The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

 

I wonder what it's like to wake up in the morning and be Ashley Winstead, knowing that you can write the most beautiful, fucked-up shit and have it be so damn good. It must be amazing. Because I powered through THE LAST HOUSEWIFE in under 24 hours, going through a big rollercoaster of emotions until I reached the finish line.

HOLY SHIT.

Shay is a damaged woman who married a rich man and settled into a comfortable life of luxury, but she's haunted by things that happened to her when she was in college. Then one day she hears a podcast episode from her childhood friend, Jamie. He's looking into what happened to her friends and begs for her to reach out to him again.

What results is a sort of investigative drama, told in mixed media format, about a dangerously charismatic man, an evil cult, depraved sex, and a society that truly despises women just for existing. It's emotionally devastating and I can see why people were so ambivalent about it given some of the triggers, but I personally think it was masterfully handled and the ending was so satisfying.

5 stars