The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly

Written by Meredith Tate

Narrated by Emma Galvin and Phoebe Strole

If I Stay meets One of Us is Lying in this gripping contemporary thriller.

When band-geek Ivy and her friends get together, things start with a rousing board game and end with arguments about Star Wars.

Her older sister Autumn is a different story. Enigmatic, aloof, and tough as nails, Autumn hasn't had real friends--or trusted anyone--in years. Even Ivy.

But Autumn might not be tough enough. After a drug deal gone wrong, Autumn is beaten, bound, and held hostage. Now, trapped between life and death, she leaves her body, seeking help. No one can sense her presence--except her sister.

When Autumn doesn't come home, Ivy just knows she's in trouble. Unable to escape the chilling feeling that something isn't right, Ivy follows a string of clues that bring her closer to rescuing her sister... and closer to danger.

Autumn needs Ivy to find her before time runs out. But soon, both sisters realize that finding her also means untangling the secrets that lead to the truth--about where they're hiding Autumn, and what Autumn has been hiding.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Feb 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9780593162781

Meredith Tate

Meredith Tate grew up in Concord, New Hampshire, where she fell in love with the many worlds of science fiction and fantasy. Pursuing her love of travel, Meredith spent a semester in London and then backpacked in Europe for a month before earning her master's degree in social work from the University of New Hampshire. After graduation, Meredith worked in the field in Boston for a few years before deciding to pursue her dream of telling stories. Meredith and her husband spent three wonderful years in St. Louis, Missouri. They recently moved to Zurich, Switzerland as expats. Meredith spends her days eating cheese and chocolate by the lake, and writing about characters way braver than she is.

Reviews for The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly

[oldandnewbooksmell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sisters Ivy and Autumn couldn’t be any more different. Ivy is a band-geek with a tight knit group of friends she loves to play board games with. Autumn is the school’s drug dealer and hasn’t trusted anyone, even Ivy, in years.

After a drug deal gone wrong, Autumn is beaten, bound, and hidden away. Tittering between life and death, Autumn leaves her body trying to find help - the problem is the only one who can really sense her is Ivy.

When Autumn doesn’t come home, Ivy knows her sister is in trouble, even though she’s done this before, this time is different. Following chills and intuitions she can’t explain, Ivy follows clues that bring her closer to Autumn’s dangerous location. But soon, dots are connected that lead to the truth - both where Autumn is being kept and what secrets Autumn has been keeping.

This book was so much more than I originally thought it would be. I read it in a day and a half and that was only because I had work in between. The book has a bit of everything… coming of age, sister relationships, broken families, suspense, and mystery… something for anyone who likes something heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. I’m not someone who reads a lot of mysteries, but this novel grabbed me within the first few pages and I couldn’t let go until I knew what happened.

The viewpoint shifts between Ivy and Autumn and it allows you to see more in depth of each sisters’ side of the story, allowing you to dig deeper into the layers of Autumn’s past. I connected with both Ivy (her Nerd Herd is something I would have called my group of friends back in the day) and Autumn (the chip on her shoulder she has after her mother died is one I also had after my father died). Meredith Tate has such an amazing writing style that even the side characters are realistic and have so much depth that it makes you care for them as well. Tate is definitely an author that I will have on my ‘To Read’ list for any future releases.
The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly is a book I would recommend to those of all ages who like suspense but also something heartwarming as well.

I was given an advance copy of this book through BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review.

[sennebec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A gripping blend of mystery, family drama and survival (both emotional and physical) that's told from the viewpoints of estranged sisters, Autumn and younger Ivy. Autumn might be a dealer and cruel, but I never lost my sympathy for her and she grew on me as the story unfolded. The sisters live in a shabby semblance of a family. After their mother died from cancer, neither girl felt whole and a new stepmother, coupled with an athletic stepbrother who could do no wrong, further fractured what little stability remained. Add in a father who deals with grief and stress by working overtime and you have a perfect storm waiting to happen. When it does, Autumn is caught in a situation that's close to lethal. How that plays out and what ultimately happens to the sisters makes for a powerful read. Thumbs up for solid minor characters, both good and bad as well as how some of their motivations are revealed near the end. This is a solid pick for any library where YA fiction dealing with the effects, particularly those emerging later, of sexual abuse.

[fastforward-46127 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm so thankful writers, such as this one, are choosing to write about important issues. I don't necessarily know if a book like this would have been published ten years ago, so I guess I am also thankful for the publishers for recognizing the value in these types of stories.

Autumn Casterly is a senior in high school and a drug dealer. She hopes to keep adding to her stack of cash so she will have enough to eventually leave town and not look back. It's been a long time since she has gotten along with her family members, including Ivy, her younger sister. Ivy is a bit of a band geek and she surrounds herself with a trusted group of friends with similar interests. The sisters share nothing in common these days.

After a drug deal goes horribly wrong, Autumn is beaten and held hostage. She has a bit of an out of body experience where she can see what others are up to but they can't see her. Autumn knows if someone doesn't find her soon, she's going to die. Ivy starts feeling this strange presence, almost like her missing sister is there with her. If Ivy wants to piece together what happened to her sister, she might have to dig into Autumn's past. And Ivy might discover there's a lot about her sister she didn't even know. The story goes back and forth between the perspectives of Ivy and Autumn.

There's certainly a thriller aspect to the story as you want to keep reading to find out if Autumn will ever be found. However, that wasn't the strength of the novel as for me it was much more about getting to know Autumn. At first I was a bit turned off by her over the top tough approach to handling things. In all honesty some of her dialogue at the beginning of the book sounds like it's from some cheesy mafia type movie or show. I do think though she is a character worth getting invested in. I thought Ivy was another well-developed character. I liked what the author did in terms of Ivy's storyline that wasn't directly about her sister's disappearance.

When I write a book review I try to stick to what is mentioned in the publisher's synopsis. So that's why I am choosing not to discuss in detail the important issues in the story but I do think it is okay to mention it's related to some things that have been brought up in the #metoo movement.

Definitely recommend reading this book if you appreciate it when writers explore tough topics in a thoughtful way.

Thank you to the publisher and BookishFirst for sending me a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review!