Review - Last Seen Online by Lauren James

 

 

 

 Title: Last Seen Online

Author: Lauren James

Pages: 314

Publisher: Walker Books

Release Date: 1st August 2024

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 A contemporary YA murder mystery set in sun-drenched LA, for fans of Malibu Rising, We Were Liars and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

The novel of Lauren James' hugely popular online story "An Unauthorised Fan Treatise"

When Delilah meets Sawyer Saffitz (son of Anya Saffitz, aka Hollywood royalty), she becomes hooked on a decade-old scandal. In her quest for the truth, Delilah uncovers blogposts written by the mysterious “gottiewrites” and is soon caught up in a world of greed, fandom conspiracy theories … and murder. And the deeper Delilah digs, the more dangerous it becomes – because someone is willing to kill to hide the truth.

 

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My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to NetGalley and Walker Books*

When Delilah auditions for the latest school play with Sawyer Saffitz, the son of a famous actress, she finds herself thrust into the world of the celebrity.

While dealing with her unfortunate source of new found fame, Delilah learns of an old scandal in Hollywood that involved the murder of one of Sawyer's mother's co-stars.

As Delilah delves deeper into the mystery, it soon becomes clear that there are some secrets people still want to stay buried, and are willing to kill to protect.

Having read several of the author's previous books and enjoyed them, I was intrigued to try this one, especially with the premise.

Delilah was a likeable and relatable protagonist. She could be quite intense at times, but her heart was in the right place, and I liked how much Delilah cared about the people she loved.

The concept of the book feels very relevant, especially the parasocial relationships people had with the stars of Loch & Ness. It's something that can, and also does, get very out of hand in the real world.

The plot was interesting for the most part. However, there were a few things that bugged me that I won't go into as they're minor spoilers.

I liked the inclusion of the gottiewrites blog posts and their comments.

Overall, this was a mixed read.