THE LAST FERRY OUT

3.5 stars out of 5

I tried really hard to enjoy this book - and I admit there were times when it clicked and my "I'm Lovin' It" meter shot up. But in the end, a plot that seemed a little too contrived and rather unlikable characters led to my final verdict.

The story takes place on the remote Mexican island Isla Colel, which for all intents and purposes is a haven for misfits. The main characters, I suppose, include the hard-driving Abby, who seems to love Eszter (at least she's proposed marriage to her); Eszter, who seems to love Abby but has a love-hate relationship with her dictatorial father; Brady, an Australian who seems to fear his father but a guy everyone else seems to love; and Amari, who seems to be - well, I'm not exactly sure who that is except that she, like Eszter, is gay.

At issue is Eszter's untimely death as she's visiting the island on her own - a peaceful place she found and wanted to check out, or so she told Abby before she left. Her death was even more unexpected since it was a result of anaphylactic shock; with multiple life-threatening allergies, Eszter has an EpiPen with her at all times - except this once, when somehow she didn't. Devastated, Abby heads to the island (by way of a ferry) to learn what she can and, hopefully, walk in the same places and talk with the same people Eszter did during her final days.

As an island newbie, Abby doesn't know what to expect, but what she does get from the close-knit group of "expats" doesn't seem to do much besides confuse her even more - as does the presence of a now-closed but once-thriving resort with a mysterious past. Her behavior turns almost paranoid; who's telling the truth? Who's lying? Why? What secrets do the walls of the resort hold? Why didn't Eszter have her EpiPen near her when it counted most? As she tries to ferret out what really happened, Abby grieves for her forever-lost bride-to-be - well, except maybe when she gets the hots for another hot islander.

Of course, the plot follows Abby's quest to find out how Eszter died and prove whether or not their love was a one-sided affair. The answer is complex, often meandering, and when it comes it didn't shake up my world nearly as much as I'd hoped it would. Overall, though, it's quite readable - a good one to help pass the time on a lazy beach with the book in one hand and a margarita in the other, in fact. While it won't make my list of Top 10 all-time favorite books, I really did enjoy it, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz (Ballantine Books, May 2025); 308 pp.