Name: Brianna Hickey 's review of The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead
Item: The Last Housewife
Rating: 4
Author: Brianna Hickey

Ashley Winstead

From the author of the acclaimed In My Dreams I Hold a Knife comes a pitch-black thriller about a woman determined to destroy a powerful cult and avenge the deaths of the women taken in by it, no matter the cost.

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 tony 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?

A Novel

The Last Housewife

Lindsay

Let him go. That was what the world expected. What they always expect of women— grace, forgiveness, moral superiority. We were supposed to look our rapists in the eyes, the men who’d tortured us, and show them mercy.

there’s no such thing as an objective observer. That’s why stories are powerful. If you’re listening, you’re part of it.

“What if you’re a woman,” I said, feeling each word like fire in my throat, “and the world teaches you who you are, and where your place is, from the moment you’re born, but all along, it’s a lie. What if the lie chains you every day? If you’re not thinking straight any minute of your life, and even your defiance, even your pleasure, is suspect?” I pressed my palm against the cold glass. “How does consent work then? What makes you want the things you want? Is it your choice, or were you molded?”

He took advantage of it. You were victims.” 

I didn’t know about that word. What did you call yourself when you’d taken an active role in your own suffering? When your hands weren’t clean, when there wasn’t a single part of you that was, especially not your mind, all those deep, dark corners?

If only it was always like this. If beauty was purely a power and not a target, a vulnerability that could draw the wolves and put you at their mercy.

Maybe I’d performed for so long I wasn’t capable of recognizing my real feelings. Were there even such things, or was everyone always reacting in ways we understood we were supposed to? When did the performance ever end?

In the words of Patricia Lockwood: This is for every woman who isn’t interested in heaven unless her anger gets to go there too.

Jackie 

Andrew, if you're out there, fuck you with all my heart.

Aubrey Erskine

Jessicamarie Fox

A very interesting look at cults & the distinct way we look at men and women. 

Brianna Hickey 

Ryan Mateyk

I went in completely blind and was expecting a domestic thriller based on the title… domestic thriller this was not! A bit far-fetched but a dizzying engrossing conspiracy deep dive.

armoni mayes

so this one was kinda crazy but i would still recommend it

tori 👻

chloe rae

3.5*

I really enjoyed her last book so I was incredibly stoked to read this. I went in pretty blind - didn’t really read the back cover. I wanted to be surprised. The trigger warnings were helpful, and should definitely be heeded.

I’m not sure why this book didn’t really do it for me in the end. I could not put it down; her books are always addicting. And while I was very much engrossed in the story, I just kept asking questions. There were too many ‘convenient’ circumstances or things that felt too fantastical. Usually I can kind of turn my brain off and just enjoy the ride but I had a hard time doing that this time around. Do I doubt that this stuff happens in real life? Of course not. But it’s how the story was presented - or at least I think that was it? Her writing felt a little juvenile at times, which I also noticed with her last book. And yes, I knew what was going to happen about half way through, which is kind of annoying. But it also felt really obvious? Maybe I’m crazy. 

This subject matter is super daunting and I feel like she did a good job tackling that. She asked some really important questions and did NOT hold back. This book was hard to read sometimes, in a good way. 

Overall, a thrilling read but just not a favorite.

Moxie Minion

I will be honest I am not sure how this book hit my radar, if it was tik tok or a recommendation on goodreads. But I don't regret it, not one bit. 

If you like true crime and cults.. this is right up your ally.

Omg let me just….im still tripping over this book! Easily a favorite now. I loved this book. Please check trigger warnings, she puts them in the beginning of the book. This book has you going through what Shay goes through in the investigation of her friends death and her path which leads her down a dangerous road. I loved reading about her past and what she went through. The plot twists!!! Omg I saw who the first cult leader was but not who the other one was. 5/5 stars 10/10 would recommend.

Kaitlyn Grooms

a mind fuck the whole way through, i would not recommend going into this book completely blind like i did. but i was completely sucked into it and was on the edge of my seat the whole time

This is a very dark book and can be triggering as the author portrays subjects that we experience in today’s society such as misogyny, patriarchy, physical abuse, trauma, human trafficking. The theme of power between men and women is explored. How society treats beauty and sexual consent. Moralities are questioned throughout and END of the book! Overall a really good thriller.

Alison Lombard 

Alexis Donahue

ASHLEY WINSTEAD… TAKE ALL MY MONEY! 🙌🏼🎉

Michaella 

Trish D

3.5!! idk i wish i loved it more but there were few things missing that i didn’t like but i can’t pinpoint it exactly. The vibes wasn’t properly set up i think

Alexa M

So dark, interesting, and unique. 

Men are literally disgusting rats.

Samantha 

Alexandra Stanbrook

This book has a trigger warning written at the front and it needs it!
Lots of dark and disturbing things happening in this one. However, I kinda dig that so I gave this five stars. There's sex, lies, murder, mystery, suspense, cults, a relationship...it was right up my alley. One of my fav books of the year.

Tracy Tran

Definitely a lot darker and disturbing than what I was expecting

Amy Vicknair

Fitting I finished this book on Election Day when are rights are actively trying to be returned to the 50s 😳

kendall p

holy — this is one dark and twisted book. 

full rtc closer to release.

Ashley Winstead has somehow managed to surpass the high expectations I had for her second thriller. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife was one of my favorite reads last year and The Last Housewife is even better. It blew my mind and terrified me by opening my eyes to just how scary it can be to be a woman in this world.

I had the ultimate confidence in Winstead that I didn’t even read the synopsis before picking this book up. Within the first few chapters though I knew I had a sex cult on my hands. It was intriguing seeing how it all played out both within Shay’s head yet still seeing things through my own lens. The cult made sense to me and I could see how Shay and her friends were sucked into it. They go to a “ultra-feminist” college that produces strong and forward thinking women yet somehow are drawn into this group with those feminist principles twisted in such a way that they look the same. It really made me question if we’ve come as far in trying to achieve equality as we’ve been lead to believe. 

I loved being in Shay’s head, but also being able to take a two back and get my own perspective on her situation. At times I found Shay vapid and shallow, so obsessed with her looks and the power her beauty gave her while also making her a target. I know exactly what that’s like, to train yourself to seem small and avoid eye contact when walking down a street yet take that power and use it to your advantage in other situations. It’s like walking a fine line and we see Shay trying to balance that and her thinking she’s got it down but it also being used against her. At times it was like holding up a mirror to Shay and seeing myself reflected back in it. Utterly terrifying to glimpse that side of myself playing the game as she did. 

This was a heavy book (obviously if you’ve made it this far in my review) but there was so much to unpack. Discussions about what it means to be a victim, what different people consider to be consent, the anxiety of what it’s like to be a woman in public, and just how much powerful men are willing to do to keep control of women. The books is eerily timed with the Roe v. Wade discussions which just make it that much more impactful. I made the mistake of thinking I was getting a typical thriller and instead found something so much scarier. 

Jessicamarie Fox &
The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

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Jessicamarie Fox &The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

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Jessicamarie Fox &
The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead