The Only One Left
Ratings288
Average rating3.9
I finished this book in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. Lots of interesting twists. I enjoyed it and would recommend.
I was really enjoying this book until the end. Too many plot twists which made the ending cheesy. 2.5 stars.
Why was the book so convoluted?
The caretaker's father just happened to be the old love interest of the paralyzed mute patient? The patient was actually the (not) dead sibling of the patient? Oh and she wasnt mute or paralyzed? Oh and the house is on a crumbling cliff? And the maid is the surprise granddaughter? Geez.
This book was a wild ride full of twists and turns at every corner, especially towards the end. The ending answers all questions and doesn't leave anything unanswered which is nice. The ending had my mouth wide open! Totally recommend!
This was going so well! Until suddenly it wasn't.
I'm frustrated with this one. It had so much potential! The gothic vibes were fantastic, I was so invested in the story, and then after a while, I felt like the author just started throwing reveal after reveal and SO MANY DETAILS MADE NO SENSE AT ALL.
I'm baffled by this. But it had me for at least half of the book. And then it all went to hell. Sigh.
Loved the vibes, but the ending gave me whiplash with the number of twists. I LOVE twists, but a few of them left me a little confused and felt like Sager was throwing ideas at a wall or couldn't decide which twist he liked best so just did them all. Still, the atmosphere was great, very vivid and I loved the typewriter aspect. I also enjoyed the final final letter, it tied everything together nicely. Can't decide if I like this or Home Before Dark more, but similar gothic haunted-house trope and is the formula I think Riley Sager does best!
The Only One Left is the first book by Riley Sager that I am reading, after hearing so much about his books. I was intrigued because of its gothic, Rebecca like mystery narrative.
There was a lot about it I enjoyed. The prose it self was absolutely gorgeous. I loved the way he not only brings out the emotion of scene but also somehow makes it part of the scenery.
The book starts off quite slow, and typical for a modern thriller - a woman with a “past” is thrown into a new job which she is clearly uncomfortable with but has no option but to abide by it. Few days after starting her new job, she uncovers a mystery regarding the one she is caring for.
There definitely are some twisty plot twists in the novel. If you've read enough, you can see some of them coming. But some of the plot twists tend to stretch what is believable, and that didn't really help in the enjoyment of the book.
It's definitely an intriguing book, its gothic setting and prose are definite plus points, but it's the second half and the reveals related to the mystery at heart that disappointed me.
** SPOILER**
I'm not a fan of books where the protagonist has a coincidental connection to the mystery at heart. But it wasn't just that, even the previous Caregiver had a connection to the mystery and the woman (women?) at the heart of it.
All of these connections seemed a few too many to be plausible.
Which led to my diminished enjoyment of the book.
** SPOILER**
Had me on the edge of my seat multiple times, with many plot twists I didn't see coming!
4.5 (rounded up)
Was it the best written book ever? No
Was it over the top towards the end (2 books released in 2023 come to mind)? Yes
Did I have fun? Absolutely
The last RS book I genuinely liked was Lock every door and after the misses with his last 2 books, I was hesistant with this one. I think the premise and setting was good with a suprisingly unannoying MC. He did a good job of maintaining the suspense with the backstory. I do think it got a bit repetitive and slow at times. I honestly didn't mind the twists. As I said, I've read two popular books this year with crazy twists, so coming into this, I was sort of prepared
Ik hield echt van de sfeer: gothic met het verlaten landhuis dat gevaarlijk boven een klif torent. Maar het enorme aantal wendingen maakt het geheel gewoon belachelijk. Het verhaal gaat letterlijk en figuurlijk over de kliffen, stort neer en wordt meegesleurd door de golven.
“I can only run into the hallway while continuing to scream as it all unfolds like a slow-motion car crash in front of me.”
Het grootste deel van de spanning is enerzijds de setting en anderzijds onze grillige hoofdpersoon die steeds maar conclusies trekt, naar elke gril handelt en zichzelf opjut.
De eindonthulling was er gewoon te veel aan. HOE kun je meer dan VIJFTIG jaar lang doen alsof je bijna volledig verlamd bent? Belangrijker nog: WAAROM zou je dat doen? Gewoon om je zus te pesten? Ugh!!
Going into this I went into it with little to no expectations and I was blown awayy. The twists and turns, the gothic atmosphere, the suspensful and thrilling aspect, how fast paced it was; all elements I love in a thriller!
Finished it in a day tooo thats how you know its good
Absolutely one of my favourite book of this year, so many twists!! A cliff hanger!! ( you get it
This book left me unsettled and creeped out as an avid mystery reader. Which I'm 99.9% certain was due to the creaking house on an eroding cliff.
4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This had a great start! Kept me super engaged. I love a haunted house trope and the gothic atmosphere really helped make it feel creepy.
You're following Kit in the present (set in the 80s) and Lenora's typewriting telling you what happened back in 1929 when the family murders happened. I don't feel like this needed to be set in the 80s, there was nothing that made you think they were back in that time so I forgot that tidbit often.
I also feel like this could've been 50 pages shorter and about 5 LESS twists. I LOVE a good twist but he kept going... and kept going... and kept going.. and I just felt like the more twists that came up, made everything feel too convenient and unbelievable. The toooo many twists and the fact it should've been a little shorter is what knocked it down a star.
Regardless, the atmosphere and story were intriguing so I very much enjoyed!
Such a good book but whyyyy so many plot twists?? I don't even know if I remember all of them and I just finished it
The first 2/3 of this book were great. I was fully on board, enjoying the storytelling, and happy that nothing too crazy had happened. Then the last 1/3 happened. That's when it devolved into complete and utter nonsensical, unbelievable madness (red herring, twist, red herring, twist, red herring, twist, ad nauseam) until the end. Like what even was this?? So the 3 stars are for the first 2/3 of the book and the last 1/3 can fuck right off.
I basically freaked out over the release of this cover. It's clear riff on/nod to And Then There Were None both in cover and name—And the complementary colors? A favorite cover this year for sure.
The novel features the recently accused/first person perspective of Kit, a care giver out of options. So when her boss sends her to the Hope's cliff mansion, she has no choice but to agree. The place has a dark past, the kind of past that gets altered over generations. Now their story's little more than a schoolyard chant, Kit didn't even know that Lenora was actually alive. Lenora is entirely reliant on her caregivers, but she does have one working hand that she can use to communicate... and type.
I really enjoyed this story. It is a slow burn, but the revelations and chapter endings keep you going. There is a slight level of creepiness, but it doesn't go supernatural. A mansion on a slowly crumbling ocean cliff is a great setting.
It does suffer a bit from what I've said about several other recent thrillers, where there is just so much thrown in. But Sager does handle it very well. Additionally, I was a bit held up because I feel like it really is like 60-80 pages longer than it needed to be.
Personally a 4.5/5*, not bad at all for my second Sager read.
Fun read, quite fast paced, good plot twists and ending. If you're in a reading slump, try this.