I had never read anything from Megan Miranda before I started the Last Guest House. Of course, I had heard of her work. As a major fan of thrillers, fellow book lovers had raved to me that I simply had to check out her books, but for some reason I never did. I won’t be making that mistake again. 

The Last Guest House follows Avery Greer and the town of Littleport, Maine. Avery, the narrator of the story, is largely an outcast following the death of her best friend Sadie Loman the previous summer. Sadie’s death, an apparent suicide, rocked the small tourist town. Now a year later, the Loman family returns to Littleport for a memorial for Sadie. But something is not right in Littleport. Avery believes Sadie was murdered for something she knew, and sets out to find out exactly what that is. 

I dove right into this story. While I didn’t instantly love Avery, I came to like her as the story went on. Her story is tragic, having lost her entire family and now her best friend, but she is smart and resilient. 

I’m not sure if it was just me, but I was often reminded of the first season of Veronica Mars and the Lily Kane murder case while reading the Last Guest House. Like the Last Guest House, Veronica Mars starts with the murder of the narrator’s best friend, and leaves her an outcast. I kept finding similarities throughout the story. I found it somewhat unnerving, especially given that the new season was just released. However, I don’t think it detracted from the originality of the story, as there were enough differences to make it feel like a subtle nod instead of a rip off. 

I highly recommend The Last Guest House to other thriller fans.