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Every Last Liar
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?
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?
352 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2026
27 people are currently reading
7701 people want to read
About the author
Kate Francis
2 books36 followersKate 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
February 16, 2026
Hold on to your hats because Every Last Liar was a wild rollercoaster ride of mind-blowing thrills! With high stakes, creepy vibes, and a reunion-gone-wrong premise that will chill you to the bone, I had a blast being a fly on the wall as an unsettling game of cat-and-mouse tried to whittle a group of seven down to one. You see, this book had a complex revenge scheme that was simply sublime. The perfect mashup of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Pretty Little Liars, it was quite the genre-bending novel. Combining slasher horror, revenge thriller, and mystery into one, this YA book not only had a dynamite locked-room setting, but there was also a definite cinematic feel. The best piece of all, though, was the web of long-buried secrets. Revealed in an onion-like manner, they kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.
What else did I love? Well, the short chapters, fast pacing, and multiple well-written POVs made it into an unputdownable, one-sitting read. That being said, I think the conclusion might be quite polarizing with readers either loving or hating it by the end. Luckily for me, I fell on the love it side of the equation. Thought-provoking and yet also satisfying, it explored the themes of survival, guilt, and forgiveness with a deft hand. Don’t get me wrong, the vast majority of this read was a thrilling white-knuckle ride that had just enough Desperate Housewives-esque drama to make me drool. Was it a tad melodramatic at times? Well…okay, maybe. But that was just part of the fun. All in all, this dark and addictive tale was everything I love. Using classic suspense tricks to keep me hooked, it easily transformed me into an instant Kate Francis fan. Rating of 4.5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
On the first anniversary of a tragic fire at their high school, seven teenagers jump at the chance to attend a luxury desert retreat. But when they're left at a rundown abandoned 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 to be killed, until only one survivor remains. Otherwise… they all die.
As the countdown begins, the stranded must answer the questions: when everyone's guilty, who deserves to live? Who deserves 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?
Thank you Kate Francis and Sourcebooks Fire for the complimentary copy and including me in Midnight Reads. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: February 24, 2026
Content warning: fire, death, violence, grief, anxiety, gun violence, mention of: suicide, bullying
What else did I love? Well, the short chapters, fast pacing, and multiple well-written POVs made it into an unputdownable, one-sitting read. That being said, I think the conclusion might be quite polarizing with readers either loving or hating it by the end. Luckily for me, I fell on the love it side of the equation. Thought-provoking and yet also satisfying, it explored the themes of survival, guilt, and forgiveness with a deft hand. Don’t get me wrong, the vast majority of this read was a thrilling white-knuckle ride that had just enough Desperate Housewives-esque drama to make me drool. Was it a tad melodramatic at times? Well…okay, maybe. But that was just part of the fun. All in all, this dark and addictive tale was everything I love. Using classic suspense tricks to keep me hooked, it easily transformed me into an instant Kate Francis fan. Rating of 4.5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
On the first anniversary of a tragic fire at their high school, seven teenagers jump at the chance to attend a luxury desert retreat. But when they're left at a rundown abandoned 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 to be killed, until only one survivor remains. Otherwise… they all die.
As the countdown begins, the stranded must answer the questions: when everyone's guilty, who deserves to live? Who deserves 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?
Thank you Kate Francis and Sourcebooks Fire for the complimentary copy and including me in Midnight Reads. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: February 24, 2026
Content warning: fire, death, violence, grief, anxiety, gun violence, mention of: suicide, bullying
November 14, 2025
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.
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.
October 26, 2025
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
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
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Wow... just wow. When this book first opened up I was like hey... I've read a book exactly like this a few months ago. Nope... I was wrong. It has sort of the same setup going on but the killer and killings? Those were unique and I didn't see it coming. I always love a good YA revenge story.
December 1, 2025
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.
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.
November 20, 2025
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~
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~
February 9, 2026
I went into this one with my guard up. I’ve read a lot of YA thrillers with similar premises, and at first, this felt like it might be another predictable, cookie-cutter entry in the genre… until it wasn’t.
While I personally started piecing things together along the way (thriller brain gonna thriller), I wouldn’t call the plot overly predictable. Seasoned mystery lovers will probably suspect a few things early on, but I genuinely enjoyed how Kate Francis slowly untangled the web she created. Watching all the secrets come apart was half the fun.
In the end, I really enjoyed this “locked room” style thriller. It felt like a mashup of All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban, How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao, and People Like Us by Dana Mele — with a little Squid Game energy sprinkled on top. The final 25% is what sealed the deal for me and pushed this to a solid 4⭐️.
The short, multi-POV chapters kept the pacing tight and the tension moving, which I always appreciate in a thriller. I did wish there had been a bit more character development, but with so much constantly happening, I understand why the focus stayed on the plot and survival aspect.
Readers who love atmospheric storytelling will really enjoy this one. If you’re hunting for jaw-dropping, floor-shattering twists, this may not be your first grab — but if you want a tense, engaging, and well-executed YA thriller, this is absolutely worth your time.
Final verdict: not the most shocking thriller on the shelf, but a fun, fast, and suspenseful ride that proves familiar tropes can still be done well.
I was fortunate to receive a complimentary eARC from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley, which gave me the opportunity to share my voluntary thoughts.
While I personally started piecing things together along the way (thriller brain gonna thriller), I wouldn’t call the plot overly predictable. Seasoned mystery lovers will probably suspect a few things early on, but I genuinely enjoyed how Kate Francis slowly untangled the web she created. Watching all the secrets come apart was half the fun.
In the end, I really enjoyed this “locked room” style thriller. It felt like a mashup of All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban, How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao, and People Like Us by Dana Mele — with a little Squid Game energy sprinkled on top. The final 25% is what sealed the deal for me and pushed this to a solid 4⭐️.
The short, multi-POV chapters kept the pacing tight and the tension moving, which I always appreciate in a thriller. I did wish there had been a bit more character development, but with so much constantly happening, I understand why the focus stayed on the plot and survival aspect.
Readers who love atmospheric storytelling will really enjoy this one. If you’re hunting for jaw-dropping, floor-shattering twists, this may not be your first grab — but if you want a tense, engaging, and well-executed YA thriller, this is absolutely worth your time.
Final verdict: not the most shocking thriller on the shelf, but a fun, fast, and suspenseful ride that proves familiar tropes can still be done well.
I was fortunate to receive a complimentary eARC from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley, which gave me the opportunity to share my voluntary thoughts.
November 29, 2025
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!
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!
February 1, 2026
2.5 overall!
This felt very Survivor meets Lord of the Flies but YA and it was just sadly a miss for me. With it being YA and the chapters short I was able to fly through it in a couple of days. I was definitely intrigued at the beginning and enjoyed the multiple POVs to be able to get everyone’s thoughts throughout the story. Out of all the characters there was really only three that I liked and I couldn’t stand the rest. The concept had potential but sadly I felt like it just didn’t work for me as YA. The reveal was a little predictable and who the killer was felt kind of weird.
Overall, this book was a miss for me but would give it a shot if you like Survivor and locked room mysteries.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This felt very Survivor meets Lord of the Flies but YA and it was just sadly a miss for me. With it being YA and the chapters short I was able to fly through it in a couple of days. I was definitely intrigued at the beginning and enjoyed the multiple POVs to be able to get everyone’s thoughts throughout the story. Out of all the characters there was really only three that I liked and I couldn’t stand the rest. The concept had potential but sadly I felt like it just didn’t work for me as YA. The reveal was a little predictable and who the killer was felt kind of weird.
Overall, this book was a miss for me but would give it a shot if you like Survivor and locked room mysteries.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!
January 2, 2026
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.
Read this if you like:
📖 Locked room settings
📖 Some unlikable characters
📖 Secrets and lies
📖 Fast pacing
Thank you to @sourcebooksfire for the gifted arc.
February 5, 2026
First of all, the setting was perfect — giving all the creepy vibes for the perfect locked-room thriller. It was jam packed with mystery, twists and just the right amount of revenge with an ending that will have you utterly shocked..
November 8, 2025
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.
“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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Picture this: Pretty Little Liars and I Know What You Did Last Summer had a baby, and it was Every Last Liar.
The setup is a classic thriller lover’s dream: seven teens at a remote, abandoned motel on the anniversary of the tragedy that changed their lives. Add a deadly "game" designed to force their true colors to the surface, and you have a recipe for chaos.
What Hooked Me: From the very first line, I was all in. I have an unending obsession with "teens in predicaments," and boy, do these characters find themselves in a big one. The pacing is intense; while the book covers only a 24-hour window, the 300-page journey felt cinematic and fast-paced.
The Narrative Style: The structure initially threw me off—chapters are titled after specific characters, but the story is told in the third person. As someone who usually prefers a close POV, I found it a bit distancing at first. However, I eventually realized this was a brilliant choice by the author. By following their journey without being inside their heads, the suspense stayed high and the secrets remained hidden until the perfect moment.
Characters & Representation: While the archetypes felt a bit predictable at the start (the shy girl, the jock, the rebels), the execution was excellent. As a queer Latina woman, I absolutely loved the inclusion and authentic representation within the group.
One of my favorite parts? The characters were often unlikable and frustrating. I had to keep reminding myself, "They’re only 17, what are they doing?!" but that made the mystery more realistic. Alex and Ana’s romantic moments were the much-needed bright spots in an otherwise gloomy, high-stakes situation.
The Twist (No Spoilers!): I pride myself on spotting the "sus" characters early, but the author successfully fooled me. Watching Ellis—the most "collected" of the group—revealed as the guiltiest was a total mind-blower. Once the clues started clicking, it felt like watching a movie unfold. The "staged" nature of the game was a masterclass in psychological suspense.
Final Verdict: The aftermath was incredibly satisfying. It wrapped up like any great thriller should: the main characters are safe, the villain is at large, and there’s just enough uncertainty left to digest. This was the perfect blend of mystery and slasher vibes with a deep emotional payoff.
---
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Picture this: Pretty Little Liars and I Know What You Did Last Summer had a baby, and it was Every Last Liar.
The setup is a classic thriller lover’s dream: seven teens at a remote, abandoned motel on the anniversary of the tragedy that changed their lives. Add a deadly "game" designed to force their true colors to the surface, and you have a recipe for chaos.
What Hooked Me: From the very first line, I was all in. I have an unending obsession with "teens in predicaments," and boy, do these characters find themselves in a big one. The pacing is intense; while the book covers only a 24-hour window, the 300-page journey felt cinematic and fast-paced.
The Narrative Style: The structure initially threw me off—chapters are titled after specific characters, but the story is told in the third person. As someone who usually prefers a close POV, I found it a bit distancing at first. However, I eventually realized this was a brilliant choice by the author. By following their journey without being inside their heads, the suspense stayed high and the secrets remained hidden until the perfect moment.
Characters & Representation: While the archetypes felt a bit predictable at the start (the shy girl, the jock, the rebels), the execution was excellent. As a queer Latina woman, I absolutely loved the inclusion and authentic representation within the group.
One of my favorite parts? The characters were often unlikable and frustrating. I had to keep reminding myself, "They’re only 17, what are they doing?!" but that made the mystery more realistic. Alex and Ana’s romantic moments were the much-needed bright spots in an otherwise gloomy, high-stakes situation.
The Twist (No Spoilers!): I pride myself on spotting the "sus" characters early, but the author successfully fooled me. Watching Ellis—the most "collected" of the group—revealed as the guiltiest was a total mind-blower. Once the clues started clicking, it felt like watching a movie unfold. The "staged" nature of the game was a masterclass in psychological suspense.
Final Verdict: The aftermath was incredibly satisfying. It wrapped up like any great thriller should: the main characters are safe, the villain is at large, and there’s just enough uncertainty left to digest. This was the perfect blend of mystery and slasher vibes with a deep emotional payoff.
---
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 3, 2026
This one was such a bummer, because the plot is amazing… the execution, not so much.
You spend a lot of time with these 7 teens. They get carted off to this motel in the middle of nowhere and a mystery person says that each of them are guilty for something regarding this kid, Danny, who died in a school fire a year prior. And because they’re all guilty of something one by one they have to pick who’s going to die first and then every hour pick a new kid to take down. The kids who then get picked have to walk out and end it all or get pushed out or whatever.
Through the book we find out the who, what, where, when and why of this big fire that killed at least two other kids besides Danny. A girl who gets very little attention and the arsonist.
Through the book we get a repeated mention that maybe there was a love story between the main baddie and Danny but don’t think you’re going to get more than a passing mention of it, not even to confirm that it was two sided. It gets mentioned a lot for never going past whether this was a crush or a mutual thing.
We find out what all the kids are guilty of. For some it’s actually really bad. A kid who filmed the whole thing, a girl who bullied people, the big twist secret in the ending. For others it was not guilty. One kids being punished because the arsonist was listening to his song on the radio when he drove to the school. Are we going to go put Taylor Swift in this scenario just in case he heard All Too Well before he switched to a local band??? The other one ran to a locked door that was usually unlocked to escape and the ceiling fell on Danny while they were running, Not exactly the pinnacle of guilt. Pinnacle? What? I’m going for it.
Then we find out who’s behind it and if Danny gets mentioned once I missed it. Also the perp knows better that what he is doing. Kids crying over going down the wrong hallway might be true in a kid brain but if your frontal lobe has fully formed, you can recognize that it’s not the horrible thing other teens might think it is. Then there’s a lot of talk and this book goes from 5 stars to 1 star as if it also got voted off the island. The premise becomes dumb and there’s this moment where I was like… this author is brave to do this, only to find out that nothing was done. You want to write a horror book, write a horror book. This isn’t it.
You spend a lot of time with these 7 teens. They get carted off to this motel in the middle of nowhere and a mystery person says that each of them are guilty for something regarding this kid, Danny, who died in a school fire a year prior. And because they’re all guilty of something one by one they have to pick who’s going to die first and then every hour pick a new kid to take down. The kids who then get picked have to walk out and end it all or get pushed out or whatever.
Through the book we find out the who, what, where, when and why of this big fire that killed at least two other kids besides Danny. A girl who gets very little attention and the arsonist.
Through the book we get a repeated mention that maybe there was a love story between the main baddie and Danny but don’t think you’re going to get more than a passing mention of it, not even to confirm that it was two sided. It gets mentioned a lot for never going past whether this was a crush or a mutual thing.
We find out what all the kids are guilty of. For some it’s actually really bad. A kid who filmed the whole thing, a girl who bullied people, the big twist secret in the ending. For others it was not guilty. One kids being punished because the arsonist was listening to his song on the radio when he drove to the school. Are we going to go put Taylor Swift in this scenario just in case he heard All Too Well before he switched to a local band??? The other one ran to a locked door that was usually unlocked to escape and the ceiling fell on Danny while they were running, Not exactly the pinnacle of guilt. Pinnacle? What? I’m going for it.
Then we find out who’s behind it and if Danny gets mentioned once I missed it. Also the perp knows better that what he is doing. Kids crying over going down the wrong hallway might be true in a kid brain but if your frontal lobe has fully formed, you can recognize that it’s not the horrible thing other teens might think it is. Then there’s a lot of talk and this book goes from 5 stars to 1 star as if it also got voted off the island. The premise becomes dumb and there’s this moment where I was like… this author is brave to do this, only to find out that nothing was done. You want to write a horror book, write a horror book. This isn’t it.
December 15, 2025
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.
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.
October 23, 2025
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...
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...
November 3, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
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.
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.
November 5, 2025
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!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3,5*
Welcome to Hotel Loba. Enjoy your stay before your time is up.
Seven teenagers are excited to spend some days at a luxury retreat. Especially since it is almost the anniversary of a terrible fire that killed some of their school mates.
When they arrive at the hotel, the place is nothing like the luxury experience they were promised.
The teenagers are now trapped and unable to call for help. The rules to survive are simple: every hour the group needs to decide who deserves to die next and send that person to cross over the hotel lines. They all have a secret related to the night of the school fire and whoever lured them to the hotel will not stop until they each confess the truth.
The setting was very atmospheric, the pacing was quick and the deaths were quite brutal for a YA book. Having to decide who dies next adds some extra tension even though I think the characters should have been a bit more terrified of the situation. The book had short chapters told from different POVs which helps the reader figure out everyone’s past and involvement in the fire.
However I have to say that early on I suspected the ending and I truly prayed to be wrong but I wasn’t. It is not that I was able to predict the ending but the type of ending the book has that kind of spoiled the fun for me. But I am sure many people will be surprised by the final twist and love the ending.
Welcome to Hotel Loba. Enjoy your stay before your time is up.
Seven teenagers are excited to spend some days at a luxury retreat. Especially since it is almost the anniversary of a terrible fire that killed some of their school mates.
When they arrive at the hotel, the place is nothing like the luxury experience they were promised.
The teenagers are now trapped and unable to call for help. The rules to survive are simple: every hour the group needs to decide who deserves to die next and send that person to cross over the hotel lines. They all have a secret related to the night of the school fire and whoever lured them to the hotel will not stop until they each confess the truth.
The setting was very atmospheric, the pacing was quick and the deaths were quite brutal for a YA book. Having to decide who dies next adds some extra tension even though I think the characters should have been a bit more terrified of the situation. The book had short chapters told from different POVs which helps the reader figure out everyone’s past and involvement in the fire.
However I have to say that early on I suspected the ending and I truly prayed to be wrong but I wasn’t. It is not that I was able to predict the ending but the type of ending the book has that kind of spoiled the fun for me. But I am sure many people will be surprised by the final twist and love the ending.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A survival thriller that asks who deserves to live when no one is innocent.
📓Brief Description (Spoiler-Free):
- Seven teens lured to a desert retreat are trapped at an abandoned motel and forced into a brutal game tied to a past school fire.
- Every hour demands a sacrifice, turning survival into a moral reckoning where no one is innocent.
- With time running out, they must expose the mastermind or accept that only one of them will make it out alive.
💭My Thoughts:
- The book was told through multiple third-person POVs which promoted layered tensions and better characterization.
- I found the storytelling fun and engaging, making me keep reading to find out what will happen next.
- I’m a huge fan of “teen scream” sub-genre so this did not disappoint.
- Was it the best book I’ve ever read? No. Was it highly entertaining? Absolutely.
- The characters weren’t overly likeable, but I think that’s fine with this type of story, good slasher-types don’t usually have likeable characters, so you aren’t upset when they don’t last.
📚 Recommended For:
- Fans of Karen M. McManus, Holly Jackson, and Alex Finlay.
- Readers who enjoy deadly games, a ‘trust no one’ book, and trauma bonding.
📝 Final Thoughts:
- I’m so appreciative of NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with the opportunity to review an advanced copy.
- Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on this book, I hope you found it helpful!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5
📓Brief Description (Spoiler-Free):
- Seven teens lured to a desert retreat are trapped at an abandoned motel and forced into a brutal game tied to a past school fire.
- Every hour demands a sacrifice, turning survival into a moral reckoning where no one is innocent.
- With time running out, they must expose the mastermind or accept that only one of them will make it out alive.
💭My Thoughts:
- The book was told through multiple third-person POVs which promoted layered tensions and better characterization.
- I found the storytelling fun and engaging, making me keep reading to find out what will happen next.
- I’m a huge fan of “teen scream” sub-genre so this did not disappoint.
- Was it the best book I’ve ever read? No. Was it highly entertaining? Absolutely.
- The characters weren’t overly likeable, but I think that’s fine with this type of story, good slasher-types don’t usually have likeable characters, so you aren’t upset when they don’t last.
📚 Recommended For:
- Fans of Karen M. McManus, Holly Jackson, and Alex Finlay.
- Readers who enjoy deadly games, a ‘trust no one’ book, and trauma bonding.
📝 Final Thoughts:
- I’m so appreciative of NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with the opportunity to review an advanced copy.
- Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on this book, I hope you found it helpful!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5
November 19, 2025
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.25🌟
Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advanced copy of Every Last Liar in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.
I really enjoyed this book. The premise is wild: imagine you and your classmates get invited on a trip, only to have the tables turn instantly. You're lured there by a madman to play a deadly version of Survivor, where being "voted out" means being killed.
There was an instant sense of doom as soon as they stepped inside the desolate hotel. The danger kicks off right away, and it was interesting seeing the different teen personalities shine through. The real tension comes from wondering if they can put aside their differences—and use the secrets they are each hiding—to figure out the mystery and get out alive.
The pacing is fast as the sick game plays out. While there are definitely some YA elements that might make you roll your eyes, I thought the creativity of the plot mixed well enough with the juvenile aspects to make for an entertaining read.
My one critique is the conclusion, which I'm still on the fence about. Lessons were learned, yes, but it felt like the ending rendered a lot of the build-up kind of moot. That said, it wasn't enough to dampen my overall opinion. The author tried to bring something new to the table, and I believe she succeeded.
Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advanced copy of Every Last Liar in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.
I really enjoyed this book. The premise is wild: imagine you and your classmates get invited on a trip, only to have the tables turn instantly. You're lured there by a madman to play a deadly version of Survivor, where being "voted out" means being killed.
There was an instant sense of doom as soon as they stepped inside the desolate hotel. The danger kicks off right away, and it was interesting seeing the different teen personalities shine through. The real tension comes from wondering if they can put aside their differences—and use the secrets they are each hiding—to figure out the mystery and get out alive.
The pacing is fast as the sick game plays out. While there are definitely some YA elements that might make you roll your eyes, I thought the creativity of the plot mixed well enough with the juvenile aspects to make for an entertaining read.
My one critique is the conclusion, which I'm still on the fence about. Lessons were learned, yes, but it felt like the ending rendered a lot of the build-up kind of moot. That said, it wasn't enough to dampen my overall opinion. The author tried to bring something new to the table, and I believe she succeeded.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Every last liar follows seven teenagers who are excited to attend a luxury desert retreat especially with it being the one year anniversary of a tragic fire at their school which killed some of their school friends. What should of been a relaxing time soon turns into their worst nightmare when they get there and it is nothing like luxury.. there is no wifi and they can't go back. Trapped in a rundown place in the middle of nowhere they all get a text message that accuses them of complicity in the fire and someone wants revenge. Rule one, every hour one of them must sacrifice one of the others until there is only one survivor left.
A survival thriller that delves into what happened on the day of the fire and what secrets some of the teenagers are hiding and will do to keep said secrets. Some characters i didn't like whilst some i did feel for. I was interested on what really happened on the day of the fire and when it truly revealed what a character had to do with it i will admit i wasn't particularly surprised. The deaths i was though shocked at especially for a YA. Overall this read was really fun and fast paced, it definitely had me rushing the pages to get to the very end.
Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the copy of this arc in exchange of my full honest review.
A survival thriller that delves into what happened on the day of the fire and what secrets some of the teenagers are hiding and will do to keep said secrets. Some characters i didn't like whilst some i did feel for. I was interested on what really happened on the day of the fire and when it truly revealed what a character had to do with it i will admit i wasn't particularly surprised. The deaths i was though shocked at especially for a YA. Overall this read was really fun and fast paced, it definitely had me rushing the pages to get to the very end.
Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the copy of this arc in exchange of my full honest review.
March 1, 2026
Every Last Liar is a high-stakes psychological survival thriller built around a chilling question: if everyone is guilty, who deserves to live?
The novel thrives on its pacing. The hour-by-hour structure creates a natural urgency that keeps the plot moving quickly, and the continuous reveal of past secrets adds layers of tension. The writing style is straightforward and cinematic, allowing the suspense and shifting group dynamics to take center stage.
Character-wise, the book leans into flawed personalities rather than traditional heroes. Each teen brings secrets, resentment, and fear into the group dynamic, making the conversations feel charged and unpredictable. The banter and confrontations are particularly engaging, often revealing more through dialogue than exposition. While some readers may wish for deeper emotional introspection, the focus on survival psychology keeps the story tight and fast-moving.
The mystery element unfolds steadily, balancing suspicion, twists, and moral dilemmas. It’s the kind of thriller that’s less about who is innocent and more about how far people will go when survival is on the line.
Overall, this is an addictive, tension-driven YA thriller perfect for readers who enjoy locked-location suspense stories filled with secrets, shifting alliances, and moral ambiguity.
The novel thrives on its pacing. The hour-by-hour structure creates a natural urgency that keeps the plot moving quickly, and the continuous reveal of past secrets adds layers of tension. The writing style is straightforward and cinematic, allowing the suspense and shifting group dynamics to take center stage.
Character-wise, the book leans into flawed personalities rather than traditional heroes. Each teen brings secrets, resentment, and fear into the group dynamic, making the conversations feel charged and unpredictable. The banter and confrontations are particularly engaging, often revealing more through dialogue than exposition. While some readers may wish for deeper emotional introspection, the focus on survival psychology keeps the story tight and fast-moving.
The mystery element unfolds steadily, balancing suspicion, twists, and moral dilemmas. It’s the kind of thriller that’s less about who is innocent and more about how far people will go when survival is on the line.
Overall, this is an addictive, tension-driven YA thriller perfect for readers who enjoy locked-location suspense stories filled with secrets, shifting alliances, and moral ambiguity.
March 3, 2026
This book had a promising start. I really liked the premise and even though I’m not into teenage drama books/YA, I felt like the way the characters acted was actually smart. They genuinely tried different attempts at escaping and weren’t idiots. At least in the beginning. I started to feel like the hours draggedddd on so bad. No reason to go through so many POVs and stuff when the deaths don’t even take that long to actually happen. The romance between two of the characters started to annoy me bc this is not the time for that. The character’s so-called guilt actions were ridiculous. Ana saying the fire didn’t kill her brother, she did genuinely pissed me off. I get survivors guilt but it was literally the fire that did it. Or that Alex’s song Burn was playing so suddenly he is responsible for the fire? Like come on. The only real guilt action was Ellis! The reveal of the person behind the whole thing technically made sense but also was very random that he was able to get so much done. I know he runs a tech company but this man had stooges, darts, explosives, etc. I knew the kids had to be alive and that it was darts they were getting shot with so no surprise there. The final showdown between Ana and Ellis was so bad I started skimming. Then after everything he does, she lets him delete the footage?? Like what was the whole point? A waste of time tbh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
✨ The Premise:
Seven teenagers. One tragic high school fire. A luxury desert retreat that turns into a ramshackle death trap. 🌵📱
The rules are simple but sick: Every hour, the group must choose one person to sacrifice. If they don’t? Everyone dies. As the countdown ticks away, the "accidental" fire from a year ago doesn't look so accidental anymore.
📝 My Thoughts:
• The Tension: This was a total "one more chapter" kind of book. The hourly countdown kept the pacing breakneck. I felt the claustrophobia of that motel through the pages! ⏳
• The Morality Play: I loved the psychological aspect. When everyone is guilty of something, how do you decide who deserves the "Final Girl" crown? It really forces you to look at each character’s trauma and flaws.
• The Vibe: It’s gritty, it’s fast, and it’s unapologetically brutal. If you like "Survival of the Fittest" tropes, this is 100% your brand.
I was hooked from start to finish, though I found myself wishing for just a tiny bit more character development for a couple of the seven before their "hour" was up. But as a pure survival thriller? It delivers. 🩸
🏜️ The Aesthetic:
Dusty motels, burner phones, flickering neon signs, and secrets that burn hotter than the desert sun.
Seven teenagers. One tragic high school fire. A luxury desert retreat that turns into a ramshackle death trap. 🌵📱
The rules are simple but sick: Every hour, the group must choose one person to sacrifice. If they don’t? Everyone dies. As the countdown ticks away, the "accidental" fire from a year ago doesn't look so accidental anymore.
📝 My Thoughts:
• The Tension: This was a total "one more chapter" kind of book. The hourly countdown kept the pacing breakneck. I felt the claustrophobia of that motel through the pages! ⏳
• The Morality Play: I loved the psychological aspect. When everyone is guilty of something, how do you decide who deserves the "Final Girl" crown? It really forces you to look at each character’s trauma and flaws.
• The Vibe: It’s gritty, it’s fast, and it’s unapologetically brutal. If you like "Survival of the Fittest" tropes, this is 100% your brand.
I was hooked from start to finish, though I found myself wishing for just a tiny bit more character development for a couple of the seven before their "hour" was up. But as a pure survival thriller? It delivers. 🩸
🏜️ The Aesthetic:
Dusty motels, burner phones, flickering neon signs, and secrets that burn hotter than the desert sun.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Vibe Check: Tense | Twisted | Unforgiving
The survivors. The guilty. The rules of the game. The guiltiest must die.
I read to be pulled fully into a story and to experience the story alongside the characters. I believe books are invitations to empathy and conversation, not something to be restricted. The right book at the right time can change everything.
YA thriller fans, this is the kind of thriller that wastes no time raising the stakes. From the start, there’s a sharp edge to everything—every interaction feels loaded, every secret feels dangerous. The tension builds around guilt, survival, and the terrifying idea that truth might not save you. When everyone is unreliable, who can I trust?
The third person narrative focuses on different characters, and the insight added to my anxiety, in a chilling way, as the guilty revealed themselves. This story is fast, dark, and built around moral gray areas that made me lean into the action instead of relaxing into the narration.
3.25 stars (I round to the nearest whole star when necessary.)
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing a copy of this book for review consideration via NetGalley.
The survivors. The guilty. The rules of the game. The guiltiest must die.
I read to be pulled fully into a story and to experience the story alongside the characters. I believe books are invitations to empathy and conversation, not something to be restricted. The right book at the right time can change everything.
YA thriller fans, this is the kind of thriller that wastes no time raising the stakes. From the start, there’s a sharp edge to everything—every interaction feels loaded, every secret feels dangerous. The tension builds around guilt, survival, and the terrifying idea that truth might not save you. When everyone is unreliable, who can I trust?
The third person narrative focuses on different characters, and the insight added to my anxiety, in a chilling way, as the guilty revealed themselves. This story is fast, dark, and built around moral gray areas that made me lean into the action instead of relaxing into the narration.
3.25 stars (I round to the nearest whole star when necessary.)
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing a copy of this book for review consideration via NetGalley.
January 29, 2026
Estimated release date: February 24, 2026.
I’d rate this book a solid 3.5 stars ⭐️
I won my copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway. The blurb was definitely intriguing, and I think I would have enjoyed the book itself more if I hadn’t just finished another YA novel. Oddly enough, there was a set of twins (boy/girl) where the sister lost her brother there too. As a fraternal twin myself, the thought of losing my brother is almost impossible to wrap my mind around. I’m not sure what I would have done, especially losing him in high school. Noooo thank you.
I thought this plot was a little predictable, and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the majority of the characters. We all need a villain (or four) though, right? The characters I did like showed good growth and were able to use what happened to them to find themselves and become stronger after all the tragedy/trauma they experienced. Yay for positive outcomes!
I find it hard to believe a parent could be the one behind teaching these teenagers a lesson, but I guess I’d probably do some shady stuff for my kid(s) too 🤷🏻♀️ 🤣
I’d rate this book a solid 3.5 stars ⭐️
I won my copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway. The blurb was definitely intriguing, and I think I would have enjoyed the book itself more if I hadn’t just finished another YA novel. Oddly enough, there was a set of twins (boy/girl) where the sister lost her brother there too. As a fraternal twin myself, the thought of losing my brother is almost impossible to wrap my mind around. I’m not sure what I would have done, especially losing him in high school. Noooo thank you.
I thought this plot was a little predictable, and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the majority of the characters. We all need a villain (or four) though, right? The characters I did like showed good growth and were able to use what happened to them to find themselves and become stronger after all the tragedy/trauma they experienced. Yay for positive outcomes!
I find it hard to believe a parent could be the one behind teaching these teenagers a lesson, but I guess I’d probably do some shady stuff for my kid(s) too 🤷🏻♀️ 🤣
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was a fast-paced survival thriller where a group of seven teens are trapped in an impossible situation and picked off one by one. The premise is wild from the start: they’re stranded at a deserted motel, unable to cross a boundary without being shot, and forced to make deadly sacrifices to survive. Add in long-buried secrets tied to a school fire, and the setup immediately grabs your attention.
I did end up predicting how one of the twists would go, but it didn’t completely take away from the experience. The characters were decent overall, and I especially liked Ana and Alex. That said, some of the group felt a little too calm—and at times naïve—about witnessing repeated deaths, which made the emotional impact feel muted.
While the story can be choppy and a bit hard to visualize in places, it still delivers shocking moments and some truly unhinged scenes that keep the pages turning. Overall, even with its flaws, this was a quick, intense read that fully commits to its chaotic survival premise.
Thank you to Netgalley & Sourcebook Fire for this ARC!
I did end up predicting how one of the twists would go, but it didn’t completely take away from the experience. The characters were decent overall, and I especially liked Ana and Alex. That said, some of the group felt a little too calm—and at times naïve—about witnessing repeated deaths, which made the emotional impact feel muted.
While the story can be choppy and a bit hard to visualize in places, it still delivers shocking moments and some truly unhinged scenes that keep the pages turning. Overall, even with its flaws, this was a quick, intense read that fully commits to its chaotic survival premise.
Thank you to Netgalley & Sourcebook Fire for this ARC!
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