The Last House Guest

This is not a "bad" book, but for some reason I did not connect with Avery as the lead character. When that happens, it does not matter whether the mystery is good or not. There were so many houses and settings that it was difficult to follow where the action was happening at any given time. Then we have the proverbial flashbacks... I was disappointed. Kristi & Abby Tabby

Being a Midwesterner, I love reading about "summer people vs. locals/townies." This is a great thriller featuring a beach community, a questionable suicide, and a group of 20-somethings looking for the truth about what happened that night. Recommend to patrons who enjoy both beach reads and mysteries/thrillers.

A very disappointing read. The premise sounded very enticing but the writing let it down. It was slow, boring and no real excitement or twisty plot. A waste of a few hours.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A mystery you’ll have fun trying to solve!

PLOT SUMMARY: Avery has been dealt some tough blows in her life. An orphan in her teens, she careens towards self destruction and angrily pushes away anyone who loves her. That is until she meets Sadie Loman, a rich outsider in their town who decides to make Avery her personal project. They become the best of friends, until the summer her body is found at the base of the cliffs, dead through an apparent suicide.

But Avery just cannot believe that Sadie, so full of life and energy, would have taken her own life. Wouldn’t she have seen the signs? And if it wasn’t suicide then who had reason to kill her? Or is this all just Avery’s overactive, angry imagination taking over??

PROS: I really liked the characters in this one - broken yet strong Avery, and Sadie’s character, formed in flashbacks, was very compelling as well. The plot was fast paced and the setting of Littleport was one I’d love to see for myself, if it truly exists! The ending isn’t impossible to figure out, which made it fun to read along and guess.

CONS: There is nothing wrong with this book - it’s quite a good mystery!! While there’s nothing particularly new or groundbreaking about the mystery, it has a solid, well drawn out plot - I try to judge each book as if it’s the first thriller I’ve read, that way I don’t mark authors down due to my own dissatisfaction with the genre. For me, mixing up genres always helps, that way I don’t overdose on one and become sick of it!

YES or NO: It’s a YES - as far as I’m concerned, Megan Miranda’s writing just keeps getting better and better!

4 Stars

Ok. Very repetitive. Best part was the last few chapters.

Excellent read! Keeps you in suspense the whole way through!

I loved this book, is a griping story and i wouldn't have guest the end of this all story. If you are expecting violence, or drama like gone girl, this is not for you, but it's definitely a fun and intriguing book.

I loved this book! I went in with 0 expectations, and didn’t think I would be into it after the first couple chapters BUT it was juicy and kept me guessing until the very, very end. I felt it was one of the few mysteries that DID lay everything out from the beginning and fully answered every clue as it went, with the biggest mystery not revealed until the very end.

Recommended by Polly

As mysteries go, this one was just ok, not thrilling and not shocking, just meh.