Keep reading for my full review of “The Last One at the Wedding” with The Quick & Dirty version at the end!

This review contains relatively low spoilers. Some plot points are mentioned but no secrets are divulged and no twists are explained!

Book and/or Review TW: murder, mentions of recreational drug use, alcohol use and disorder, suicide, some violence on the page, children at risk

Synopsis

“The Last One at the Wedding” is a thriller set in New England (mostly on a lake in New Hampshire). The action focuses on the internal and external conflicts of father Frank Szatowski as he navigates attending the wedding of his estranged daughter Maggie. Frank learns that after a quick engagement, Maggie is marrying Aiden Gardner, the son of a famous (and famously weathy) tech giant. As he meets more people associated with the Gardners in the days leading up to the nuptials, Frank becomes less and less comfortable with the idea of Maggie joining their family. Maggie and the Gardners become less and less indulgent of Frank’s disruptive questions. Can a father ever really be certain that his daughter is marrying into good hands?

The Verdict?

Main Characters – Why They Were Interesting

Frank – It’s impossible to put a finger on Frank as a father. He’s obviously not perfect but how responsible is he for his daughter and their relationship? Would you do anything differently in the same situations? I can’t decide if he’s tragic or heroic or a total buffoon or some combo of the three, but it works for him.

Maggie – It’s tough to like her from the very beginning but – if Frank thinks she’s so amazing then shouldn’t we? It’s a sign of amazing writing that the reader can be so conflicted just based on another character’s perception of her.

Tammy – You can’t help but love her. That said, how can someone be so lovingly naïve about family dynamics with a long history as a foster mother?! She is so pure and giving that it feels suspicious.

Abigail – The trauma is written into her character expertly by Jason Rekulak. She is very obviously a kid who has experienced horrible things and sometimes that comes through in her behavior. Her juxtaposition with Tammy further creates internal conflict for the reader about whether to understand her character as invasive and unwanted or more empathetically, as someone who got a rough start that needs help growing into a good person.

Mr. Gardner – In the first half of the book, you like him against all your better instincts. In the second half of the book, you wish you could say that you knew all along what was coming.

Aiden – He is aloof throughout the book and it feels a bit insulting (who treats Frank with that much indifference?!). The reality of why he acts the way he does and how it shows through is, again, extremely well-woven into the storyline.

Mrs. Gardner – The epitome of a tragic character. The biggest tragedy is that in spite of all the pain she’s endured, she still doesn’t feel worthy of sympathy or forgiveness. Is she foreshadowing what Maggie might become if she marries into this family?

TL;DR