Week 37 Review: The Last Laugh

From Goodreads:

In the dark and stunning sequel to The Initial Insult, award-winning author Mindy McGinnis concludes this suspenseful YA duology as long-held family secrets finally come to light . . . changing Amontillado forevermore.

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?

My Review:
I was dying to read this book! If you've read the ending of The Initial Insult, you know how things went. And I had to know what was going to happen next, with one big burning question in my mind. And oh, did it tease!

This book, we get alternating perspectives from Tress and Ribbit, and then tiny ones from Rue. Which parallels nicely with the first book, which if I remember correctly had Tress, Felicity, and the panther's perspectives. I wanted to know why, and oh, was there a reason for all of these perspectives!

Tress is in a bad position at the start of this book, she thinks she's just killed her former friend, the panther escaped and injured her, and she has to keep it a secret because there would be trouble if they knew. And it's all just a ticking time bomb before something goes wrong.

I wasn't sure about Ribbit, he kept making these statements, that, as the book went on, upped that element that made me unsure of him. But oh, I did not expect everything that was going on there! We did get the two big questions answered in this book, but watching it all go down, yeah, I just couldn't put it down! 

This was a really fantastic read, and a really great end to this duology! 

Author: Mindy McGinnis 
Series: The Initial Insult #2
Read: September  15th, 2021
Source: Edelweiss 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a End of Series 2021 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2021 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Expected Publication: March 15th 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars