September 30, 2017

Final Girls by Riley Sager


Penguin Publishing Group | July 2017 | 352 pgs
Source: Publisher via Netgalley


Final Girls has been receiving a lot of hype since its release and I think it is well worth it as it was such a chilling and thrilling read (Why, even Stephen King quoted this on its cover: "The first great thriller of 2017 is here.")

Quincy Carpenter, Lisa Milner and Samantha Boyd are known in the press as the Final Girls; a film-geek speak for the last woman standing at the end of a horror movie. Lisa had lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam walked away alive after a sicko dubbed as the Sack Man assaulted her during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and finally our protagonist, Quincy, who managed to escape from Him (the perpetrator she refuses to call by name after all these years) after she fled from Pine Cottage after he had massacred five of her college friends ten years ago. Now the three Final Girls are attempting to put each of their nightmares behind them. As much as they knew each other by name and those horrendous events they had gone through, in reality they have never met.

Quincy is doing well at present though; she has a caring boyfriend Jeff, a popular baking blog and a caring cop who checks on her occasionally ever since he saved her life all those years ago. What makes her life easier to get by is she has no recollection of what really happened that night at Pine Cottage. Like a few missing puzzles, she could only remember the before and after of that horrendous massacre; what happened in between was lost on her and she has no intention of remembering it. Then Lisa Milner was found dead with her wrists slit. Sam Boyd then appears on Quincy's doorstep claiming concern over her after those years laying low. Quincy quickly forged a friendship with Sam but as the days go she realises that Sam is relentless in bringing out that rage which had buried deep inside her since that fateful night. As dire consequences happen one after another after Sam moves into her house, Quincy begins to question everything including Lisa's death and what really happened to her and her five friends at Pine Cottage.

Final Girls was one great psychological suspense with a cast of intriguing characters. What made this such a compelling read is aside from the characters, the plot and the writing style keep the reader engrossed throughout the story. And personally I felt the two parts narrations really brought out the intensity as the reader will see two sides of the story - the present in Quincy's POV and the other in third person narration as flashbacks of what happened at Pine Cottage as the story moves towards the closure. This book had me on edge all the time and while I was curious over the friendship between Sam and Quincy, I was also eager to find out what really happened at Pine Cottage. I could easily picture this story makes its way onto the big screen because it has the combination of a slasher flick (think Scream and the like) and suspense. A fresh voice in the psychological thriller genre and I'll definitely be looking forward to more by this author.


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12 comments:

  1. Oooh--Final Girls does sound suspenseful! Might make a good R.I.P. read. :]

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    1. Jenclair - It was a thrilling read with lots of intensity. Yes, it's definitely a fit for the R.I.P. Challenge. :)

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  2. I can't decide if I want to read this one. The fact that one of the protagonists can't remember something feels too convenient.

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    1. Jenny - I share your thoughts on that but still it made a suspenseful read.

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  3. You definitely liked this one more than I did. I liked it, but didn't love the characters. Still, it was a suspenseful read. :)

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    1. Lark - I really enjoyed this one; kept me on edge throughout my reading journey. I didn't love the characters too but the plot and suspense kept me glued to the book. :)

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  4. This sounds so good. I really need to read this. Love me some suspenseful books!

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    1. Iliana - I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did, Iliana.

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  5. I have been seeing this one everywhere and am glad you enjoyed it, Melody. I think I might too.

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    1. Wendy - It was a great suspenseful read. I'm definitely looking forward for more books by this author.

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  6. Another psychological suspense novel that sounds good!

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    1. Naida - This was a great suspenseful read! Hope you'll pick up this book. :)

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