From the author of Good as Gone (“So gripping you might want to start to question your own family’s past”–Entertainment Weekly) comes a brilliant and timely thriller: Strangers on a Train by way of Thelma and Louise. Dana Diaz is an aspiring stand‑up comedian–a woman in a man’s world. When she meets a tough computer programmer named Amanda Dorn, the two bond over their struggles in boys’ club … the two bond over their struggles in boys’ club professions. Dana confides that she’s recently been harassed and assaulted while in L.A., and Amanda comes up with a plan: they should go after each other’s assailants, Strangers on a Train-style. But Dana finds that revenge, however sweet, draws her into a more complicated series of betrayals. Soon her distrust turns to paranoia, encompassing strangers, friends–and even herself. At what cost will she get her vengeance? Who will end up getting hurt? And when it’s all over, will there be anyone left to trust?
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A twisty and engrossing thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.
A harrowing and razor-sharp thriller, Amy Gentry’s Last Woman Standing feels both ripped from the headlines and utterly timeless as it takes on gender and violence and the far limits of female rage. As the story twists and turns, you’ll feel breathless, troubled and helplessly propelled to its deeply satisfying final pages.
I read Last Woman Standing over the course of one thrilling afternoon—it’s a heart-pounding look at the line between justice and vengeance, and what happens when someone leaps over that line. It’s also a thoughtful look at how women are perceived and treated in male-dominated industries and beyond, and the lasting effects of such treatment, shedding light on an important and pertinent topic in our culture.
What a brilliant thriller! LAST WOMAN STANDING stars Dana Diaz, an emerging standup comic, who meets techie Amanda Dorn at one of her shows. As the two women bond over shared experiences of abuse and harassment in their male-dominated fields, they make a revenge pact; each of them will go after the person who hurt the other, a la Strangers on a Train. But when Amanda’s demands hit too close to home for Dana, she’s forced to confront the trauma of her past and push herself beyond her limits to try to escape Amanda’s grip, before it’s too late. There’s no big mystery to uncover in this book; there are twists, yes, and surprises, of course, but most of its suspense comes from the tension that Amy Gentry expertly cranks up from one chapter to another. This is a novel about the rage that lives inside women, the rage born from the many abuses and injustices a woman faces in her lifetime, the rage that society forces her to silence, to tamp down, until all it can do is explode. How does a victim become a villain? When is a villain a hero as well? These questions are at the center of this unforgettable thriller, which is packed with insights into the roots and impacts of women’s anger, as well as the unbearable grief that lies inside the rage.
Savage, brilliant, and pulse-poundingly gripping, Last Woman Standing will leave you stunned. Amy Gentry’s revenge thriller is an explosive answer to America’s long ignored culture of sexual violence, and she uses all the tools of modern life—technology, apps, entertainment, and social media—to create a world where victims become vigilantes and there’s nowhere to hide. Gentry’s gift for tapping into both the humanity and darkness of every character works its way into the reader’s subconscious, making us attempt to draw an impossible line between justice and vengeance. An absolute must-read for 2019.
Last Woman Standing may be the first standout suspense novel of 2019. Female rage, stand-up comedy, Highsmith homage, and some surprises that got even me.
Yes, I loved the story line. It kept you wondering about the motivations of the characters and what would happen next. It captured my interest when I did not initially think it would. My negative is the book didn’t stop at the “ending”. There were to many pages of after detail that were of little value.
An interesting take on the #Me Too movement
Dana Diaz is an aspiring stand‑up comedian. Even in 2018, the age of #MeToo, stand-up is still a man’s world. One night after a performance, she meets Amanda Dorn, who claims to be a computer programmer. The two discuss the challenges they have faced in professions dominated by men. Dana confides her recent experience of being harassed and assaulted in L.A., an event so traumatizing that, in combination with her overall disillusionment with Los Angeles, she returned to Austin.
Amanda devises a plan for the two of them to get revenge on each other’s assailants, Dana agrees, But pulled deeper and deeper into Dana’s increasingly controlling scheme, Dana soon discovers that revenge is not so sweet, after all. Soon she is wrapped up in a complicated series of betrayals and outright paranoia. She trusts no one, even herself, and begins questioning things that she has for years accepted as true. Including one fateful night when she was staying overnight at the home of her best friend, Jason, and subjected to a sexual assault by his older brother who is now imprisoned for an entirely different crime.
In this unique and inventive novel, Dana discovers the high price of vengeance, as well as her own truth. Last Woman Standing is a thought-provoking and chilling psychological thriller exploring contemporary themes. Can a woman overcome an “old boys’ network” to succeed in a highly competitive environment? More importantly, can she do so on merit alone without machinations, manipulations, or dirty tricks designed to eliminate competitors? And what if it turns out that the person we thought we knew best is someone we never really knew at all? Does that mean that we have to spend the rest of our lives unable to trust again? If not, how can we learn to be vulnerable and have close, intimate relationships again?
The character of Dana is endearing because of her relatable struggles, but also deeply flawed as evidenced by the choices she makes. She permits herself to be drawn into a web of violence and retribution without appreciating the danger she is in. Danger which originated from some evident, as well as some surprising sources. Her journey is one of examining her own moral compass and finding her inner strength not just to survive, but to thrive and succeed. Author Amy Gentry manages to make situations that are patently outrageous believable, in no small measure as a result of her nuanced characters including, in addition to Dana, Amanda and Jason. Gentry reveals Dana’s discovery of the truth at expertly-timed intervals, keeping the action moving and readers invested in the outcome.
Who will be the last woman standing? The journey to that answer is a thoroughly enjoyable and moving story that continues resonating with readers long after its conclusion.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
There was so much to love here…despite the dark, sometimes criminal, and questionable actions of these characters, their complications and humanity shined…Kudos to Gentry for tackling a difficult topic with grit and entertainment…a difficult balance–but so well done!
This modern day take of Strangers on a Train had potential but came up short, in my opinion. The subject matter is certainly current, but the story lacks the creepy feel I expected and even hoped for. Part of that could be due to the slow start. It’s not a particularly long book, but it sure felt that way, considering things didn’t start to pick up until past the halfway mark. I actually set it aside several times for something more engaging and only finally pushed through out of sheer determination. Things do pick up in the last forty percent or so, and there are some twists, but most of it is predictable. There are several potential triggers as these women discuss why they want revenge, and there is some rather graphic violence. The idea of a main character who is a stand-up comedian was interesting to me and while I realize that this book is not supposed to be funny, I would’ve expected Dana’s act to draw at least a few chuckles. Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t find anything funny about the so-called comedy. That aside, I think this could be a good story with some tightening up, but as it stands, it was decidedly underwhelming for me.
Last Woman Standing by Amy Gentry
Thank you Good Reads Giveaways and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
This book to be released January 15, 2019
Amanda walks into a bar…..
I like how the book jumped right into Dana Diaz on stage telling jokes. Then Amanda Dorn walks into the bar as Dana is being heckled by an audience member, After Amanda sees this and how Dana dealt with it, she starts up a conversation with her. As the two woman talk and drink, Amanda comes up with a scheme to get revenge on past abusive men in each others lives. As the victims start piling up Dana is in too deep. She runs back to LA and meets back up with long time friend Jason. I don’t want to give too much away so I’ll tell you what I think about this book.
I felt this book started one way and went to a whole different world, from funny to serious. The book seems to grow more serious and interesting around the 45% mark. It has that me too, karma, victims turn into vigilantes, be careful who you trust specially your memory, the perfect fan feel.
I gave 3 stars due to the last 10% or so that I felt wasn’t needed. Would have given 5 stars had it ended around 90%.
I just finished this very early this morning for Net Galley. I did like the book but as I stated in my review on that site that I really struggled with my words for the review. This book is very triggering for assault and rape survivors.