Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“No body. No crime?”

Emily Freud has done it again! With her previous book, What She Left Behind, being my top read of last year, it’s obvious just how excited I was to finally reach for this one from my book shelf. And it was everything I’d hoped it would be! 😍 A truly stunning thriller filled to the brim with tension. I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m so happy to be sharing my review for Her Last Summer!

About the book

Twenty years ago, Mari vanished while backpacking through Thailand with her boyfriend, Luke. He was accused of murder, but has always insisted he’s innocent. Besides, her body was never found. Now, he’s finally ready to talk. And filmmaker Cassidy Chambers wants to be the one to uncover what really happened, back then, in the dark of the jungle. But as she delves deeper into the past, Cassidy begins to fear what lies ahead, and the secrets buried along the way.

The beginning

Emily Freud has a unique, effortless way of grabbing you within a few pages, and thoughts of her previous book, What She Left Behind, re-entered my mind. This book was just as easy to become obsessed with, especially when we meet Cassidy, a film maker with a keen eye when it comes to true crime. She remembers the story of Marigold and Luke in 2002; Mari vanished in Thailand while she and her boyfriend, Luke, were on a backpacking trip. Luke was accused of her murder, but Mari’s body was never found. After twenty years of suffering, Luke wants to clear his name and find the truth. I felt just as curious as Cassidy when Luke reaches out to her to make a film about what happened in the jungle. Already, the originality is striking and my curiosity for what truths Cassidy would uncover had me hooked. I knew it wouldn’t take long! I felt so inquisitive and suspicious of the circumstances. And I just had to know the truth. Such a strong start!

“This is the big one I’ve been waiting for. And I can’t quite believe how it has fallen into my lap. Luke Speed is my next obsession. I already know it.”

The author’s background in television was clear and I felt it brought every single scene to life. The little details, the processes of getting a story, the filming, the research, the interviewing. All of it. It was written with such meticulous care and really keeps you absorbed in everything these characters do. The chapters alternate between Cassidy’s POV and Luke’s interviews, and we slowly get to know what happened in Thailand from Luke’s perspective. But was he being truthful? I found Luke to be a strangely likeable character even though we don’t know everything about him, and the author has perfected this; is he genuine, or should we tread a little more carefully?! We don’t have long to wait before we really start questioning things, and I already fell in love with the mystery. We learn something horrific about Cassidy’s past that still affects her to this day. It gave her character depth and gave clarity to her actions. But was there even more about Cassidy to uncover?

The middle

I was curious (and pretty obsessed) with everything at this point. Cassidy is under a lot of pressure and she worries all the effort will be for nothing after running into some minor hurdles. However, filming plans mean that she, Luke and the crew must head to Thailand – and back to the jungle. Hopefully this trip would help Luke to open up, to remember some repressed memories, things he may have forgotten that would be crucial to the success of the film. The emotion we see from Luke here, how he starts to trust Cassidy and let her in, felt like such a natural and engaging development in the story. The closer Cassidy and Luke become through filming and taking about the incident, something shifts. Feelings are shared, even though Cassidy knows how inappropriate this is. But you know what? I wasn’t mad about it! However, there was something about their feelings for one another that made me think something was bound to go wrong. Things were getting JUICY.

“I never get emotionally involved. I reply. But I know that’s not true here. I don’t think I’ve ever cared about anything so much in my life.”

People who knew Mari twenty years ago begin to speak out about the Mari they knew, and it doesn’t seem to match how Luke has portrayed her all this time. Who was she, really? Was Luke covering up something crucially important? Did he know more than he was letting on? The author slowly makes us realise that there is something much more sinister at play. Something to make us think that Mari wasn’t the dream daughter, the model student, the perfect girlfriend. What was her secret?! As Cassidy gets some crucial information about Mari just before their trip into the jungle, I was so excited about what was to come next. I wasn’t quite prepared for the shock and excitement the next few chapters would have in store for me, but I did sense some impending danger. Such a great feeling! I love being this excited to find out the truth, and Emily Freud just never lets you down with a reveal. Completely addictive!

The end

I felt as though we really see the ‘whole’ Cassidy as the book progressed, which I really loved; the type of person she is, what she’d sacrificed for her career, what she’d love to have. Even learning more about Mari makes her think of the person she is. She gains access to a number of Mari’s diary entries from 2002, and the more we discover, the more my visions of these characters changed. I was desperate for the truth and I sensed a whole mess of tangled lies and deceit somewhere down the line. The suspense here was off the scale; this author is just a pro at writing with intrigue and an intensity and urgency you only get with a brilliant thriller. I was questioning everything, desperate to uncover the truth alongside Cassidy. Things get incredibly dangerous. Terrifying, Anxiety-inducing. And putting myself in the shoes of these characters, imagining myself in that jungle caused fear, panic and uncertainty to buzz through my whole body. I loved it and had no single clue how this book would end!

“There is nothing to be afraid of, it’s just talk. The only thing to fear is the jungle itself.”

That TWIST! GOD! After putting the book down and sitting in complete silence for about 20 minutes just thinking of what the hell had just happened, I realised I just had to race to the end. Wow. The final chapters are so incredibly intense and I simply couldn’t tear my eyes away. I had to see how this ended. Even until the very last moments, I couldn’t predict any of it. So intricately plotted, such magnificent storytelling. And we’re STILL led astray until those final few sentences which was just as unexpected and mind-blowing. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. It consumed every part of me and had my brain constantly whirring with possibilities, none of which were correct, might I add! This will be one of my most recommended reads of the year and I’m pretty devastated it’s come to an end. I can’t wait for the next – hurry up 2025 😍

Overall thoughts

Her Last Summer is one of the most intense, suspenseful and addictive thrillers you’ll read this year. I am completely obsessed with it! Freud leaves no stone unturned as we join Cassidy, determined to find out the truth and uncover what really happened to a young backpacking couple twenty years earlier. It’s such an absorbing story with the most unexpected twists, and one of the most satisfying endings I’ve ever read. The author’s descriptions of character’s feeling and emotion are so intense that you can’t help but feel them too, and descriptions of Thailand itself will transport you straight there. The tension building and unpredictability of Emily Freud’s novels will forever keep me coming back for more. One of my biggest recommendations of the year so far – please read it!

Huge thank you to Emily Freud for sending me a signed copy (even though I had it pre-ordered anyway!) You can buy your own copy of Her Last Summer right now on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following the author on Twitter/X and Instagram for more updates.

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