Final Girls by Riley Sager

August17 book for Poison Apple Book Club

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 "Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet.

Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.

That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished."



I loved this book so much I NEEDED to write two reviews, the usual non spoiler and one that is all spoilers, because I desperately need to get some things about this book off my chest.
This review is the NON SPOILER review.
Below I will link the spoiler!!


Spoiler Review: Final Girls


This book was a roller coaster of twist and turns. I'm usually really good at figuring books out before they happen, but this I didn't and it hit me in the face and the secrets kept coming and coming until I was left wide eyed and mouth hanging open.

Quincy seems to have her life under control, she has a promising relationship with Jeff, a great apartment and successful baking blog. She has gotten over what happened to her at Pine Cottage almost a decade earlier. That is until Lisa Milner makes headlines, the first Final Girl, and her suicide lingers with Quincy in an unsettling way. Quincy's life gets another surprising awakening when Samantha Boyd, the second Final Girl, comes out of hiding to meet Quincy. The relationship between them is comforting yet awkward at the same time. Maybe even a little uneasy. Sam has clearly had a hard life since that night at the Nightlight Inn, but there is no mistaking the connection these girls share. As their relationship is put to the test countless times, Quincy begins to question Sam's loyalty.

Quincy was such a great character I really loved and felt for her throughout the novel. It made it more and more difficult as everyone in this novel is hard to  trust and Quincy begins to look less innocent the night of Pine Cottage that she cannot remember. Sam was a really interesting character, so edgy and free spirited. She's had a hard life since that night at Nightlight Inn, and her demons seem to follow her everywhere. Sam is determined to call bull on Quincy's perfect little life and force her to face the nightmares she's so determined to dismiss. The relationship between Quincy and Coop, the police officer who saved her life the night at Pine Cottage is so special. I really love how they have stayed connected and that Quincy can trust Coop to always be there for her. He's so invested in keeping her safe and over the years has been a great guide when things seemed difficult with interviews, reporters, and creepy internet stalkers.

Has Quincy accepted Sam in her life too quickly or could the connection between them be the thing that saves them in the end?

Final Girls was impossible to put down, and as the end grew near I started suspecting Quincy and my anxiety was at an all time high.

This is one of the best books I ever read and I cannot wait to get my hands on anything else Riley Sager writes in the future. I wish I knew Riley Sager's real name so I could look into more books from this author.

I highly recommend this book to fans of slasher horror, and of Friday the 13th. This is a book you'll really enjoy.


My Rating: 5/5 Stars