Every Last Liar

by Kate Francis

They are all guilty. They all have to play the game. But only one can survive the night. 

Seven teens with a terrible secret are caught up in a deadly game of revenge. Every hour, one of them must sacrifice themselves until only one survivor remains. Otherwise, they all die.

On the first anniversary of a tragic fire at their high school, seven teenagers jump at the chance of a luxury desert retreat. But when they're left at a ramshackle motel and a sinister text message accuses them of complicity in the fire, they realize someone is playing a deadly game of revenge.

The rules? Every hour, one of them must sacrifice themselves, leaving the motel grounds to be killed, until only one survivor remains. Otherwise, they all die.

As the countdown begins, the stranded students confront the trauma of the previous year and decide who among them deserves to live, and who to die.

With time running out, can they work together to uncover who's running the game before the bodies pile up? Or will it be survival of the fittest?

Genres: Thriller, Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

352 pages, Paperback

Expected publication February 24, 2026

About the author

Kate Francis is an English-American writer and architect. She graduated from Edinburgh University and the Bartlett School of Architecture, and worked for several top design firms in London, before trading in her heels for flip-flops and heading west. She now lives by the sea in California with her three kids. When she’s not building something, she enjoys kayaking, walking the dog, and crafting interesting ways to kill off fictional teenagers.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published February 24, 2036.

4 stars

Seven high schoolers have won a raffle for a luxury retreat….didnt any of them notice that it happened to be set for the first anniversary of a fire at their school that killed a number of students? You have to pay attention!

When they are dropped off at a rundown motel thirty-five miles from the nearest town and in the middle of the desert they start to worry. Then they get text messages and realize that someone is out for revenge…if they don’t sacrifice one of their group every hour their captors will kill them all,

Actually, this was pretty good, though there was way too much live action for people who only have 59 minutes to live. Teenagers and their hormones. The book was way above average for a teen thriller. Oh, one of kids was so annoying I was really rooting for him to die, preferably painfully.

[SJARR ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This plot is pretty awesome. 4.5 stars.

One year ago, someone set fire to a school.
Now, a group of students find themselves trapped inside of an abandoned motel, with a killer who wants to take one of them out every hour.
Each of them is guilty in some way for what happened, but they must decide for themselves who most-deserves to make it to the end.

Truly, I love this kind of thriller.
The retribution type. And the type where everyone is hiding something, and their individual truths slowly start coming out as the story progresses.

It really created a lot of buildup in this, and I was invested every time someone started admitting what role they played in the disaster.
It hits especially different when you’ve started connecting to a particular character/s.
I really liked Raya and Ana- so I was actually nervous to find out what they did, if it was really that bad, and if one of them was going to be next.

The setting here is also… perfect. Abandoned motels are for me!
It created such a vivid and eerie environment for this entire thing to take place.
So many bonus points for that.

One thing interesting here, which isn’t a critique or a compliment- just a note because it stuck out to me.
The overall treatment for everyone is pretty much the same. Though, some of their roles in what happened are sort of small and/or accidental. Whereas there are also some which are actually guilty and did something pretty messed up.
Yet- the distinction doesn’t really get acknowledged or seem to have a huge affect on the way they view each other.

Kind of an extension of that note is that I’m not sure how I feel about the ending of this!
It definitely a twist, and wasn’t what I was expecting- which I like.
I think it could have been a bit more dramatic though.
Throughout the whole book, there is a pretty clear reason behind what is happening, and why it’s happening, but then things sort of change and calm down at the finish line and fizzle out in a way that was oddly calm.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Fire and author Kate Francis, for providing me with the eARC of “Every Last Liar”
Publication date: February 24, 2026

[Janna (Bibliophile Mom) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isolated motel settings always give me the creeps, so I had to request this one immediately. There’s something about the claustrophobic atmosphere of friends trapped together that screams danger. Every Last Liar leans into that vibe: a group of teens, scarred by a past tragedy, reunited in a place where secrets can’t stay buried. And then, one by one, they start to fall… until there was none.

Locked-room thrillers with revenge tropes are notoriously hard to impress me with. I’ve read too many, and by now I can usually sniff out the killer or motive halfway through. This book was no exception. While the setup promised fireworks, the execution felt more like a slow burn that fizzled before the finale. The characters were intriguing, each guilty in their own way, but the suspense never reached the “edge of your seat” level I was hoping for.

What worked:
• Fast-paced chapters with multiple first-person narrations.
• The messy group dynamics and simmering guilt.
• The way trauma binds the characters together, even when they want to escape it.

What fell short:
• Norman Bates reference felt recycled rather than chilling.
• No jaw-dropping twists or shocking reveals.
• Predictability dulled the tension.

Ratings Breakdown:
❥ Setting: 5⭐️
❥ Character Building: 2⭐️
❥ Writing Style: 2⭐️
❥ Message: 3⭐️
❥ Overall: 3⭐️

Final verdict: The story is best suited for readers who love isolated settings, emotionally charged characters, and a thriller that’s more about the atmosphere than shock value. It’s recommended for readers who enjoy simmering tension and guilty secrets, even if the twists don’t cut deep. Huge thanks to NetGalley, SourceBooks Fire, and author Kate Francis for my advance copy. My views are my own.

~JaNnA~

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have spent the last week thinking on my thoughts on this book. I have also been putting off writing this review because I really did not like this book. I was drawn to this book from the extreme premise and cool setting. But I quickly was turned away from this book from the crazy unrealistic events and feelings of the characters throughout the book. Quickly, you realize you need to suspend your disbelief in order to enjoy the book, but I felt for me it was too much. Essentially the main plot line of the story is that this group of teenagers are stranded at a deserted motel. This motel has a drawn circle around it, meaning anyone who crosses the line will be shot. I know, crazy. The teens have to then sacrifice one person per HOUR or else they all die. Furthermore, all these teens have secrets that surround an fire that happened year prior at their school. So, as the story goes these secrets start to come out.

This sounds so entertaining. However, what I felt like I got was a choppy, story with so many unlikable characters with underwhelming secrets chatting with each other. There were some crazy scenes and gruesome deaths. (One of the characters literally built a death machine which was crazy). But even with that, I felt it so strange the lack of emotion or being distraught at being forced to kill someone every hour. I feel like if I was in that situation, I would be terrified and freaking out, but these teens were not particularly hysterical or full of emotion. I also had a hard time visualizing everything sometimes and was a little lost at what exactly was happening. I was also thinking that perhaps a past and present time line could have been a more interesting, impactful, and suspenseful story. Like, if we got the current day at the motel and the past timeline the days leading up to and during the fire. I felt the way the secrets were revealed made them even more anticlimactic but as I was reading, I was thinking it could have been cool to learn the secrets in a past time line. I also think I could have liked and cared about the characters more.

Overall, I was disappointed by this book and was happy to be done. But, I cannot deny that even with its flaws, it definitely delivered on its promises of a wild ride.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an e-arc! All opinions are my own.

[♡ A ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Last Liar follows seven teens on the anniversary of a tragic fire as they arrive at a luxury desert retreat they’ll never forget. But instead, they arrive at a rundown motel in the middle of nowhere. As lines are drawn, the seven are forced to play a deadly game. Every hour, one of them must sacrifice themselves until only one remains or they all die.

This was a very entertaining read. I really loved the isolated setting and how trapped the characters were. It made for a very tense and engaging novel that kept me hooked from the start. I really enjoyed the revenge element and how the secrets they were all hiding were revealed. There’s quite a bit of violence and it’s pretty wild what happens. Really great if you like books like this.

The characters are all so messy and some very dark and twisted. It was incredibly entertaining and infuriating to see how a certain character manipulated the others to get what they wanted. Their actions and motivations felt very believable to me as crazy as they are. And the twist as to who the mastermind behind the revenge plot was a surprise. I thought it was a great twist and definitely not one I think most will see coming.

Overall, if you love isolated, locked room thrillers with messy characters, I’d definitely recommend checking this out!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the arc!

[Jaimes_Mystical_Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good, fast-paced thriller. I loved the overall concept of this one as seven high schoolers are trapped at an abandoned motel and forced to play the deadly balloon game. This book was hard to put down because I had to know what would happen next as I tried to figure out who was behind it. This book was full of twists and turns and the ending had me shocked.

Read this if you like:

📖 Locked room settings
📖 Some unlikable characters
📖 Secrets and lies
📖 Fast pacing

Thank you to @sourcebooksfire for the gifted arc.

[Nicole Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Every Last Liar” by Kate Francis is a razor-sharp YA psychological thriller that combines survival horror, revenge, and mystery into a pulse-pounding locked-room drama. It’s one of those stories where everyone has something to hide and every secret comes with a price.

A year after a devastating school fire that claimed multiple lives, seven students receive invitations to what’s billed as a luxury resort getaway. But when they arrive, the resort turns out to be a run-down, isolated motel, and they quickly realize they’ve walked straight into a trap. A mysterious figure, calling himself “Norman Bates,” announces the rules: they’re all complicit in the fire, and every hour, one of them must die until the truth comes out and only one remains.

From that chilling setup, Francis spins a fast-paced, tension-soaked story that’s impossible to put down. The group’s every move is watched by hidden cameras, and as panic sets in, alliances crumble and morality disappears. Each student carries guilt for what happened the night of the fire where some are truly culpable, while others were only tangentially involved, but the game doesn’t care. Everyone is treated as equally guilty, and that moral ambiguity makes the story both unsettling and thought-provoking.

Francis excels at crafting flawed, vividly human characters. Some are sympathetic, others deeply unlikeable—none more so than Ellis, whose descent into cruelty and manipulation is chilling to watch. Yet even amidst the chaos, moments of emotional honesty emerge, especially through Ana, whose journey from guilt and grief toward courage and forgiveness provides the story’s emotional core.

The pacing rarely lets up. Each confession peels back another layer of deceit, and every “sacrifice” ramps up the sense of dread. While there’s a touch of melodrama with some jealousy and romance subplots that don’t add much, the central revenge scheme is impressively elaborate, if at times a bit unbelievable in its scope. Still, the twists are genuinely shocking, including one final reveal that redefines everything readers thought they knew.

Francis’s writing is cinematic with the abandoned motel setting amplifying the sense of entrapment, and the author’s keen sense of pacing ensures the tension never drops. By the time vengeance is served, the story pivots from horror to reflection as the story closes on a surprisingly emotional note about forgiveness, grief, and moving on.

Overall, “Every Last Liar” is a dark, addictive, and twist-filled YA thriller that grips from the first page to its explosive, haunting finale. It’s a story of guilt, survival, and retribution that asks how far people will go to bury their sins and whether they can ever truly escape them.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

books where people have to pick who to kill off are my guilty pleasure. i guess i’m just very interested in the psychology and thought processes that kind of decision requires? also they remind me of Saw, my favourite movie lol. all of this to say, when i first read the description of this book on netgalley, i was locked in and requested it immediately. now having read it, i am underwhelmed.

there were some things i liked. it took some dark turns when people started to crack, which resulted in some brutal scenes. i thought it was an interesting interpretation of how you never know how someone will act under extreme pressure.

it does require a large amount of suspension of disbelief. the villain’s plan makes no logical sense. like i still don’t fully understand what they were trying to accomplish and how they thought they could get away with it.

the gathered teens are all hiding something related to an incident that happened a year prior. however, some of their secrets were significantly worse than others, yet they were all treated the same? as if no one was less or more guilty than another when that is objectively untrue. idk if i was one of the characters whose role was simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time and i was being lumped into the same group as someone whose actions actively led to someone else’s death, i would be pretty peeved. but maybe that’s just me 🤷‍♀️

i also thought the ending was a bit of a cop-out. in an effort to avoid spoilers, all i’m gonna say is this story was built on such an insane premise, that i’m disappointed that it didn’t fully commit to it.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

When seven students win a raffle to spend the weekend at a luxury resort, they all jump at the chance. It has been one year since a devastating fire in their high school and a distraction from this sad anniversary is just the thing to get them through. Four students tragically died in the event, with one of them shouldering all the blame. Was he really the only one guilty? Someone doesn’t think so. Unfortunately, when the students arrive at the desolate, run-down motel, they realize maybe they have been tricked. A mysterious man calling himself “Norman Bates” has set up a deadly game to get all seven to confess their role in the deadly fire. One by one, they must decide who is the guiltiest and sacrifice each other to save themselves… until only one is left. There must be a way for them to survive, isn’t there? 

Incredibly, Kate Francis has mastered her craft with this first novel. Every Last Liar ticks all the boxes to captivate its readers. Phenomenal character development and heart-stopping plot twists are all skillfully woven into this novel that combines elements of mystery, horror, and romance. This is one of those rare books you simply can’t put down until you’ve reached the very last page. Kate Francis can proudly stand next to Natalie Preston, Holly Jackson, and Karen McManus, the leading queens of teen mystery. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

EVERY LAST LIAR by Kate Francis (Feb 24, 2026)

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the earc

A year after a tragic fire that claimed the lives of three people, seven students are given the chance for a luxury retreat. When the arrive, something's wrong. The motel is ramshackled and they're left with a note...they are complicit in the fire. The game: every hour one of then but be sacrificed until one person is standing.
EVERY LAST LIAR is a YA, locked room thriller. This is a very revenge forward piece, so you know I loved it. It was expose-esque. What I mean by that is everyone had something to hide, everyone was guilty for something that happened that fateful night. And their secrets were being exposed. This twisted ordeal was v*olent. It's really high up there in the craziest locked room thriller I've read.
It was really hard to avoid spoilers for this since it was published in other countries already (under a different title) but I'm glad I had some semblance of surprise. The whodunit reveal was very high up there in "I didn't see that coming." I had many suspicions, but those held untrue as people were picked off. But EVERY LAST LIAR didn't stop there with the surprise reveals. When I thought I had everything figured out Francis through in one last twist that left me baffled.
EVERY LAST LIAR is a must-read for those looking for something so utterly shocking it'll leave you questioning what you read.

[Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I consumed this one! Last year a fire at their school left the lives of seven students charged for ever. The fire was started by a student who committed suicide and took two other students out with him. But each of the seven haven’t been the same. Now they have all ended up winning a relaxing weekend trip through the school. Only when they arrive the Motel is nothing like advertised, it’s clearly abandoned. Soon they find microphones and cameras. They are being watched and listened too but by who? It doesn’t take long for them to learn that they are playing a game. Each hour they must decide who to send to their death. Why these seven? Well each of them harbors a secret about the night of the fire, and someone is going to make them pay for it. But how will they choose? And what happens when they are forced to choose between their survival or someone else’s? A twisty novel that had a few mysteries built in. First what were all their secrets? And second who was doing this to them? Thrilling and intriguing and I definitely couldn’t put it down! Plus it’s thought provoking in the how far would you go to save yourself kind of way! I definitely didn’t see the end coming and I’m left pondering how I feel about it! Kate Francis Every Last Liar is a deep thought mystery, with some queer mixed in, that will keep you turning the pages!

[Christine Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been one year since a devastating fire in their high school. Four students tragically died in the event, and one student who died has been blamed. Was he really the only one guilty? Someone doesn’t think so. When seven students win a raffle to spend the weekend at a luxury resort, they all jump at the chance. It will be on the first anniversary, and a distraction is just the thing to get them through. Unfortunately, when they arrive at a desolate, run-down motel, they realize maybe they have been tricked. A mysterious man calling himself “Norman Bates” has set up a deadly game to get all seven to confess their parts in the deadly fire. One by one, they must decide who is the guiltiest and sacrifice each other to save themselves until only one is left. There must be a way for them to survive, isn’t there?

Incredibly, Kate Francis has mastered her craft with this introductory novel.
Every Last Liar checks every box that pulls a reader in. Phenomenal character development, mystery, horror, drama, romance, and heart-stopping plot twists are all skillfully woven into this novel. This is one of those few books that you will not want to put down until the very last word! Kate Francis can proudly stand next to Natalie Preston, Holly Jackson, and Karen McManus, the leading queens of teen mystery.

[Hope Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like Every Last Liar. Truly. I went in hopeful, snacks ready, expecting a tense, twisty thriller. Instead, I spent most of the book waiting for it to get as good as the premise promised.

The biggest issue is the characters, who are… aggressively bland. They’re so underdeveloped that caring about what happens to them feels like a personal chore. Everyone blends together, and their reactions often make zero sense, like they’re all operating on a shared brain cell that keeps going on vacation. I kept waiting for someone to feel real or even mildly interesting, and that moment never came.

The plot doesn’t do them any favors. A lot of the situations are wildly over the top and clearly exist just to manufacture drama. Rather than building suspense, these moments yanked me straight out of the story and had me asking, “But why would any rational human do this?” over and over again.

The frustrating part is that you can see the outline of a good idea buried in here somewhere. With sharper characters and less ridiculous plotting, this could’ve been a solid thriller. As it stands, it just didn’t come together for me. I hate giving low ratings….but…two stars.

[Kristie Kieffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Last Liar is a gripping psychological thriller that hooks you from the very first page and keeps you guessing until the final twist. Kate Francis masterfully weaves a story full of secrets, lies, and suspense, where no character is entirely trustworthy.

The characters are complex, layered, and morally gray, making every interaction tense and unpredictable. Francis’s writing builds a dark, immersive atmosphere, ratcheting up the tension in just the right way. Every chapter leaves you desperate to know what happens next, with twists that land perfectly and keep the story fresh and thrilling.

The pacing is relentless, and the plot is filled with clever misdirection, making the story impossible to put down. The ending is shocking, satisfying, and leaves a lingering sense of unease—the perfect conclusion to a dark, twisty tale.

If you love psychological thrillers with secrets, suspense, and untrustworthy characters, Every Last Liar is an absolute must-read.

[Znowaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sending me this eARC. This book was, in a word, depressing. Each character had personal troubles boiling beneath the surface, some more than others, which made them not just shallow, as one would think when they were just starting the story, but real.

I hated Ellis with a passion, especially as the book went on, so the last chapter before the epilogue was super satisfying. I personally enjoyed the end since I'm a sucker for happy endings (although this naturally wasn't a fairy tale 'happily ever after'). The rising tensions throughout the novel kept me invested, but the cherry on top was Ana's growth after the acceptance of her grief. The return of her confidence and strength, allowing her to stand up for herself and her friends, was truly admirable and made for a peaceful ending to her character's tale.

[Asulley4785 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Last Liar by Kate Francis is a gripping psychological thriller that pulls you in from the very first page and doesn’t let go until the shocking final reveal. It’s a story woven with secrets, betrayal, and the haunting question of how well we ever truly know the people closest to us.
Francis crafts an atmosphere thick with tension—every chapter peels back another layer of deception, keeping you guessing who’s telling the truth and who’s hiding something dark. The characters are flawed in the best way: complex, unpredictable, and painfully real. I especially loved how the author balances emotional depth with a fast-paced, twisty plot.
The ending? Absolutely jaw-dropping. Just when I thought I had it figured out, Francis turned everything upside down.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aghhhh ok so, this book was pretty meh?? It was basically if Five Survive and One of Us Is Lying had a baby but it was in the desert.
It was really fast paced and i was pretty entertained, but the plot was super predictable and i kind of guessed everything that happened. I was never really super impressed and there wasn’t much “shock value” that i’m used to in a thriller. I genuinely think i guessed every major plot twist.
But i did really enjoy the character dynamics and relationships, they were fairly complex and well developed by the end.
So like all and all i didn’t really like this one and i wouldn’t really recommend it unless your looking for a super quick read to get you out of a slump yk??

Thank you to Source Books and Netgalley for this arc!

[Gina Malanga · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 4.5 from me for sure. This was a great read with lots of twists and turns coming and I honestly had no idea (but lots of theories) about who was behind the killings. Ana and her “friends” all think they won a raffle for a fancy school retreat but when they find themselves in an abandoned run down hotel in the desert they know something is wrong. They all have something in common, a terrible event at their school a year ago to the day, and they all have secrets someone is determined to get them to share. The book is a study in morality and what you might be willing to do to save your own life. I can’t wait to get this one to my students.

[Ayana · Rating 2 out of 5]

It didn't capture my attention fully and I kept slipping away while the story unfolded a bit too slowly. Too many characters mixed up and it all didn't struck deep. No feelable tension, no caring about the plot's future in me.

The characters' guilt seemed as just a bunch of self-blaming for something they weren't actually guilty of. Some less than others. I hated how it cultivated blaming yourself especially for for that.

- - -
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Jine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my freaking god! This was so intense!
I swear every arc u get lately has been knocking it out of the park p! This story is about a group of teenagers who are dropped off at a motel all hiding secrets about a fire that happened one year ago!
This story has SO much; creepy motel secrets and a countdown to who dies next! Honestly I was going to give this book a 4 but that final twist yes ma’am! It’s a 5!

[KDRBCK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Last Liar by new to me author Kate Francis published by Sourcebooks Fire is a twisty thriller.
Seven teens are on a schooltrip, but nothing is a sit seems, every single one of them has secrets, is guilty of something or other. All of them are in danger.
The book has kind of dystopian vibe, a story of secrets and lies. An incredible story that had me guessing till the very end.

[Emory McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wild ride!

I wasn’t sure how I felt at the start but once it gets going it’s thrilling! And scary and tense.

The premise and what’s going on is a bit much conceptually - deviates from reality quite a bit, in my opinion - but it was a gripping read. The characters were so interesting, even the ones you hate.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the eARC!

[jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of high school students think it’s an accident when they’re dropped off at a motel in the middle of nowhere…only to find out that every aspect of this supposedly fun trip has been planned with revenge in mind.

For the first 85% of this book, I felt like the plot of “Every Last Liar” was unfolding in a fairly predictable way. And then, just when I thought I knew what was coming, the ending legitimately surprised me.

And, dare I say…impressed me.

This is an easy book to get through and one that I ended up enjoying more than I initially expected. It’s a 4 ⭐️ YA read that I’d definitely recommend to fans of thrillers and suspense.

Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏻 “Every Last Liar” will be available on February 24!

[Laura H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great premise, action packed.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, SOURCEBOOKS Fire, for providing the copy of Every Last Liar by Kate Francis. I’m conflicted about the review of this book, and wonder if a great ending makes up for the unlikable characters and a long dragged-out middle section. To be fair, the middle section dragged because the characters were reprehensible. I loved the idea of the book, but the actual execution of it was clumsy and unbelievable. 3 stars