The Last Girl Spoiler Free Book Review
The Last Girl Spoiler Free Book Review [Updated for 2025]
It was with a heavy heart I closed the book and sat it on my bedside table. Sitting on my bed staring at the wall, I sighed.
I had finished The Last Girl.
I can’t remember the last time that I read a book and wished it would never end.
Hoping that although I’m on the last page, somehow more writing would appear as I flicked the page.
Sadly that wasn’t the case and I’m left yearning for more! If Goldy wrote a sequel, I’d be first in line to buy it.
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The Last Girl by Goldy Moldavsky
It’s been a while since I picked up a book and wished it would never end.
I can’t remember the last book that made such an impact on me quite like The Last Girl has.
Going into the book I knew it would be something I would enjoy as the synopsis grabbed my attention. But, I had no idea I’d love it as much as I have.
It’s got everything I need in a good story! Well written characters, a good plot, twists and turns, the lot!
But what I really liked about The Last Girl is that it kept me guessing right until the end. I love when stories do that.
With all that being said, let’s get into the review shall we?
The Last Girl Spoiler Free Book Review
The Last Girl Synopsis/Summary – From Goodreads
“When it comes to horror movies, the rules are clear:
- Avoid abandoned buildings, warehouses, and cabins at all times.
- Stay together: don’t split up, not even just to “check something out
- If there’s a murderer on the loose, do NOT make out with anyone
New girl Rachel Chavez turns to horror movies for comfort, preferring them to the bored rich kids of her fancy New York High School.
But then Rachel is recruited by the Mary Shelley Club, a mysterious student club that sets up terrifying Fear Tests; elaborate pranks inspired by urban legends and horror movies.
But when a sinister masked figure appears, Rachel realises that her past has caught up with her. It’s time for the ultimate prank to play out…”
The Last Girl Characters
The Last Girl has an array of characters within the book, but not too many that it feels messy.
There are 7 main characters, although 5 of them are really the ones in the spotlight.
Rachel
Rachel is the main, main character. The story is told from her perspective and we go through the plot by her side.
A teen who went through a traumatic event before moving to a new school in NYC, we follow along as Rachel comes to terms with what happened in her past and navigates the dynamics of a “rich kid” environment.
I really like Rachel and found myself getting quite attached to her. Throughout the story I was rooting for her, I smiled when she was happy and on the edge of my seat when things were heating up.
Thayer
Another character I found myself quite fond of. Thayer is a bit of a class clown, with an upbeat personality who has a real passion for life it seems.
As a gay teen, we are introduced to some scenarios where there are complete jerks around him, but seeing how he navigated this was satisfying.
I really like his dynamic within the group and enjoyed anytime he was in the story. I also liked the friendship that blossomed between him and Rachel, they seemed to click effortlessly.
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Freddie
The love interest who seems to be everything Rachel needs. A kind soul who was always on her side and made her feel welcome. A good looking guy with boyish charm that just knows the right thing to say.
Among the rich kids, Freddie is another student just like Rachel who doesn’t come from money. Feeling like a kindred spirit, Rachel feels a connection with him straight away and is someone she can trust.
As we go through the story we see the dynamics and friendship grow, and get an even deeper look into his life.
Felicity
A rich kid who likes to break away from the crowd and do her own thing whilst also playing into the trope of mean girl, Felicity is the resident “bitch” of the group.
As much as she comes off as a hard ass who seems to eye roll everything Rachel says, Felicity does have a softer side.
We see her hard shell breakdown a few times throughout but ultimately, Felicity stays that bitchy know it all.
Although she’s portrayed as a mean girl, there are a lot of layers to her character which we explore.
Bram
Think popular teen heartthrob of the school. The mysterious, brooding boy who everyone seems to lust after, even though they know he’s off limits.
He comes across as very laid back, almost shy in some respects as he doesn’t talk a whole lot. But he has an unwavering air of confidence about him at all times.
Through the story we get a lot more depth to his character and I actually found myself quite intrigued by him.
There’s more to him than meets the eye and it was definitely a part of the story that kept me interested.
Lux
The typical rich kid who gives off mean girl energy x100, that’s who Lux is.
A stuck up Girl who doesn’t like to feel inferior in any way. She’s known as the popular girl at the top of the food chain so to speak and isn’t afraid to throw the weight of her rich parents around.
Lux is Brams girlfriend and together they are known as the power couple of Manchester. And that’s just how Lux likes it.
She doesn’t hold back when it comes to Rachel and from day dot she has her eyes firmly on ruining her life.
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Saundra
Saundra is the resident know it all. She is a walking encyclopaedia of all this Manchester (the school) and takes Rachel under her wing from day one.
A happy go lucky type of girl, Saundra just radiates happiness and feels like a real girls girl.
I loved the friendship between Rachel and Saundra, it felt pure and I like there wasn’t any ulterior motive to it.
She really cares for Rachel and I like that she wasn’t written as a typical snobby, rich kid who just wanted to add another unsuspecting soul to her entourage.
Writing Style
I really like the way The Last Girl is written and that it’s from Rachel’s point of view. As she’s the main character it makes sense and I think it works especially well for this story.
Although it’s from her perspective, we do get a lot of detail throughout that maybe she wouldn’t necessarily know but is included so that we, the readers, get a full picture of what’s going on.
The story is paced well and I didn’t feel bored at any point with the plot. It moved along nicely and I like that there was a good build up to the ending and didn’t trail off at any point.
Sometimes I find that stories have this big build up only to have an underwhelming ending, but that wasn’t the case with The Last Girl.
I found that it was a satisfying conclusion to the story but also leaves room for a sequel if Goldy was to ever write one.
There’s also really good descriptions throughout the book that transport you into their world. I could clearly imagine myself being there which I love when getting lost in a story.
There’s lots of horror references in the book which makes my little horror obsessed heart fill with joy. I love that Goldy has taken references from real horror movies because it’s nice to see some of my favourites mentioned.
The Last Girl has major Scream vibes in my opinion with the friend groups and some of the events within the story, especially near the end.
I really like that this story is different from most YA Thriller books I’ve read. There’s just something special and unique about it that hits the spot.
The main plot
The story starts with Rachel going through a traumatic event that sets off a chain reaction. Moving with her mother for a fresh start, Rachel just wants to blend in at Manchester prep and put her past in the past.
We follow along as Rachel navigates this new school filled with pretentious rich kids and tries to blend in as best she can.
Becoming quick friends with the school’s resident know it all, maybe, just maybe, her life will be normal.
But normal isn’t on the cards for Rachel
Becoming entangled in a secret society that worships all things horror, she starts to feel like she’s where she belongs. The members welcomed her into the group and from there she became part of the team.
There’s movie nights and new romance budding as she navigates her way through life as a secret club member. But there’s something more going on beneath the surface.
Pulling elaborate pranks and making a name for themselves, the Mary Shelley Club is infamous in its own right, and Rachel is a part of it.
What starts out as harmless fun between friends soon turns sinister and Rachel finds herself entangled in something much bigger than she ever imagined.
A truly satisfying read
Pulling from all the major horror tropes throughout history, Goldy has given us an amazing book that satisfies all you could want from a YA Horror/Thriller.
As someone who adores the horror genre, I really appreciated all the effort Goldy has gone to, to fully capture its essence. With references to the greats such as Nosferatu, Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Shining and many more, I was enthralled by The Last Girl.
I genuinely wished I could be part of the Mary Shelly Club just for their amazing movie nights and horror debates with one another. It’s a horror fan’s dream.
Final thoughts on The Last Girl
All in all, I LOVED The Last Girl.
From the beginning I was hooked and I just wanted to jump in and be part of the story.
I found myself becoming attached to characters and getting lost in the thrill of it all.
It was a truly wonderful read that I wasn’t expecting.
The twists and turns were gripping, definitely a thrilling book that kept me on the edge of my seat.
With the twists in the book I didn’t figure them out too soon which I liked because that made it all the most interesting. Reading along and playing detective is one of my favourite things to do.
Although there were aspects that were easy to spot from details that were included, I still found myself guessing right till the very end.
My overall rating for The Last Girl is 4 out of 5 starts.
Audiobook
If audiobooks are more youre style, then you’re in luck!
The Last Girl audiobook is also available to listen to on Audible.
Start your free trial of Audible today and get access to hundreds of titles to listen to that don’t require a credit! Plus, get one credit to use on any title of your choice.
Even if you cancel, the audiobook will still be yours to keep.
I highly recommend it, theres lots of great titles to listen to such as The Vacation, The Lie in Our Marriage, Deadly Games and so many more.
Side Note
In researching Goldy Moldavsky to scope out her other books, I came across one titled “The Mary Shelley Club”.
At first I thought this would maybe be a prequel or sequel to The Last Girl because of the title. But sadly it’s not.
The Mary Shelley Club is the same book as The Last Girl.
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Wow that is quite the review. Yes not sure the last time I felt this way about a book.I think it was Interview With a Vampire. I read it a long time ago. It was engaging almost made me believe in vampires! I would be so engrossed in the book I would not notice that the sun was going down and getting dark until I could not read the page anymore lol.
Allie of
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This is definitely one of my favourite reads from the year, such a good book! I definitely recommend giving it a read 😊💕