The Last Caretaker: With Unexpected Job Tasks (5 Stars)

I recently finished reading my November First Reads book, The Last Caretaker by Jessica Strawser. After her recent divorce, Katie needs a new start. When her best friend, Bess, suggests a position as a caretaker of a nature reserve, Katie jumps at the chance, even though she’s not really a nature person. Katie soon discovers that the last caretaker cared for more than just the land and animals on the reserve.

My Thoughts

This was a really enjoyable book. I feel like it’s one of those books that really doesn’t fall into one specific genre. Is it a suspense? Would I consider it a mystery? Is it a women’s fiction? Does it fit best as a book club book? I love that it really is just a wonderful story that doesn’t have to fit a specific mold.

This book is a story of friendship. It’s a story of doing what’s right even when it’s not the easy route. It’s about protecting those who can’t protect themselves or who are too afraid to protect themselves. Throughout the whole book, I found myself thinking, “No, don’t trust that person!” or “Yes, that person’s trustworthy.” For the most part, I was right about who our main character, Katie, should and should not trust.

Early on, I felt like I kind of knew where this story was going. While it did end about how I expected it to end, there were quite a few plot twists.

Warnings to Readers

This book has a few swear words, as in probably less than 10. I got to about chapter 7 before there was any swearing, so for a time, I thought that there might not be any. Other than one character talking about getting pregnant in college, there is no sexual content. When it comes to violence, most of the violence is behind the scenes. There is one scene that could have turned out violent, but it was pretty mild.

When it comes to potentially difficult subjects for some readers, two things come to mind. First, this book does discuss the theme of domestic violence. While we don’t get the graphic details of what’s happened to the women, we know that there are women who were abused by their husbands or boyfriends. Connected to that is the topic of the grey area, where the law doesn’t always protect or support those who are in the right.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, I would say that this book is well worth reading. Probably about 6-7 times a year I grab a First Reads book. I’ve been doing that for almost four years, and I would put this in the Top 3, maybe 4, of the First Reads books that I’ve read.