I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis Series: The Initial Insult #2
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 3/15/22
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 382
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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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?
The Last Laugh picks up right where the Initial Insult left off. Tress just finished leaving Felicity behind a brick wall and walked away leaving her to die. But now Tress is starting to feel guilty but if the guilt doesn’t eat away at her, the infection in her arm will. The only thing Tress cares about before the infection takes her is finding out what happened to her parents. Ribbit Usher Tress’s cousin has been in a humiliating video that gives him his 15 minutes of fame but he’s tired of being the butt of everyones jokes. Ribbit plans on finding Felicity and having her be his and then exacting on everyone who has done him wrong including Tress.
In the Last Laugh we get the POVs of Tress, Ribbit, and Rue (the orangutan). I liked Tress’s POV the most the girl is on a mission and some how not dead even with the infection in her arm giving her fevers and hallucinations. Ribbit on the other hand is a momma’s boy he’ll do anything to please her and he plans on doing exactly that in four days. Honestly Ribbit is messed up in the head he may not show it often but the kid is off his rocker. Rue’s POV I feel like was unnecessary it just felt like nonsense.
I enjoyed this book more than the first book mainly because there’s a lot more at stake for the characters. Tress is doing a little digging on what happened to her parents and she learns more than she bargained for and there’s still the panther running around town that she has to take care of. Ribbit plans on doing something he should have done years ago. This book was just crazy but it worked and it added a level of intensity. I didn’t like Tress in the first book but in this one I was definitely rooting for her.
The Last Laugh was hard to put down and it delivered. I didn’t know what to expect from this sequel but it was amazing! Check out this duology if you’re into darker YA reads!
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