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Final Girls
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Horror (2017)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.
*From the Hardcover edition.
339 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2017
About the author
Riley Sager
17 books44.3k followersRiley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, most recently THE ONLY ONE LEFT and THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE. His first thriller, FINAL GIRLS, won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel and has been published in more than thirty-five countries. His latest novel, MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, will be published in June.
A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, cooking and going to the movies as much as possible. His favorite film is "Rear Window." Or maybe "Jaws." But probably, if he's being honest, "Mary Poppins."
A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, cooking and going to the movies as much as possible. His favorite film is "Rear Window." Or maybe "Jaws." But probably, if he's being honest, "Mary Poppins."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 24,269 reviews
July 14, 2017
I must confess my expectations were pretty high going into Final Girls. It's been receiving starred and positive reviews left, right and centre. It keeps popping up on the "must-read thrillers of 2017" lists. So I'll allow that the extent of my disappointment might have something to do with that.
Final Girls takes the trope of the "final girl" - the blood-soaked sole survivor that staggers away from a massacre at the end of a horror movie, like Sally Hardesty and Alice Hardy - and attempts to turn it on its head.
In this book, Quincy Carpenter is one of those Final Girls. A party at a cabin in the woods with a bunch of her drunk friends ends with all of them dead. Except Quincy... the Final Girl. Years later, she's moving on. Sort of. She is with a great guy called Jeff and she bakes to soothe all her troubles. Until one day, a woman called Lisa - the first Final Girl - is found dead. Shortly after, yet another Final Girl - Samantha Boyd - shows up at Quincy's home.
The first two thirds-ish of the book is so so sloooowwwww. In the present, Quincy spent her time baking cupcakes and angsting over the past that she doesn't remember, and having the most dull disagreements with Jeff the bore. When Sam shows up, we spend more time making baked goods, followed by some bonding and nail-painting... and who the hell cares?!
This alternates with the past - short scenes from the Pine Cabin massacre - but for a long time, we get nothing here either. These snippets show the teens getting drunk, smoking pot, and Quincy debating whether she wants to lose her virginity or not. I'm sorry, but I couldn't help thinking: will someone come along and kill these people already?
I upped my rating to two stars because things picked up around the last third of the novel. Dramatic things started to happen. It is not a spoiler to say that Sam Boyd is one seriously twisted character with several closets full of secrets. And, of course, the Pine Cabin massacre is not all it first appears.
But then the ending happened and I felt let down again. I'll say one positive thing - the author successfully juggles a handful of red herrings throughout, and many of the things the reader will probably expect to happen are not the twist the book moves towards. That being said, I thought the actual reveal was disappointing. It didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story and felt plucked from nowhere for the sake of having a shock ending. I didn't buy into it.
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Final Girls takes the trope of the "final girl" - the blood-soaked sole survivor that staggers away from a massacre at the end of a horror movie, like Sally Hardesty and Alice Hardy - and attempts to turn it on its head.
In this book, Quincy Carpenter is one of those Final Girls. A party at a cabin in the woods with a bunch of her drunk friends ends with all of them dead. Except Quincy... the Final Girl. Years later, she's moving on. Sort of. She is with a great guy called Jeff and she bakes to soothe all her troubles. Until one day, a woman called Lisa - the first Final Girl - is found dead. Shortly after, yet another Final Girl - Samantha Boyd - shows up at Quincy's home.
The first two thirds-ish of the book is so so sloooowwwww. In the present, Quincy spent her time baking cupcakes and angsting over the past that she doesn't remember, and having the most dull disagreements with Jeff the bore. When Sam shows up, we spend more time making baked goods, followed by some bonding and nail-painting... and who the hell cares?!
This alternates with the past - short scenes from the Pine Cabin massacre - but for a long time, we get nothing here either. These snippets show the teens getting drunk, smoking pot, and Quincy debating whether she wants to lose her virginity or not. I'm sorry, but I couldn't help thinking: will someone come along and kill these people already?
I upped my rating to two stars because things picked up around the last third of the novel. Dramatic things started to happen. It is not a spoiler to say that Sam Boyd is one seriously twisted character with several closets full of secrets. And, of course, the Pine Cabin massacre is not all it first appears.
But then the ending happened and I felt let down again. I'll say one positive thing - the author successfully juggles a handful of red herrings throughout, and many of the things the reader will probably expect to happen are not the twist the book moves towards. That being said, I thought the actual reveal was disappointing. It didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story and felt plucked from nowhere for the sake of having a shock ending. I didn't buy into it.
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November 7, 2024
Do you love Teen Scream, or Slasher films?
If you answered yes, I would highly recommend you pick up Final Girls by the always fantastic, Riley Sager.
Personally, I love Slashers, as well as B-Horror in general and I REALLY enjoyed this book. Yes, I do believe there's a correlation.
Let me be clear, calling a movie B-Horror is not shade. It's a feeling.
You know the ones: attractive young people, usually high school or college age, getting together, drinking, flirting, making bad choices and before you know it, a blood bath ensues.
They're campy, they're funny, they're gross and they're my favorite.
Also, this is not necessarily a Horror novel. I would classify it as a Thriller with a Slasher film edge. What Riley Sager does here is bring that B-Horror feeling to life on the page. I live for that!
So well done. I would definitely reread this.
February 3, 2022
i had a weird time reading this. it was unlike any thriller i've read, which at first seemed good and then turned out to definitively not be.
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
let's get into it. the title "Final Girls" is a reference to a group of 3 women who were the sole survivors of separate serial-killer massacres: Lisa, Samantha, and Quincy (our narrator). they're tabloid darlings each living separate lives (with varying degrees of normalcy) until one of them dies. ooOOH SPOOKY WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?!?!? (unfortunately, it's nothing anywhere near as exciting as what that glorious premise deserves.)
first compliments!!! hurray.
the good:
-the main character, quincy, runs a baking blog and it's really cute - you should know by now that sweets are a passion of mine so that's exciting
-neither of my 2 guesses for what The Big Reveal™ would be were exactly right (i really care about two things in a thriller: i want to have fun guessing the ending and i want my guesses to be wrong, and i want to be scared. or at least, you know, thrilled. and i guess it's good that this checked one of those boxes. the less important one, but still one of them.)
-a little bit of the last chunk was somewhat exciting. at times. (how enthusiastic does THAT sound?)
-as mentioned, the concept itself was very good (but GOD why couldn't the book live up to it)
the bad:
-nothing happens for the first 3/4 of the book. SERIOUSLY NOTHING. starting yesterday i just had to hunker down and read this in 100 page chunks. it never!! grabbed me!! and like it's a thriller so i'd like to be grabbed. (...you know what i mean)
-like i was literally checking Goodreads and Snapchat and my email and whatnot every five seconds. just bored af.
-the first 75% was also So Repetitive. i really wanna avoid spoilers, so i'll just say that the book implies two potential Big Reveals™ over. and over. and over.
-even the interactions feel repetitive
-Sam and Quincy's conversations and banter are always the saaaaaame. Jeff and Quincy have identical "r u ok" convos 3298472389 times.
-we hear the same spiel about Quincy's mom easily 8 times. if i have to read the phrase "Xanax and grape soda" one more time i'll be sent spiraling into a war flashback so intense i'll forget what reality is.
-most of the characters are BANANAS FLAT. Sam and Coop and Jeff, for sure. i have no real concept of Lisa. and it's IMPOSSIBLE to get a grip on who the hell Quincy is.
-when things start to come together (FINALLY) in the last third, it's, well...it's not great. here are some adjectives i would use to describe it: choppy, confusing, nonsensical, poorly explained, half-baked, characterizationally ill-fitting
-the climax of the book happens at about page 320 out of 345 and is over in 10 pages, SO THAT'S NOT EXACTLY A PAYOFF WORTHY OF THE 800 TIMES I READ ABOUT QUINCY LOOKING AT THE DOOR TO THE GUEST ROOM
-the last five pages really don't make sense or offer closure or fit with whatever scraps of concrete characterization Quincy had
wow. i really didn't think i had that much of a rant in me. but sweet lord i am so disappointed in this book.
I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE GREAT.
bottom line: how much thrill could this "thriller" thrill if a thriller actually thrilled?
also........thanks much to Penguin First to Read for the ARC! i love that program.
https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
let's get into it. the title "Final Girls" is a reference to a group of 3 women who were the sole survivors of separate serial-killer massacres: Lisa, Samantha, and Quincy (our narrator). they're tabloid darlings each living separate lives (with varying degrees of normalcy) until one of them dies. ooOOH SPOOKY WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?!?!? (unfortunately, it's nothing anywhere near as exciting as what that glorious premise deserves.)
first compliments!!! hurray.
the good:
-the main character, quincy, runs a baking blog and it's really cute - you should know by now that sweets are a passion of mine so that's exciting
-neither of my 2 guesses for what The Big Reveal™ would be were exactly right (i really care about two things in a thriller: i want to have fun guessing the ending and i want my guesses to be wrong, and i want to be scared. or at least, you know, thrilled. and i guess it's good that this checked one of those boxes. the less important one, but still one of them.)
-a little bit of the last chunk was somewhat exciting. at times. (how enthusiastic does THAT sound?)
-as mentioned, the concept itself was very good (but GOD why couldn't the book live up to it)
the bad:
-nothing happens for the first 3/4 of the book. SERIOUSLY NOTHING. starting yesterday i just had to hunker down and read this in 100 page chunks. it never!! grabbed me!! and like it's a thriller so i'd like to be grabbed. (...you know what i mean)
-like i was literally checking Goodreads and Snapchat and my email and whatnot every five seconds. just bored af.
-the first 75% was also So Repetitive. i really wanna avoid spoilers, so i'll just say that the book implies two potential Big Reveals™ over. and over. and over.
-even the interactions feel repetitive
-Sam and Quincy's conversations and banter are always the saaaaaame. Jeff and Quincy have identical "r u ok" convos 3298472389 times.
-we hear the same spiel about Quincy's mom easily 8 times. if i have to read the phrase "Xanax and grape soda" one more time i'll be sent spiraling into a war flashback so intense i'll forget what reality is.
-most of the characters are BANANAS FLAT. Sam and Coop and Jeff, for sure. i have no real concept of Lisa. and it's IMPOSSIBLE to get a grip on who the hell Quincy is.
-when things start to come together (FINALLY) in the last third, it's, well...it's not great. here are some adjectives i would use to describe it: choppy, confusing, nonsensical, poorly explained, half-baked, characterizationally ill-fitting
-the climax of the book happens at about page 320 out of 345 and is over in 10 pages, SO THAT'S NOT EXACTLY A PAYOFF WORTHY OF THE 800 TIMES I READ ABOUT QUINCY LOOKING AT THE DOOR TO THE GUEST ROOM
-the last five pages really don't make sense or offer closure or fit with whatever scraps of concrete characterization Quincy had
wow. i really didn't think i had that much of a rant in me. but sweet lord i am so disappointed in this book.
I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE GREAT.
bottom line: how much thrill could this "thriller" thrill if a thriller actually thrilled?
also........thanks much to Penguin First to Read for the ARC! i love that program.
January 24, 2018
Let us just take a moment to admire the beauty of my UK edition of this book. My favorite colors together: pink & black =)
As you will see in the first picture, it's the standard front cover with brilliant pink and black standing out. Oh, Book Depository I love you and thank you for making my day.
This next photo shows you the inside cover flap which is black and goes perfectly with the rest of the book.
And in the final ( <--- heh ) picture, we have the freaking awesome black colored outer edges. I'm freaking in love! Oh, and don't mind Frankie there, he didn't come with the book. He belongs to my dog, Lucy, and he just wanted to help out. He's awesome that way.
Now lets crack on with the review!
I thought this book was fan freaking tastic! I'm glad I stick to my guns and read what I want because there were mixed reviews on this one. But, I don't give a rats behind! I read what I want! And don't be coming on my review saying how much you didn't like the book. RESPECT people. I don't need nobody trying to rain on my parade! Ya get me?
I didn't read much of the summary of this book. I just read about final girls and something about a killer. To be honest, I was thinking about that movie I love and own, see below ↓
It wasn't nothing like that people. So, there are these three women.
WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ********* SOME MILD SPOILERS**************
So, there are these three women. They each go through a horrific ordeal with a crazed killer and they each live to tell the tale, well for the most part. They get labeled the final girls because they were the final ones in a killing spree. It's this whole thing, you can probably look it up or watch that cool movie I mentioned above.
Anyway, we have Quincey, Sam and Lisa.
Quincy is the main character in this book because she just is and Lisa has some stuff and then Sam comes in and she's all in some stuff with Quincy.
Quincy has a nice life. A great home, husband, a cooking blog and she's all good. Well, not so much, she's on pills and can't ever remember what happened all of those years ago. She still talks to the cop that saved her, just sort of a see how you're doing from time to time.
The final girls have never met one another. Quincy and Lisa talked a few times but never in person. Then Lisa is dead. How? What? Not telling you.
Then Sam shows up on Quincy's doorstep. I'm thinking, girl you have never seen this woman in your life and they never had anything but yearbook pictures of her. Don't be letting people into your apartment. I mean seriously?
The girls strike up a weird type of friendship and then all kinds of weird stuff starts going on. Then Quincy starts remembering things! She's the only one that couldn't remember anything from her attack and all of her friends getting killed. But now it's slowly coming out . . .
Then all kinds of cray stuff starts happening and it's the what the hell moments and then all this stuff happens and it ends. I'm like, well, I thought I saw that coming. But, I didn't!
Anyway, who cares. It was soooooooooo good, I loved it. I'm so glad I got it and a million starts goes to the cover.
Enjoy!
Mel ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
As you will see in the first picture, it's the standard front cover with brilliant pink and black standing out. Oh, Book Depository I love you and thank you for making my day.
This next photo shows you the inside cover flap which is black and goes perfectly with the rest of the book.
And in the final ( <--- heh ) picture, we have the freaking awesome black colored outer edges. I'm freaking in love! Oh, and don't mind Frankie there, he didn't come with the book. He belongs to my dog, Lucy, and he just wanted to help out. He's awesome that way.
Now lets crack on with the review!
I thought this book was fan freaking tastic! I'm glad I stick to my guns and read what I want because there were mixed reviews on this one. But, I don't give a rats behind! I read what I want! And don't be coming on my review saying how much you didn't like the book. RESPECT people. I don't need nobody trying to rain on my parade! Ya get me?
I didn't read much of the summary of this book. I just read about final girls and something about a killer. To be honest, I was thinking about that movie I love and own, see below ↓
It wasn't nothing like that people. So, there are these three women.
WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ********* SOME MILD SPOILERS**************
So, there are these three women. They each go through a horrific ordeal with a crazed killer and they each live to tell the tale, well for the most part. They get labeled the final girls because they were the final ones in a killing spree. It's this whole thing, you can probably look it up or watch that cool movie I mentioned above.
Anyway, we have Quincey, Sam and Lisa.
Quincy is the main character in this book because she just is and Lisa has some stuff and then Sam comes in and she's all in some stuff with Quincy.
Quincy has a nice life. A great home, husband, a cooking blog and she's all good. Well, not so much, she's on pills and can't ever remember what happened all of those years ago. She still talks to the cop that saved her, just sort of a see how you're doing from time to time.
The final girls have never met one another. Quincy and Lisa talked a few times but never in person. Then Lisa is dead. How? What? Not telling you.
Then Sam shows up on Quincy's doorstep. I'm thinking, girl you have never seen this woman in your life and they never had anything but yearbook pictures of her. Don't be letting people into your apartment. I mean seriously?
The girls strike up a weird type of friendship and then all kinds of weird stuff starts going on. Then Quincy starts remembering things! She's the only one that couldn't remember anything from her attack and all of her friends getting killed. But now it's slowly coming out . . .
Then all kinds of cray stuff starts happening and it's the what the hell moments and then all this stuff happens and it ends. I'm like, well, I thought I saw that coming. But, I didn't!
Anyway, who cares. It was soooooooooo good, I loved it. I'm so glad I got it and a million starts goes to the cover.
Enjoy!
Mel ♥
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
January 20, 2018
I seem to be on a run of really good books at the moment but this one totally blew me away! "Final Girls" by Riley Sager was just SOOOO good!!
I was drawn into this intense story from the very first page until the tremendously gripping end. I started this on a Saturday morning and I was a ghost in my house until it was finished Sunday night it is that unputdownable and addictive!
"Final Girls" is about three girls, Quincy, Sam and Lisa, sole survivors of three separate murderous killing sprees but linked by their trauma. When Lisa dies mysteriously and Sam suddenly turns up on Quincy's doorstep, a series of events following their new friendship ensues. Who can Quincy trust and will she totally remember the events of that terrible night she endured many years ago.
You just don't know where this story is going at times it's so well plotted and written - just when you think you may have worked everything out you realise in the final chapters you are so wrong! Twists and turns will keep you guessing all the way!
There's two stories running alongside each other, the present day Quincy and the unfolding events that occurred the night she survived her ordeal at Pine Cottage with the horrid anticipation of what's going to happen clearly palpable. I love this style of writing which for me always adds to the enjoyment of the plot. I'm not normally easily freaked out but I have to admit that there were times that there was slivers of ice running down my spine and I'm not sure I would like to read this late at night and on my own! Adrenaline was searing at my senses during the highly climatic end!
This was one hell of thrilling ride, I know Riley Sager will do really well with this book - I wouldn't be surprised if this was made into a horror/thriller movie.
I more than recommend "Final Girls" and I will certainly read more by this author in the future. For a writer to be able to engage the reader as well as this debut author has done, is just amazing and this hotly anticipated book will resolutely be the talk of 2017!! A huge 5 stars!
I was drawn into this intense story from the very first page until the tremendously gripping end. I started this on a Saturday morning and I was a ghost in my house until it was finished Sunday night it is that unputdownable and addictive!
"Final Girls" is about three girls, Quincy, Sam and Lisa, sole survivors of three separate murderous killing sprees but linked by their trauma. When Lisa dies mysteriously and Sam suddenly turns up on Quincy's doorstep, a series of events following their new friendship ensues. Who can Quincy trust and will she totally remember the events of that terrible night she endured many years ago.
You just don't know where this story is going at times it's so well plotted and written - just when you think you may have worked everything out you realise in the final chapters you are so wrong! Twists and turns will keep you guessing all the way!
There's two stories running alongside each other, the present day Quincy and the unfolding events that occurred the night she survived her ordeal at Pine Cottage with the horrid anticipation of what's going to happen clearly palpable. I love this style of writing which for me always adds to the enjoyment of the plot. I'm not normally easily freaked out but I have to admit that there were times that there was slivers of ice running down my spine and I'm not sure I would like to read this late at night and on my own! Adrenaline was searing at my senses during the highly climatic end!
This was one hell of thrilling ride, I know Riley Sager will do really well with this book - I wouldn't be surprised if this was made into a horror/thriller movie.
I more than recommend "Final Girls" and I will certainly read more by this author in the future. For a writer to be able to engage the reader as well as this debut author has done, is just amazing and this hotly anticipated book will resolutely be the talk of 2017!! A huge 5 stars!
July 27, 2017
3.5 stars
I feel like the past 13 reviews I have written have been tough; they all are books that I don’t want to spoil for the reader and am having trouble putting the proper wording forward to describe my feelings. I’m going to try and be brief on this review, but I’ve found myself somewhere in the middle of the opinions I’m seeing spread out over the internet. Yes, if you are a regular reader of thrillers and mysteries you have a good chance of having the whodunnit figured out early on (I don’t want to say exactly when I had it figured out to avoid spoilers as it was very early on), but honestly it doesn’t matter as Final Girls is still a compulsive and addictive read.
Let me back up for a moment… As an avid reader in the Mystery/Thriller/Suspense genre (meaning I read on average 150-200 books in the genre per year), it’s getting difficult to find a book where the big twist is a complete surprise. I’m going to share a secret of mine, because it may help another reader as it’s helped me. After I read the unspecified section of the beginning of the book, I flipped to the end to see if my guesses were correct. GASP! Hold the torches and pitchforks! When I confirmed my suspicions, I realized the burden of expectation that we as readers place on a big, shocking reveal just became another aspect of the plot. I enjoyed the book even more than I would have with unrealistic expectations. All this to say, I’m glad I skipped ahead before reading the entire book as it allowed me to enjoy the journey just as much as the conclusion.
Being the huge fan of slasher films that I am, I was thrilled to see that this story stuck to the traditional formula that we find in movies such as Scream (my personal favorite) and Halloween. If there has ever been a book categorized as pure fun and entertainment, this is it! I found myself agreeing with most of the positive comments in friend’s reviews; I favored the flashback scenes and found myself completely lost in the story. If you are looking for a read to blow through in a weekend any time of the year, look no further. Here’s where I’ve seen people differing on their thoughts; some felt the characterization and present day scenes were slow going and not as gripping as the flashbacks. Here’s my take; the characterization, especially with Quincy, was my favorite part of the book! Call me weird, but I found myself lost in thought wondering what it would be like surviving something so horrifying and being left with the guilt of being the only one to live through it. Watching Quincy’s perfect facade slowly melt away once Sam enters her life again was quite literally breathtaking and the strongest story building pieces of the overall puzzle. This is what set apart Final Girls from similar horror stories that were B-rated at best.
If you’re on the fence about this one, just go ahead and read it. Everyone else is doing it-PEER PRESSURE!!! In all seriousness, you’ll have a hard time finding anything like it if you’re looking to be fully entertained. While this isn’t what true horror readers would classify as “horror”, it does contain aspects of the genre and would be a great bridge for those readers looking to dip their toes into darker waters. This will be especially appealing to readers who are fairly new to the thriller genre and looking for the next popular read to keep them guessing. I’m really excited to see what Riley Sager brings to the table next!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy; it was a pleasure to provide my honest thoughts here.
I feel like the past 13 reviews I have written have been tough; they all are books that I don’t want to spoil for the reader and am having trouble putting the proper wording forward to describe my feelings. I’m going to try and be brief on this review, but I’ve found myself somewhere in the middle of the opinions I’m seeing spread out over the internet. Yes, if you are a regular reader of thrillers and mysteries you have a good chance of having the whodunnit figured out early on (I don’t want to say exactly when I had it figured out to avoid spoilers as it was very early on), but honestly it doesn’t matter as Final Girls is still a compulsive and addictive read.
Let me back up for a moment… As an avid reader in the Mystery/Thriller/Suspense genre (meaning I read on average 150-200 books in the genre per year), it’s getting difficult to find a book where the big twist is a complete surprise. I’m going to share a secret of mine, because it may help another reader as it’s helped me. After I read the unspecified section of the beginning of the book, I flipped to the end to see if my guesses were correct. GASP! Hold the torches and pitchforks! When I confirmed my suspicions, I realized the burden of expectation that we as readers place on a big, shocking reveal just became another aspect of the plot. I enjoyed the book even more than I would have with unrealistic expectations. All this to say, I’m glad I skipped ahead before reading the entire book as it allowed me to enjoy the journey just as much as the conclusion.
Being the huge fan of slasher films that I am, I was thrilled to see that this story stuck to the traditional formula that we find in movies such as Scream (my personal favorite) and Halloween. If there has ever been a book categorized as pure fun and entertainment, this is it! I found myself agreeing with most of the positive comments in friend’s reviews; I favored the flashback scenes and found myself completely lost in the story. If you are looking for a read to blow through in a weekend any time of the year, look no further. Here’s where I’ve seen people differing on their thoughts; some felt the characterization and present day scenes were slow going and not as gripping as the flashbacks. Here’s my take; the characterization, especially with Quincy, was my favorite part of the book! Call me weird, but I found myself lost in thought wondering what it would be like surviving something so horrifying and being left with the guilt of being the only one to live through it. Watching Quincy’s perfect facade slowly melt away once Sam enters her life again was quite literally breathtaking and the strongest story building pieces of the overall puzzle. This is what set apart Final Girls from similar horror stories that were B-rated at best.
If you’re on the fence about this one, just go ahead and read it. Everyone else is doing it-PEER PRESSURE!!! In all seriousness, you’ll have a hard time finding anything like it if you’re looking to be fully entertained. While this isn’t what true horror readers would classify as “horror”, it does contain aspects of the genre and would be a great bridge for those readers looking to dip their toes into darker waters. This will be especially appealing to readers who are fairly new to the thriller genre and looking for the next popular read to keep them guessing. I’m really excited to see what Riley Sager brings to the table next!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy; it was a pleasure to provide my honest thoughts here.
July 14, 2017
Reminiscent of a slasher flick, Final Girls sticks pretty close to the typical script. All of the required components are there—survivor of a murder spree that’s barely holding it together, dead space where there should be memories, a person or two casting doubt, the hair-raising feeling that things aren’t at all what they seem and most importantly, a leading lady that makes a ton of questionable choices.
It’s been ten years since Quincy and a group of friends were attacked in a remote cabin by a knife-wielding psycho and she was the ‘Final Girl’ left standing. As Quincy recovers her lost memories and slowly unravels the truth of what really happened all those years ago at Pine Cottage, it becomes clear there was one major detail that everyone got wrong about that night.
Despite all outward appearances—her baking blog, swanky apartment and relationship with a successful guy—Quincy is a mess. Really though, after what she’s been through, who wouldn’t be? Still haunted by what happened, she's prone to popping Xanax and washing it down with a swig of grape soda. My initial thought was that Quincy was doing the best she could—faking it until she makes it. I would even go so far to say I liked her . . . in the beginning.
Quincy, along with two other women that survived their own separate nightmares, were dubbed ‘Final Girls’ by the media and garnered a ton of attention. Let’s be honest here for a minute though, shall we? With social media making news stories like this so readily available, these chicks would have had their fifteen-minutes of fame and the world would have moved on to the next crime. There wouldn’t be this huge media following 10-14 years later, despite one of the ‘Final Girls’ dying a suspicious death and the other arriving on Quincy’s doorstep. I’d expect some news coverage and maybe a Dateline special, but a front page spread and paparazzi . . . I’d say not. Have I mentioned, I struggle with suspending disbelief?
The author flips the timeline between the present—Quincy and Samantha on a downward spiral together—and Pine Cottage. For me, it was the teens in the woods that held the most interest. I found the present chapters to be a little repetitive and slow; I was constantly waiting for something exciting to happen. A large part of my disdain resided with how unlikable I found Samantha to be and the fact that those feelings started to stain Quincy as well. I didn’t expect her to fall apart quite so easily at the hands of this stranger, who was a complete wreck herself.
The story gained some much needed momentum in the last thirty pages or so, leaving me eager to confirm my suspicions. Despite all of the doubt the author had been casting, I was pretty confident I had in fact figured it all out. I'm happy to admit now, Riley Sager played me. I was completely wrong! Again, the author might have stuck to the proven slasher flick formula by pulling out a surprise ending, but it only helped to redeem the story in my eyes. Had it not been for that ending, my feelings and rating would have been drastically different. I have to disagree with the almighty Mr. Stephen King who declared this book to be the “first great thriller of 2017”. Marketing hype aside, I would say this mild thriller is enjoyable for the most part, but not memorable.
*My first Goodreads Giveaway win! Imagine my surprise when I opened the mailbox and discovered I was lucky enough to snag an advanced reading copy from Dutton. Yay me!
It’s been ten years since Quincy and a group of friends were attacked in a remote cabin by a knife-wielding psycho and she was the ‘Final Girl’ left standing. As Quincy recovers her lost memories and slowly unravels the truth of what really happened all those years ago at Pine Cottage, it becomes clear there was one major detail that everyone got wrong about that night.
Despite all outward appearances—her baking blog, swanky apartment and relationship with a successful guy—Quincy is a mess. Really though, after what she’s been through, who wouldn’t be? Still haunted by what happened, she's prone to popping Xanax and washing it down with a swig of grape soda. My initial thought was that Quincy was doing the best she could—faking it until she makes it. I would even go so far to say I liked her . . . in the beginning.
Quincy, along with two other women that survived their own separate nightmares, were dubbed ‘Final Girls’ by the media and garnered a ton of attention. Let’s be honest here for a minute though, shall we? With social media making news stories like this so readily available, these chicks would have had their fifteen-minutes of fame and the world would have moved on to the next crime. There wouldn’t be this huge media following 10-14 years later, despite one of the ‘Final Girls’ dying a suspicious death and the other arriving on Quincy’s doorstep. I’d expect some news coverage and maybe a Dateline special, but a front page spread and paparazzi . . . I’d say not. Have I mentioned, I struggle with suspending disbelief?
The author flips the timeline between the present—Quincy and Samantha on a downward spiral together—and Pine Cottage. For me, it was the teens in the woods that held the most interest. I found the present chapters to be a little repetitive and slow; I was constantly waiting for something exciting to happen. A large part of my disdain resided with how unlikable I found Samantha to be and the fact that those feelings started to stain Quincy as well. I didn’t expect her to fall apart quite so easily at the hands of this stranger, who was a complete wreck herself.
The story gained some much needed momentum in the last thirty pages or so, leaving me eager to confirm my suspicions. Despite all of the doubt the author had been casting, I was pretty confident I had in fact figured it all out. I'm happy to admit now, Riley Sager played me. I was completely wrong! Again, the author might have stuck to the proven slasher flick formula by pulling out a surprise ending, but it only helped to redeem the story in my eyes. Had it not been for that ending, my feelings and rating would have been drastically different. I have to disagree with the almighty Mr. Stephen King who declared this book to be the “first great thriller of 2017”. Marketing hype aside, I would say this mild thriller is enjoyable for the most part, but not memorable.
*My first Goodreads Giveaway win! Imagine my surprise when I opened the mailbox and discovered I was lucky enough to snag an advanced reading copy from Dutton. Yay me!
November 11, 2019
"We were, for whatever reason, the lucky ones who survived when no one else had. Pretty girls covered in blood. As such, we were each in turn treated like something rare and exotic. A beautiful bird that spreads its bright wings only once a decade."
Let me start this review by saying that I wanted to love this book. I honestly went into it expecting it to be amazing. Everyone I know who had read it gave it 4+ stars, so that must mean it's flawless, right? Sadly... I must have missed something, because I almost DNF'd this about a dozen times.
PLOT ➳➳
This book starts off by following Quincy, who is a "final girl"; this term is derived from horror films, and refers to the last girl standing. Almost a decade prior, Quinn and her friends were savagely attacked by a mass murderer while on a weekend cabin trip, and only Quinn survived. The biggest problem? She has no memory of anything that happened between the moments before the attack and the moment she was rescued.
Maybe part of my problem with this book was the fact that I went into it expecting it to pick up with some sort of action right from the start. Nope! The first 60% of this book had me beyond bored. It turns out that the bulk of the plot for the first while is just Quinn coping with what happened to her, getting to know her asshole public defender boyfriend, her Super-McSteamy-cop-who's-clearly-in-love-with-me-but-of-course-I-don't-want-to-sleep-with-him-who-me-nope-no-way-teehee savior Coop, finding out that the oldest "Final Girl" has just mysteriously committed suicide, and meeting the middle "Final Girl", Sam, who is established as being Pretty Freaking Strange from the get-go.
The second half of the book is a slew of twists and turns that mostly just didn't make a whole lot of sense and/or felt super predictable. I think I guessed both of the "big twists" 30% in? And one of those big twists, when I finished the book, made me realize... why was it even there? What sense did it make? It was this huge build-up and yet it ultimately added nothing of value.
CHARACTERS ➳➳
Alright, y'all already know I'm a sucker for good characters; I'll ignore a poorly developed plot all day long if there's some good, solid character development and at least one likable starring role. Sadly, this book was not having ANY of my nonsense.
• Quinn is awful. I mean genuinely, 100% awful. She is so self-contradicting it's pathetic, and she just makes one terrible decision after another. I rolled my eyes so many times I'm surprised they didn't fall out of my head.
• Jeff, the public defender boyfriend? Also awful. He spends most of the book demanding Quinn to fit into his little box of Perfect Survivor Girl Who Never Dwells on the Traumas of Her Past™, and every time she slips outside of it and shows any form of weakness, he strikes.
• Sam is boring, and annoying, and she ends every other sentence with “babe”. That’s all I really can say.
• Everyone else is either too minor to mention or their entire existence is a ~twist~ so I don’t wanna spoil anything for you lovely folks.
FINAL VERDICT ➳➳
I wanted to love this book. I tried to love this book. I couldn't do it. I would still encourage anyone who's a fan of adult thrillers to check this book out, because seriously, guys, my entire friends list seems to be head over heels for this book, and if that's the case, I want people to pick it up and read it and hopefully fall in love with it. That just didn't happen for me.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dutton for providing me with this ARC! As you can see, my opinions are entirely my own.
Let me start this review by saying that I wanted to love this book. I honestly went into it expecting it to be amazing. Everyone I know who had read it gave it 4+ stars, so that must mean it's flawless, right? Sadly... I must have missed something, because I almost DNF'd this about a dozen times.
PLOT ➳➳
This book starts off by following Quincy, who is a "final girl"; this term is derived from horror films, and refers to the last girl standing. Almost a decade prior, Quinn and her friends were savagely attacked by a mass murderer while on a weekend cabin trip, and only Quinn survived. The biggest problem? She has no memory of anything that happened between the moments before the attack and the moment she was rescued.
Maybe part of my problem with this book was the fact that I went into it expecting it to pick up with some sort of action right from the start. Nope! The first 60% of this book had me beyond bored. It turns out that the bulk of the plot for the first while is just Quinn coping with what happened to her, getting to know her asshole public defender boyfriend, her Super-McSteamy-cop-who's-clearly-in-love-with-me-but-of-course-I-don't-want-to-sleep-with-him-who-me-nope-no-way-teehee savior Coop, finding out that the oldest "Final Girl" has just mysteriously committed suicide, and meeting the middle "Final Girl", Sam, who is established as being Pretty Freaking Strange from the get-go.
The second half of the book is a slew of twists and turns that mostly just didn't make a whole lot of sense and/or felt super predictable. I think I guessed both of the "big twists" 30% in? And one of those big twists, when I finished the book, made me realize... why was it even there? What sense did it make? It was this huge build-up and yet it ultimately added nothing of value.
CHARACTERS ➳➳
Alright, y'all already know I'm a sucker for good characters; I'll ignore a poorly developed plot all day long if there's some good, solid character development and at least one likable starring role. Sadly, this book was not having ANY of my nonsense.
• Quinn is awful. I mean genuinely, 100% awful. She is so self-contradicting it's pathetic, and she just makes one terrible decision after another. I rolled my eyes so many times I'm surprised they didn't fall out of my head.
• Jeff, the public defender boyfriend? Also awful. He spends most of the book demanding Quinn to fit into his little box of Perfect Survivor Girl Who Never Dwells on the Traumas of Her Past™, and every time she slips outside of it and shows any form of weakness, he strikes.
• Sam is boring, and annoying, and she ends every other sentence with “babe”. That’s all I really can say.
• Everyone else is either too minor to mention or their entire existence is a ~twist~ so I don’t wanna spoil anything for you lovely folks.
FINAL VERDICT ➳➳
I wanted to love this book. I tried to love this book. I couldn't do it. I would still encourage anyone who's a fan of adult thrillers to check this book out, because seriously, guys, my entire friends list seems to be head over heels for this book, and if that's the case, I want people to pick it up and read it and hopefully fall in love with it. That just didn't happen for me.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dutton for providing me with this ARC! As you can see, my opinions are entirely my own.
April 23, 2024
Ehhhh…. Chyba niedługo skończę przygodę z Riley Sagerem :(((
May 25, 2017
This is a dark and unsettling psychological thriller that made me uncomfortable but compelled to get the bottom of the various mysteries in the novel. A hungry media have dubbed Quinn Carpenter, Lisa Milner and Samantha Boyd, the infamous Final Girls, a term derived from horror movies for the last woman standing in a bloodbath where a serial killer has murdered everyone else. The women have never met but the suicide of Lisa is the catalyst for Quinn's carefully rebuilt world to begin to disintegrate. Quinn has a beautiful apartment in Manhattan, bought from the proceeds of legal settlements and media interviews. She has a fiance, Jeff, who makes her feel secure, and is planning to marry him. She is supported unwaveringly by Coop, the cop who shot the killer and saved her from the massacre at Pine Cottage where all her friends died. She writes a popular baking blog, which has helped her maintain her sanity through dark times and she relies on Xanax, to mentally cope with the world. She is scared by Lisa's death and the myriad of implications it might have for her.
Quinn receives a visit from Sam Boyd whom she invites to stay in her apartment. No-one else knows what it is like to be a Final Girl, and when the media prints a photograph of the two of them, she becomes closer to Sam seeking reassurance and support. However, Quinn's personality begins to markedly change as she begins to engage in risky and dangerous behaviours and actions that jeopardises the life she has so painstakingly built. She has no memory of the horror that occurred at Pine Cottage but details start to come back to her. She has never been able to call the killer by his name, this triggers an emotional panic attack and Sam is pushing her to remember. Can she trust Sam? In a story full of twists, we come to finally understand precisely what happened at Pine Cottage.
This is a atmospheric thriller I could not stop reading. It has a compelling narrative that grips, you get drawn into into the shaky and unreliable world of Quinn Carpenter. It is so well plotted to ramp up the suspense and the feeling of fear that pervades the book keeps you on tenterhooks. I was mesmerised by the character of Quinn, so stunningly developed and that of Sam, as I wondered who exactly she was and what did she want from Quinn? Sam insinuates herself into Quinn's life and apartment with no intention of leaving whatsoever. A brilliant and gripping read that I highly recommend. Thanks to Random House Ebury for an ARC.
Quinn receives a visit from Sam Boyd whom she invites to stay in her apartment. No-one else knows what it is like to be a Final Girl, and when the media prints a photograph of the two of them, she becomes closer to Sam seeking reassurance and support. However, Quinn's personality begins to markedly change as she begins to engage in risky and dangerous behaviours and actions that jeopardises the life she has so painstakingly built. She has no memory of the horror that occurred at Pine Cottage but details start to come back to her. She has never been able to call the killer by his name, this triggers an emotional panic attack and Sam is pushing her to remember. Can she trust Sam? In a story full of twists, we come to finally understand precisely what happened at Pine Cottage.
This is a atmospheric thriller I could not stop reading. It has a compelling narrative that grips, you get drawn into into the shaky and unreliable world of Quinn Carpenter. It is so well plotted to ramp up the suspense and the feeling of fear that pervades the book keeps you on tenterhooks. I was mesmerised by the character of Quinn, so stunningly developed and that of Sam, as I wondered who exactly she was and what did she want from Quinn? Sam insinuates herself into Quinn's life and apartment with no intention of leaving whatsoever. A brilliant and gripping read that I highly recommend. Thanks to Random House Ebury for an ARC.
September 5, 2020
I read and really like "The Last Time I Lied" so I picked this book while waiting for "Lock Every Door".
Final Girls ended up being okay. Not unputdownable, the twists were fine but I didn't care about the characters as much as I should have.
Reviews of all his books: https://youtu.be/SAd1t5LZqus
Final Girls ended up being okay. Not unputdownable, the twists were fine but I didn't care about the characters as much as I should have.
Reviews of all his books: https://youtu.be/SAd1t5LZqus
November 26, 2017
I really enjoyed this read. It was not flawless by any means, but addictive and thrilling. I would definitely still recommend.
CW: murder/gore, substance abuse/alcoholism, adultery
My favorite thing about this novel is the plot. I was completely captivated all throughout. The beginning was a bit slow and the ending was a little overstimulating, but nonetheless, I was engaged and interested the whole time. Some twists were surprising, others were anticipated but I still wanted the plot to keep developing. It's a fast read - I devoured it in two days. This is just one of those books where I can't accurately express why I enjoyed it so much, but I did.
I'm not normally nit-picky when it comes to writing style, but this one just didn't do it for me. I can't help but feel frustrated, especially in mystery/thrillers, by lines similar "You trust me, don't you?" and "But how could they possibly know this unless..." I tend to use the word "obvious" to describe this type of writing as I feel too much of the story is being laid out for me. That being said, Final Girls is a debut, and I believe the personal issues I had with the writing are ones that can absolutely improve with time and experience.
Also, I feel the ending did get a bit muddled. There was a lot of information being released in a short span of pages, and I believe it needed to be a bit more fleshed out. The same goes for the characters. By the end, certain characters had changed so much that I can't understand how I'm meant to feel about them. I assume that's the intention, but it leaves me a bit perturbed. Additionally, I feel "repressed memory syndrome" is kind of a cop-out for thrillers to withhold information. I'm not trying to invalidate survivors of trauma because dissociative amnesia is a real thing, but it can only be done so many times in literature until it feels like the easy way out.
I would definitely recommend to readers new to the thriller genre like myself. It's a fast, chilling read that is easy to enjoy. I'm not sure if it's developed enough to satisfy "experts" in the genre, though I have seen many glowing reviews, so maybe my judgement isn't the strongest. Overall, I'm satisfied by Sager's first release and am eager to read more from him in the future.
CW: murder/gore, substance abuse/alcoholism, adultery
My favorite thing about this novel is the plot. I was completely captivated all throughout. The beginning was a bit slow and the ending was a little overstimulating, but nonetheless, I was engaged and interested the whole time. Some twists were surprising, others were anticipated but I still wanted the plot to keep developing. It's a fast read - I devoured it in two days. This is just one of those books where I can't accurately express why I enjoyed it so much, but I did.
I'm not normally nit-picky when it comes to writing style, but this one just didn't do it for me. I can't help but feel frustrated, especially in mystery/thrillers, by lines similar "You trust me, don't you?" and "But how could they possibly know this unless..." I tend to use the word "obvious" to describe this type of writing as I feel too much of the story is being laid out for me. That being said, Final Girls is a debut, and I believe the personal issues I had with the writing are ones that can absolutely improve with time and experience.
Also, I feel the ending did get a bit muddled. There was a lot of information being released in a short span of pages, and I believe it needed to be a bit more fleshed out. The same goes for the characters. By the end, certain characters had changed so much that I can't understand how I'm meant to feel about them. I assume that's the intention, but it leaves me a bit perturbed. Additionally, I feel "repressed memory syndrome" is kind of a cop-out for thrillers to withhold information. I'm not trying to invalidate survivors of trauma because dissociative amnesia is a real thing, but it can only be done so many times in literature until it feels like the easy way out.
I would definitely recommend to readers new to the thriller genre like myself. It's a fast, chilling read that is easy to enjoy. I'm not sure if it's developed enough to satisfy "experts" in the genre, though I have seen many glowing reviews, so maybe my judgement isn't the strongest. Overall, I'm satisfied by Sager's first release and am eager to read more from him in the future.
August 19, 2017
Go with me for a second. Are you under the impression that FINAL GIRLS is about a horror movie? Please tell me I'm not the only one that thought that!
That's a huge misconception....The blurb says something about a "horror-movie scale massacre" and that's all I remembered reading before thinking, "SKIP". Not interested in a horror movie remake.
Well, I'm proud to announce that FINAL GIRLS is not about a movie. And double proud to announce it is a fun, scary and highly entertaining book!
There has been so much hype surrounding this current book of the month club that I was standoff-ish about rushing to it. I'm weird like that. Plus, like I said, I'm not much of a horror-movie-slasher fan. But then, Penguin Group Dutton publishers sent me an ARC and how could I not read it? I am so happy they did!
Do you know what a Final Girl is? A final girl is the sole survivor of a horrific murder scene. Movies like Halloween and Scream inevitably end with a final girl left standing. Yet another movie reference, sorry! Author Riley Sager has written a startling story about three final girls (all survivors of different gruesome scenes) who eventually have their separate lives intersect under troublesome circumstances.
Quincy Carpenter, aside from having a cute name, is a final girl. She lived through a mass murder scene ten years before and has tried her best to get on with a semi-normal life. A tad dependent on Xanax and dealing with a mild kleptomania problem, she has steadfastly stuck to her story that she didn't remember anything about the night of the killings. She has dealt with her survivor guilt by becoming a successful baking blogger and by refusing to talk about that grisly night.
That's really all you need to know about the set up of this addictive story. I was hesitant about the degree of slashi-ness, but it's actually not that bad (nowhere near a Patricia Cornwell book!) and the narrative switches just fast enough between the murders 10 years ago and the new mystery Quincy is currently caught up in. So you never really have time to get tired of the bloody stuff!
Despite the subject matter, I wouldn't call FINAL GIRLS a dark or disturbing horror novel. This was the biggest surprise to me! For one thing, author Riley Sager, is no Gillian Flynn. Sager's writing is lighter, an almost superficial style, never diving below the surface of words. No need to read between the lines, just read.
There are a couple of plot twists, the pages turn fast, it is a very quick, compelling mystery. I love the character of Quincy. She is an imperfect, somewhat unreliable narrator and an interesting protagonist.
I have no doubt, FINAL GIRLS, has all the elements in place to be THE beach read of 2017. And deservedly so.
THANK you to Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC. I appreciate the opportunity to give my honest opinion!
That's a huge misconception....The blurb says something about a "horror-movie scale massacre" and that's all I remembered reading before thinking, "SKIP". Not interested in a horror movie remake.
Well, I'm proud to announce that FINAL GIRLS is not about a movie. And double proud to announce it is a fun, scary and highly entertaining book!
There has been so much hype surrounding this current book of the month club that I was standoff-ish about rushing to it. I'm weird like that. Plus, like I said, I'm not much of a horror-movie-slasher fan. But then, Penguin Group Dutton publishers sent me an ARC and how could I not read it? I am so happy they did!
Do you know what a Final Girl is? A final girl is the sole survivor of a horrific murder scene. Movies like Halloween and Scream inevitably end with a final girl left standing. Yet another movie reference, sorry! Author Riley Sager has written a startling story about three final girls (all survivors of different gruesome scenes) who eventually have their separate lives intersect under troublesome circumstances.
Quincy Carpenter, aside from having a cute name, is a final girl. She lived through a mass murder scene ten years before and has tried her best to get on with a semi-normal life. A tad dependent on Xanax and dealing with a mild kleptomania problem, she has steadfastly stuck to her story that she didn't remember anything about the night of the killings. She has dealt with her survivor guilt by becoming a successful baking blogger and by refusing to talk about that grisly night.
That's really all you need to know about the set up of this addictive story. I was hesitant about the degree of slashi-ness, but it's actually not that bad (nowhere near a Patricia Cornwell book!) and the narrative switches just fast enough between the murders 10 years ago and the new mystery Quincy is currently caught up in. So you never really have time to get tired of the bloody stuff!
Despite the subject matter, I wouldn't call FINAL GIRLS a dark or disturbing horror novel. This was the biggest surprise to me! For one thing, author Riley Sager, is no Gillian Flynn. Sager's writing is lighter, an almost superficial style, never diving below the surface of words. No need to read between the lines, just read.
There are a couple of plot twists, the pages turn fast, it is a very quick, compelling mystery. I love the character of Quincy. She is an imperfect, somewhat unreliable narrator and an interesting protagonist.
I have no doubt, FINAL GIRLS, has all the elements in place to be THE beach read of 2017. And deservedly so.
THANK you to Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC. I appreciate the opportunity to give my honest opinion!
February 6, 2017
Well that took me on quite the damn ride.
January 8, 2018
As you should all know by now, nothing makes me happier than the brutal murders of teenagers So that means I love slasher films, especially those made in the 80's. The gorier the better.
Have I weirded you all out yet?
No.
Okay than on to the review.
I've been wanting to read Final Girls for awhile, I've also been putting off reading Final Girls. I wanted to love it but was afraid I would hate it. If you know me, than you know I mostly read the bad reviews for books I plan on reading. I like to keep my expectations low, I find I enjoy the book more that way. So I only read 1 & 2 star reviews for this book and they all said it was boring, nothing happened, that it had no action, & that it wasn't what they thought it would be. So I went in with very low expectations, plus I was coming off of 2 books I really didn't like/hated.
Goodreads friends I'm happy to inform you that I loved this book. Now of course it wasn't perfect I did guess one of the twist and had a strong suspicion of the second twist. Unlike with the book I finished yesterday The Breakdown, with this book it didn't bother me. Maybe because I had so much fun reading it. Final Girls is so entertaining, it will have you racing to finish it. I think Final Girls is a great homage to classic slasher films.
I highly recommend Final Girls.
Have I weirded you all out yet?
No.
Okay than on to the review.
I've been wanting to read Final Girls for awhile, I've also been putting off reading Final Girls. I wanted to love it but was afraid I would hate it. If you know me, than you know I mostly read the bad reviews for books I plan on reading. I like to keep my expectations low, I find I enjoy the book more that way. So I only read 1 & 2 star reviews for this book and they all said it was boring, nothing happened, that it had no action, & that it wasn't what they thought it would be. So I went in with very low expectations, plus I was coming off of 2 books I really didn't like/hated.
Goodreads friends I'm happy to inform you that I loved this book. Now of course it wasn't perfect I did guess one of the twist and had a strong suspicion of the second twist. Unlike with the book I finished yesterday The Breakdown, with this book it didn't bother me. Maybe because I had so much fun reading it. Final Girls is so entertaining, it will have you racing to finish it. I think Final Girls is a great homage to classic slasher films.
I highly recommend Final Girls.
February 23, 2021
This is how you do a psychological thriller!!!
Quincy Carpenter is the lone survivor of a grisly crime. Ten years ago she went away with a group of friends to a cabin in the woods (sounds like the setting for a horror movie) to celebrate the birthday of a friend. She is the only one who came home alive. Everyone that weekend was murdered, Quincy was attacked as well, but survived her ordeal only to not remember what happened. She remembers arriving at the cabin with her friends, she remembers events leading up to the night of the murders, and she remembers being saved by a police officer as she ran through the woods covered by blood. The police investigating the murders don't believe her when she does not recall the attack. How could everyone be murdered viciously and she survived with non-life threatening stab wounds?
Now the press has dubbed her a "final girl" She in not the only one with this title. Two other women who have survived vicious attacks have also been dubbed "final girls" by the media. The press and society are interested in how these women survived. The press wants to know everything about their attacks and what these "final girls" had to do in order to survive.
Quincy has made a life for herself since her ordeal. She lives with her boyfriend, she has a baking blog and gets through her day with the help of her Xanax prescription. She has also maintained a relationship with Coop, the police officer who saved her all those years ago. Even after ten years, she still can't remember the massacre that occurred at the cabin.
Then she receives word that one of the other "final girls", Lisa is dead, and the other final girl (Sam) shows up on her doorstep. Suddenly Quincy's life is turned upside down and she starts engaging in activities that are out of the norm for her. Sam wants Quincy to remember what happened the night she was attacked. She tells her that knowing will set her free....but will it? Do you really want to remember your worst nightmare? Will knowing set your free or will it make things worse?
Soon Quincy begins to have her doubts about her new "friend" Sam, about the night her friends were murdered. She learns more details about Lisa's death which make her even more concerned about Sam, her own recent behaviors and that horrible night all of those years ago. Suddenly the nice comfortable life she has built for herself begins to unravel.
Reading this book was like watching a really good horror film/psychological thriller and I do mean that as a compliment! This book had a lot of twists and turns. I like when a book can keep me guessing. There were so many ways this book could have ended and I think this book ended brilliantly. Quite a few times I thought I had this book figured out. I liked that it managed to shock me. I also loved how the Author wrote each character to be interesting - I didn't like all of the characters but they had depth and felt real.
Everything unravels at the perfect pace. I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. I also enjoyed the way the story is presented. The reader is given glimpses into what happened ten years ago at the cottage as Quincy ,in the present day, is going about her life. As Quincy begins to remember more, the reader is shown more of the past. This was a very nice touch! As that "AHA" moment comes to Quincy it is also revealed to the reader. I felt like I was on the road to discovery with the main character. The story-line told at the cabin was very atmospheric. It was actually quite perfect and gave the story that "horror film" type feel to it. The atmosphere is foreboding, creepy and dark - this setting the "mood" for the massacre.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I wish I had the time to go back and read this book all over again. It really is that good! I have a feeling this book is going to be on my top 10 favorite books of the year list! I highly recommend!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (I honestly LOVED it btw!)
See more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Quincy Carpenter is the lone survivor of a grisly crime. Ten years ago she went away with a group of friends to a cabin in the woods (sounds like the setting for a horror movie) to celebrate the birthday of a friend. She is the only one who came home alive. Everyone that weekend was murdered, Quincy was attacked as well, but survived her ordeal only to not remember what happened. She remembers arriving at the cabin with her friends, she remembers events leading up to the night of the murders, and she remembers being saved by a police officer as she ran through the woods covered by blood. The police investigating the murders don't believe her when she does not recall the attack. How could everyone be murdered viciously and she survived with non-life threatening stab wounds?
Now the press has dubbed her a "final girl" She in not the only one with this title. Two other women who have survived vicious attacks have also been dubbed "final girls" by the media. The press and society are interested in how these women survived. The press wants to know everything about their attacks and what these "final girls" had to do in order to survive.
Quincy has made a life for herself since her ordeal. She lives with her boyfriend, she has a baking blog and gets through her day with the help of her Xanax prescription. She has also maintained a relationship with Coop, the police officer who saved her all those years ago. Even after ten years, she still can't remember the massacre that occurred at the cabin.
Then she receives word that one of the other "final girls", Lisa is dead, and the other final girl (Sam) shows up on her doorstep. Suddenly Quincy's life is turned upside down and she starts engaging in activities that are out of the norm for her. Sam wants Quincy to remember what happened the night she was attacked. She tells her that knowing will set her free....but will it? Do you really want to remember your worst nightmare? Will knowing set your free or will it make things worse?
Soon Quincy begins to have her doubts about her new "friend" Sam, about the night her friends were murdered. She learns more details about Lisa's death which make her even more concerned about Sam, her own recent behaviors and that horrible night all of those years ago. Suddenly the nice comfortable life she has built for herself begins to unravel.
Reading this book was like watching a really good horror film/psychological thriller and I do mean that as a compliment! This book had a lot of twists and turns. I like when a book can keep me guessing. There were so many ways this book could have ended and I think this book ended brilliantly. Quite a few times I thought I had this book figured out. I liked that it managed to shock me. I also loved how the Author wrote each character to be interesting - I didn't like all of the characters but they had depth and felt real.
Everything unravels at the perfect pace. I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. I also enjoyed the way the story is presented. The reader is given glimpses into what happened ten years ago at the cottage as Quincy ,in the present day, is going about her life. As Quincy begins to remember more, the reader is shown more of the past. This was a very nice touch! As that "AHA" moment comes to Quincy it is also revealed to the reader. I felt like I was on the road to discovery with the main character. The story-line told at the cabin was very atmospheric. It was actually quite perfect and gave the story that "horror film" type feel to it. The atmosphere is foreboding, creepy and dark - this setting the "mood" for the massacre.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I wish I had the time to go back and read this book all over again. It really is that good! I have a feeling this book is going to be on my top 10 favorite books of the year list! I highly recommend!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (I honestly LOVED it btw!)
See more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
August 17, 2017
“Final girls is film-geek speak for the last woman standing at the end of a horror movie.”
Quincy was the one and only survivor of a horrible massacre that took the lives of her close friends. The media eats it up and gives her the nick-name “A final girl.” They follow up by aligning her with 2 other well-known F.G. survivors. Enter Samantha and Lisa, who each walked away from their own version of hell.
Ten years later, Quincy is trying to move on. She has a loving boyfriend and a successful baking blog. She still has limited recall of the tragedy and is unable to even speak the name of the person responsible for the attack without becoming physically sick. When a recent tragic event brings one of the F.G. girls literally to Quincy’s front door, the peaceful world she has slowly re- built for herself is beginning to spiral out of control.
Very well written thriller. I devoured this one in 2 sittings! Could not put it down. Once again, I thought I had it all figured out but the author creatively dropped in some fantastic twists I never saw coming. I had wanted to read this one from the moment I heard about it!! It totally lived up to my expectations! Highly recommend for all thriller lovers! 4.5*
You can find my review along with Brenda’s on Norma and Brenda's fantastic book blog:
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi...
Quincy was the one and only survivor of a horrible massacre that took the lives of her close friends. The media eats it up and gives her the nick-name “A final girl.” They follow up by aligning her with 2 other well-known F.G. survivors. Enter Samantha and Lisa, who each walked away from their own version of hell.
Ten years later, Quincy is trying to move on. She has a loving boyfriend and a successful baking blog. She still has limited recall of the tragedy and is unable to even speak the name of the person responsible for the attack without becoming physically sick. When a recent tragic event brings one of the F.G. girls literally to Quincy’s front door, the peaceful world she has slowly re- built for herself is beginning to spiral out of control.
Very well written thriller. I devoured this one in 2 sittings! Could not put it down. Once again, I thought I had it all figured out but the author creatively dropped in some fantastic twists I never saw coming. I had wanted to read this one from the moment I heard about it!! It totally lived up to my expectations! Highly recommend for all thriller lovers! 4.5*
You can find my review along with Brenda’s on Norma and Brenda's fantastic book blog:
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi...
July 15, 2019
My thoughts in a nutshell
Riley Sager is one of my favorites thriller authors, but his first book was a massive disappointment for me. It is a very problematic novel; I explain why.
The story is about…
Skip over this point if you don't like the sneak peek.
Three girls experienced and survived some horrific events. They are called Final Girls. But the nightmarish situation continues...
What impressed me
I don't like too many things about this book. I adored the two timeline perspective. The final twist was okay. It didn't shock me, but I can live with it.
What I don't like
The first half of the book was boring as hell. The main girl Quincy is just baking or doing stupid things.
Sam (one of the Final Girls) moved to Quincy for a few days. She is a stranger, but Quincy let her in. Sam's behavior is awful. She scolds Quincy, but Q does nothing just listens to the scold.
It is so dumb... she invites a complete stranger in her house and tolerates her awful personality. It is totally logical. lol.
Sam breaks the lock on the closet and she finds out Q's secrets. Do you think Q throws Sam out of the house? Negative, captain. She forgives her. The characters are idiotic. I mean, they are really stupid.
Sam gets in trouble and the police drops her arrest because she is a final girl. Then what or why? The cops are absurd too.
In the past
OK.
Another crazy act...
The writing style was dull, the whole novel is poorly-written. Let's look at the bright side, he improves a lot since his first novel.
Make a conclusion
I'm glad that I didn't start with Final Girls. Sager's other two books were phenomenal. I gave it 2 stars because the ending was okay. I don't recommend it.
June 21, 2017
I'd rate this between 4 and 4.5 stars.
This book kicked some serious ass!
"We were, for whatever reason, the lucky ones who survived when no one else had. Pretty girls covered in blood. As such, we were each in turn treated like something rare and exotic. A beautiful bird that spreads its bright wings only once a decade."
Ten years ago, Quincy Carpenter went to the woods with five of her friends to celebrate her best friend's birthday. But instead of the carefree celebration they planned, that night turned out to be something out of her worst nightmares. She was the only one to survive a brutal massacre. She can't seem to remember what happened, nor does she want to—all she remembers is being covered in blood and being rescued by a policeman after outsmarting a killer she can only refer to as "Him."
With that incident she became part of a group the press called the "Final Girls," with two other sole survivors of massacre-style attacks—Lisa, who witnessed an attack on her sorority house which left nine of her sorority sisters dead, and Samantha, who survived a late-night attack at the motel where she worked. The three girls want nothing more than to put their lives back together and somehow shake the memories that haunt them, as well as the guilt that they survived when their friends or others did not.
"Even before Pine Cottage, I never liked to watch scary movies because of the fake blood, the rubber knives, the characters who made decisions so stupid I guiltily thought they deserved to die. Only, what happened to us wasn't a movie. It was real life. Our lives. The blood wasn't fake. The knives were steel and nightmare-sharp. And those who died definitely didn't deserve it. But somehow we screamed louder, ran faster, fought harder. We survived.
Quincy has done fairly well pulling her life together, thanks in large part to her Xanax prescription, which helps keep any lingering anxiety at bay. She has a successful baking blog and a handsome, steadfast boyfriend, Jeff. She also knows that Coop, the policeman who saved her life all those years ago is always looking out for her, ready to come if she needs him.
But then Quincy finds out that Lisa, one of her fellow "Final Girls," has apparently committed suicide, despite how hard she fought to survive all those years ago. If that isn't enough to cause Quincy to lose her composure, it turns out Lisa emailed her right before she died, trying to make contact with Quincy. And then Samantha shows up, ostensibly to check up on Quincy once she heard about Lisa's death (despite the fact that they've never met).
It appears Samantha has other motives in mind, too, as she is intent on getting Quincy to relive that night at Pine Cottage 10 years before, and challenges Quincy's carefully composed life. The more she forces Quincy out of her comfort zone, the more Quincy wonders why Samantha really appeared, and whether everyone else in her life is right to be suspicious. When new information about Lisa's death is revealed, Quincy doesn't know where to turn, or whom to trust, and whether she can handle reopening her memories to the trauma she survived 10 years ago.
Final Girls is full of suspense and twists and turns. Riley Sager is definitely a talented storyteller, and she knows how to throw a few misdirections the reader's way, so you don't know how things will be resolved in the end. She does a great job illustrating the dichotomy of Quincy's life, and how quickly the calm she has come to know can be shattered. I also like the way she developed Quincy and Sam's characters—I don't feel as if the other characters were given the same complexity and depth.
This is definitely one of those books which will make a terrific movie. I really enjoyed this a great deal, although some of the shifting back and forth between past and present was a little more jarring than it should have been. If you're a fan of suspense novels, this is one you'll want to pick up. It certainly will make you think the next time you hear about a sole survivor of a horrific incident.
NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
This book kicked some serious ass!
"We were, for whatever reason, the lucky ones who survived when no one else had. Pretty girls covered in blood. As such, we were each in turn treated like something rare and exotic. A beautiful bird that spreads its bright wings only once a decade."
Ten years ago, Quincy Carpenter went to the woods with five of her friends to celebrate her best friend's birthday. But instead of the carefree celebration they planned, that night turned out to be something out of her worst nightmares. She was the only one to survive a brutal massacre. She can't seem to remember what happened, nor does she want to—all she remembers is being covered in blood and being rescued by a policeman after outsmarting a killer she can only refer to as "Him."
With that incident she became part of a group the press called the "Final Girls," with two other sole survivors of massacre-style attacks—Lisa, who witnessed an attack on her sorority house which left nine of her sorority sisters dead, and Samantha, who survived a late-night attack at the motel where she worked. The three girls want nothing more than to put their lives back together and somehow shake the memories that haunt them, as well as the guilt that they survived when their friends or others did not.
"Even before Pine Cottage, I never liked to watch scary movies because of the fake blood, the rubber knives, the characters who made decisions so stupid I guiltily thought they deserved to die. Only, what happened to us wasn't a movie. It was real life. Our lives. The blood wasn't fake. The knives were steel and nightmare-sharp. And those who died definitely didn't deserve it. But somehow we screamed louder, ran faster, fought harder. We survived.
Quincy has done fairly well pulling her life together, thanks in large part to her Xanax prescription, which helps keep any lingering anxiety at bay. She has a successful baking blog and a handsome, steadfast boyfriend, Jeff. She also knows that Coop, the policeman who saved her life all those years ago is always looking out for her, ready to come if she needs him.
But then Quincy finds out that Lisa, one of her fellow "Final Girls," has apparently committed suicide, despite how hard she fought to survive all those years ago. If that isn't enough to cause Quincy to lose her composure, it turns out Lisa emailed her right before she died, trying to make contact with Quincy. And then Samantha shows up, ostensibly to check up on Quincy once she heard about Lisa's death (despite the fact that they've never met).
It appears Samantha has other motives in mind, too, as she is intent on getting Quincy to relive that night at Pine Cottage 10 years before, and challenges Quincy's carefully composed life. The more she forces Quincy out of her comfort zone, the more Quincy wonders why Samantha really appeared, and whether everyone else in her life is right to be suspicious. When new information about Lisa's death is revealed, Quincy doesn't know where to turn, or whom to trust, and whether she can handle reopening her memories to the trauma she survived 10 years ago.
Final Girls is full of suspense and twists and turns. Riley Sager is definitely a talented storyteller, and she knows how to throw a few misdirections the reader's way, so you don't know how things will be resolved in the end. She does a great job illustrating the dichotomy of Quincy's life, and how quickly the calm she has come to know can be shattered. I also like the way she developed Quincy and Sam's characters—I don't feel as if the other characters were given the same complexity and depth.
This is definitely one of those books which will make a terrific movie. I really enjoyed this a great deal, although some of the shifting back and forth between past and present was a little more jarring than it should have been. If you're a fan of suspense novels, this is one you'll want to pick up. It certainly will make you think the next time you hear about a sole survivor of a horrific incident.
NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
July 18, 2017
In a culture of bespoke…..well, everything, Riley Sager’s Final Girls seemed tailor-made for this horror fangirl. The phrase ‘Final Girl’ is a widely-used trope in horror films that describes the last person standing who confronts the killer and WINS. Think Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween, Neve Campbell in SCREAM, or Heather Langenkamp in Nightmare on Elm Street. In Riley Sager’s book, she takes the Final Girls trope and translates it to a real-world setting. And while the book is undoubtedly compelling, it’s ultimately disappointing. Basically, it’s the literary equivalent of binging on sour patch kids [or insert your favorite sugary treat here]. It tastes good. You can’t stop eating it. But when you’re done, you’re vaguely ill and feel curiously unsatisfied.
Final Girls centers around Quincy Carpenter, the lone survivor of ‘The Pine Cottage Murders,’ a horrific event (almost like it’s ripped from a horror movie….BUM BUM BUM) where all her college besties were brutally stabbed to death. The murders make Quincy an overnight Nancy Grace sensation and the media dubs her a “Final Girl.” This title places Quincy in an exclusive “club” with two other women who have similarly earned this distinction. Lisa Milner and Samantha Boyd. Fast-forward 10 years, Quincy is living with her lawyer boyfriend and running a successful baking blog. Sounds like she escaped relatively unscathed, right? WRONG. She be popping xanax like it’s hot and hoarding random stolen shit. CRAZY. CAKES. When Quincy receives word that Lisa has died under questionable circumstance and Samantha abruptly shows up at her door, things quickly start to spin OUT. OF. CONTROL.
Final Girls has a great premise. It’s got all the ingredients for an amazing story. But it’s just…..kind of a mess. Partly, it’s because it never quite decides what it wants to be. Critical satire or legitimate thriller. There’s clear reference to multiple horror movie tropes. Let’s take a glance, shall we?
The Pine Cottage Murders are of the ‘cabin in the woods’ oeuvre and occur adjacent to a psychiatric asylum. Two checkmarks. Spoiled, rich, obnoxious white kids rent said cabin for weekend of drink and debauchery. Third and Fourth checkmark for no diversity and “immoral activity.” Quincy’s friend informs gang about previous murder in the area. This mention establishes ominous tone. Fifth checkmark. Janelle, the birthday girl and trip organizer, is portrayed as an oversexed exhibitionist. Sixth checkmark for “slutty chick.” Hello, morality police. A cell phone ban has been placed. Seventh checkmark: no ability to get help. Then, a mysterious and oddly behaved stranger arrives. Seventh checkmark. FINALLY, we have Quincy. An intelligent, kind, virginal, non-drinker, non-drug user. Best friend to slutty chick. Ladies & gentlemen, please give a hand for our…...FINAL GIRL. AND our eighth checkmark. Et voila, a horror movie, in all its conservative, moralistic, misogynistic glory, is born.
The present day Quincy-Samantha storyline plays out another familiar horror trope, that of the standard Single White Female. Samantha enters the scene abruptly, things are all peachy keen until she gradually takes over Quincy’s life. Ominous warnings about Sam are given by concerned third parties, followed by Sam’s behavior growing quickly more erratic.
Now, I have no issue with Final Girls constructing a story entirely around tropes. In fact, it’s kinda what I expected. But when a writer so heavily references another work there needs to be SOME humor present. Here, there’s none. Zip. Zilch. Nada. It’s devoid of anything remotely funny. All the horror cliches are used, but only with the utmost gravity. So the novel reads more like an inferior knock-off than a satire. And it’s too bad because it’s possible to meld both satire and suspense, look at SCREAM & Cabin in the Woods. Both poke fun at the scary movie genre, while retaining the creep factor.
Yes, as promised there are plot twists. Final Girls delivers on that. I was genuinely surprised at the end, but not happily. I love a good twist. But Final Girls clearly valued SHOCK and AWE over consistent characterization. A surprise ending doesn’t work if there’s no build up, logic, or cohesion. You can’t rip off a mask, declare someone a killer, and end story. This ain’t Scooby Doo, kids.
And FFS...can writers STOP using the repressed memory device??!! PLEASE??!! It’s such lazy writing. Oh, and the Central Park sidestory? Completely unnecessary. It didn’t serve the plot and was a distraction from the primary narrative. What a waste of time. UGH.
So basically…..Final Girls was readable. So readable I stayed up until 6AM. But it so wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t bad….it just wasn’t anything and I’m sad because it had the potential to be….SOMETHING.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advance, complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Final Girls centers around Quincy Carpenter, the lone survivor of ‘The Pine Cottage Murders,’ a horrific event (almost like it’s ripped from a horror movie….BUM BUM BUM) where all her college besties were brutally stabbed to death. The murders make Quincy an overnight Nancy Grace sensation and the media dubs her a “Final Girl.” This title places Quincy in an exclusive “club” with two other women who have similarly earned this distinction. Lisa Milner and Samantha Boyd. Fast-forward 10 years, Quincy is living with her lawyer boyfriend and running a successful baking blog. Sounds like she escaped relatively unscathed, right? WRONG. She be popping xanax like it’s hot and hoarding random stolen shit. CRAZY. CAKES. When Quincy receives word that Lisa has died under questionable circumstance and Samantha abruptly shows up at her door, things quickly start to spin OUT. OF. CONTROL.
Final Girls has a great premise. It’s got all the ingredients for an amazing story. But it’s just…..kind of a mess. Partly, it’s because it never quite decides what it wants to be. Critical satire or legitimate thriller. There’s clear reference to multiple horror movie tropes. Let’s take a glance, shall we?
The Pine Cottage Murders are of the ‘cabin in the woods’ oeuvre and occur adjacent to a psychiatric asylum. Two checkmarks. Spoiled, rich, obnoxious white kids rent said cabin for weekend of drink and debauchery. Third and Fourth checkmark for no diversity and “immoral activity.” Quincy’s friend informs gang about previous murder in the area. This mention establishes ominous tone. Fifth checkmark. Janelle, the birthday girl and trip organizer, is portrayed as an oversexed exhibitionist. Sixth checkmark for “slutty chick.” Hello, morality police. A cell phone ban has been placed. Seventh checkmark: no ability to get help. Then, a mysterious and oddly behaved stranger arrives. Seventh checkmark. FINALLY, we have Quincy. An intelligent, kind, virginal, non-drinker, non-drug user. Best friend to slutty chick. Ladies & gentlemen, please give a hand for our…...FINAL GIRL. AND our eighth checkmark. Et voila, a horror movie, in all its conservative, moralistic, misogynistic glory, is born.
The present day Quincy-Samantha storyline plays out another familiar horror trope, that of the standard Single White Female. Samantha enters the scene abruptly, things are all peachy keen until she gradually takes over Quincy’s life. Ominous warnings about Sam are given by concerned third parties, followed by Sam’s behavior growing quickly more erratic.
Now, I have no issue with Final Girls constructing a story entirely around tropes. In fact, it’s kinda what I expected. But when a writer so heavily references another work there needs to be SOME humor present. Here, there’s none. Zip. Zilch. Nada. It’s devoid of anything remotely funny. All the horror cliches are used, but only with the utmost gravity. So the novel reads more like an inferior knock-off than a satire. And it’s too bad because it’s possible to meld both satire and suspense, look at SCREAM & Cabin in the Woods. Both poke fun at the scary movie genre, while retaining the creep factor.
Yes, as promised there are plot twists. Final Girls delivers on that. I was genuinely surprised at the end, but not happily. I love a good twist. But Final Girls clearly valued SHOCK and AWE over consistent characterization. A surprise ending doesn’t work if there’s no build up, logic, or cohesion. You can’t rip off a mask, declare someone a killer, and end story. This ain’t Scooby Doo, kids.
And FFS...can writers STOP using the repressed memory device??!! PLEASE??!! It’s such lazy writing. Oh, and the Central Park sidestory? Completely unnecessary. It didn’t serve the plot and was a distraction from the primary narrative. What a waste of time. UGH.
So basically…..Final Girls was readable. So readable I stayed up until 6AM. But it so wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t bad….it just wasn’t anything and I’m sad because it had the potential to be….SOMETHING.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advance, complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 13, 2017
This is one of those thrillers that properly got me. I read a lot of these books, watch a lot of stories, and i’ve turned into one of those annoying people that guess the ending and accidentally ruin films/tv shows for other people by pointing out the probable culprit or plot direction early on. After correctly guessing the central twist of The Sixth Sense, and blithely commenting my thoughts to my then partner, he told me never to speak during cinema visits again. Apparently ‘but it’s so obvious…’ is not an acceptable justification. Who knew? Yet this book, this story, did not take me where I expected. I was guessing madly as each snippet of information revealed by the author twisted the narrative in a new direction, or tantalisingly offered a seemingly innocent action or comment that was, in fact, a massively huge, big fat red herring. But Sager has created something that’s more than just shock value. When I think back to the book, it’s not just pleasure and awe at being misled, it’s the well drawn characters, the clever unfolding of person and plot, the language and style, even the tone of the whole novel. It’s all these things together that make this a masterpiece of the genre and it deserves to be one of the big books of 2017.
Get hold of it if you can... it's a cracking crime read.
*** My opinion has been seconded by Stephen King, no less. He calls this the 'first great thriller of 2017' ***
ARC via Netgalley
Get hold of it if you can... it's a cracking crime read.
*** My opinion has been seconded by Stephen King, no less. He calls this the 'first great thriller of 2017' ***
ARC via Netgalley
October 5, 2020
I am sooo late to the party on this one...but now I can officially say I have read every single Riley Sager book!
Sooo...I never knew what a "Final Girl" was until I read this book! I think the concept was fantastic for this book. Quincey is a final girl. You know that commercial where the girl has a choice between the running car and the shed of power saws with the murderer inside it...and she chooses the shed...yet she still lives to tell about it..that is Quincy.
This was a highly entertaining read and it did keep me at the edge of my seat. However, I wish I had read this one before his last three. I have now been privy to Sager's books that I found to be absolutely brilliant. Even though I did enjoy it, I did not find this debut the same writing style as his last 3 books. His writing has gotten more atmospheric with each book.
I thought I was the last person on earth to read this book. However I was not! I read this with two of my best book peeps...Susan and Javier! Thanks guys for a great buddy read!
Sooo...I never knew what a "Final Girl" was until I read this book! I think the concept was fantastic for this book. Quincey is a final girl. You know that commercial where the girl has a choice between the running car and the shed of power saws with the murderer inside it...and she chooses the shed...yet she still lives to tell about it..that is Quincy.
This was a highly entertaining read and it did keep me at the edge of my seat. However, I wish I had read this one before his last three. I have now been privy to Sager's books that I found to be absolutely brilliant. Even though I did enjoy it, I did not find this debut the same writing style as his last 3 books. His writing has gotten more atmospheric with each book.
I thought I was the last person on earth to read this book. However I was not! I read this with two of my best book peeps...Susan and Javier! Thanks guys for a great buddy read!
August 20, 2020
Holy shit!
What a book! I devoured this in 3 days. Absolutely addicting.
“Forged from blood and pain and the cold steel of a blade. I’m a fucking final girl.”
Quincy is what the newspapers are calling a Final Girl. The only survivor of a murderous rampage in which all her fellow camp mates were slaughtered.
Along with Sam - who survived a knife attack in a motel and Lisa the only survivor in her Sorority house, they are infamous.
Quincy has never met Sam or Lisa. She is determined to put everything that happened at Pine Cottage behind her and move forward with her boyfriend Jeff. Sure she still keeps in touch with the policeman who saved her - Coop, and sure her memory blank of a good portion of that night terrifies her, but it’s ok she is working on being ‘normal’ as her mother would say.
But when Lisa turns up dead and Sam arrives unannounced on her doorstep Quincy believes her past isn’t done with her yet.
This was an absolute page turner I could not put this down. And although the reveal at the end involves a lot of suspending your disbelief - it’s a thriller, what was I expecting?! It was a good twist.
A very good thriller that will keep you guessing and leave you wondering what really makes a person murder?
What a book! I devoured this in 3 days. Absolutely addicting.
“Forged from blood and pain and the cold steel of a blade. I’m a fucking final girl.”
Quincy is what the newspapers are calling a Final Girl. The only survivor of a murderous rampage in which all her fellow camp mates were slaughtered.
Along with Sam - who survived a knife attack in a motel and Lisa the only survivor in her Sorority house, they are infamous.
Quincy has never met Sam or Lisa. She is determined to put everything that happened at Pine Cottage behind her and move forward with her boyfriend Jeff. Sure she still keeps in touch with the policeman who saved her - Coop, and sure her memory blank of a good portion of that night terrifies her, but it’s ok she is working on being ‘normal’ as her mother would say.
But when Lisa turns up dead and Sam arrives unannounced on her doorstep Quincy believes her past isn’t done with her yet.
This was an absolute page turner I could not put this down. And although the reveal at the end involves a lot of suspending your disbelief - it’s a thriller, what was I expecting?! It was a good twist.
A very good thriller that will keep you guessing and leave you wondering what really makes a person murder?
August 16, 2017
Final Girls was a Goodreads Giveaway win for me! Yay!
Final Girls is an entertaining, fast paced, and a suspenseful psychological thriller that played out like a slasher horror film in my head. Leading me down a cringe-worthy path of twists and turns that had me guessing right to the very end.
The story is mostly told from Final Girl Quincy who is the only survivor of a mass murder. The chapters alternate from her perspective and from scenes of the night of the murders allowing me to see the events of the night along with some things that Quincy can’t remember. This had me asking myself a few questions about Quincy. Sager does a good job leading us down a path of planted clues that kept me turning those pages as fast as I could. Of course, I thought I had it figured out only again to find out I was wrong.
Even though I can’t say this was a well or badly written story as it had its moments that made me cringe and parts of it that annoyed me. I let it go and enjoyed it for what it was. I recommend to horror thriller lovers who just want to be entertained.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for my copy to read and review.
Kaceey's review can be found with mine and all of Norma and my reviews along with our Traveling Sister reviews on our sister blog
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
Final Girls is an entertaining, fast paced, and a suspenseful psychological thriller that played out like a slasher horror film in my head. Leading me down a cringe-worthy path of twists and turns that had me guessing right to the very end.
The story is mostly told from Final Girl Quincy who is the only survivor of a mass murder. The chapters alternate from her perspective and from scenes of the night of the murders allowing me to see the events of the night along with some things that Quincy can’t remember. This had me asking myself a few questions about Quincy. Sager does a good job leading us down a path of planted clues that kept me turning those pages as fast as I could. Of course, I thought I had it figured out only again to find out I was wrong.
Even though I can’t say this was a well or badly written story as it had its moments that made me cringe and parts of it that annoyed me. I let it go and enjoyed it for what it was. I recommend to horror thriller lovers who just want to be entertained.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for my copy to read and review.
Kaceey's review can be found with mine and all of Norma and my reviews along with our Traveling Sister reviews on our sister blog
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
September 8, 2018
i hate slasher flicks and i avoid horror movies like the plague. so why, do you ask, did i read a book where a girl practically lived in one? because ive lost my mind, thats why.
luckily, this wasnt scary. not in the least. which i honestly didnt mind but, having been marketed as horror and even endorsed by stephen king, i was expecting at least one bad dream afterwards. oh well. i will say that i am impressed that this was a debut. i thought it was well-written, the characters were decent, and there was always something going on that kept me guessing. i thought the last 40 pages or so were phenomenal and were what really sold the story for me. it got to the point where i really wanted to know what was going on, so i was practically speed reading through everything! i had to slow myself down and go back and read it because i kept skipping sentences. i was that eager! lol. i can honestly say i did not expect the ending, and not because it came out of nowhere, but because it was soooo twisted. i loved it.
overall, this was a solid thriller. it wasnt without its flaws, but i suppose all books have them. i can say that enjoyed this enough that i will most likely look into sagers other books!
↠ 3.5 stars
luckily, this wasnt scary. not in the least. which i honestly didnt mind but, having been marketed as horror and even endorsed by stephen king, i was expecting at least one bad dream afterwards. oh well. i will say that i am impressed that this was a debut. i thought it was well-written, the characters were decent, and there was always something going on that kept me guessing. i thought the last 40 pages or so were phenomenal and were what really sold the story for me. it got to the point where i really wanted to know what was going on, so i was practically speed reading through everything! i had to slow myself down and go back and read it because i kept skipping sentences. i was that eager! lol. i can honestly say i did not expect the ending, and not because it came out of nowhere, but because it was soooo twisted. i loved it.
overall, this was a solid thriller. it wasnt without its flaws, but i suppose all books have them. i can say that enjoyed this enough that i will most likely look into sagers other books!
↠ 3.5 stars
July 29, 2017
Final Girls by Riley Sager is a 2017 Dutton publication.
It’s dark- it’s twisted-… it’s predictable.
UGH!!
Quincy, along with two other girls, has survived separate mass killings, with the press dubbing them ‘The Final Girls.’
Ten years later, Quincy still has a gaping hole in her memory about the night in Pine Cottage, is living with her boyfriend, Jeff, and has a baking website.
But, her shaky handle on life is suddenly disrupted, when one of the other ‘Final Girls’, commits suicide, and the other one, Sam, resurfaces after a long absence, hoping to reconnect with Quincy.
Sam’s invasion vibrates like a proverbial earthquake, as she works to jar loose the memories Quincy has locked away, which has her smoking, drinking, and swallowing excessive amounts of Xanax, and exhibiting bizarre behavior.
Thus, begins a flip flop between the past and the present as Quincy finds herself forced to face her past and finally confronting her lost memories, revealing the identity of the person she has been trying so hard to forget.
This book does have the ‘horror’ novel feel to it, like the blurb hints at, if you would place slasher style films or stories in that category, which I don’t. To me, it must have a supernatural element, which this book does not.
In my opinion, the suspense is psychologically layered and does have one good twist, I did not figure out in advance.
However… I figured nearly all the rest of it out by chapter two. Seriously.
But, it was a smooth, mildly atmospheric tale, and for what it’s worth and it was entertaining, as far that goes, but I really, really wanted to like this book, but, I’m afraid it didn’t live up to the hype for me. So, I'm a little bummed out.
Not bad, not great- an okay read.
3 stars
It’s dark- it’s twisted-… it’s predictable.
UGH!!
Quincy, along with two other girls, has survived separate mass killings, with the press dubbing them ‘The Final Girls.’
Ten years later, Quincy still has a gaping hole in her memory about the night in Pine Cottage, is living with her boyfriend, Jeff, and has a baking website.
But, her shaky handle on life is suddenly disrupted, when one of the other ‘Final Girls’, commits suicide, and the other one, Sam, resurfaces after a long absence, hoping to reconnect with Quincy.
Sam’s invasion vibrates like a proverbial earthquake, as she works to jar loose the memories Quincy has locked away, which has her smoking, drinking, and swallowing excessive amounts of Xanax, and exhibiting bizarre behavior.
Thus, begins a flip flop between the past and the present as Quincy finds herself forced to face her past and finally confronting her lost memories, revealing the identity of the person she has been trying so hard to forget.
This book does have the ‘horror’ novel feel to it, like the blurb hints at, if you would place slasher style films or stories in that category, which I don’t. To me, it must have a supernatural element, which this book does not.
In my opinion, the suspense is psychologically layered and does have one good twist, I did not figure out in advance.
However… I figured nearly all the rest of it out by chapter two. Seriously.
But, it was a smooth, mildly atmospheric tale, and for what it’s worth and it was entertaining, as far that goes, but I really, really wanted to like this book, but, I’m afraid it didn’t live up to the hype for me. So, I'm a little bummed out.
Not bad, not great- an okay read.
3 stars
July 19, 2017
I have some feelings and some thoughts, mostly tied to this author's use of an ambiguous pen name to hide his identity as a white male. I'm going more in depth here than I usually do on Goodreads, but if I didn't know this and I was planning on reading this book...I'd want to know.
Spoilers and rage below; proceed at your own risk.
The closer you get to the end of this book, the clearer the problematic white male author content is. In the last 70 pages, it is so clear I wanted to throw it across the room. "The thing" at the end is that the big murder Quincy survived was committed by the cop / detective who "rescued" her and has been staying in contact with her all along. You find this out AFTER she sleeps with him, and his reasoning is THE WOMEN and THE SEX and they're all WHORES.
Men. How dare you. How dare you hide your gender identity to take advantage of women's recent success in the thriller niche. Historically, women HAD to adopt ambiguous pen names because they COULDN'T get published. And now, here you are in 2017 taking advantage of the knowledge that women are against your sexist bullshit and want to read female-centric thrillers written BY women, so you're hiding your identity. How dare you try to exploit this niche, encroach on this modicum of success publishing has allowed female thriller authors to achieve, and yell discrimination.
"It's not fair that we don't get to tell OUR stories."
Oh, sorry--EONS of telling your stories aren't enough? And your "stories" include depicting women who dare to have sex as whores and your villain "can't help" but kill them? You're right, actually. I don't want you to tell your trash story.
"It's a good thriller, though!". Well, that's not enough for me. You don't get to ignore problematic issues with genre fiction just because it is genre. This is how misogyny and racism continue to exist SO PERVASIVELY in genre fiction.
What I'm saying here, essentially, is NOPE.
Spoilers and rage below; proceed at your own risk.
The closer you get to the end of this book, the clearer the problematic white male author content is. In the last 70 pages, it is so clear I wanted to throw it across the room. "The thing" at the end is that the big murder Quincy survived was committed by the cop / detective who "rescued" her and has been staying in contact with her all along. You find this out AFTER she sleeps with him, and his reasoning is THE WOMEN and THE SEX and they're all WHORES.
Men. How dare you. How dare you hide your gender identity to take advantage of women's recent success in the thriller niche. Historically, women HAD to adopt ambiguous pen names because they COULDN'T get published. And now, here you are in 2017 taking advantage of the knowledge that women are against your sexist bullshit and want to read female-centric thrillers written BY women, so you're hiding your identity. How dare you try to exploit this niche, encroach on this modicum of success publishing has allowed female thriller authors to achieve, and yell discrimination.
"It's not fair that we don't get to tell OUR stories."
Oh, sorry--EONS of telling your stories aren't enough? And your "stories" include depicting women who dare to have sex as whores and your villain "can't help" but kill them? You're right, actually. I don't want you to tell your trash story.
"It's a good thriller, though!". Well, that's not enough for me. You don't get to ignore problematic issues with genre fiction just because it is genre. This is how misogyny and racism continue to exist SO PERVASIVELY in genre fiction.
What I'm saying here, essentially, is NOPE.
June 18, 2020
LOOK AT ME! I’M THE FINAL GIRL OF READING THIS BOOK!!
oh, man—i’m so late to the riley sager party that he’s already written three other books, and i'm over here with my pantyhose drooping ‘round my ankles, muttering TO NO ONE about how i thought Final Girls was a pretty fun debut thriller, but i won’t tell you how it ends no matter how much you beg, because it gets right twisty thereabouts, and how in MY day, no one knew whether riley sager was a man or a woman, can you believe that? &why, back then, there were actually several male authors pretending to be ladies, or being coy about disclosing one way or t'other, because of the industry, you see, and the demographics, and you guys are all WE KNOW GRANDMA, JEEEEEZ STOP LIVING IN 2017 as i’m shuttled back to the facility, shaking my tiny fist in the air as kleenex and werthers rain out of my ill-fitting cardigan.
in conclusion,
he
loves
big
fonts
come to my blog!
June 26, 2023
"We were, for whatever reason, the lucky ones, who survived when no one else had. Pretty girls covered in blood, we were treated like something rare and exotic. A beautiful bird that spreads its bright wings only once a decade."
June 11, 2023
This is a fun genre.
It is a genre now, right? The final girl genre?
I mean, I've read several stories dealing with the FG trope and while they've been hit-or-miss, I just can't seem to give any of the stories a pass.
Now. I did correctly guess who the killer was in the first chapter or so.
BUT!
Riley Sager took me on such a ride that I second guessed and third guessed and fourth-guessed myself right up till the last chapter.
And while I was right (sooooo satisfying) there were so many twists and turns along the way that I never smugly thought that I had the answer in the bag.
Of course in my head when it was over, I was like bitch, I knew it was you all along!
The lies we tell ourselves...
Now, the concept of Final Girl is kind of thin here. So you'll need to be a fan of this sort of thing and kind of suspend the disbelief that the media would make such a big deal out of these Final Girls. Partially because you'll have to suspend disbelief that there are only 3 of them in the whole wide world.
As in, only 3 "girls" survived these somewhat overdramatic serial killerish attacks by crazies.
If you can do that, you'll probably really have fun with this one.
The gist is that a young woman named Quincy survived one of those cabin in the woods with a group of college friends attacks. The ONLY survivor.
And when one of the world's other famous Final Girls is found dead, Quincy teams up with her only surviving counterpart to find out if it really was suicide or...something else.
The thing that makes this story so interesting is that her mind has completely blocked out the vast majority of the night, so the reader isn't completely sure whether or not she's a reliable narrator.
I'm not going to say this is for everyone who is looking for a good horror-mystery/thriller, but for those of you who know what you're getting into?
Recommended.
It is a genre now, right? The final girl genre?
I mean, I've read several stories dealing with the FG trope and while they've been hit-or-miss, I just can't seem to give any of the stories a pass.
Now. I did correctly guess who the killer was in the first chapter or so.
BUT!
Riley Sager took me on such a ride that I second guessed and third guessed and fourth-guessed myself right up till the last chapter.
And while I was right (sooooo satisfying) there were so many twists and turns along the way that I never smugly thought that I had the answer in the bag.
Of course in my head when it was over, I was like bitch, I knew it was you all along!
The lies we tell ourselves...
Now, the concept of Final Girl is kind of thin here. So you'll need to be a fan of this sort of thing and kind of suspend the disbelief that the media would make such a big deal out of these Final Girls. Partially because you'll have to suspend disbelief that there are only 3 of them in the whole wide world.
As in, only 3 "girls" survived these somewhat overdramatic serial killerish attacks by crazies.
If you can do that, you'll probably really have fun with this one.
The gist is that a young woman named Quincy survived one of those cabin in the woods with a group of college friends attacks. The ONLY survivor.
And when one of the world's other famous Final Girls is found dead, Quincy teams up with her only surviving counterpart to find out if it really was suicide or...something else.
The thing that makes this story so interesting is that her mind has completely blocked out the vast majority of the night, so the reader isn't completely sure whether or not she's a reliable narrator.
I'm not going to say this is for everyone who is looking for a good horror-mystery/thriller, but for those of you who know what you're getting into?
Recommended.
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