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Final Girls: A Novel
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Final Girls: A Novel
Unavailable
Final Girls: A Novel
Audiobook12 hours

Final Girls: A Novel

Written by Riley Sager

Narrated by Erin Bennett and Hillary Huber

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

"The first great thriller of 2017 is here: Final Girls, by Riley Sager. If you liked Gone Girl, you'll like this."—Stephen King
 
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet.
 
Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won't even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.
 
That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 11, 2017
ISBN9781524776800
Unavailable
Final Girls: A Novel

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Reviews for Final Girls

Rating: 3.799378901863354 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When first we meet Quincy, she's covered in blood and running for her life after whomever she was with (we uncover that part along the way) was killed (because that's pretty much all she can say...they're all dead). An experience like that is sure to have some lasting affect on the psyche, but years later, she seems to be doing fine or at least as fine as can be expected, and has a decent support system set up between her loving other half, her "savior" from that dreaded night, and a few (sorta) friends. You might say things could essentially be called "peachy"...until they can't. When news of Lisa's passing reached Quincy, she's rattled, but when Samantha comes out of the woodwork, she's rocked to the core. Things begin to shake loose from their carefully concealed hiding places, but when the final brick comes out of Quincy's mental wall, you won't even know where to turn.

    The author makes sure to have readers in his grip from the very start. With the carefully constructed story, he maintains the air of mystery (deceit? lies? half-hatched plans of craziness?) rather well, leaving the final reveal to shock, awe, and otherwise make you rethink so many things that have transpired. There are things you at first believed innocent that take a walk on the sinister side, while vice versa for the pure villainy we saw with our own eyes. I was totally suspicious of Sam, but then Quincy also has shades of crazy to her character that kept you second guessing. In other words, good stuff!

    In the end, though I don't read as many novels in this genre nowadays, I was compelled to keep turning pages from start to finish...and I did not see that finale coming!


    **copy received for review
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    3.5 stars. I really don’t know how to articulate what I’m feeling after finishing this book. I really loved the first third of this book. It read very quickly and I enjoyed digging into the story. I started having a problem as the book goes on. I really didn’t like the way Quincy started behaving. It felt forced and unnatural for the character thus far into the book. I enjoyed the flashbacks and mystery of her memory loss but to be completely honest, I called the ending immediately. Early on I figured out the other supposed twist. Not exact details but the major ones. I loved the beginning but once this story started digging in to the major plot points it lost some traction for me. This was my first attempt at a “horror” book and I think it was a good first choice. There wasn’t an overwhelming amount of blood or gore, which I wasn’t really wanting. Maybe someone who reads mostly typical horror stories would have missed the ending, but since I read so many twisty thrillers this plot was pretty transparent. With that said, the writer was beautiful. Sager’s word choices are incredible and so descriptive. The dialogue felt juvenile at points but her descriptive language is some of my favorite writings of 2017
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Any horror movie fan is familiar with the "final girl" trope. The one girl who makes it out alive from the massacre going on in the movie. Usually, she ends up killing the killer. This book looks at what life is like for the "final girl" after she is rescued and safe. Having to deal with the fame, and the constant media presence, people who just want a piece of her.

    Quincy is a final girl, having survived a massacre at an isolated cabin in the woods. Lisa and Sam are also final girls, and the press keeps trying to lump all three of them together. Quincy is against meeting them, until she hears about Lisa's death. Initially thought of as suicide, there is something suspicious about her death. And something suspicious about Sam, who shows up on Quincy's doorstep shortly after Lisa dies.

    Quincy does not remember most of what happened to her the night she and her friends were attacked. But she is unwillingly drawn into finding out what happened to Lisa, and what really happened to her that night in the woods.

    This book was very exciting. The action was non stop and I was always interested in what was going to happen next. The story of Quincy in the cabin is parceled out slowly over the course of the book. By the end, we know the truth and so does Quincy. The ending was a real WTF moment for me. I did not see it coming, and I am not sure how I feel about it.

    I loved seeing what happens to these women after the initial violence is over. The psychological damage is profound, yet they try to get on with just living a normal life. I enjoyed reading this book very much. 4 1/2 stars out of 5!

    I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a great read!! There are so many twists and turns to the story of Quincy and the massacre of her friends that she alone survives. This is the story of how she survives and deals with the trauma of trying to learn the truth about it all. This is a great book for mystery lovers
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    10 years ago, Quincy survived the slaughter of 5 of her friends, at a cabin in the woods. Before that, Samantha and Lisa did the same thing, years apart. The 3 survivors are called the "Final Girls". Now Lisa is dead. Sam has come out of hiding and has reached out to Quincy. Why is Sam suddenly taking an interest in Quincy, and who killed Lisa? Quincy seems like she has put the past behind her. However, there is a dark side to her that is just under the surface, waiting to be exposed. Sam brings this out in her, but why? Is she deliberately doing it to see what Quincy is made of? I enjoyed this book. I don't feel like it was exceptionally fast-paced. I kept reading this waiting for the "thriller". That didn't come until the end. That being said, I wasn't bored. I read this book AFTER "The Last Time I Lied" and to me that was a tad bit more heart pounding.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The story moves quickly in this dark, twisty novel. Quincy remembers almost nothing of the terrifying night when she became the sole survivor of a mass murder. Years later, Quincy thinks she's been coping fairly well until meeting another "final girl" forces her to question whether she's coping or merely living in denial. The book is a page turner and contains a few startling revelations but Quincy is too malleable to be admirable (or even likable) and parts of the plot are hard to believe.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Best book of 2019 so far. I had no idea what was happening (in a good way) until the reveal at the end of the book. I loved the characters and how flawed they were. I also really loved the fact that there were flashbacks of what happened to Quincy. It helped me better understand her as a person and what she was going through. I would highly recommend this book to any fans of mystery and suspense novels.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Twists and turns keeps you on your toes right to the end! I look forward to Sager's next book!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book took me on such an amazing ride! I absolutely adored every minute with this thriller. Deeply complex, with strong characters and a twisted plot, this novel had me on my toes the entire time. The story is mainly told from Quincy's perspective, and she was a character that I really liked. The author did a great job of showcasing Quincy's strengths and weaknesses, and making her likeable and believable. In fact, kudos to the author for all of the characters; each one was unique and intriguing to read about and I found it easy to imagine all of the different interactions playing out. The story itself had loads of different twists and turns, and there definitely wasn't a single boring minute there! Nothing was too far-fetched as to throw me for a loop; everything worked and created this awesome thrill factor that fed my thrill addiction! I can go on and on about this novel but it is so much better if you experience it for yourself! If you like thrillers, then this is one you do NOT want to miss out on! 

    Thank you to the First to Read program and Penguin Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time I was reading! Final Girls is a fast-paced thriller that is full of suspense and intrigue.The story involves three different women who just happen to have one thing in common. Each one of them was the only survivor of a murder spree. Although the events happened years apart, the press linked the three forever by nicknaming them the “final girls.”Several years after the last murder spree, something happens that brings two of the women together. Their relationship is rocky from the start, but what eventually happens between them is absolutely shocking. As I read, I had a multitude of questions and as they were answered in the story, I was not disappointed. Riley Sager offered several twists and surprises that I would never have guessed, with the ending being the most shocking of all.Many thanks to Penguin’s First to Read program for the advance read copy in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The Final Girls is about three women Lisa, Sam and Quincy who all survived mass murders. Lisa dies in mysterious circumstances when Sam who has been in hiding for years suddenly shows up.I ordered this book from the library because it has a lot of hype and it sounded interesting. As with books that have a lot of hype I have high expectations and this time I have been left feeling disappointed.The story itself sounded interesting and for a lot of the book I was quite invested. Told from Quincy who is a very unreliable narrator as she cannot remember a lot about what happened at Pine Cottage. The reader has to get to the end of the book to find out what did. It was the ending for me that let the whole book down. The reasons why and by who turned out to be quite unbelievable.I enjoyed some of the book but not all of it. There was also parts in the middle of the book when Sam comes on the scene that I just could not get to grips with. Saying what exactly will give the story away and I don't want to do that for somebody who may enjoy the book. For me however I was left disappointed. I do enjoy books told by an unreliable narrator but like a satisfactory ending which makes the read worthwhile.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book had some suspenseful moments, and I was optimistic that it would turn into a real barn-burner. Unfortunately, no. The ending was particularly disappointing. Sorry, cannot recommend.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great suspense and tons of twists and turns. Great characters with lots of baggage. Really enjoyed this to the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Quincy Carpenter was the sole survivor when her group of college friends were viciously slaughtered while vacationing in a cabin in the woods. She and two other women who survived similar situations straight out of horror movies have been dubbed "Final Girls" by the press, after a term used by horror movie fans. Quincy, who doesn't even remember most of what happened that night, just wants to put the past behind her, and believes she's doing fine... until she receives news that one of the other Final Girls has committed suicide and the third shows up on her doorstep unannounced. I'm of two minds about this novel. On on hand, the plot is interesting, it's a quick read that moves along pretty nicely, and it kept me feeling curious to learn the truth about what did actually happen to Quincy.On the other hand... I don't know. I think I've started to have a little bit of a problem with thrillers that are very clearly working towards some kind of big, twisty revelation (or revelations, since there are often more than one of them). I spend so much time thinking about what the twist is going to be, and what the author's doing to try to mislead me about what the twist is going to be, that it starts to distract me from enjoying the story as it's actually unfolding. And that was something of an issue for me with this one.Also, as we fairly quickly come to realize, the main character is kind of a messed-up person. There are good reasons for that, of course. But to me it felt like we never quite got far enough into her head for her messed-upedness to feel interesting and believable and easy to empathize with, so that instead she just seemed like... well, like mildly unpleasant fictional company.I don't want to sound too down on it, though. I strongly suspect that people who really like this kind of twisty thriller will like this particular instance of it. I think that I may just have some unresolved issues with the genre, myself, even if I do like it in theory.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    “Final Girls” is a pen-put-to-paper written version of the horror/slasher movie trope of the last girl left standing following the carnage and bloodshed inherent in all the films of that sub-genre. And there’s nothing wrong with that. The problem comes with the consistently senseless choices the unlikeable main character makes as she moans and groans and whines . . . while chugging Xanax with grape soda. Seriously? The problem comes in the vapid, one-dimensional characterization of every male character. There’s not a single upstanding, likeable male anywhere. Seriously? And then there’s the out-of-left-field revelation regarding the killings that is likely to leave readers feeling cheated. Instead of meshing with the three hundred twenty-two pages of story that preceded it, this ending feels as if it exists solely for its shock value. All in all, this one’s a disappointment.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This REALLY held my attention - I loved that there were two mysteries unfolding simultaneously - the present time mystery with Sam, and the previous mystery of Quincy's past. Unfortunately, the ending felt - too pat? Too out of left field? Still, a very quick read that left me on the edge of my seat.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    „Final Girls“ wurde mir vom dtv-Verlag zugeschickt – einfach so. Brechstangen-Marketing? Keine Ahnung. Jedenfalls war es mit keinem Gewinnspiel verbunden, was die Sache doch ziemlich sympathisch machte. Den Autor kannte ich nicht, natürlich, Riley Sager ist ein Pseudonym und „Final Girls“ ist sein Debüt. Bei einer kurzen Recherche stieß ich auf einen Artikel, in dem er mit JP Delaney verglichen wurde – beide schrieben über starke Frauen. Offensichtlich ist es der neue Shit wenn Männer solche Bücher schreiben – Riley Sager wollte es gegen Ende aber etwas zu sehr.Quincy Carpenter ist Backbloggerin – das ist wie ein Buchblog, nur leckerer. Sie bäckt seit ihrer Kindheit, heute verdient sie ihr Geld damit, obwohl sie eigentlich genug davon hat. Für ein Interview bekam sie hunderttausend Dollar und kaufte sich eine Wohnung in einem reicheren Viertel in Manhattan. Quincy ist ein Final Girl, Final Girls werden Frauen in Horrorstreifen genannt, die ein Massaker überlebt haben – und das hat sie, nur war ihr Horrorstreifen die Realität. Vor zehn Jahren war sie mit Freunden in einer Hütte, die Pine Cottage genannt wurde – immer noch wird –, wo die Jugendlichen den Geburtstag von Quincys Freundin feierten. Dort wurden alle erstochen. Doch sie hat das Massaker überlebt und überwunden. Glaubt sie. Bis Samantha auftaucht, ebenfalls ein Final Girl. Sie will die Erinnerungen, die Quincy verdrängt hat, wiederbeleben. Das macht sie mit diversen Tests wie einem Spaziergang im Central Park um ein Uhr morgens. Oder sie füllt Quincy mit Alkohol ab und zwingt sie, Seinen Namen zu sagen – doch Quincy nennt ihn nur Er, wie eine gott-artige Figur, die über allem schwebt.Man ist eigentlich direkt in der Geschichte, die Stimmung ist gut und passt zum Setting. Schon recht früh lenkt Sager den Leser in eine bestimmte Richtung um dann wieder davon abzukehren – doch die Stelle bleibt im Kopf und wird später relevant. Danach plätschert die Handlung lange dahin, ohne jedoch langweilig zu werden – das macht Sager geschickt. Noch nie war ein Kennenlernen – eben jenes zwischen Quincy und Samantha – interessanter. Sager baut immer wieder Elemente ein, die den Leser am Buch halten. Dennoch weiß man nie, wo er mit der Geschichte hinwill, es gibt anfangs kein direktes Ziel. Man wird zwar dazu gebracht, Samantha mit ihrer geheimnisvollen und schmallippigen Art zu misstrauen, aber das kann es nicht gewesen sein?!Gerade bei Samantha tobt sich Sager aus, sie ist vermutlich der maskulinste Charakter in diesem Buch. Sie ist hart und tough, schlichtet Streits und riskiert selbst eine Anklage. Solche Sachen eben. Quincy hingegen ist sehr feminin mit ihrem Backblog; die, die sich nicht traut, ihrem Freund Jeff – der übrigens mehr Statist als Charakter ist – zu sagen, dass er beim Sex mal härter rangehen soll, und somit nie ein Happy End hat.Immer wieder gibt es Rückblenden zu eben jenem Massaker in Pine Cottage vor zehn Jahren, wo sie ihre beste Freundin Janelle dazu nötigt, endlich mal Sex zu haben und ihr ein Zimmer mit Craig zuteilt – oh ja, da bekommt man direkt Bock auf Sex. Das Setting im Pine Cottage erinnert schwer an den Film bzw. (mich eher, weil ich den Film nie gesehen habe) an das PC-Spiel „Friday the 13th", das vor ein paar Jahren erschien, was die Sache sehr atmosphärisch macht.Nun zum nicht so Guten: zu Beginn dachte ich, dass Quincy, Samantha und Lisa (ebenfalls ein Final Girl) das selbe Massaker überlebt haben, denn es ist nicht ganz ersichtlich, dass es nicht so ist (oder ich hab nicht aufgepasst, das kommt vor). Bei der Auflösung – die nebenbei bemerkt auch einem Toten Hosen Song aus den 90ern entsprungen sein könnte – macht es sich Sager aber viel zu einfach was die Charaktere betrifft. Das wirkt an den Haaren herbeigezogen und – wie oben geschrieben – etwas zu gewollt. Das hat die Stimmung dann doch etwas getrübt.Tl;dr: In „Final Girls“ von Riley Sager herrscht eine gute Stimmung, sowohl in der Hauptstory als auch in den Rückblenden, die Sager einflechtet. Die Charaktere sind stimmig und konträr. Alles in allem macht das Buch Bock – bis auf das Ende, das ziemlich an den Haaren herbeigezogen wirkt und bei dem es sich Sager hinsichtlich der Charaktere zu einfach macht.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Last week I read this author’s second novel “the last time I lied” and I loved it. I couldn’t wait to read this one “final girls”. It was a phrase I was unfamiliar with; Final Girl, rather like last man standing, a final girl is a lone survivor of a massacre with many casualties. We have read about them in The news before; survivor of a massacre. How did they manage to survive? Why weren’t they dead?Quincy has been a final girl for ten years now. What started out as a fun weekend of friends partying turned into something no one could ever imagine. While living through that horrible night at Pine Cottage, she could be one of the luckier ones as she has almost no memories of what happened that night. For 10 years the name of the psychiatric escapee, Joe Hannen, has not left her lips; she refuses to say it out loud. Her friends were all brutally stabbed, some with their throats slit. Quincy had injuries as well but escaped with her life. There are others like her. For years, the media has grouped some of them together like they belong to an exclusive club. Samantha and Lisa were also final girls and as Quincy, they were trying to move on with their lives. While still dependent on the cop Coop that saved her, she lives with her lawyer boyfriend Jeff who tries to understand her but really doesn’t. She distracts herself with her baking blog and creates and bakes beautiful and tasty treats. Then Quincy is shocked to receive news that Lisa has died, and by her own hand, and all of the media wakes up to the story again. When Samantha ends up on her doorstep, Quincy welcomes her, the other final girl and Quincy doesn’t want her to end up the same way Lisa did. But Sam seems to have her own agenda and Quincy doesn’t recognize the person she is around Sam. What feeds her anger? Why does Sam want her to remember it all when all she wants to do is forget forever all that happened that night. I love Riley Sager’s writing. This one is narrated by Quincy flipping from past to present letting us know more and teasing us bit by bit for another answer or clue. Riley gives us enough to think we know it all or have figured it out, then yanks us in a totally different direction with something we may not have ever thought of. The twists and turns are delicious, keeping us on our toes but managing to surprise us with what really was true. I found this book to be a fast paced action packed thriller. I would love seeing it go to the big screen. I would give this one a 4 1/2.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I think I read too much crime fiction because the big reveal at the end was sadly predictable.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I've waiting all year for THE book I just couldn't put down and I finally found it!

    The idea of a Final Girl is what drew me in but the twists and fast pace throughout the book is what kept me up late at night, needing to finish. I normally hate books that flip from past to present but in this book, it's chilling and it works!

    The perfect October thriller!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a must read for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train! Quincy spent the night in a cabin with a few friends who all got murdered except for her but she doesn't remember what happened. She is considered a Final Girl, along with two other girls who were the lone survivors of similar incidents. Quincy is doing well enough in life after the events until Lisa, one of the other Final Girls is found dead. Full of twists and turns, this story will grab a hold of you and won't let go. And that ending!!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Here's the thing: this book is GREAT. It's a fantastic thriller that more than meets my requirements which are: three plot twists towards the end. This one keeps you guessing throughout, even all through the well-crafted flashback/modern-day dual climax with a whodunnit where everyone is so constantly suspicious I honestly didn't know how it would end up. Quincy is of course an unreliable narrator, necessary for any thriller with the word "Girl" in the title these days, so there's always the suspicion of WHAT IF SHE IS A KILLER but everyone around her is so suspicious ANYONE COULD BE THE KILLER and it's just great. The climactic sequence, going back and forth between past and present, is a masterclass in How To Resolve Conflict Dramatically And Suspensefully. Super recommend! Excited to read more by this author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Quincy Carpenter and five of her friends were celebrating a birthday at Pine Cottage, but things didn't go as planned and only Quincy made it out of there alive. That was ten years ago, but she will always be a member of a club she does not want to belong to - the Final Girls. Lisa lost nine sorority sisters and Sam was the only survivor during her shift at the Nightlight Inn. Despite the media's attempts the three never meet in person. Quincy is doing well. She has an understanding and supportive boyfriend, they live together in a beautiful apartment, she runs a popular baking blog, and the police officer that saved her life is still there for her any time of day or night. And she'll need him when she learns that Lisa has committed suicide and Sam comes out of hiding and shows up at her door. Since Quincy never could remember the details of what happened that night in the woods, Sam is intent on making her relive the past so those memories finally come to light.

    I had to sit and think about what I'd read for a day afterwards. I really enjoyed the writing. I liked how we got a glimpse here and there about that night at Pine Cottage. And when I finally got to the big reveal I wasn't disappointed. I thought the story was clever. So many secrets and lies. I made some guesses at what could've happened but (of course) I was wrong. I felt like maybe there was too much in the middle - Sam shows up and we get lots of Sam and Quincy spending time together. But overall I really enjoyed this book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    As the sole survivors of a massacre, Quincy, Lisa and Samantha have been dubbed "Final Girls" by the media. When Lisa seemingly commits suicide, Samantha seeks out Quincy, determined to connect with her. However, not everything is as it seems. Samantha seems to pull the rage out of Quincy, leading her from one bad situation to the other. In the middle is Coop, the police officer who rescued Quincy all those years ago.I'm not going to give away the twist, but the author did a poor job of building up to it. It was expected rather than dramatic. Overall, not a book I would reread.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Quincy survives a massacre at Pine Cottage that kills all of her friends. She along with Lisa, only survivor of a sorority mass killing and Samantha, lone survivor of the Potato Sack Man, make up the final girls, a commonly used trope in horror movies that refers to the last girl standing at the movies end. Quincy who can't remember what happened on that fateful night and has sort of moved on with the help of a nice boyfriend, her baking blog, and a lot of Xanax. She moves through her life in a semi numbed state until Lisa commits suicide and Samantha shows up on her doorstep demanding answers about what really happened that night at Pine Cottage. Suddenly Quincy's life may depend on the answer to that question. If you love horror movies then run and grab this book. Even if you are not a fan this is still one twisty thriller. It had so many turns and red herrings that I was thoroughly entertained throughout. I may be naive but I did not see that ending coming at all. Maybe I would have if I watched more horror movies. This book took a clever premise and wound itself tighter and tighter until the explosive end. This is one of my favorite reads this summer.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Meh. I am so incredibly disappointed by the fact that I didn't really care for this book. Based on the description, I was so sure that I would fall in love with this book. I do think that my opinion will be in the minority with this book. Based on all of the reviews that I have seen so far, most people are really enjoying this book and I predict that it will be very popular.I didn't hate this book but I didn't really like it either. This was one of those books that I really didn't connect with any of the characters and by the time the big twists started happening, I just didn't care what happened. The book was a bit different than I expected. Since the description mentions a horror movie-scale massacre, I expected the book to be pretty gruesome. I wanted gruesome because I am weird like that. There are a few more bloody scenes but not like I had thought it would be.This book is told from Quincy's point of view. Quincy is a Final Girl which means she was the only survivor from a nightmare that killed her friends. She is deeply affected by that night years later. I just never liked Quincy. Not at all. Since the whole book is told from her point of view, it was really hard to enjoy the story. Most of the book is really about what is going on in the present time period with Quincy and Sam, another Final Girl.I am not going to be recommending this book but I do think that a lot of readers will like it a lot more than I did. There were a few twists that I wouldn't have ever been able to guess and the premise was pretty interesting. This is the first book by Riley Sager that I have read and I would be open to trying his work again in the future.I received an advance reader edition of this book from Dutton via First to Read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book had a creepy undertone throughout. I was definitely pulled into the story and wanted to know exactly what was going on! Why did Lisa commit suicide? Why was Sam out of hiding? What really happened at Pine Cottage and why can't Quincy remember anything? Definitely a fast paced read. However, I really did not like any of the characters (Sam and Quincy, mainly). I really wanted to like Quincy but I just didn't. Not sure if it was intentional to make the two main characters unlikable or not. I would definitely recommend it. Lots of twists. Probably lands in Top 5 mystery/thrillers I've read this year!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I'm so bummed that I didn't love this book. I really wanted to and thought I would.The plot is original for a twisty thriller and the premise is killer. It reads fast, like a slasher movie in story form. I tore through it and even though I didn't love it, I never considered not finishing it. It was absorbing and had my attention. That's the good news.The spoiler-free, not-so-good:The story unfolds in a way that falls short of the interesting premise. The main character, Quincy, who should be really interesting from a psychological perspective, wasn't. Worse than that, for the majority of the book she makes choices and behaves in ways that, given her background, are inexplicably baffling - the opposite of sympathetic or empowered.The supporting characters, both living and dead, are mostly one-dimensional. Even those in key roles relative to Quincy feel like ether--they're ghosts, not fully realized, without life or believability. In short: this is a novel that has all the right ingredients, but they never come together quite right.I've read books that are shocking only because they were actually published. This isn't like that. I don't regret reading it and you won't either. But while I wanted something pulpy, I got only empty calories. If you want something more substantial than a Lifetime movie, pick something else.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The main character, Quincy, is the sole survivor of the massacre of her friends at a cabin in the woods that they were using as a weekend getaway. Quincy then becomes one of a select small group of people as there are only two other girls in the same situation - survivors of mass murders. However, after one of the girls is found murdered in her home and the other survivor turns up on her doorstep, Quincy is forced into trying to remember what really happened in that cabin in the woods. What she discovers is not what she wants to remember - it is so much worse! And so unexpected! I simply loved this book!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Quincy Carpenter is a Final Girl, a title she never wanted and still can't accept. She was the only survivor of a massacre at Pine Cottage, where all her friends were murdered. Now, a fellow Final Girl has died, and another has shown up at Quincy's door, forcing her to remember what she hasn't been able to face for ten years.This book was so good! I could not put it down.Final Girls is almost unbearably suspenseful throughout. Sager masterfully weaves flashbacks of Pine Cottage into the narrative. What especially ups the ante is that Quincy cannot remember what happened the night of the massacre, so the reader isn't provided with all the facts until the very end.The twists in this book were phenomenal! I did not see any of them coming, and was completely shocked. It is rare that a book can completely surprise me on all levels, but this book pulls it off.I really can't find anything not to like about this book. I just really, really enjoyed it.Read this book! Seriously, it's a great psychological thriller, with tons of suspense, and so many surprises.