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Reviewed by: Kathy Jaccarino, High School Librarian Title: The Last Flight Author: Julie Clark Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Year: 2021 Good for Grades: 11-Adult Genre/Type of Book: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: No. Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: This was recommended to me by a student. We don't own the book in our library, but will consider it for fans of Verity, by Colleen Hoover and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: A face-paced, "womancentric" psychological thriller a la Colleen Hoover and Gillian Flynne. What lengths will people go through to escape their lives? Eventually is it better to stay and fight?
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Review:
The publisher calls this "A tense and engaging womancentric thriller." I love the "womancentric" qualifier! This is a story of two women, Claire and Eva. Both women are dealing near impossible circumstances. Claire is the victim of an abusive husband who happens to be from a very powerful and connected family. Eva is the victim of circumstances that led her to being expelled from the university and ultimately ends up making illegal drugs in her basement and selling them on the University of Berkly campus in California. Claire and Eva's paths cross at an airport where, in an attempt to escape their seemingly dire situations, they trade identities. This sends them on trajectories that changes both their lives. Claire heads to California and Eva is slated to go to Puerto Rico in Claire's stead. The plane to Puerto Rico crashes and everyone assumes Claire is dead.
Although this is a very engaging psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns, ultimately it is a story of female friendship and support. After the women agree to switch tickets, their lives become entwined. Claire finds herself in Eva's apartment and realizes Eva was not who she portrayed at the airport. This gives the reader a glimpse into the underworld of drug trafficking. Unfortunately, while working as a waitress at a private party, Claire is videotaped. In spite of shorter, dyed hair she could be recognized...and she is! Now she needs to decide who to trust and how to get her life back. And as the story unfolds we are privy to Eva's backstory which is one of abandonment. The book has many memorable lines, one of my favorites is: "In the darkest of times, we find our true strength." The book has a bit of a questionable ending...no spoiler alerts, but would love to discuss it with anyone who also reads it. This would be a great book to give to students who liked Gone Girl (Gillian Flynne) or Verity (Colleen Hoover) as it has some twists and turns and all the elements of a good psychological thriller.
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For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website