The Last Time We Drowned

This had such a good premise. Six influencers trapped on a luxury yacht during a hurricane? With secrets, betrayal, paranoia, and murder? It absolutely sounds like the kind of thriller that should have been impossible to put down.

Unfortunately, it never fully reached that potential for me.

For a story centered around influencers, there was surprisingly very little actual content creation happening. Most of the characters seemed to spend their time wandering around the yacht, drinking, arguing, or complaining. As someone who enjoys book content myself, I was especially interested in seeing how Charlie’s bookstagram presence would play into the story, so it was disappointing that aspect barely materialized.

The supporting cast also started blending together after a while. There were points where I honestly stopped caring enough to backtrack and figure out who was speaking.

The story does pick up more toward the end, and I did enjoy the way things ultimately wrapped up, especially the direction of the final reveal and the tease of the next book Charlie was working on. I also appreciated the commentary on influencer culture and the pressure of online personas, even if I wish it had gone deeper.

Overall, it was okay. Not terrible, but not particularly memorable either. A fun premise that just needed a little more depth and tension.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.