Last Girl Ghosted: A Novel

Wren Greenwood, a successful advice columnist, finds herself a victim of a too common 21st century ploy: the Romance Scam. Lisa Unger introduces the lonely, lovelorn Wren in her latest: Last Girl Ghosted. Although she is capable of dispensing insightful counsel, she feels hypocritical and burdened by taking on the despair of her readers. At her best friend’s urging, she joins a dating app in hope of filling a void in her life with a relationship. Wren is particularly drawn to one profile-the owner of a security company who quotes Rilke. It seems that they are perfectly suited to each other, and Wren quickly finds herself in a romantic whirlwind. She feels safe enough with this man to share some of her closely held secrets about her traumatic childhood. When her paramour disappears without a trace, Wren devotes herself to trying track him down. She learns along the way that the man’s motives were not what she had thought. Wren is tracked down and questioned by Bailey, a private investigator who has been hired for a related case. Their attraction begins to grow as they search for answers together. Wren is conflicted because she still has feelings for the missing stranger, despite his alleged actions. When the search brings Wren and Bailey back to her hometown, she is surrounded by memories of her horrific past. It is difficult for the reader to cheer for Wren when she keeps making bad choices and sabotaging her own efforts. Last Girl Ghosted is a perfect example of a genre blend of Romance/Suspense that unfortunately fails to achieve credible balance. The romantic plot becomes more of a diversion that is both cringe-worthy and trite. Unfortunately, Last Girl Ghosted is a novel with too much romantic foolishness and too little genuine thrills.

Beware of an online dating match .. it can be deadly. Wren Greenwood, with her pseudonym of Dear Birdie seems to have it all. She's a successful column writer, a job that she's really good at. She's fought through her disturbing past to see the light of day again. And then she meets Adam through an online dating app. Adam seems to be perfect, handsome, giving, and she's fallen hard. But after a few dates, he seems to have disappeared. His phone is disconnected, dating and social media accounts have disappeared. She shares a bit of her past with him, and now she's under the impression that she shared too much, too soon. Until a private detector shows up at her door. Seems like Adam isn't exactly who he purported to be ... and she's not the only woman who has fallen for his charms. Of course, those women have never been seen after meeting with him .. only Wren has escaped relatively unharmed. The plot is complex ... multiple story lines in addition to Wren's and Adam's stories. The characters are finely drawn. It's fast-paced and suspenseful from start to finish leading to an surprising, unexpected conclusion. POSSIBLE TRIGGERS: Drug Addiction, Self Harming / Destruction, School Shooting and Suicide, Mental Illness, Murder, Guilt. Many thanks to the author / Harlequin Books / Park Row Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Crime Fiction / Psychological Thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I'm slow to get on the train. this is my first Lisa Unger book but it will not be my last! what a great writer. she doesn't just tell you a story, she puts you there in it. you feel, smell, sense all the things she's describing. Couldn't put the book down. no TV for 2 days, just me and this book!