The Last One

This played on the familiar survival-reality-show tropes very well and although you knew where the plot might lead you, the way in which it all played out was very engrossing and very well done!

I don???t typically watch those type of reality shows but when they???re sad amidst a outbreak apocalypse situation it then turns into a post-apocalyptic tale of starting over.

I received this ARC from my job and this, in no way, impacts my review.


A reality TV show where twelve contestants are sent into the woods to face survival challenges that will test their stills. While they are out there a flu spreads but is it natural or is it man-made and how far has it spread? Cut off from society, the contestants know nothing of the outside world. When one of them—a young woman called Zoo—stumbles across the devastation, she can imagine only that it is part of the game. As the story continues she is tested physicality and mentally but Zoo thinks no matter what they do she will not give up. But what happens when it becomes just way to real.
What a great premise. It was a little slow to hook me but all of a sudden I almost missed my subway stop. The author is clear when switching between past and present time. I thought the way Zoo's mind dealt with certain situations was believable. I thought Zoo was a great character. The novel was short, entertaining, and very well written. I think people who watch reality TV shows will love this book. This is the author's first novel I can't wait for the second!

The Last One follows the adventures of a woman named Zoo, a contestant in a wilderness survival show. It employs two timelines which switch between the early days of the competition and later when Zoo is on her own.

The highlight of the book is the commentary on how reality shows such as Survivor manipulate both the contestants and the viewers through clever editing and casting personality types for maximum drama. This was further shown by the inclusion of forum posts by viewers of the show, which provided insight as to the viewers' opinions as well as information on what was happening in the world outside the show.

A minor complaint is that the characters were referred to by their stereotyped nicknames throughout the great majority of the novel, so on the few occasions when characters address each other with their real names, it causes a moment of confusion and breaks immersion. A much larger problem is the inconsistency in Zoo's character. Without spoiling, she is repeatedly described as independent, intelligent, and resourceful... but fails to recognize the reality of what is happening around her for much longer than is believable.

Despite these problems, The Last One is a promising debut with an original premise. A fast-paced, fun read good for fans of both post-apocalyptic settings and reality shows.

Provided for review by NetGalley.

2.5 stars, I think. It's not bad. It even has some really lovely paragraphs. But it's one of those gimmicky sort-of science-fictiony-apocalyptic literary fiction novels that young, privileged, well-educated, usually white people write. The cast has some diversity, but I tired of one character's designation being Black Doctor. And the main character was dull, even in her spiral toward insanity. And frustrating, because she gets downright mean to a child of thirteen and seems to think throughout most of the book that he's a college student–and there is definitely an awkward racial element there. Which is, unfortunately, realistic. And whilst I'm no believer in the god of the big three monotheisms, I'm really bored with the insane Christian trope. If it were something different, but it rarely is.

So it's not bad, it's even enjoyable at times, but nothing original is happening here. It is, however, better than ‘Security' or ‘The Three.' And certainly better than ‘The Passage' trilogy from Hell.

More like 3 and a 1/2 stars. Above average in writing but adding nothing to the dystopian cannon, The Last One is enjoyable as a survival tale. You know I love survival tales. I lost interest a little past the halfway point and pushed myself to finish it. The concept was clever and I found myself cheering Zoo on, but it wasn't enough to invest me in the story or it's world. It's me. I've just read too much dystopian fiction at this point. I cannot agreed with other reviews that it is similar to Station Eleven in any way beyond the obvious.