I think if you’re a Sager fan, enjoy thrillers or are a fan of slasher films, definitely consider trying this! It’s going to keep you on your toes!
Rating: 4/5
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.
I’ve finally read the book that started it all! I’ve officially caught up with all of Sager’s books! I will say this one definitely doesn’t compare to its successors. That being said I still very much enjoyed reading Sager’s debut novel. It’s interesting to see where he started and what led him to write his other 3 novels, soon to be 4! I’m very excited for his latest one to come out later this year. It sounds very different from what he’s written before.
But back to Final Girls! I found this premise very intriguing. It starts off like a scene from one of those slasher horror movies from the 80s. We follow Quincy who was the lone survivor of a massacre. However, as soon as it was over she was never able to recall any of the details. Her survival gained her membership to a club she never intended to join - being one of the Final Girls. She’s now one of three girls who are the single survivors of their own unique horrors. However, they’ve never met. Ten years later, the first Final Girl is found dead. The second then shows up at Quincy’s doorstep and pushes for Quincy to remember the details of that night. What really happened that night ten years ago?
It starts off like a scene from one of those slasher horror movies from the 80s
This book definitely feels like one of those slasher movies, except we start with the massacre. This truly kept me on my toes, I didn’t want to stop reading. I was also completely thrown and didn’t expect that final twist. It was so cringeworthy! I just wanted to curl up and die. It was not how I expected it to play out at all.
I was also completely thrown and didn’t expect that final twist. It was so cringeworthy!
However, I will say though I didn’t see that final twist, there were a few others sprinkled throughout that I did see coming. After reading numerous thrillers, it’s getting easier for me to come up with multiple theories, not to say I’m always right. About half the time I’m usually wrong with my theories. But these smaller twists that I did guess correctly, I didn’t find them boring or too easy to guess, they were all still shocking to see happen. More so the details that came with them that I wasn’t able to guess.
Now the characters… They were something else. This book was filled with such unlikeable characters. Even our main character was hard to like. At first, I really liked Quincy, but she was too trusting and made too many dumb decisions that made it hard to keep liking her. Sam, another Final Girl, was just annoying through and through. Quincy’s boyfriend was too perfect. That sounds wrong, but something was just off with him for me. And Coop, the officer that saved Quincy, his actions aggravated me too much.
Now the characters… They were something else. This book was filled with such unlikeable characters
Compared to Sager’s other books, I’d have to say this is currently my least favorite. Again, that’s not to say I hated this book. I truly enjoyed reading this one! It held me captivated from start to finish. It was such a great thriller to follow. Just compared to his later books, I enjoyed those more. I’d say that means he got better as an author. Currently, his second book ~ The Last Time I Lied is my top favorite, followed by Lock Every Door, then Home Before Dark. And as I mentioned I’m very excited for his new release this year, Survive the Night, I’m curious how it will compare to the rest.
I think if you’re a Sager fan, enjoy thrillers or are a fan of slasher films, definitely consider trying this! It’s going to keep you on your toes!