Hi everyone! Today I’m going to be reviewing The Last Girl by Goldy Moldavsky.
Rating: ✯✯✯✯✯
The Last Girl follows the protagonist, Rachel, when she starts at a new school. As an avid horror fan, she is intrigued about the school’s mysterious horror pranks, and is soon recruited by the secret Mary Shelley Club, with their terrifying Fear Tests. However, what starts out as fun soon turns deadly as her past catches up with her, and things take a frightening turn…
In all honesty, I think the thing which really made this book was the Fear Tests. The idea of taking a typical horror trope and using it to play a prank on someone was really original, and the tests the group came up with were brilliant. They definitely ensured that there was never a dull moment and kept up the fast pace of the book, which I really appreciated!
Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing Mary Shelley Club – who were interesting, to say the least. Most of these characters were incredibly well developed, with multiple layers and sides to them, which was amazing to see. My favourite would probably have to be Thayer, who was incredibly funny and kind!
Of course, Rachel’s character development was also superb. Reading her progress from the beginning through to the end was amazing, and I really admired how strong her character was. It was great reading her begin to come to terms with her past and her trauma, and see her come out the other side.
I also really liked Rachel and Saundra’s friendship. Although it was a little unusual to start with, they became great friends during the book, and I loved the bond the two shared. It was really lovely seeing them grow closer (despite Rachel’s secrets) and I really admired Saundra’s unwavering loyalty in standing by her.
The horror references were also brilliant. Alongside the Fear Tests, the club had regular horror movie screenings, where they debated all things horror movies too. As someone who isn’t that into horror movies I still found this great and I can only imagine how much a true horror fan would appreciate these references!
Of course, it would be impossible to talk about The Last Girl without mentioning the action… And the Fear Tests ensured that there was plenty! One of the things I look for most in a thriller is definitely lots of action, and it’s safe to say this didn’t disappoint. It was great seeing it all escalate and come to a terrifying peak at the end!
Speaking of the ending… Wow. Just wow! There was so much going on and it was very chaotic, and I loved every second of it. It was probably up there with one of my favourite book endings that I’ve read, and I honestly think it would be amazing seeing it all as a film. I’d really love to see The Last Girl adapted to film, that’s for sure!
The twist was also superb. Although I did guess it relatively early on, the various roads the book went down soon had me dismissing this and suspecting a multitude of other characters! This all meant that the final reveal still had that epic shock element, which was amazing to see.
Overall, I would recommend The Last Girl for any fan of thrillers or horror, as this had both plenty of action and references to horror films. I would also recommend it to any fan of Pretty Little Liars or Gossip Girl, as this had all the mysteries of Pretty Little Liars combined with the drama and scandal of Gossip Girl, which certainly made for a captivating read!
Are you a fan of thrillers? Do you think you’ll be picking up The Last Girl any time soon? Let me know in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed this review!
Ceri
Read And Review It 
Oh, I haven’t heard of this one before but I’m such a fan of thrillers. It looks great!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh I’m so glad I could bring it to your attention then, thrillers are great! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
I love a good thriller and your review of this one makes it sound like a fine book! The character sound interesting and the action perfectly paced; even the title helps bring the overall feel together. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
So do I; they’re always so much fun! It definitely is, everything was brought together so nicely. Thank you so much for reading and commenting 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think I’d ever be able to sleep again if I read a book like this. The combo of horror AND thriller in one? Literally too, TOO much for my overactive imagination that’s afraid of every single thing. But I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I have a ton of bookstagram and book blogging friends that love these genres so I’ll have to recommend this title to them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh that’s completely understandable haha, the genre’s certainly not for everyone! I hope they enjoy it if they end up picking it up, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
I haven’t read a thriller before but would certainly like to give it a go! The character sounds super engaging and intriguing. Thanks for sharing – I’ve jotted the author and title down to prepare for my summer holiday!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d definitely recommend giving it a go then! They definitely are, I really hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review Ceri!!! It sounds like there are some really interesting characters and an nice thriller here!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! It definitely is, I’d really recommend it. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLike
I’m such a fan of thrillers and I’ve been meaning to read this book. Thanks for the honest review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes thrillers are the best, aren’t they?! I really hope you enjoy it, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
I love me a good thriller! This book sounds right up my street. I’ll defiantly be purchasing and giving this a read asap. Thank you so much for sharing lovely Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
So do I, thrillers are always so much fun! Ooh I’m so glad to hear this sounds like something you’d enjoy, I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Thank you so much for reading and commenting xx
LikeLike
A great review as always Ceri, and it sounds intriguing but I confess probably not a book for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! That’s completely understandable, it’s not for everyone. Thank you so much for reading and commenting anyway!
LikeLike
This book sounds interesting. Just like something that I would enjoy reading. Thank you for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It definitely is, I’m so glad I could bring it to your attention! I hope you enjoy it if you end up reading, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
I’m not really a horror or thriller fan but this does sound like an unputdownable book, which is always something I look for – might have to give this one a try. Fab review Ceri, thank you for not giving away any spoilers!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d definitely recommend giving it a go anyway – I definitely couldn’t put it down! Of course, I think spoiler free reviews are so important. I hope you enjoy if you do end up reading, thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLike
This book sounds so intriguing Ceri! I really enjoyed reading your review and glad you loved this book. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It definitely is, I’d really recommend it! I’m so glad you enjoyed my review, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
This sounds like my kind of book! I love horror movies and Gossip Girl! This sounds like a great story filled with action and twists. I’ll definitely add this to my list. Thank you for sharing such a great review! I hope your week is going well so far!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh I’m so glad to hear that, they’re both the best! It definitely is, the twists definitely made this stand out. Thank you so much for reading and commenting, I hope you’re having a lovely week too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds like such an intriguing book! I love all things horror so I will definitely be checking it out! Thank you for your amazing recommendation yet again!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It definitely is! I’m so glad to hear that, I really hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLike
I don’t mind thrillers too much, and this one does intrigue me. I might have to add this to my Audible list 🙂 I do love a story with a good and satisfying ending 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes satisfying endings are absolutely everything! I hope you enjoy the audible version if you do add it, thank you so much for reading and commenting 🙂
LikeLike
Wowza! This one sounds very interesting! & I love me some character development in YA books and horror 😀 Will definitely check this one out, on my way to Amazon now * brb* xx Penny / http://www.whatdidshetype.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
It definitely is! Character development is definitely something I look out for in a book too, it’s so important. I hope you enjoy it haha, thank you so much for reading and commenting xx
LikeLike
This is an interesting review, love it when it has a great ending. I’ve never read this before. Thank you for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Yes great endings are everything. I’d definitely recommend picking it up, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
What an awesome and thorough review!
I don’t often read horror anymore, though I did a lot when I was a teen. This book sounds like a fun and unique twist on the genre with a lot of well written characters and references. Thanks for sharing about this one! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Yes I don’t read much horror either, but I did really enjoy this! It definitely is, it was a really interesting addition. Thank you so much for reading and commenting 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
As a horror fan who likes thriller novels, I am intrigued! Thank you for the thorough review.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh I’m so glad to hear that I could bring it to your attention then! I hope you enjoy it if you end up reading, thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLike
This sounds like such a fascinating concept for a thriller! Horror isn’t typically my genre, but thrillers certainly are, so I might check this out, maybe for my October TBR. Thanks for sharing Ceri, great review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It definitely is, the premise was so intriguing! I’m the same actually, but I still appreciated the horror elements of this – and it would definitely be perfect for Halloween! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLiked by 1 person