The Last Party

my reading experience: method: kindle and audible time spent reading: 3 days. i dove headfirst into this gem of a book—definitely a bingeworthy read despite life’s distractions slowing me down! plot summary: Set against the haunting backdrop of a nightmare 23 years in the making, Leewood Folcrum, a man branded as a monster, confessed to unaliving two innocent preteens and ruthlessly targeting his daughter during her 12th birthday bash. Now locked away for life, he’s become a dark curiosity, never revealing the twisted reasons behind his horrifying actions. current time: Fast forward to today, and we meet Perla Wulltz. As she gears up to celebrate her daughter Sophie's 12th birthday, a sinister thread weaves back through time—Perla's husband, Grant, is the brother of one of the young girls whose life was snuffed out that fateful night! Meanwhile, Dr. Timothy Valden, an ambitious doctoral student, is determined to crack the enigma of Leewood’s psyche by visiting him and getting information to help write his dissertation on the behavior of narcissists. Little does he know, that unraveling the past will ignite a storm that engulfs everyone caught in its web! my thoughts: wow, just wow! This was an absolute page-turner! i was hooked from the jump and can’t wait to dive into more from the incredible AR. The shifting perspectives from Perla, Leewood, Grant, and Sophie enriched the story with a great amount of insights. Perla! She’s a character wrapped in darkness. From her twisted beginnings, it’s clear she’s carried her madness into adulthood. Her chilling lack of morality and judgment made my skin crawl. On the surface, she looked like a poised and meticulous woman, but beneath it all, those traits became her undoing. In the end, she truly got what was coming to her. As for Leewood, I found myself torn. His thought process from 23 years ago is chilling, yet I can’t help but think, "You’re better than me, my guy." I wouldn’t have taken that charge—I'd risk the consequences over a lifetime in prison any day! Grant, the embodiment of precision and control, surprised me. How did he not uncover Perla's sinister intentions sooner? Yet, she had him fooled for 14 years, taming her true self behind a facade so convincing. And Sophie? She's a character! LOL Smart, sarcastic, and a total firecracker. With her keen observations about her mother, I hope she learns from the chaos around her and emerges stronger, proving she can rise above the darkness that has tainted her family’s history. This experience had it all—a thrilling pulse of suspense and a story that left me eager for more. I’ll be savoring the aftertaste of this read for a long time to come!

Wow. It is so beyond insane and irresponsible to paint a pedophile in such golden light. This book was not at all presenting some sort of complex philosophical thought on the morality and sickness of a pedophile- it just straight up was making them the hero. I mean, this dude is getting kisses on the cheek at the end??? We’re bringing a little girl for visits with him?? Cheering him on, admiring him, crying over his fucking death? Give me a BREAK. A. R. Torre needs to be on a goddamn watch list, I’m serious. Let’s put the gross ass characters and the juvenile plot aside- she cannot write for the life of her. I was giggling at the inconsistencies by the end of it. Suddenly, Sophie doesn’t have a journal/her own font anymore. The POVs at the beginning of each chapter sometimes completely disappear. Each chapter is two pages long. Let’s be so serious for a second, dude.

Slowwwwwww start. It got un-put-down-able around 60% in. Perla was truly sick. The way she planned everything was just crazy. I wish there was an epilogue after 3-5 years or something.