard to write only one good character so I can root for him/her through this entire hell ride?
"I want to tell you everything things ive never told anyone else yes about that night because i trust you"
"You want to know if I’m as evil as everyone says I am. The answer is no. And yes."
"At seventeen, Lenora Hope Hung her sister with a rope, stabbed her father with a knife, took her mother’s happy life"
SUMMARY:
Kit McDeere, she is a caregiver. After being suspended for six months by her agency because she is alleged to have killed her patient, she returns to work and is assigned to become a full-time nurse for an old lady that lives on the cliffs inside a massive mansion.
Lenora Hope, she is now seventy-one years old. Over the past twenty years, she's suffered a series of strokes that have left her mute, paralyzed, and confined to a wheelchair. All she has is limited use of her left arm. Hope's family had been murdered on October 29, 1929; her parents and sister were dead inside that mansion, and the only one left was Lenora Hope, who everyone believes is the murderer. But now she wants to tell Kit everything about what happened that night, and as she begins typing, the truth starts to reveal itself......
👁️ This story is told in first person POV alternate between (Kit and Lenora (?))
🕰️ There is a Dual Timelines in here (Past and Present).
⚠️So here is the thing: since the positive and negative things in this book come together, I'm going to put them all together in "MY THOUGHTS."⚠️
MY THOUGHTS:
📌 I really loved how the story began; it literally hooked me up from the opening because it was told from Lenora's POV, which made me feel the mystery and start guessing right from the first page.
Right from the start, I felt like I was exactly inside Hope's End (the name of the mansion). I really enjoyed 'The Murder Tour'," and how and where they got killed were presented in that tour. And I was picturing it inside my head.
📌 This book is very well written; how the house looks and every room that the character visits are perfectly described. You can get the full picture of those things that the author wanted to tell you. But here's the thing: because it perfectly described every single thing, I felt the story started slowy.
Also, the author is not using the apostrophe mark when Lenora is typing to inform or ask Kit for something. I liked this detail since we know the only thing that works is her left arm, so why bother with an apostrophe mark?
But the detail also became a major problem in this book; some things were certainly overdescribed.
📌 The Characters
As I said in my opening, there is literally no likeable character in this book; even the main character herself (Kit) was NAH. Also, Lenora's POV was very intense and interesting at first, but I don't know the more I read from her POV, the more I felt "digusting." Well...'disgusting' is the right word to describe all of these emotions.
📌 The Twist
Before I explain the twist in this book, I want to give you a little bit of an explanation: "What is a great twist for me?" For me a great twist is not something jaw dropping or caught me off guard. But the definition of great twist for me is something that makes more sense, acceptable, or at least have a little bit of reality check to the story itself. And the last one that didn't end up looking like it was forced to be there. It's okay to be predictable as long as there is a sense inside it.
And unfortunately, I couldn't find a great twist in this book, but I want to do some justice to the twist. Not all of the twists in this book are bad, but I will rule out that this one is not my cup of tea, so it might work out for you but not for me. I felt the twist was too forced out to be the twist.
📌 The Ending
Bwhahaha😂, i don't know what to say.
If i want to put it in one word i think i'm going to use "Weird".
📌 Why 2 Stars?
I don't usually want to give specific explaination what makes me give this book 2 stars, but this time I think I should. It was because of my very high anticipation and expectation toward the author and the story. I was really excited when I finally read this book, and those things went too high, and that's why at the end it felt flat. I expected more, but this is all I got, so yeah, 2 stars.
If you lower your expectations a little bit, it might be work out very well for you.
I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL:
☠️ When a 31-year-old woman fucked a 20-year-old boy who appears to be her neighbor. They even fucked before Kit left her house to take care of Lenora; for what use are you telling me their story? Duhhh🙄
☠️ The wild thoughts that some characters had I don't know how to react to those thoughts. I found it cool, but at the same time, it also bothered me.
☠️ I can't understand Kit's father; to be honest, he was very odd, unreasonable, a douchebag, and a piece of sh*t.
WHAT I FELT WHEN I WAS READING THIS BOOK:
#{1%-5%}
For f*cking sure, I was being overly excited.
#{5%-30%}
I started to think about what kind of book I read; it was still good, but Jesus, it's hard to explain *sigh*
#{30%-55%}
I was losing my patience and getting tired of the house, the rooms, and the people's descriptions.
#{55%-60%}
I was thinking maybe I should move on and leave this book behind. (DNF'd)
#{60%-70%}
I saw hope, and I got this: maybe I can finish this book.
#{70%-100%}
The story was getting more ridiculous, and the twist was also getting more unacceptable, but never mind as long as I can finish this book. Since I'm no longer excited.
OVERALL:
Uhmm, well yeah I was disappointed🙂.
CREDIT:
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
🐥
February 28, 2023
Wow! I am so happy I received this ARC! Riley, you brought out the best in a Gothic thriller. It definitely chilled me to the bone with the setting in a decaying mansion called Hope's End. It sits on the cliffs overlooking a rocky shoreline. With the waves crashing against the cliffs, the house is slowly leaning in the direction of devastation, as the cliff disintegrates. I could not have stayed one night. The house has a chilling history. In 1929, the Hope family was murdered except for their oldest daughter Lenora. She was thought to have stabbed her mother and father to death and hung her own sister Virginia, although it never could be proven. She suffered multiple strokes after it, leaving her in a debilitated state with the usage of one hand and her only communication is tapping for yes or no.
Moving forward to 1983, Lenora's last caretaker Mary left in the night and never heard from again, so her new caretaker Kit takes her place. Kit has her own dark history and is accused of killing her mother. She maintains her innocence, although the townspeople and the local police chief would love to see her prosecuted.
Leery of her new assignment, Kit will be caring for a murderer and their bedrooms are connected to one another. She hears footsteps at night and someone is coming into their rooms moving things around. Lenora begins to type her story about what happened that night and the first message is "It wasn't me." "I want to tell you everything." My heart plunges into the story line with apprehension and trusting no one. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The author disguises many hidden messages, so the twist at the end caught me off guard. No one is being truthful and covering a multitude of sins. The household manager, a very stern disgruntled Mrs. Baker, the staff and grounds keepers all have a part to play. You cannot imagine what is in store for you! Great job! Sager is at the top of his game with this one!
Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Moving forward to 1983, Lenora's last caretaker Mary left in the night and never heard from again, so her new caretaker Kit takes her place. Kit has her own dark history and is accused of killing her mother. She maintains her innocence, although the townspeople and the local police chief would love to see her prosecuted.
Leery of her new assignment, Kit will be caring for a murderer and their bedrooms are connected to one another. She hears footsteps at night and someone is coming into their rooms moving things around. Lenora begins to type her story about what happened that night and the first message is "It wasn't me." "I want to tell you everything." My heart plunges into the story line with apprehension and trusting no one. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The author disguises many hidden messages, so the twist at the end caught me off guard. No one is being truthful and covering a multitude of sins. The household manager, a very stern disgruntled Mrs. Baker, the staff and grounds keepers all have a part to play. You cannot imagine what is in store for you! Great job! Sager is at the top of his game with this one!
Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
January 26, 2024
I screamed aloud and threw tantrums when the publishing company rejected my ARC request as a devoted fan of the author!
The gothic vibes and the unsolved cold case surrounding a dangerous woman, who gives off scary vibes to kids singing a rhyme about her possible murders like she's Bloody Mary, were the most intriguing aspects that drew me blindly into this story.
Lenora Hope Hung, in her early seventies and bedridden after a recent stroke that took away her ability to function properly, types her mysterious story about the incidents that occurred 54 years ago, resulting in the deaths of her entire family: her parents were stabbed, and her sister was hanged.
Kit McDeere, a beggar with no other options and a caregiver with a tarnished reputation, is accused of manslaughter after her latest patient dies from a drug overdose due to her mistake. She becomes an outcast, humiliated by reporters who imply that she is the killer. When she is offered a job as the caretaker for Lenora Hope Hung, an urban legend and presumed killer in town, she sees it as an opportunity for work, money, and a chance to escape the house she shares with her father, who has been giving her the silent treatment since her mandatory job leave.
But as soon as she sets foot in the mansion perched on the edge of cliffs, she feels the darkness and an ominous sensation creeping around the rooms. The previous caregiver, Mary, vanished into thin air one night, offering no explanation and leaving her belongings behind.
The remaining staff in the house, including the maid and cook who were present during the timeline of the murders, not only give Kit the creeps but also the cracking voices that come from Lenora's bedroom at night and the objects that mysteriously change places, increasing her unease. Kit finds herself trapped in this place without any financial security, and the only form of communication she has with Lenora is through a typewriter, as she tries to uncover the truth about what happened on that tragic night.
I can honestly say that this book is my least favorite work by the author. It wasn't slow-paced, but the main mystery didn't capture my interest, and I couldn't connect with either Lenora or Kit, despite having a soft spot for outsiders who suffer from loneliness. I didn't care about how the story would evolve or what conclusions would be revealed in the end. The twists were still unpredictable, but I found them a bit far-fetched. The story didn't feel too realistic, and there were too many coincidences.
The only thing I loved was the plot idea and the gothic vibes the house provided as a memorable character in the story. However, I felt that Lenora's character could have been further developed and explored to add depth to the narrative.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the author's other novels, which led me to give it a solid three stars—it's not bad, but it didn't meet my expectations.
medium.com
instagram
facebook
twitter
The gothic vibes and the unsolved cold case surrounding a dangerous woman, who gives off scary vibes to kids singing a rhyme about her possible murders like she's Bloody Mary, were the most intriguing aspects that drew me blindly into this story.
Lenora Hope Hung, in her early seventies and bedridden after a recent stroke that took away her ability to function properly, types her mysterious story about the incidents that occurred 54 years ago, resulting in the deaths of her entire family: her parents were stabbed, and her sister was hanged.
Kit McDeere, a beggar with no other options and a caregiver with a tarnished reputation, is accused of manslaughter after her latest patient dies from a drug overdose due to her mistake. She becomes an outcast, humiliated by reporters who imply that she is the killer. When she is offered a job as the caretaker for Lenora Hope Hung, an urban legend and presumed killer in town, she sees it as an opportunity for work, money, and a chance to escape the house she shares with her father, who has been giving her the silent treatment since her mandatory job leave.
But as soon as she sets foot in the mansion perched on the edge of cliffs, she feels the darkness and an ominous sensation creeping around the rooms. The previous caregiver, Mary, vanished into thin air one night, offering no explanation and leaving her belongings behind.
The remaining staff in the house, including the maid and cook who were present during the timeline of the murders, not only give Kit the creeps but also the cracking voices that come from Lenora's bedroom at night and the objects that mysteriously change places, increasing her unease. Kit finds herself trapped in this place without any financial security, and the only form of communication she has with Lenora is through a typewriter, as she tries to uncover the truth about what happened on that tragic night.
I can honestly say that this book is my least favorite work by the author. It wasn't slow-paced, but the main mystery didn't capture my interest, and I couldn't connect with either Lenora or Kit, despite having a soft spot for outsiders who suffer from loneliness. I didn't care about how the story would evolve or what conclusions would be revealed in the end. The twists were still unpredictable, but I found them a bit far-fetched. The story didn't feel too realistic, and there were too many coincidences.
The only thing I loved was the plot idea and the gothic vibes the house provided as a memorable character in the story. However, I felt that Lenora's character could have been further developed and explored to add depth to the narrative.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the author's other novels, which led me to give it a solid three stars—it's not bad, but it didn't meet my expectations.
medium.com
July 13, 2023
It’s 1983 and Kit, a home care aide, is sent to the crumbling mansion, Hope’s End, to care for the disabled and aging Lenora Hope, after her previous aide disappeared during the night.
Lenora is the sole survivor of her family’s massacre in 1929, and suspicion has surrounded her ever since:
“At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life.”
A series of strokes has left her mute but, with help, she is able to tap out sentences on an old typewriter. Her first message to Kit? “It wasn’t me”. Followed by “I want to tell you everything.”
As Kit helps Lenora tap out her story, strange things begin to go bump in the night, and suspicions arise surrounding her predecessor’s disappearance. Is Lenora innocent or is she being manipulated by a psychopath? What long buried secrets are being hidden? (plenty it seems!)
This was oozing Gothic atmosphere with well-developed characters, and a sinister tone. Some readers may feel there were too many twists at the end but I found it fun and a delight to read. The audiobook was excellent. Recommended for a fun summer (or anytime!) read.
Lenora is the sole survivor of her family’s massacre in 1929, and suspicion has surrounded her ever since:
“At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life.”
A series of strokes has left her mute but, with help, she is able to tap out sentences on an old typewriter. Her first message to Kit? “It wasn’t me”. Followed by “I want to tell you everything.”
As Kit helps Lenora tap out her story, strange things begin to go bump in the night, and suspicions arise surrounding her predecessor’s disappearance. Is Lenora innocent or is she being manipulated by a psychopath? What long buried secrets are being hidden? (plenty it seems!)
This was oozing Gothic atmosphere with well-developed characters, and a sinister tone. Some readers may feel there were too many twists at the end but I found it fun and a delight to read. The audiobook was excellent. Recommended for a fun summer (or anytime!) read.
October 13, 2023
I think I have to give up on Riley Sager. His books just aren't for me. I dislike his style, his characters, his stories.
They make me irrationally angry, in fact.
They make me irrationally angry, in fact.
July 9, 2023
I thought it couldn’t be done… I thought @riley.sager could not top Home Before Dark!!! I fricking LOVE that book!! ❤️Guess what friends????… Even though I still love Home Before Dark…. his latest is his best yet in my opinion!! 🥳🥳🥳
I mean WOW!! 😳 Creepy…. Suspenseful…. FANTASTIC!! This book checked every box ✅ for me!!! I didn’t want it to end!! Why did I love it sooo much???
A creepy… deserted mansion.. on a cliff… crumbling slowly into the sea below… seriously this house tilts when you walk through it…😳😳😳 If that wasn’t enough…. A mass murder happened here… in this house!!! That Kit is about to take a job at… 😬… Kit girl… really??? 🤷♀️ I mean I love true crime… but I don’t want to live it!! 😬… If that wasn’t enough… the murderer … is rumored to still live there… WHAT?? 😳 Innocent 😇 until proven guilty… right?? 🙄
OMG this creepy atmosphere was off the chain!!! I was on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE book!!! Footsteps… Shadows… Ghosts?? 👻😳🤷♀️ I don’t know how he does it… but I was memorized by this entire story.. until… the very last page!! Bravo 👏 @riley.sager !!! He seriously killed it!! 🥳 5 suspense filled stars!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
❤️❤️❤️ Is this on your radar?? What is your favorite @riley.sager book??? Would you live in a murder house?? NO from this girl!!🏃♀️ ❤️❤️❤️
I mean WOW!! 😳 Creepy…. Suspenseful…. FANTASTIC!! This book checked every box ✅ for me!!! I didn’t want it to end!! Why did I love it sooo much???
A creepy… deserted mansion.. on a cliff… crumbling slowly into the sea below… seriously this house tilts when you walk through it…😳😳😳 If that wasn’t enough…. A mass murder happened here… in this house!!! That Kit is about to take a job at… 😬… Kit girl… really??? 🤷♀️ I mean I love true crime… but I don’t want to live it!! 😬… If that wasn’t enough… the murderer … is rumored to still live there… WHAT?? 😳 Innocent 😇 until proven guilty… right?? 🙄
OMG this creepy atmosphere was off the chain!!! I was on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE book!!! Footsteps… Shadows… Ghosts?? 👻😳🤷♀️ I don’t know how he does it… but I was memorized by this entire story.. until… the very last page!! Bravo 👏 @riley.sager !!! He seriously killed it!! 🥳 5 suspense filled stars!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
❤️❤️❤️ Is this on your radar?? What is your favorite @riley.sager book??? Would you live in a murder house?? NO from this girl!!🏃♀️ ❤️❤️❤️
March 6, 2024
★4 stars
✎𓂃 “At seventeen, Lenora Hope / Hung her sister with a rope / Stabbed her father with a knife / Took her mother’s happy life / ‘It wasn’t me,’ Lenora said / But she’s the only one not dead.”
☆Summary:
In 1929, Winston, Evangeline, and Virginia Hope were murdered in their home, a mansion set on the edge of the Cliffs. A murder in which all fingers point to Lenora Hope, the last one standing. Now 1983, after an incident gone wrong, Kitt is being sent to the scene of the crime to become Lenora’s home health aide. THE Lenora Hope, who can no longer care for herself, walk, or talk. Strange things occur during Kitt’s time at Hope mansion, from the mysterious disappearance of the previous home health aide, to Lenora’s desire to tell her true story in the only way she can: one-handed on a typewriter. On top of that, the cliffs appear to become more and more unsteady…
☆My Thoughts:
Okay first off, common sense lesson:
Don’t build your house on the edge of a cliff.
Now, that being said, WOW. I came here to cure my CC3 hangover and this delivered!! Riley Sager said “here’s a twist and twenty more,” and let me tell you that each had me floored. I probably could have guessed a couple, but the way this book had me on the edge of my seat so immersed in the story, I couldn’t have even tried to see the twists coming when they did. Nails have been bitten. Jaw is on the floor 🤯🤯🤯
Kitt was a bit meh of a character to me. Lenora on the other hand, was such an enigma. I loved her typed-out story POVs and the way all of her layers reveal themselves to Kitt. Normally, a back-and-forth timeline can be confusing and irritating, but I found myself speed-reading just to get to Lenora’s POV and learn more of her haunting past 🏃🏻♀️💨
✎𓂃 “You want to know if I’m as evil as everyone says I am. The answer is no. And yes.”
☆Would I Recommend:
I was not a huge fan of the last Riley Sager I read, The House Across the Lake. So much so that I almost didn’t pick this one up. I am so glad I eventually did. It flies by rapidly (the ending maybe a little too quickly but still a fun ride), and the creepy gothic mansion had all the vibes 🏚️ If you are even remotely a mystery/thriller lover, I definitely recommend. Sager does not disappoint!!
---------------------
Pre-review:
Trying to cure my massive CC3 hangover with a thriller, is it a smart idea IDK!!! But here’s hoping it works 🤞🏼🤷🏻♀️
✎𓂃 “At seventeen, Lenora Hope / Hung her sister with a rope / Stabbed her father with a knife / Took her mother’s happy life / ‘It wasn’t me,’ Lenora said / But she’s the only one not dead.”
☆Summary:
In 1929, Winston, Evangeline, and Virginia Hope were murdered in their home, a mansion set on the edge of the Cliffs. A murder in which all fingers point to Lenora Hope, the last one standing. Now 1983, after an incident gone wrong, Kitt is being sent to the scene of the crime to become Lenora’s home health aide. THE Lenora Hope, who can no longer care for herself, walk, or talk. Strange things occur during Kitt’s time at Hope mansion, from the mysterious disappearance of the previous home health aide, to Lenora’s desire to tell her true story in the only way she can: one-handed on a typewriter. On top of that, the cliffs appear to become more and more unsteady…
☆My Thoughts:
Okay first off, common sense lesson:
Don’t build your house on the edge of a cliff.
Now, that being said, WOW. I came here to cure my CC3 hangover and this delivered!! Riley Sager said “here’s a twist and twenty more,” and let me tell you that each had me floored. I probably could have guessed a couple, but the way this book had me on the edge of my seat so immersed in the story, I couldn’t have even tried to see the twists coming when they did. Nails have been bitten. Jaw is on the floor 🤯🤯🤯
Kitt was a bit meh of a character to me. Lenora on the other hand, was such an enigma. I loved her typed-out story POVs and the way all of her layers reveal themselves to Kitt. Normally, a back-and-forth timeline can be confusing and irritating, but I found myself speed-reading just to get to Lenora’s POV and learn more of her haunting past 🏃🏻♀️💨
✎𓂃 “You want to know if I’m as evil as everyone says I am. The answer is no. And yes.”
☆Would I Recommend:
I was not a huge fan of the last Riley Sager I read, The House Across the Lake. So much so that I almost didn’t pick this one up. I am so glad I eventually did. It flies by rapidly (the ending maybe a little too quickly but still a fun ride), and the creepy gothic mansion had all the vibes 🏚️ If you are even remotely a mystery/thriller lover, I definitely recommend. Sager does not disappoint!!
---------------------
Pre-review:
Trying to cure my massive CC3 hangover with a thriller, is it a smart idea IDK!!! But here’s hoping it works 🤞🏼🤷🏻♀️
September 20, 2023
3.5 stars —Despite disliking several Riley Sager books I keep coming back for more. I believe this is because the book previews sound really interesting and the reviews by other readers are mostly positive. I definitively enjoyed “The Only One Left” much more than two of my all time eye rollers: “The House Across the Lake” and “Survive the Night.” Like most Riley Sager books, “The Only One Left” starts very strong with a great set up of having a disgraced home health nurse beginning a new job taking care of an invalid, elderly suspected murderer at the home where the killings took place. Kit, the nurse, takes a special interest in her patient, Lenora, after discovering that she can communicate through knocks and by typing on a typewriter with the only part of her body she can move, her hand. For 80 percent of this book I was fully invested as the author did an outstanding job building the plot around several subplots and the solution to the central mystery being revealed a little at the time through Lenora’s writings. Unfortunately the last 20 percent of this one was an absolute train wreck with the implausibilities stacking up to the point where I was grateful it was over. The coincidences the author has to rely on in order for the book to resolve as well as the absolutely ridiculous actions and reactions by main characters spoiled the whole book for me. Plus, does anyone believe that anyone would continue living on the edge of a cliff as it crumbles and cracks around them… Um no thanks.
Therefore my review looks like this -1st 80 percent of book: 5+ stars.
The last 20 percent of book 0 stars
Overall rating: 3.5
Smiles and sense of enjoyment upon completion: ☹️
Therefore my review looks like this -1st 80 percent of book: 5+ stars.
The last 20 percent of book 0 stars
Overall rating: 3.5
Smiles and sense of enjoyment upon completion: ☹️
July 13, 2023
sager's been hit or miss with me, but when he hits, he HITS. i loved this one. enough to bring me back to reviewing? WHAT WILL HAPPEN LET'S FIND OUT!
September 26, 2023
Holy Moly! What a ride! Highly recommend!
I listened to The Only One Left on audiobook. Captivating, mesmerizing, couldn't put it down. The narration by Christine Lakin is outstanding!
Kit is a home healthcare provider who was suspended due to the death of one of her patients. When she returns to work, she is given an assignment to care for a woman who has had a stroke and is believed to be the murderer of her parents and sister in 1929.
The suspense and drama heightens in every chapter compounded with wild twists and turns.
I listened to The Only One Left on audiobook. Captivating, mesmerizing, couldn't put it down. The narration by Christine Lakin is outstanding!
Kit is a home healthcare provider who was suspended due to the death of one of her patients. When she returns to work, she is given an assignment to care for a woman who has had a stroke and is believed to be the murderer of her parents and sister in 1929.
The suspense and drama heightens in every chapter compounded with wild twists and turns.
November 8, 2023
4.5/5
Ilość plottwistów prawie przyprawiła mnie o zawał. TA KSIĄŻKA JEST ŚWIETNA!
Ilość plottwistów prawie przyprawiła mnie o zawał. TA KSIĄŻKA JEST ŚWIETNA!
July 29, 2023
It’s best to approach Riley Sager’s latest release, The Only One Left, knowing as little as possible. To that end, allow me to fill you in…
This is a gothic whodunit set in 1983, where we meet Kit McDeere, a home-health aide providing live-in assistance to recluse Lenora Hope who’s confined to a wheelchair and, thanks to a stroke, able to use only her left hand to communicate.
Lenora was accused, though never convicted, of murdering her wealthy Maine family decades earlier in a Lizzie Borden-like massacre.
Now the subject of a playground rhyme — At 17, Lenora Hope / Hung her sister with a rope / Stabbed her father with a knife / Took her mother’s happy life / It wasn’t me, Lenora said / But she’s the only one not dead — Lenora has never spoken publicly about the murders nor has she been seen outside her family home since that night in 1929.
Caregiver Kit hasn’t worked since being suspended without pay six months earlier for failing to lock up a bottle of fentanyl that led to her last client’s fatal overdose.
Oh, I should also mention that Lenora’s last nurse up and left without any notice… in the middle of the night. Eeek.
Like all good gothic thrillers, the story's location is a character itself. The crumbling cliffside mansion, Hope’s End, teeters on the edge of the Atlantic. Sager provides vivid and haunting descriptions of the seaside home with its cracking walls, steadily tilting floors, shadowy doorways, footsteps at night, and blurry figures in windows.
The novel moves between Kit’s first-person narration in the present and Lenora’s typewritten account of her life leading up to the incident.
If you’re looking for twists, turns, and buried secrets, this story offers them in spades.
Much like Hope’s End itself, Sager will have you on the edge right up until the very last page.
This is a gothic whodunit set in 1983, where we meet Kit McDeere, a home-health aide providing live-in assistance to recluse Lenora Hope who’s confined to a wheelchair and, thanks to a stroke, able to use only her left hand to communicate.
Lenora was accused, though never convicted, of murdering her wealthy Maine family decades earlier in a Lizzie Borden-like massacre.
Now the subject of a playground rhyme — At 17, Lenora Hope / Hung her sister with a rope / Stabbed her father with a knife / Took her mother’s happy life / It wasn’t me, Lenora said / But she’s the only one not dead — Lenora has never spoken publicly about the murders nor has she been seen outside her family home since that night in 1929.
Caregiver Kit hasn’t worked since being suspended without pay six months earlier for failing to lock up a bottle of fentanyl that led to her last client’s fatal overdose.
Oh, I should also mention that Lenora’s last nurse up and left without any notice… in the middle of the night. Eeek.
Like all good gothic thrillers, the story's location is a character itself. The crumbling cliffside mansion, Hope’s End, teeters on the edge of the Atlantic. Sager provides vivid and haunting descriptions of the seaside home with its cracking walls, steadily tilting floors, shadowy doorways, footsteps at night, and blurry figures in windows.
The novel moves between Kit’s first-person narration in the present and Lenora’s typewritten account of her life leading up to the incident.
If you’re looking for twists, turns, and buried secrets, this story offers them in spades.
Much like Hope’s End itself, Sager will have you on the edge right up until the very last page.
November 15, 2023
okay, maybe i just give every riley sager book three stars, but this one was truly my favorite out of all the other ones i’ve read! 80’s setting, mansion on the coast of maine, a family massacre in a small sleepy town, the only survivor (who is also the only suspect) is now an old woman who needs 24/7 care, because her last nurse has left in the night never to be seen again! a lot of good and spooky atmosphere and allure, true? and we follow the newly hired caregiver, who grew up in this town with this haunted house, who is unable to say no for the position because of something very sad in her own life. And with the help of a typewriter, the spooky story of what really happened all of those years ago unfolds!
i honestly had a really good time with this, and my rating is for sure a very high three stars. this book will really keep you on your toes with guessing, and you will hit a point in the story where it is just all out constant reveal after reveal! this is something i did enjoy, but i feel like it was a little too much. kind of like when you’re on a rollercoaster and the first few dips and loops and plunges feel good, but if there are too many it loses the appeal and the fear, you know? but also take all of this with a grain of salt, because you all know i am not a big mystery thriller reader and reviewer! but i had a really fun time with this one overall, and for sure recommend. also, i really adored the ending of this one and thought it was close to perfect.
trigger + content warnings (please use caution reading these, because they do give away some major twists and plot reveals): toxic home, loss of a parent in past, talk of cancer, grief depiction, depression depiction, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, suicide attempt, abusive parents, captivity, nightmares, infidelity, overdose, talk of diet, negative body talk, slut shaming, pregnancy surprise, birth, blood, alcholism, drug addiction, bad medical help, brief insinuation of homophobia/homophobic parents in past, death, murder use of ouija board
♡ buddy read with Amy!
blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon
➽ The Last Time I Lied ★★★
➽ Lock Every Door ★★★
i honestly had a really good time with this, and my rating is for sure a very high three stars. this book will really keep you on your toes with guessing, and you will hit a point in the story where it is just all out constant reveal after reveal! this is something i did enjoy, but i feel like it was a little too much. kind of like when you’re on a rollercoaster and the first few dips and loops and plunges feel good, but if there are too many it loses the appeal and the fear, you know? but also take all of this with a grain of salt, because you all know i am not a big mystery thriller reader and reviewer! but i had a really fun time with this one overall, and for sure recommend. also, i really adored the ending of this one and thought it was close to perfect.
trigger + content warnings (please use caution reading these, because they do give away some major twists and plot reveals): toxic home, loss of a parent in past, talk of cancer, grief depiction, depression depiction, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, suicide attempt, abusive parents, captivity, nightmares, infidelity, overdose, talk of diet, negative body talk, slut shaming, pregnancy surprise, birth, blood, alcholism, drug addiction, bad medical help, brief insinuation of homophobia/homophobic parents in past, death, murder use of ouija board
♡ buddy read with Amy!
blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon
➽ The Last Time I Lied ★★★
➽ Lock Every Door ★★★
July 14, 2023
Ummm who is this man?!? This is the Riley Sager that I know from my earlier experiences. After reading his latest releases, I was convinced that I wouldn’t ever like Riley Sager’s works again. I talked myself into giving him one last try and HE DID NOT DISAPPOINT!
The Only One Left is difficult to describe without spoiling intricate parts of the plot. Taking place in 1983, the story follows home health aide Kit who is assigned to work with Lenora Hope. Rumor is that in 1929 Lenora killed not only on her father, but also her mother and sister. Battling demons of her own, Kit is hesitant to work as Lenora’s aid; however, due to a previous situation she isn’t left with any other options. What follows is a deep dive into the complicated and haunted past of Lenora Hope as Kit attempts to figure out if she’s really responsible for the death of her family.
What Worked: YOOOOOO! Riley Sager killed it with this one! The pacing, the plot…everything really worked well. While reading this book, I noticed a pattern related to my enjoyment of Riley Sager books. If he mixes gothic/paranormal elements in his books, I’m more likely to enjoy them (i.e. Lock Every Door & Home Before Dark). This book is a combination of those themes, but also delves into the relationships that can sometimes exist between caretakers and those that need assistance. I didn’t expect that to be such a major theme to the story, but it comes full circle at the end and really sheds a light on one’s ability to maintain or lose humanity. The plot twists in this were beyond exceptional. I did not expect to have such a physical and emotional reaction to the revelations. Sager got me with this one and usually it’s quite difficult to throw me off with thrillers and mysteries. I must say that he keeps this going until the very end of the book! This was clearly a culmination of great writing, plotting, and character development. Quite frankly, he’s set the bar fairly high with this one and I’m not sure whether subsequent works will be able to take its place in my personal ranking system.
Overall, this is my favorite Riley Sager book to date. I was convinced that I was going to give up on him, but this one changed my mind. Don’t ask anyone for any hints or summaries. Go into this one and enjoy the ride!
The Only One Left is difficult to describe without spoiling intricate parts of the plot. Taking place in 1983, the story follows home health aide Kit who is assigned to work with Lenora Hope. Rumor is that in 1929 Lenora killed not only on her father, but also her mother and sister. Battling demons of her own, Kit is hesitant to work as Lenora’s aid; however, due to a previous situation she isn’t left with any other options. What follows is a deep dive into the complicated and haunted past of Lenora Hope as Kit attempts to figure out if she’s really responsible for the death of her family.
What Worked: YOOOOOO! Riley Sager killed it with this one! The pacing, the plot…everything really worked well. While reading this book, I noticed a pattern related to my enjoyment of Riley Sager books. If he mixes gothic/paranormal elements in his books, I’m more likely to enjoy them (i.e. Lock Every Door & Home Before Dark). This book is a combination of those themes, but also delves into the relationships that can sometimes exist between caretakers and those that need assistance. I didn’t expect that to be such a major theme to the story, but it comes full circle at the end and really sheds a light on one’s ability to maintain or lose humanity. The plot twists in this were beyond exceptional. I did not expect to have such a physical and emotional reaction to the revelations. Sager got me with this one and usually it’s quite difficult to throw me off with thrillers and mysteries. I must say that he keeps this going until the very end of the book! This was clearly a culmination of great writing, plotting, and character development. Quite frankly, he’s set the bar fairly high with this one and I’m not sure whether subsequent works will be able to take its place in my personal ranking system.
Overall, this is my favorite Riley Sager book to date. I was convinced that I was going to give up on him, but this one changed my mind. Don’t ask anyone for any hints or summaries. Go into this one and enjoy the ride!
July 11, 2023
After reading ‘The House Across The Lake’ last year (and not much caring for it), I wasn’t sure if Sager would be able to redeem himself once again with this newest release. Well, he certainly has, because ‘The Only One Left’ is a real humdinger! 😉
In this story we have Kittredge (Kit) McDeere who becomes a live-in caretaker for the infamous Lenora Hope. Lenora Hope was accused of murdering her parents and sister in 1929. There was never enough evidence to formally charge and convict Lenora, therefore she never went to prison. However, Lenora has lived bedridden for decades due to paralysis from sickness and strokes- never leaving her room at Hope’s End, the mansion in which she grew up in. It seems as if Lenora has lived like a prisoner for decades. After meeting Kit, Lenora decides it’s time to tell her story…
Lenora is able to type on a typewriter with the only hand she is able to use, her left hand. While the sentences and words come out slow, Lenora sure has a story to tell! Kit McDeere will also stop at nothing to get this story from Lenora!
My advice to you is to read this book when you don’t have any plans, because you will want to read this book from start to finish with no interruptions! Trust me, if life and responsibilities didn’t get in the way, I would have devoured this book in one sitting!
My favorite book by Riley Sager is ‘Home Before Dark’, and this book is definitely a very close runner up (that’s why I had to drop a few points). Do I recommend this book? Heck yes!!
In this story we have Kittredge (Kit) McDeere who becomes a live-in caretaker for the infamous Lenora Hope. Lenora Hope was accused of murdering her parents and sister in 1929. There was never enough evidence to formally charge and convict Lenora, therefore she never went to prison. However, Lenora has lived bedridden for decades due to paralysis from sickness and strokes- never leaving her room at Hope’s End, the mansion in which she grew up in. It seems as if Lenora has lived like a prisoner for decades. After meeting Kit, Lenora decides it’s time to tell her story…
Lenora is able to type on a typewriter with the only hand she is able to use, her left hand. While the sentences and words come out slow, Lenora sure has a story to tell! Kit McDeere will also stop at nothing to get this story from Lenora!
My advice to you is to read this book when you don’t have any plans, because you will want to read this book from start to finish with no interruptions! Trust me, if life and responsibilities didn’t get in the way, I would have devoured this book in one sitting!
My favorite book by Riley Sager is ‘Home Before Dark’, and this book is definitely a very close runner up (that’s why I had to drop a few points). Do I recommend this book? Heck yes!!
November 3, 2023
This was really good and pulled me in from the start. It got more insane towards the ending and gave me whiplash from so many twists. 🤪👏💜
More mystery suspense than it is horror, The Only One Left gives a chilling vibe whether from the old crumbling cliff-side mansion on the coast of Maine, its dark secrets, or its little rhyme...
I love it when dual-timeline stories are equally gripping. The Hope family was introduced in 1929 prior to their deadly demise and in 1983 when Kit, a home health aid was placed to assist a reclusive and paralyzed Lenora Hope.
More mystery suspense than it is horror, The Only One Left gives a chilling vibe whether from the old crumbling cliff-side mansion on the coast of Maine, its dark secrets, or its little rhyme...
At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead
I love it when dual-timeline stories are equally gripping. The Hope family was introduced in 1929 prior to their deadly demise and in 1983 when Kit, a home health aid was placed to assist a reclusive and paralyzed Lenora Hope.
May 28, 2024
"...But that's not what you're most curious about, is it?
You want to know if I'm as evil as everyone says I am.
The answer is no.
And yes."
Lenora Hope, Lenora Hope, Lenora Hope...nope, she's not quite Bloody Mary, but she IS held responsible for the Hope family murders...and has her OWN schoolyard chant to boot! (Now, how many of us can say that? 😏) Accused of hanging her sister with a rope, and stabbing her father with a knife, and 'taking her mother's happy life,' Lenora was found at the scene (quite literally) with blood on her hands and has been essentially in hiding at her home, the creepy and crumbling mansion known as Hope's End, ever since that terrifying day in 1929.
It's now 1983, and Kit McDeere has accepted her next home health care aide assignment: she's going to be LIVING at the literal scene of the crime as an in-home caregiver for none other than Lenora Hope herself. Lenora is now in her seventies, and a series of strokes have caused her body to deteriorate...but her mind? Not so much. Kit finds out one night that while Lenora is wheelchair bound and unable to speak, she CAN communicate...in a very peculiar way. She can type (albeit slowly) on a typewriter and one day she makes Kit a tantalizing offer: " I want to tell you everything."
Stunned by her request, Kit is hesitant to hear the all of the ugly details kept secret over the course of many years...secrets that seem to have driven Lenora's previous caregiver away in the middle of the night...but something inside her just CAN'T refuse Lenora. As the mansion at Hope's End literally begins to crumble beneath them, sliding ever closer to the sea, will Kit learn the terrifying truth and set the record straight on behalf of her newfound 'friend'? Why are the other inhabitants of the mansion STILL THERE, after everything time and tragedy has put them through? And is there someone out there so determined to keep Lenora quiet that they'll do just about ANYTHING to keep the truth from bubbling to the surface...even if it means Kit is the next one to die?
There are a few things you can count on when picking up a Riley Sager book:
1) There will be thrills, chills, (and in most cases) a TRULY terrifying setting.
2) The chapters will be short, driving, and will sometimes keep you FRANTIC for just one more chapter...and this might be his most addicting book yet!
3) The book as a whole is going to pay tribute to other greats in the genre or will serve as an homage to the some of the beloved tropes in the genre. Sager's tackled everything from haunted houses to final girls, and this one feels like one part gothic, spooky house book and two parts murder mystery.
But there's a fourth hallmark of Sager's that I WISH he would leave behind him, and this is the reason I once again cannot give this book 5 stars.
4) ONE twist too many. Every. Single. Time.
This plot is interesting, addictive, and after the main reveal, I was ABSOLUTELY taken by surprise. The characters were complex, the background and all of the diary entries we got to read were enticing, the setting felt REAL (and frankly, Hope's End was one of the most terrifying characters in the book! 😱)...all of the elements were there. All signs were go, and I was racing towards the end, full speed ahead.
...But then it happened.
And once again, I was left sort of scratching my head wondering WHY Sager just keeps...going there. It's almost like he doesn't trust his readers to think his books are 'twisty enough' without this sort of ending. The irony is that he excels in other areas, from atmosphere to character development, and doesn't need to rely on such EXTREME gotcha twists that involve paranormal elements and the like to hold his readers' attention.
This is not to say his books would be entertaining WITHOUT twists, because that is certainly a large part of his appeal as a writer and an element I've come to expect in his writing. I think it's just such a difficult experience as a reader to end on sort of a disappointed sigh rather than a true sigh of satisfaction, particularly when you're at the end of a book that started as a 5 star read...and despite the aforementioned issues, I do think this is Sager's strongest effort to date (although I must admit I've skipped a few! 🙈) Sure, there's some suspension of disbelief (okay, okay a A LOT of suspension of disbelief) involved for ALL of the coincidences to pan out just so, but at this point, it feels pretty much like the price of admission if you're going on this ride...so needless to say, you've been warned! 🎡
And although Beetlejuice and Bloody Mary might have this particular market cornered...just to be safe?
I would avoid saying Lenora's name three times in row... especially if you're in front of a mirror!
😉
4.5 stars
Nominated for Best Mystery/Thriller in the Goodreads Choice Awards! Now in paperback!
You want to know if I'm as evil as everyone says I am.
The answer is no.
And yes."
Lenora Hope, Lenora Hope, Lenora Hope...nope, she's not quite Bloody Mary, but she IS held responsible for the Hope family murders...and has her OWN schoolyard chant to boot! (Now, how many of us can say that? 😏) Accused of hanging her sister with a rope, and stabbing her father with a knife, and 'taking her mother's happy life,' Lenora was found at the scene (quite literally) with blood on her hands and has been essentially in hiding at her home, the creepy and crumbling mansion known as Hope's End, ever since that terrifying day in 1929.
It's now 1983, and Kit McDeere has accepted her next home health care aide assignment: she's going to be LIVING at the literal scene of the crime as an in-home caregiver for none other than Lenora Hope herself. Lenora is now in her seventies, and a series of strokes have caused her body to deteriorate...but her mind? Not so much. Kit finds out one night that while Lenora is wheelchair bound and unable to speak, she CAN communicate...in a very peculiar way. She can type (albeit slowly) on a typewriter and one day she makes Kit a tantalizing offer: " I want to tell you everything."
Stunned by her request, Kit is hesitant to hear the all of the ugly details kept secret over the course of many years...secrets that seem to have driven Lenora's previous caregiver away in the middle of the night...but something inside her just CAN'T refuse Lenora. As the mansion at Hope's End literally begins to crumble beneath them, sliding ever closer to the sea, will Kit learn the terrifying truth and set the record straight on behalf of her newfound 'friend'? Why are the other inhabitants of the mansion STILL THERE, after everything time and tragedy has put them through? And is there someone out there so determined to keep Lenora quiet that they'll do just about ANYTHING to keep the truth from bubbling to the surface...even if it means Kit is the next one to die?
There are a few things you can count on when picking up a Riley Sager book:
1) There will be thrills, chills, (and in most cases) a TRULY terrifying setting.
2) The chapters will be short, driving, and will sometimes keep you FRANTIC for just one more chapter...and this might be his most addicting book yet!
3) The book as a whole is going to pay tribute to other greats in the genre or will serve as an homage to the some of the beloved tropes in the genre. Sager's tackled everything from haunted houses to final girls, and this one feels like one part gothic, spooky house book and two parts murder mystery.
But there's a fourth hallmark of Sager's that I WISH he would leave behind him, and this is the reason I once again cannot give this book 5 stars.
4) ONE twist too many. Every. Single. Time.
This plot is interesting, addictive, and after the main reveal, I was ABSOLUTELY taken by surprise. The characters were complex, the background and all of the diary entries we got to read were enticing, the setting felt REAL (and frankly, Hope's End was one of the most terrifying characters in the book! 😱)...all of the elements were there. All signs were go, and I was racing towards the end, full speed ahead.
...But then it happened.
And once again, I was left sort of scratching my head wondering WHY Sager just keeps...going there. It's almost like he doesn't trust his readers to think his books are 'twisty enough' without this sort of ending. The irony is that he excels in other areas, from atmosphere to character development, and doesn't need to rely on such EXTREME gotcha twists that involve paranormal elements and the like to hold his readers' attention.
This is not to say his books would be entertaining WITHOUT twists, because that is certainly a large part of his appeal as a writer and an element I've come to expect in his writing. I think it's just such a difficult experience as a reader to end on sort of a disappointed sigh rather than a true sigh of satisfaction, particularly when you're at the end of a book that started as a 5 star read...and despite the aforementioned issues, I do think this is Sager's strongest effort to date (although I must admit I've skipped a few! 🙈) Sure, there's some suspension of disbelief (okay, okay a A LOT of suspension of disbelief) involved for ALL of the coincidences to pan out just so, but at this point, it feels pretty much like the price of admission if you're going on this ride...so needless to say, you've been warned! 🎡
And although Beetlejuice and Bloody Mary might have this particular market cornered...just to be safe?
I would avoid saying Lenora's name three times in row... especially if you're in front of a mirror!
😉
4.5 stars
Nominated for Best Mystery/Thriller in the Goodreads Choice Awards! Now in paperback!
June 17, 2023
At seventeen, Lenora Hope; Hung her sister with a rope; Stabbed her father with a knife; Took her mother’s happy life
The captivating tale of Lenora Hope and the enigma surrounding Hope's End Mansion has intrigued everyone. School children used to sing rhymes about Lenora, accusing her of murdering her entire family. However, she was never convicted, and now, in her old age and frailty, she requires a full-time caregiver.
Kit, a caregiver who was forced to take six months of unpaid leave after an unconventional death occurred under her watch, returns to work only to be assigned the task of looking after Lenora Hope. Kit remembers the stories and the rhymes from her school days. Can she handle this assignment?
With a slow start, I held my breath, knowing that slow beginnings don't always bode well. However, I was proven wrong as the story quickly picked up pace after the first few chapters. I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing the bond that developed between Kit and Lenora, with Kit giving Lenora the opportunity to express herself through writing her story on a typewriter. This meant we were treated to two points of view in the book: Kit's main narrative and enticing excerpts of Lenora's story as she typed them out. It was a masterful way of enhancing the overall tale.
I genuinely relished reading this book. It drew me in and kept me fully engaged with the twists that seemed never ending. Being a devoted fan of Riley, I am delighted with how this one turned out!
Thank you once again to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
The captivating tale of Lenora Hope and the enigma surrounding Hope's End Mansion has intrigued everyone. School children used to sing rhymes about Lenora, accusing her of murdering her entire family. However, she was never convicted, and now, in her old age and frailty, she requires a full-time caregiver.
Kit, a caregiver who was forced to take six months of unpaid leave after an unconventional death occurred under her watch, returns to work only to be assigned the task of looking after Lenora Hope. Kit remembers the stories and the rhymes from her school days. Can she handle this assignment?
With a slow start, I held my breath, knowing that slow beginnings don't always bode well. However, I was proven wrong as the story quickly picked up pace after the first few chapters. I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing the bond that developed between Kit and Lenora, with Kit giving Lenora the opportunity to express herself through writing her story on a typewriter. This meant we were treated to two points of view in the book: Kit's main narrative and enticing excerpts of Lenora's story as she typed them out. It was a masterful way of enhancing the overall tale.
I genuinely relished reading this book. It drew me in and kept me fully engaged with the twists that seemed never ending. Being a devoted fan of Riley, I am delighted with how this one turned out!
Thank you once again to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39,406 reviews