The Last One At The Wedding by Jason Rekulak is part mystery, part thriller, and part family drama. It explores complicated family dynamics and the dark side of unlimited wealth, all within the framework of a twisted wedding weekend.
Frank Szatowski’s estranged daughter Maggie calls him out of the blue one day, and at first Frank is overjoyed. They haven’t spoken in three years, and he’s thrilled to have an opportunity to speak to her again. Until she tells him she’s getting married, to a man she’s only been with for a few months. It turns out that this new fiancé is the son of one of the wealthiest and most powerful businessmen in America.
Right off the bat, Frank has a bad feeling. It’s all so fast, and Maggie’s intended, Aidan Gardner doesn’t seem to have a great attitude about the whole thing. Despite his misgivings, the wedding plans continue, and Frank finds himself at the Gardner family compound in New Hampshire for the wedding weekend. Frank tries to figure out why the locals hate the Gardeners, and why the Gardners are acting so strangely, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose his daughter forever. Family secrets are unearthed, and nothing is as it seems.
Initially, The Last One At The Wedding was giving The Perfect Couple vibes, I was into it. I love rich people’s mess, and these rich people are quite messy. On the other hand, as someone who just got married, Frank’s whole attitude (which turned out to be semi-justified) gave me hives. All the wedding politics had me second-guessing how many people I probably accidentally offended. Anxiety is fun.
Anyhow, this book is fast-paced but nothing particularly wowed me. Every single one of these characters behaved badly in some way, and therefore all were mildly suspicious. Even Frank, the protagonist, this supposedly loving father character, was ridiculous and stubborn much of the time. He’s difficult to root for, but so is everyone else.
In many ways this book was shocking, but much like the Netflix show it immediately reminded me of, by the end it was all kind of like well, that tracks. There was certainly a twist at the end, but even though I didn’t necessarily see all the details coming, nothing about it was particularly surprising. The ending was realistic-ish, I suppose, but rather unsatisfying. All the questions are answered but there is no catharsis.
The Last One At The Wedding kept me entertained and engaged, for the most part, but none of the characters spoke to me. Nothing really hooked me. It was fine.
Writing: 3
Kindle: $14.99
Hardback: $20.28
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