My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.29 with 161 ratings (as of 3/15/2022)

Tress Montor murdered Felicity Turnado—but she might not have to live with the guilt for long. With an infected arm held together by duct tape, the panther who clawed her open on the loose, and the whole town on the hunt for the lost homecoming queen, the odds are stacked against Tress. As her mind slides deeper into delirium, Tress is haunted by the growing sound of Felicity’s heartbeat pulsing from the “best friend” charm around her fevered neck.

Ribbit Usher has been a punchline his whole life—from his nickname to his latest turn as the unwitting star of a humiliating viral video. In the past, he’s willingly played the fool, but now it’s time to fulfill his destiny. That means saving the girl so that Felicity can take her place at his side and Ribbit can exact revenge on all who have done him wrong—which includes his cousin, Tress. Ribbit is held by a pact he made with his mother long ago, a pact that must be delivered upon in four days.

With time ticking down and an enemy she considers a friend lurking in the shadows, Tress’s grip on reality is failing. Can she keep both mind and body together long enough to finally find out what happened to her parents? …Synopsis from Goodreads

200 Word Review

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

The Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis continues where The Initial Insult ended. It is Saturday, the day after the infamous party at the Allan house. Felicity is missing. Tress is injured. Ribbit wants revenge. The cat is loose.

Tess is still looking for answers. She thought Felicity knew what happened to her parents, but Felicity cannot answer any more of Tess’s questions. Ribbit knows the secret Tess wants to know, but he promised his mother not to help Tess. Besides, he is tired of being the butt of everyone’s jokes and is ready to get his revenge on them, revenge on all of them.

For at least a year, the Initial Insult was on my “to-be-read” list. To give The Last Laugh an honest review, I read The Initial Insult. Both books grabbed my attention right from the beginning. To fully understand and appreciate The Last Laugh, you need to read The Initial Insult.

The series did not disappoint. The story is full of dark humor. While the characters are not the most likable, they are well-formed and memorable. The novel wraps everything up so there will probably not be a third novel.

McGinnis is now on my author-to-read list.

This review was published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 3/18/22. When available, the review will be published on Scribd.com and, using Overdrive, will be rated in 9 libraries.

Genre: xx, xx, xx
Print Length: xxx pages
ISBN: xxxxxxxxxxx
Publisher: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Publication Date: xxx xx, 2020

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