If you need a thriller with turns and short chapters, this is for you (But check your trigger warnings)!

Perla Wultz seems to have it all - the perfect life, the doting husband, the best child - but does she really? Leewood Fulcrum has been in jail for 23 years after confessing that he killed young girls at his daughter's sleepover. Now, he's being questioned by a doctoral student and Leewood claims that there's more to the story. The two narratives start to intertwine in a story filled with twists and turns.

I'll admit, this wasn't my favorite thriller I've read. I was able to guess a couple of the big twists early on, which made it less fun of a read. This also felt like a longer book than it actually was, and I think it was because there were SO many chapters (over 90 in a 350 page b0ok - come on!). The chapters aren't all done the same (some have character name POVs and some don't) so that made keeping up with whose POV it was frustrating, as well as the switching back and forth from 1st person to 3rd person POV. 


Once I was in the thick of the book (around 60% in), this book got really likable and fun to read! So if you can stick it out to that point, then you're golden! 

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an eARC of this book! All opinions are my own!

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

It's no secret that I'm a fan of A.R. Torre's thrillers, as there is just something about her writing that is highly addictive. I've been highly anticipating her next book, and I was intrigued by The Last Party as soon as I read the blurb. Now that I've had the chance to read it, I'm happy to announce that this newest story once again more than lived up to expectations for me! Secrets, intrigue, a seriously twisted main character... This story has it all and more.

I'm going to keep this review short, because The Last Party is one of those stories where it's best to go in blind to be able to appreciate the full impact of the plot twists and revelations. The Last Party uses a multiple POV structure and also incorporated other mediums including a journal, podcast excerpts and emails along the way. The story mainly switches between Perla Wultz and the convicted Leewood Folcum though, and both POVs were strong in its own way. You immediately get the sense that there is something not quite right about Perla, but not knowing exactly what or why adds a healthy dose of suspense. I can also always appreciate a prison POV, and I was intrigued by how Leewood connected to the present situation.

Like I said before, there is just something about A.R. Torre's writing that is extremely addictive, and I simply couldn't stop reading. It is SO easy to keep turning those pages, and the building up of suspense is very well done. I love how you are kept in the dark about the true nature of certain characters for a long time, and it only gives the resulting situation even more impact. There were a couple big twists I didn't see coming at all, and the bits I did guess right didn't make me enjoy the story any less. The journey alone is well worth it even though you do see certain things coming!

The Last Party is a dark and compelling psychological thriller that focuses on a past crime as well as an escalating present situation. It shows us the twistedness of the human mind, and how not everything is as it seems on the surface... Especially Perla's characterization is sublimely done, although the rest of the cast doesn't disappoint either. If you like this kind of thriller, you will be in for an absolute treat!