"Same old, same old. Breakdown in public, best friend hates me, being stalked by a murderer."

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this for my first-ever ARC! I was unbelievably excited for this, as the prequel to this book, An Unauthorized Fan Treatise, was one of my favourite reads last year. However, as I will now do so in this honest review, I'm sorry to say that I did not like this.

We follow Delilah, a teenage girl who meets and befriends Sawyer, son of a famous actress, after their audition for a school play goes terribly wrong (and viral). Delilah finds out that Sawyer's mom used to be a lead in a paranormal TV show which abruptly ended after one of her co-stars was convicted of murdering their other co-star. But what truly intrigues the true crime-loving Delilah is the involvement of mysteriously vanished fan blogger Gottie, who uncovered a huge conspiracy about the co-stars with her sleuthing before going into hiding. As Delilah and Sawyer comb Gottie's unhinged essay to discover the truth of what really happened during this scandal, they're stalked by someone who very much wants this to all be ancient history.

Right off the bat: the best thing about this is the gottiewrites blog, which captures the insanity of an online fandom so well that it almost washes out everything and everyone else. The prose felt pandering and doesn't trust the reader to make connections themselves. For example, this passage from when Delilah first acquaints herself with the scandal and after she reads an old transcript from the show:

[Wow. It was wild to think that the actor playing Jayden would end up murdering Fang. If she'd had to guess, she'd have thought it would be the other way around. Fang was so big and threatening, compared to Jayden's silly flamboyancy. It reminded her a bit of that TV show Teen Wolf.]

There's nothing wrong with the first two sentences, given what we know about the physicalities of Jayden and Fang. I just wonder why the story doesn't trust us to make that connection along with Delilah by addition of how shocking it is that the big werewolf man got smote by the svelte selkie; classic telling instead of showing. Since I have never watched Teen Wolf, I'm unsure what to make of that reference. Maybe it's simply meant to establish more of Delilah's character, yet I can't help the nagging feeling that it ultimately cheapens the moment. And YET maybe it also means that Delilah herself hasn't grasped how serious this is. Still, iterations of the same cheapening tactic keep happening throughout the book, and that personally raises my brows:

[Her gut clenched. Summoning the self-confidence of that girl on TikTok who had decorated her entire bathroom with vintage computer keyboards, Delilah walked into school.] You can do better than TikTok! I promise!

Next, the mystery and how well it connected to An Unauthorized Fan Treatise. For such a fast-paced story, I felt that very little was actually achieved in solving the mystery until the climax, which happens at a whopping 85% of the book. The reveal felt probable, but also way too easy. It didn't feel satisfying, the way information was streaming out all at once. I realise that saying "no one actually talks like this" about characters' dialogue is a double-edged sword, but if I'd thought before that the characters constantly spoke as if they were always acting/performing even if they weren't, it's never been stronger than in the reveal of the mystery here, and I just think it a shame because the *content* of the reveal works. We finally get to see the bigger picture in which the scandal fits, and it blows me out of the water. But the way it was written doesn't utilise its full potential because it happens way too fast.

Moreso: the subplots. They were all promising, but I wish that they had been fleshed out more. Maybe Nida could have been a bigger player in the story, even serving as a potential foil to Sawyer. As for him, I liked that he was so amiable and comfortable around Delilah, but their relationship was TOO EASY! They never came to croppers on anything or faced any obstacles that actually threatened their relationship, which basically got gifted to them. The constant attention on them barely felt like a true hindrance, much less the high-stakes investigation and danger they take on. And maybe Delilah's feelings about her parents' situation could've been more well touched upon or present in the story.

Finally, we have to talk about my good friend Gottie. There was a plot twist regarding her that made me gasp. Or was there? We suddenly get a lot of info thrown in the last minute about how this twist could make sense, but in the end nothing is confirmed because Delilah ultimately doesn't dig into it. The actual final page is funny though.

All in all, I absolutely loved An Unauthorized Fan Treatise because of its authentic fandom freakiness, and I'm not gonna lie when I say that I'd hoped that even a smidge of that might make itself known here. It did, but strictly only in the gottiewrites portions. The result was that I felt I was reading two entirely different stories, and it made for something that felt ultimately reduced from what it could have been.

Thank you once again to NetGalley for the ARC of this book, and to the author Lauren James.

this was so fun!! i hadn’t heard of this author before but the cover gripped me and i was hooked!! i’m so glad i requested this one and i’m looking forward to what lauren writes next!

Last Seen Online by Lauren James
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 1 August 2024

"Last Seen Online" immerses readers in the compelling journey of Delilah, a teenage aficionado of true crime and aspiring actress, who finds herself drawn into the enigmatic death of a once-famous TV star. At the heart of her investigation is the murky history surrounding "Loch & Ness," a celebrated detective series abruptly overshadowed by scandal when one of its stars was murdered and another imprisoned under dubious circumstances.

Enter Sawyer Saffitz, scion of Hollywood royalty and inheritor of his mother's legacy from the iconic show. Sawyer, skeptical of the official narrative, joins forces with Delilah, igniting a partnership fuelled by their shared passion for unraveling mysteries. Together, they navigate through a labyrinth of clues embedded in archived blogs, cryptic comments, and forgotten episodes of "Loch & Ness." Their quest not only exposes the complexities of fame and deception but also unearths the darker truths concealed beneath the glittering facade of Hollywood.

As Delilah and Sawyer delve deeper, they uncover a web of deceit and betrayal, risking their safety as they confront those determined to bury the past.

The novel captivates with its seamless blend of suspense, Hollywood nostalgia, and the allure of true crime intrigue, making it a compelling read for young adults and mystery enthusiasts alike.

"Last Seen Online" invites readers on an exhilarating journey alongside its determined protagonists, challenging them to piece together the puzzle and uncover justice amidst shadows of deception.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Walker Books, and the author, Lauren James, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

LAST SEEN ONLINE revisits a murder and fandom scandal years later. This is the next generation discovering that some secrets are still dangerous - and just as personal.

I loved coming back to this mystery. AN UNAUTHORISED FAN TREATISE has so many theories and an unreliable narrator that makes it hard to know what to believe. This book is narrated in a third person style that makes you trust Delilah so much more and therefore I was hooked hoping that I'd get the answers to the mysteries this time.

There are new twists on the evidence, new spins on random facts. It works so well as a sequel, giving the mystery a new lease of life without invalidating the previous tale and its conclusions. It's a well navigated tightrope of being engaging to new and old readers alike, feeling like a standalone that doesn't need AN UNAUTHORISED FAN TREATISE to be engaging but also using that weight of other knowledge to add extra meaning for those who have read it.

The book contains pared back versions of the blog entries from AN UNAUTHORISED FAN TREATISE. The information pertinent to this book is contained within these excerpts but there are so many twists and turns to that tale left out of this one, as LAST SEEN ONLINE has a different focus and approach to the mystery. I highly recommend you read UNAUTHORISED after LAST SEEN ONLINE for more craziness around fandom and another impossible to put down mystery.

The story also explores the toxicity of celebrity culture, the invasiveness of paparazzi and social media objectification, the pressures to look good and the slim chances. Delilah wants to be an actor and it looks glamourous at first as she starts becoming friends with Sawyer. However, the more she sees of it, the larger the dark sides looms.

I’m not usually one for mystery etc but this one just looked to good to pass up. I love that it’s YA and can’t wait to share my full thoughts and review. Seems like to would make a good series like PLL. I can’t wait to unravel the mystery and share my full thoughts and review.