This is the first book by this author I have read, and I will definitely be reading her other ones! This was a great read. I loved the setting of the beach huts by the sea, it was so evocatively written, I could imagine myself there on the long summer nights. Isla and Sarah have been friends since childhood, and their family lives have been intertwined for years. Seven years after a tragedy at sea, Sarah's son Jacob goes missing and friendships and relationships are tested to the limit as the search for him begins. I love the way the story is told from the perspective of both Sarah and Isla, and as secrets from the past are uncovered there are plenty of twists and turns, changing the reader's perspective of the characters. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an arc, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would certainly recommend.

A must read!! Could not put it down! Plenty of twists and so well written!

Well after reading this novel I'm completely overwhelmed and a bit lost for words really!
I thought it was brilliant , the whole book came to life before my eyes and I was totally captivated and caught up between Isla and Sarah's friendship and how that awful tragedy turned two families lives upside down.
Cleverly written and so breathtakingly descriptive it felt like I was there in shadows watching it all unfold , the secrets and lies exposed and how they transform this once beautiful and lifelong friendship.
This book has you from the first page and I could not put it down and when the last page came it ended with a sigh and I love it when a book gets you like that.
A big 5 stars for this novel and now I'm on the hunt for more Lucy Clarke novels she is a spectacular author and thankyou for letting me discover her.

It is a fantastic story, it isn't clear cut a narrative following a neat time frame, it tells a story then tears that up and slowly a new story starts to emerge and even that is torn up with one final piece of the puzzle.
A mother will do almost anything to protect their child, and so would a father, when you fail the utter devastation never leaves you,.
Isla grieved and Sarah bore her up just as when Sarah's mother had grieved Isla had supported her, but that strong decades long friendship was fraying right from the start, this story is set in the summer that the friendship has really started to unravel, at first you think Sarah is hard, but you come to see another side to her.
No one comes out of this story truly good or bad, but it is a thrilling read.

A brilliant book . The famous poem my Sir Walter Scott kept coming to mind as I read this -"Oh, what a tangled web we weave When first we practise to deceive!" The plots twists and turns from one truth to another. Set on a small sandbank over the course of some decades the characters grab you and pull you into their tangled lives - excellent writing, a thoroughly enthralling read

Loved this book, a great read, so easy to imagine the scenery and life in the beach huts. It's a great summer read. Although some elements of the book were predictable, I had no idea that that would happen in the end!

A great read. Will include on our next recommended blog post.

I read so many of this genre of book that it's getting quite hard to find one that I can't guess the ending of (even just partly) before the big reveal so when I find a book like this, that kept me completely flummoxed throughout, I have to doff my cap to the author. It's even harder to do this without me getting annoyed at the diversions and deflections along the way that kept me guessing but this book didn't even get close to doing that. Yes, I had a couple of ideas along the way but I was nowhere near prepared for the truth when we eventually got there. That said, it also felt right and I was left completely satisfied at the end, a bit gobsmacked and reeling for a while, but happy nevertheless.
Sarah and Isla are friends. Initially meeting on the sandbank, they have gone on to own neighbouring beach huts and it is to these that they both take their respective same-aged sons each year on holidays. Seven years ago, both sons went into the sea but sadly only one returned; Isla's son Marley remaining missing presumed drowned. Returning to the same place year after year, it is on the anniversary of the tragedy that Sarah's now 17 year old son Jacob also disappears. He leaves the beach hut to go to his birthday party with some friends but never returns home. Distraught, and not impressed with the perceived lack of police interest, Sarah takes it upon herself to investigate the circumstances leading up to the fateful night. With secrets of her own that she is desperate to keep, will she be able to unravel the lies, unearth the truth to find her son, and if she does, at what personal cost?
This book was brilliant from start to finish. Set in the present day, we also take a trip into the past to see when Sarah and Isla first met and follow them as their friendship blossoms and they grow into adults. When the book begins, Isla has left the sandbank and has returned overseas so we also hear a bit from her own present along with what is happening to the rest of the cast at the beach. Obviously what happened to Marley still casts a big shadow on the present some seven years on, especially as all the main characters' lives appear to be so interconnected that you know that there is so much more to they respective and combined histories than what at first meets the eye. And boy, some of the things we find out are rather shocking to say the least. But all completely within the bounds of being realistic. Even given the complex, convoluted narrative, the whole thing stayed within the credible.
Luckily I was pretty much able to read this book in one sitting, reading through the afternoon and well into the wee hours of a non-school night which, with hindsight, was a pretty clever move as I really didn't want to put it down. I can't remember the last book I read where I needed so much to get to the bottom of things. As certain things were hinted at I tried quite hard to figure them out, but when I eventually uncovered the truth of them, I was really shocked sometimes as to how far out I actually had been.
One of the things I do like to make a good book a great read is the cast. I do love a character driven book and boy do we have a great cast here. There are not really that many big players but every one is so well described and easy to connect to one some level or other; both positively and negativity and, if I'm honest, most of the range between too. Like the story, the characters were definitely not black and white. Just when I thought I'd got the measure of one of them, something else was uncovered that had me thinking my relationship with them once again. One thing I do have to add is that I loved the names of the children. Mr Dickens would approve I'm sure!
Plotting was sublime and so very tight. When all was said and done at the end, I sat back and pondered on the whole and I have to admit to being very impressed indeed.
Pacing was also very good, with a slower start that sets a lot of the foundations for what is to come, it's not long before it really heats up and then it goes off like a bit of a rocket as it reaches its conclusion.
It was also quite an emotional read. Obviously the loss of children should reflect that, but it was so much more than that overall. It was a story about relationships and how easily they can unravel despite how strong the foundations appeared to be initially. It's also a story about the devastating impact that lies and hidden truths can have on people, even those on the periphery.
I do have a couple of niggles that I thought could have been covered better. Sadly spoilers prevent me going into detail here but the rest of the book was so brilliant that I can easily forgive the author these perceived anomalies. At the end of the day, the characters are not me, don't know what I know, don't think like me, they are their own people and I guess I shouldn't expect them to act like I would.
This is the first book I have read by this author but, on the back of what I have just read, I can assure you, it won't be my last.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Set on the south coast in beach huts, it is the story of 2 friends, Isla and Sarah. From the beginning we are aware that Isla's son was drowned in an accident when he was 10. Sarah's son, Jacob, survived the same accident. Now 7 years later to the day, Jacob has disappeared. The story gradually unfolds and the truth becomes clear. Or is it the truth? There are some unexpected twists in the plot, which will keep you guessing until the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.

Very slow to get into but it has a major twist which I thought about just before the end of the story. Many interesting story lines and characters. Worth 4 stars but it's not a book I couldn't put down

Unputdownable and enthralling, I can't really ask for more than that from a book, and Last Seen offers that and even more.

On the surface its a reasonably easy story to understand. Jacob and Marley were inseparable best friends. 7 years ago unfortunately Marley drowned on Jacob's birthday when they were 10 years old. Now on the night of his 17th birthday Jacob is last seen in The Sandbank area and no one knows what happened to him or where he is.

The story is told from the points of view of Isla and Sarah. Sarah is Jacob's mother and Isla was Marleys. Between them we discover just what happened this summer, and also the hidden details of what happened 7 years before, as well as developments in between.

I found it really hard to like Sarah as a character and I wasn't overly keen on Isla either, but as the book progressed the writing had be so absorbed, and I was very interested to see just what happened to Jacob that I was able to see past my dislike of them and just not stop thinking about the book.

The timeline of the book is easy to follow, and the pacing was great. Although I didn't think too much happened in the first bit of the book, it was really laying the foundation for the rest of the story.

There are so many secrets and half truths in the book, that every time you thought you knew what would happen, or had just about grasped the current theory, then something else occurred that had you thinking in a different direction.

Originally I was slightly upset that Lucy Clarke hadn't featured another exotic location for this book's setting, like some of her previous ones, but that was forgotten just a few pages into the book, when the writing grasped me regardless and wouldn't let me go. Regardless The Sandbank was in fact an excellent setting for a book, being a sandbank that is only generally accessed by boat when the tides are right, and that it contains a row of beach huts, and not too much else. Which gave the book a really atmospheric setting, while still coming across as summery but in a slightly sinister way!

Unfortunately I had no choice but to put Last Seen down a few times, but given half a choice I would have read this in one sitting. Even when I wasn't reading it my mind was on the book, as it really is compelling storytelling.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This book was excellent! It was a page turner and just when I thought I had it figured out, along came another twist and it kept me gripped from the first page to the last! I will be recommending this to my friends and my book groups!

What an utterly fantastic read. This novel has more twists and turns than Bill Haley and his Comets!

This story unfolds slowly with alternating chapters from the two main characters, best friends Isla and Sarah who have been mates for what seems like forever and are very, very close. Their lives take similar and yet so very different paths but what becomes clear from the early chapters is that they don't trade in total honesty.

This is a book of secrets and, oh boy, do the skeletons tumble out of the cupboards! The action continues right up to the last page and until then it is impossible to know where the story is heading. Lots of shocking revelations come out eventually and although hinted at in the earlier chapters, there is so much content in the tale that the slowly unfolding reveals are perfectly timed.

This is a completely absorbing novel - the kind you never put down with your kindle. It continues to play in your head as you sift through the details revealed and ponder on where it's all heading. My kindle closed with a completely satisfying click - and you really cannot ask for more from any author, can you? A full and brimming five stars, highly recommended and deserves to be a bestseller.

I received an arc via Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Last Seen is an amazing psychological thriller ,full of secrets and lies but also full of suspense so hard to put down !! Wonderful real characters ,It is heartbreakingly sad and full of twists and turns with a surprise ending .I loved the seaside setting and the beach hut community .Brilliant.... didn't want it to end ...10 stars !!!!!

A twisted rollercoaster of a read. Couldn't empathise with any of the adult characters,they were much nicer as kids!

A story of friendship, love and loss. A really captivating read.. The story is of two best friends who have been there for everything together. Sarah and Isla have been friends for years. They even gave birth to their sons, Jacob and Marley within weeks of each other. In the summer they spend many happy days living next to each other in their beach huts on the south coast. Everything changes when the boys are ten, Both boys go missing at sea. Only Sarah's son Jacob comes back. This changes the friendship for ever.

The story begins seven years later. On the anniversary of Marleys disappearance Jacob disappears. Sarah is desperate to find out what has happened to him and slowly begins to suspect everyone on the island. The book builds up tension as Sarah gradually works out what has happened.

The book is a gripping read. It is fascinating to learn about the community that is built up in the summer in the beach huts. The community is close knit and look out for each other. Against this back drop Sarah begins to feel that everyone is watching her and becomes misttrustful. It is a fascinating look at a summer way of life. The story really brings human emotion to the fore and it is a roller coaster ride until the truth is revealed. A perfect summer read.

What a great story! This will keep you guessing until the very end what on earth happened ? Page turningly good! Follow the story of two friends with two boys.. A heartbreaking tale with twists and turns.

Wow, what a fantastic book that was to read. i was a bit curious at first as it seemed to be going very slow but as you read on there is a good reason for that. It literally makes you want to read until the very last sentence and until you've read that, you've no way of knowing what is going to happen in this book, its very unpredictable. I loved the way it was written in (almost) alternative chapters although it at times left you frustrated as a when something happened, you were held in suspense for a chapter or two as it concentrated on the other character. Very well written and I can't but recommend reading this book - you literally don't want to put it down!!!

Lucy Clarke writes the kind of books I simply have to finish in a day. Last Seen is another hit, a suspenseful and beguiling tale of secrets and lies set on an English sandbank where two lifelong friends, Sarah and Isla, have neighbouring beach huts. As the story begins, Sarah's 17-year-old son Jacob has gone missing – on the exact day that Isla's son Marley drowned seven years earlier. As the days go by, a tangled knot of hidden connections and betrayals begins to unravel, leading all the way back to the early days of Sarah and Isla's friendship. The two women take turns as narrators, with frequent flashbacks illuminating their pasts.

Last time I reviewed one of Clarke's novels (2015's The Blue), I mentioned that I felt her three books formed a kind of loose trilogy. Now there are four, I'd say that still stands, as Last Seen feels a little different – more mature and grounded, and correspondingly more domestic. At the same time, it nods to the author's evident love of travel and flair for an evocative setting: the sandbank may not qualify as exotic, and the characters might be fortysomething parents rather than carefree backpackers, but there's still an irresistible charm to it all.

As I raced through Last Seen, my imagination was consumed by life on the sandbank. The intimacy of the setting is absorbing and authentic; the characters are convincing; the plot has an effortless natural momentum. As a cross between a suspenseful thriller and a feelgood wish-you-were-here read, I can't fault it. My only regret is that I didn't save it for my holidays.

This was a very well written book and kept me wanting to read more and more, at times I couldn't put it down. But having said that I felt that there was a little too much in the way of reflections from the past, in the middle section, sadly I ended up scanning a few pages desperate for something more interesting to happen and the story to move forward. Thankfully, new information regarding the whereabouts of Jacob set it on track again. I found all the characters very believable, I could imagine most of them, particularly Isla, Marley and Jacob, the person I couldn't visualise was Sarah herself, who provided the most narrative in this novel. She was obviously not a particularly likeable person with some bad habits, but despite this I found that her character lacked depth and emotion despite it being her son who had gone missing. I so desperately wanted Marley to still be alive and for Isla to be happy again. Jacob really became alive in the last few chapters, I felt so much for his turmoil. I would recommend this book, I could clearly imagine the community living in the beach huts and could almost feel the sun on my face and the sand between my toes.

A story of family and friendships that breakdown when two children go out to play on the beach one day but only one returns.

Set on an English beach I loved the beach hut community on The Sandbank where they all know each other or so they think! The tragedy of Isla’s son Marley, missing presumed drowned shakes them all to the core and when seven years later Sarah’s son Jacob disappears, that fateful day resurfaces along with many unanswered questions. As the days pass with no news of Jacob suspicions are rife, are the two mysterious incidents linked?

What a fabulous book this is with its never ending twists and turns. I was gripped from the beginning and suspected everyone. I found myself searching for hidden clues but as the story unravels I was shocked by the revelations. This novel addresses Mother and child bonds which become threatened when hidden secrets and lies are uncovered. Friendships are broken beyond repair; you are certainly in for a treat with this read. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC, this is my honest opinion of Last Seen.