Book Review for The Last Time We Saw Her by Jaclyn Goldis

 

The Last Time We Saw Her by Jaclyn Goldis

Published:   June 16, 2026 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Genre:  Mystery Thriller, Suspense

Taken from Goodreads:  A long-buried disappearance and a long-lost treasure both reemerge over a summer in Portugal’s remote Azores in the new thriller from the critically acclaimed author of The Chateau.

Ten years ago, a group of teenage American summer campers came to São Miguel, an island in the lush and isolated Azores archipelago, for a rugged five-week hiking and heritage trip . But on what became the camp’s last summer in São Miguel, a clue surfaced related to a local legend of buried treasure. Lore had it that, along with vast monetary value, the treasure would turn everything in the finder’s life to gold. The summer devolved into a frenzied treasure hunt, and culminated in the disappearance of “it girl” camper, Sydney Azulay. Sydney was never seen again, rumored to have been murdered, and the treasure never found.

Now, a decade later, Sydney’s father is finally hosting a memorial service on São Miguel, and Sydney’s closest circle returns to honor her memory. Those who make the trip are her fellow campers, including Olivia, Sydney’s sister, once deemed the most likely to have been involved in Sydney’s disappearance; the aloof, handsome Aiden, the supervisor of their trip; and Jules, the counselor so close to her campers she was like another best friend. They’ve also all agreed to participate in a documentary probing what really happened to Sydney. But not everyone has innocent motives for returning to the island all these years later.

The group reunites in paradise and retraces their old haunts, hiking along crater lakes, strolling the town’s charming cobblestone streets, and submerging in thermal hot springs. But amidst the reunion, there are eerie sightings of a woman on the island who looks just like Sydney. And when the documentary filming reveals new, explosive truths, and fresh hints resurrect the tantalizing treasure hunt, the group begins to implode. Old feuds and betrayals reignite—and then one of them turns up dead.

Which means that a murderer has surfaced…again.

 

My Thoughts:  Jaclyn Goldis is an author that I have read before.  I always enjoyed her thriller books with unique and fun settings.   The Last Time We Saw Her is a thriller set at a camp having a “survival day.”  There are some amazing friendships, hidden feelings, a lot of secrets, and a murder on this survival day.  The group reunites in memory of the murdered girl and things are still just as interesting.

I enjoyed reading The Last Time We Saw Her.   The book had me guessing throughout as to what would happen next.  The characters all had their own stories and secrets to share.  Some of these stories and secrets went well with the where the book was heading and others just seemed to complicate the story.    There were too many side stories happening that I felt distracted from the story of who the murderer was. 

Jaclyn Goldis is an author that I will continue to read, this one just won’t be on my favorite list.

Thank you Atria Books for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

 

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Meet the Author (taken from herwebsite):  I have a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and a JD from NYU School of Law. I practiced estate planning law at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago for seven years before leaving my job to travel the world and write novels. After culling my possessions into only what would fit in a backpack, I traveled for over a year until settling near the beach, where I can often be found writing from cafés. 

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I am the author of the locked-room thrillers, THE LAST TIME WE SAW HER, forthcoming on June 16, 2026, THE CHATEAU, THE MAIN CHARACTER, and THE SAFARI, all published by Simon & Schuster/Emily Bestler Books. I am also the author of WHEN WE WERE YOUNG, historical women's fiction published by Hachette/Grand Central. My books have been called "rollicking good fun" (Wall Street Journal), "deeply engaging" (New York Post), "unputdownable" (Woman's World),"like a vacation in book form" (The Stripe), and a "cleverly constructed puzzler" (Library Journal, starred review). I am represented by Rachel Ekstrom Courage of Courage Literary Management.