Lisa Unger has one of those writing styles that makes you feel like you are spending time with an old friend; no matter what horrible reading slump I find myself in, I can curl up with her novels and find myself in a haze hours later after devouring the pages. And that is exactly what happened to me when I binged Last Girl Ghosted.
Fun fact about myself, I met my husband online. So, when I read the synopsis for this novel and it had a tagline stating “Think twice before you swipe”, I was all in. The novel follows “plain Jane on purpose” Wren Greenwood, who is seemingly running from a tortured past, after she is ghosted from a guy, Adam, she met on a dating app. She blames herself, maybe she shared too much too soon, but soon she learns there were other women. Women who fell in love with this “ghost” and then went missing. Now her search for answers takes a different direction and she can’t tell if she’s the cat or the mouse.
Now, to start, this novel was totally different from what I was expecting. I, for whatever reason, was expecting more of a revenge style story. Guy ghosts girl, girl gets even. This novel was not like that at all. It really was more of a character study.
The novel unfolds in the multi-timeline style narration that I love. We have the present day story where Wren is searching for answers after Adam ghosts her and then we move towards Wren’s past. Wren’s past was some of my favourite parts of the book- her father is a “doomsday prepper” style fanatic which obviously causes some childhood trauma. I would have read an entire book just based on that storyline. The first half of the novel had me GLUED to the pages; I’m talking eyes burning, should absolutely be getting some sleep before the baby wakes up kind of engagement. About 3/4 of the way through, the novel makes a hard left turn and it really felt like a totally different book- not in a bad way- just totally switched the vibe. The ending especially seemed a little out of place for me with a tense shift and the narrative style changing. I could have done without an official resolution.
Characterization is of Unger’s specialities and this novel was no different; I really liked Wren’s character and the exploration between trauma, loss and PTSD was explored throughly in her development. I really did feel for her and I found her incredibly relatable. Another highlight for me was the P.I who gets involved. Bailey was *chefs kiss* perfection. I found little bits of comedic relief, a hint of a potential love interest and his smart banter completely charming. I long for a spin off series.
Overall, call me biased, but I love Unger’s writing style and find myself amused by whatever she writes. This one was a solid read if you want some light intrigue. I didn’t feel it was a traditional mystery/thriller, but for a character centric story, I was absolutely entertained!
Clues and Reviews 