Thank you Sourcebooks Audio for the ALC and Sourcebooks Landmark, #partner for the advanced copy of The Last Time We Drowned in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Cosmo Reads / Sourcebooks Audio
Published: June 2, 2026
Summary:
Six influencers. One luxury yacht. Nowhere to hide.
Charlie Engels is broke and desperate when her bookstagram account lands her the offer of a lifetime: join Empress, a state-of-the-art yacht houseboat off the Florida Keys turned influencer paradise. Lucrative brand deals and a ready-made “sisterhood” of internet stars—it may not be Charlie’s dream job, but she knows she’d be a fool to turn it down.
It’s also the perfect distraction; Charlie’s eager to outrun her past and a staggering betrayal by her former best friend. Now, aboard Empress, Charlie is surrounded by dazzling women with their own baggage: the magnetic but ruthless leader, the spiraling fashion queen, the inseparable twins, the peacemaker with cracks in her confidence, and the memory of the influencer who Charlie is replacing. The same influencer who Charlie keeps seeing on board, even though the others insist she quit.
But when a hurricane traps the group at sea with their billionaire boss, the dream turns claustrophobic. Communications cut. Supplies dwindling. Old betrayals bubbling to the surface. Then the first body drops.
As paranoia mounts and alliances splinter, Charlie realizes the real danger isn’t the storm outside—it’s the deadly games being played below deck. And if she can’t outwit a killer, her past won’t be the only ghost that comes back to drown her.
Razor-sharp, atmospheric, and impossible to put down, THE LAST TIME WE DROWNED is a locked-room psychological thriller where luxury curdles into terror and survival comes at the highest price.
My thoughts:
This is my first time reading anything by Saratoga Schaefer but it certainly will not be my last…especially if her other books are anything like this one! And how lucky am I that I get to meet her later this summer at @hauntthereaders!! I cannot wait!!
This book, an interesting twist on a locked-room mystery–I seem to be on a roll with these lately!!– is twisty and full of secrets I did not expect. I loved the social commentary on the influencer culture — there’s definitely a lot of food for thought here! I especially loved how competitive the girls were with each other, but also fiercely protective of each other — I see that happening here in our own community, for good or bad.
Owning a boat, the scenes during the storm scared me — that is my worst nightmare. Heck, even living on the water, I fear when a hurricane is coming! That added such a pivotal layer of stress to an already suspenseful read.
This is the perfect read to add to your summer reading — a thrilling, binge-worthy read that kept me guessing — just the way I like my thrillers!
Audio thoughts:
Stephanie Nemeth-Parker narrates this and she did an amazing job bringing the story to life. She was able to effortlessly switch amongst all the characters, giving them all unique voices/personalities. It was fantastic!
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