Review: The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan

Author: Jennifer Dugan
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Reader
Publication Date: August 2023

Sloan and Cherry. Cherry and Sloan. They met only a few days before masked men with machetes attacked the summer camp where they worked, a massacre that left the rest of their fellow counselors dead. Now, months later, the two are inseparable, their traumatic experience bonding them in ways no one else can understand.

But as new evidence comes to light and Sloan learns more about the motives behind the ritual killing that brought them together, she begins to suspect that her girlfriend may be more than just a survivor—she may actually have been a part of it. Cherry tries to reassure her, but Sloan only becomes more distraught. Is this gaslighting or reality? Is Cherry a victim or a perpetrator? Is Sloan confused, or is she seeing things clearly for the very first time? Against all odds, Sloan survived that hot summer night. But will she survive what comes next?

In The Last Girls Standing, Sloan and Cherry are the only survivors in a camp massacre that killed all of the counselors setting up the camp for the coming summer session.  Sloan can't quite remember what happened.  She only has the Cherry's version of events.  A chance look into a box in Cherry's closet makes Sloan think Cherry may be hiding a lot about that night.

I'll be honest, I'm not even sure what I think about this book. I did like the sapphic romance between Sloan and Cherry.  Because of that romance, I was surprised by the ending of the book.  I won't spoil it, but I will say that I'm not sure I liked it.  I get what the author was trying to do, but I would have liked a little more, like an epilogue.  There were too many unanswered questions and I'm just not a fan of endings that leave me with questions.  I would say give it a try.  I think YA msytery fans will enjoy it.