Narration: 5 Stars
Story: 5 Stars

Ashley Winstead, I don't know how you do it - holy shit, this book!

Right at the outset, I'll say I think it's best to go into this as blindly as possible but also extremely important to check trigger warnings - this was very sexually dark & violent, Ashley definitely succeeded in making me highly uncomfortable, which isn't an easy feat. Just like with In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, The Last Housewife was expertly plotted & not a single stone was left unturned by the end - Ashley is an incredible writer, this was an absolute masterclass in how to build suspense (when I tell ya'll it felt like I was holding my breath the last few hours of the audiobook, I'm not kidding). This story terrified me in more ways than one because of how timely it felt, the themes of misogyny, patriarchal values & "traditional" gender roles being hot topics we see constantly debated in our own society today - taking a look at the mindsets of many of the men currently in power makes everything all the more frightening. I really enjoyed the true crime angle & how we had snippets of the podcast throughout the book, Jamie was such a standout character for me. & of course, Shay - Ashley is so good at writing complex female protagonists & Shay was no exception; huge shoutout for the audiobook narrator, Alexis Van Aiken, she really brought Shay to life & nailed all of the emotion throughout, making the overarching message all the more impactful for me.

This was disturbing & thrilling, heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful, & truly one hell of a story, I'm convinced that Ashley can do no wrong - highly recommend picking this up if you haven't yet!