Final Girls: Storyline and Book Review

Final Girls by Riley Sager is a crime thriller.

The story is about Quincy Carpenter, who is the sole survivor of a massacre that took place ten years back when she went to celebrate her friend’s birthday in the woods. A fun day with friends turned into the most horrible and unforgettable day in her life when all her friends were murdered. Quincy was attacked too, but she managed to escape and was spotted by police officer Coop, who saved her life. This incident leaves a deep impact on Quincy’s mind. What troubles her even more is that a part of it is completely wiped off her memory. Quincy can neither remember the killer’s face nor recall the exact events of that dreadful night.

It has been ten years since that incident, and Quincy has moved on with her life. She lives happily with her boyfriend, Jeff and has a popular baking blog. She has found a good friend in Coop, and her regular medicines help her curb her anxiety.

Quincy is not the only one who has had such an experience. There is Lisa, who is the sole survivor of a knife attack in which nine others died, and Sam, who is the only survivor of an attack at an Inn. The press and the media have named them the Final Girls, much to their dislike. The media wants to give more publicity to the three girls, but despite the media’s attempts, the three haven’t met or shown up together in any public event.

Life is going pretty normally for Quincy until one day; she learns that Lisa has been murdered. Before she can make sense of it, Sam, who had disappeared years ago without a trace, shows up at her doorstep. Sam is hell-bent on making Quincy relive her past and not leave the unsavoury recollections behind. She would do things to bring up Quincy’s anxiety, even if it meant lying and deceiving. Sam’s behaviour makes Quncy suspicious, but despite trying her best, Quincy is unable to get rid of Sam. A point comes when Quincy cannot take it anymore. She decides to investigate and find the cause of Lisa’s death. She somehow feels that Lisa’s death has something to do with Sam, and it may also be connected with her past. Finally, the story ends with revealing the truth that had been alluring Quincy for a decade: the true identity of the murderer who killed all her friends that night. Also, the veil is lifted over the mystery surrounding Lisa’s murder and Sam’s sudden appearance.

The Final Girls is an interesting novel, but the plot seems loose. Some characters are a bit twisted, which may cause the reader to question their actions. Somewhere midway through the story, the narration appears monotonous and repetitive. I picked this book after reading The Only One Left by the same author. I loved that novel and expected something similar, but this one did not meet those expectations. Having said that, it’s not a boring read. It is not as gripping, with many twists and turns as one may expect from a crime thriller.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ dtv Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG; 1. edition (31 May 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ German
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 3423217308
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-3423217309
Original title ‏ : ‎ Final Girls
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12 x 2.95 x 19.1 cm