The Last Housewife

Author: Ashley Winstead
Genre: Psychological Thriller
333 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark, 2022

Synopsis
What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?

While in college in upstate New York, Shay Evans and her best friends met a captivating man who seduced them with a web of lies about the way the world works, bringing them under his thrall. By senior year, Shay and her friend Laurel were the only ones who managed to escape. Now, eight years later, Shay’s built a new life in a tiny Texas suburb. But when she hears the horrifying news of Laurel’s death—delivered, of all ways, by her favorite true-crime podcast crusader—she begins to suspect that the past she thought she buried is still very much alive, and the predators more dangerous than ever.

Recruiting the help of the podcast host, Shay goes back to the place she vowed never to return to in search of answers. As she follows the threads of her friend’s life, she’s pulled into a dark, seductive world, where wealth and privilege shield brutal philosophies that feel all too familiar. When Shay’s obsession with uncovering the truth becomes so consuming she can no longer separate her desire for justice from darker desires newly reawakened, she must confront the depths of her own complicity and conditioning. But in a world built for men to rule it—both inside the cult and outside of it—is justice even possible, and if so, how far will Shay go to get it?

My review
The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead is a very dark, intense, and gripping psychological thriller. From the outset, I want to emphasize that this book was challenging to read and just as difficult to rate. If you’re sensitive to certain topics, I strongly recommend paying attention to Winstead’s trigger warnings at the beginning of the book and proceeding with caution. The triggers aren’t just lightly touched upon; they form the core of the narrative, including themes of suicide, rape, sexual manipulation, violence, misogyny, and trauma. Although I’m not easily disturbed, I found myself questioning whether to continue about a third of the way through. The story and characters are compelling, though, and I ultimately chose to see it through rather than put it on my DNF shelf. As I read, I felt like I was being drawn into a sinister world of cults, secret societies, and darkness. While the subject matter remained dark, I’m glad I finished the book.

Winstead’s writing is powerful, fluid, and gripping, and I was struck by her ability to vividly portray trauma and the difficult choices involved in confronting one’s past and facing an abuser is both compelling and haunting.

The story is told from the perspective of the main character, Shay Deroy, and through interviews from the Transgressions podcast. While the plot moves at a steady pace, I found it to be more of a character study, diving into themes of cults and grooming, and how naive young women can be manipulated into joining such groups. It also explores how someone who has escaped a cult deals with trauma and its lasting effects. Some readers might not be satisfied with the ending, but I’m comfortable with ambiguity and felt it was a fitting conclusion, reflecting a world where things aren’t always neatly resolved or justice delivered as we might expect.

Where this book fell short for me was in the second half. Deroy made some questionable decisions, and her ability to escape dangerous situations seemed a bit too convenient to be entirely believable. I also found the story to be repetitive in a few sections. While these issues weren’t major, they did influence my decision to rate the book 4 stars.

Overall, The Last Housewife was a challenging yet powerful novel. Winstead’s writing is deeply emotional and impactful, and has left a lasting impression on me. The story raises many thought-provoking questions, making it an ideal choice for book club discussions. I’m definitely interested in reading Winstead’s next novel.

My recommendation: read it with caution!