Lala
✦•┈๑⋅⋯ The Last Time We Drowned by Saratoga Schaefer ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
• 3.25/5 ☆ •
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
This was a solid thriller with clean writing and a fun setup, but if you read a lot of thrillers, you'll probably spot the major twists long before they arrive. The setup is fun. Influencers, a luxury yacht, a curated “sisterhood” that’s clearly full of jealousy and contention, and the atmosphere hits that glossy turned claustrophobic tone right away.
What worked for me was the setting and the tension of being trapped at sea with people who are all performing versions of themselves. The hurricane backdrop adds a good layer of pressure and the missing influencer thread gives the story a ghost in the walls feeling that I liked. The paranoia and the shifting alliances and the sense that everyone is lying all of that lands.
Where it lost me a little was the predictability. The reveals did not shock and some of the character beats felt familiar if you have read a lot of influencer culture thrillers. Even when I guessed where things were going I still wanted to see how everything would finally come apart.
Overall it is a fast and readable thriller with a strong sense of place. It did not surprise me and I wanted a little more bite from the reveals. Still if you like glossy to feral mysteries with a locked room edge this one fits the bill.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
If you like:
✔️ influencer culture thrillers
✔️ locked room mysteries
✔️ yacht set suspense
✔️ luxury to nightmare flips
✔️ paranoia spirals
✔️ storm trapped tension
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
📅 Pub Day: Jun 02, 2026 🎧
💌 ARC gifted via NetGalley from Sourcebooks Audio. All opinions are my own.
✦•┈๑⋅⋯ The Last Time We Drowned by Saratoga Schaefer ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
• 3.25/5 ☆ •
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
This was a solid thriller with clean writing and a fun setup, but if you read a lot of thrillers, you'll probably spot the major twists long before they arrive. The setup is fun. Influencers, a luxury yacht, a curated “sisterhood” that’s clearly full of jealousy and contention, and the atmosphere hits that glossy turned claustrophobic tone right away.
What worked for me was the setting and the tension of being trapped at sea with people who are all performing versions of themselves. The hurricane backdrop adds a good layer of pressure and the missing influencer thread gives the story a ghost in the walls feeling that I liked. The paranoia and the shifting alliances and the sense that everyone is lying all of that lands.
Where it lost me a little was the predictability. The reveals did not shock and some of the character beats felt familiar if you have read a lot of influencer culture thrillers. Even when I guessed where things were going I still wanted to see how everything would finally come apart.
Overall it is a fast and readable thriller with a strong sense of place. It did not surprise me and I wanted a little more bite from the reveals. Still if you like glossy to feral mysteries with a locked room edge this one fits the bill.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
If you like:
✔️ influencer culture thrillers
✔️ locked room mysteries
✔️ yacht set suspense
✔️ luxury to nightmare flips
✔️ paranoia spirals
✔️ storm trapped tension
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
📅 Pub Day: Jun 02, 2026 🎧
💌 ARC gifted via NetGalley from Sourcebooks Audio. All opinions are my own.