2.75/5

The thriller part, though sometimes rather predictable, isn't bad. The author manages to reel you in quite easily with her writing style.

What turned me away from this book were the very white tropes and clichés every white author seems to write these days.
The Harry Potter references in 2023, making it clear this author is most likely not a safe person for readers like me.
The she's not like anyone else trope because the fmc has a special eyesight which makes her such a good shot. It added nothing of value to the story or the fmc.
The inappropriate relationship between the fmc and her stepbrother.
Also not a huge fan of a white author referencing historical sites (Indian Mounds) and events (the Alamo) without any hint of cultural sensitivity.

I really enjoyed this story about a girl who loses everything, then has to come back and face the old story with new information. There were lots of twists and turns, and I thought I knew who did it but I was wrong. So, I like that in a mystery/thriller. The characters were well written, once you got to know them. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

When Lucy gets a call from her mom panicking that her stepbrother is missing at first she doesn’t take it to seriously because she already lost one brother and it can happen twice to the same family right? Yes it can end it does but her brother won’t not be the only victim. Eight years before there was a big flood that took the life of her brother and caught the attention of the national press. Lucy has a lot going on she is practicing for Her attempt to get into the Olympics she’s about to graduate high school and on top of all this she hast to go meet her ex Neal at the local restaurant. Neil goes to Virginia State and is studying environmental science something Lucy Stepfather disregards especially because he recently built a new dam that Neil was totally against. This isn’t the only bone of contention between Lucy and Neil but when his sister Astrid goes missing as well they band together but when Neal becomes the main suspect and everyone thinks him guilty and is put in jail Lucy is left to figure it out on her own. This book was pretty good even when it looks all wrapped up it isn’t in the killer totally surprise me and in my opinion came out of left field… Well not really but kind of. This was a really good book and I don’t believe I read any books by this author before but I will definitely be on the lookout for them in the future I wish I would’ve listen to the audio and may still do that I read the Kindle book and thoroughly enjoyed it I want to thank Thomas Nelson fiction and Net Galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Murder mystery crossed with a coming of age story. Kept the pages turning and the past and present come together.

Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens is a young adult novel that follows Lucy Michaels, who is forced to confront her past when her stepbrother goes missing and her town becomes the site of a murder investigation. With compelling characters and a well-paced plot, you won't want to put this book down.

The novel begins with a tragic event from Lucy's past - the death of her little brother in a flash flood. This event has haunted her ever since, and as the story progresses, Lucy begins to draw connections between her brother's death and her stepbrother's disappearance. Stevens does a fantastic job of weaving together the past and present, creating a layered and intricate plot that will leave you guessing until the very end.

As Lucy delves deeper into the investigation, she begins to uncover secrets about her brother's death and the people around her. The characters in this novel are complex and well-developed, each with their own motivations and secrets. Stevens does an excellent job of creating a sense of paranoia and unease, leaving you wondering who to trust at every turn.

One of the things we loved most about this novel was its pacing. Stevens keeps the story moving at a steady clip, with just the right amount of twists and turns to keep you engaged. The suspense builds gradually, coming to a head in the final act of the novel. By the time we reached the end, I was on the edge of my seat, desperate to know how it would all turn out.

The themes explored in Last Girl Breathing are also worth noting. The novel tackles issues of trauma, grief, and the complicated relationships between families. Despite the heavy subject matter, Stevens handles these themes with sensitivity and care.

Last Girl Breathing is a fantastic read that will appeal to fans of thrillers and young adult fiction alike. With a compelling plot, well-developed characters, and a tense atmosphere, this novel is sure to keep you guessing until the very end.

The premise of Last Girl Breathing is good, and — for the most part — the story lives up to it.

The story unfolds from Lucy’s point of view. Lucy is strong protagonist, smart, driven, thinks on her feet. She’s not the damsel-in-distress type, nor does she have to discover her inner strength, which is refreshing.

The setting plays to author Court Stevens’ world-building skills. You are immediately transported to the place Lucy knows so intimately. You feel the rain, smell the damp, hear the ground squelch.

There are a lot of plot twists in Last Girl Breathing. Although there’s one big one that doesn’t come as a surprise, yet it feels satisfying nonetheless.

Last Girl Breathing is a fast-moving standalone novel that should appeal to fans of mysteries/thrillers.

I had an enjoyable time reading through this novel. I've been in a reading slump recently and this book was hard to put down. The story was very fast paced and was easy to fall along with. The relationships between the characters were well developed and my only complaint would be that I wish there was more of a relationship between the main character Lucy and her mother that could be seen on the pages. The plot was full of twists and turns and I wasn't sure who to trust at any point throughout.

Such a tragic story about a young girl named Lucy who's suffered the loss of her little brother prior to the beginning of the story, but now her step-brother is missing. I really liked Lucy's character and I felt sorry for her because of how guilty she felt for the way her brother died. I can see why she might've thought it was at least partly her fault, although it was a natural disaster that took his life.

Lucy remained loyal to her boyfriend and believed in his innocence after he was arrested for her step-brother's murder. What happened after his arrest was totally unexpected. I was conflicted on who the person was that might've killed her step-brother and exactly what happened, but I got a pleasant (only because I like them) twist to the story and I loved it.

Wow. I've just finished and I'm still stunned. This is a well-paced, suck-you-in kind of mystery. It was a little jumbly to start - I had to catch on to who everyone was and how they tied together. It took a minute but once I did, I found their unique pieces, the story was easy to slide into.

And I was completely immersed! Lucy was compelling, her story was so sad and horrible. Her shooting isn't something I know about so I was intrigued with this part of her life. I liked that this was based so much on their land and where they lived. They are next to moving water, the Tennessee River, and it feeds and nurtures as much as it hurts and takes.

When Lucy was very young, the dam failed. Her family, along with many others, were caught in the water. This molds most of their lives in the town, as they grow up respecting, loving, and hating the water that has taken so much. Because they are all tied to the water in different ways.

I was surprised that others said they were able to guess the twists. I never saw them coming and enjoyed each twist and turn. The characters had me hooked. I loved this one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I love this one. This author is really good at writing a mystery.
This is dark, however. The relationship between the siblings (step) is odd but it makes sense in the context of the book.
I really felt for our protagonist and I loved unraveling the mystery with her.

This was initially really good but the pacing of part 2 and the inappropriate step-sibling relationship really threw me off and took me out of the book. I was really into it but once I finished the first part, I was just no longer into it. The constant cultural references also were little bit corny to me. (2.75 stars). Longer review can be found linked below.

This is my first novel by Court Stevens and I enjoyed it immensely. With amso many novels in the thriller genre it is difficult to rise above the others, but this story delivered. I especially enjoyed how the author dealt out little tidbits at a time about the back story. This isn’t for the faint of heart though as there is trauma throughout in many forms. A really solid story that I completely enjoyed reading. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for providing me with an ARC.

Lucy Michaels has spent far too many of her eighteen years attempting to allay her worrywart mother’s fears. Since her younger brother Clay died and her father left their family, Lucy has been responsible for keeping Joanny’s anxieties from becoming too overwhelming – a very heavy burden to ask of any child, never mind one looking to escape her small town via her Olympics-level marksmanship prowess. Her stepfather Robert tries to help, but he wasn’t there in the dark years when it was just Lucy and Joanny. And, in fairness, most of the time Lucy doesn’t mind emotionally supporting the woman who looks like just like an older version of herself:

QUOTE
Our differences start under the skin. I am the taskmaster of hard things. That’s because if you make the mistake of keeping your cool during personal tragedies, people expect you to continue the trend forever. They use big words and phrases to describe you like “strong” and “older than your years,” and then they lean on you until you’re sure you’ll fall over or die trying to stay up.

This is how I know I cannot let my brain run away on a fear marathon.
END QUOTE

When her beloved stepbrother Martin goes missing, Lucy’s immediate reaction is to soothe her mom with plausible reasons as to why he might not have shown up for football practice. Secretly, however, she worries that something terrible might have happened, coming on the heels of a conversation she and Martin had just had earlier that day. Kind-hearted Martin had discovered something that might link his rich and powerful father to the dam break that flooded the area and took the lives of not only Clay but members of a boy scout troop who’d been camping in the area. Lucy refused to believe him, but Martin promised he would show her the evidence later that day.

Now he’s missing. Even worse, his truck has been found on the edge of the eighty-mile LaRue recreational area, with blood all over and around it. When the police launch a search, the townsfolk immediately come out in force to help. They are, unfortunately, used to dealing with disaster:

QUOTE
The post-dam break era of Grand Junction forged a new town. The physical property damage gutted the visual of LaRue, but it was nothing compared to the emotional damage of fifteen missing kids. That’s an asteroid strike of trauma. Weeks stretched into months. Searchers came, after work and before, walking riverbanks, picking through moss and briars, dredging the water until there was everything left to find and absolutely no hope of finding it. Most of the bodies were recovered. Some weren’t.

Clay wasn’t.

We had a funeral. We even had a graveside service. Mom buried Ribbit, Clay’s beloved stuffed frog, all while swearing to Ribbit she’d dig him up the minute Clay came home. You can know someone’s dead without seeing them dead, but it’s harder.
END QUOTE

The last thing that the people of Grand Junction, and specifically Lucy and her mom, need is another tragedy. Alas then that not one but two bodies are uncovered, plunging the whole town into a living nightmare once more. Worse for Lucy, the person considered prime suspect in both murders is her ex-boyfriend Neil. He wasn’t super thrilled about her close relationship with Martin, but saved most of his ire for Robert, who heads the company that replaced the failed LaRue dam. Torn between her family and her friends who are close enough to be family, who can Lucy trust as she struggles to protect her mother, all while searching for the truth and justice for the dead?

This thoughtful novel of suspense is wonderfully plotted, as Lucy uncovers the secrets, some terrible and some just heart wrenching, of her small town and the people she loves the most. I greatly appreciated the complexity of her relationships, and the sensitive way with which Court Stevens allowed Lucy to feel all of the many conflicting emotions that naturally arose from her complicated situations. While this book is considered Young Adult, I feel that it’s also an excellent entry into the mainstream thriller market, and would be appreciated by anyone who enjoys a good tragic mystery.

Court Stevens creates a thriller with twists and turns, and, though I figured out who the killer was, gets the reader invested in finishing the story.
Eight years ago, Lucy lost her little brother in a flood after the local damn broke. Lucy carries guilt for not being able to save him. She throws herself into the Olympic air rifle competition. She has a purpose; she has a plan. But then go awry when her stepbrother (whose father put in the fancy new damn) goes missing in the same area the flood happened. Everyone in the area has secrets but whose secrets lead to murder? Lucy begins to worry she may not be able to keep herself alive.

Before even the book's halfway mark, I had already deduced who the killer would be. But Stevens creates an intricate mystery, and I couldn’t figure out all the parts. One is why the killer would commit these crimes. They aren’t who most likely suspect. There are other facets to the story and wanting to know how they all tied together kept me reading. I was anxious to find out how the final showdown would go.
The characters Steven creates are multifaceted. Each character has drives that are very personal making their missteps and morally grey lives saddening. You feel a variety of emotions towards each character. I liked that lack of flat stereotypes. I truly cared about these people and wanted them to be safe.

I really enjoyed Last Girl Breathing and plan on hitting Stevens’ back catalog.

Last Girl Breathing is such a harrowing gut punch, but with some truly lovely moments scattered throughout. I adore Court Steven's books, and this one is no exception. It is, however, pretty dark, so do go in prepared. I could not find any official content warnings, but there is murder, and death of a child, so it does deal with some heavy topics. Lucy's story is sad from the first page, knowing she lost her beloved younger brother. And it only gets more harrowing from there, when her loved ones start to go missing, or worse, end up dead.

The author does an amazing job at allowing the readers to truly feel Lucy's emotions throughout the story. Add to it, everyone in the town seems both too kind to be the killer, but also just a bit suspicious enough to plausibly be the baddie. You don't want to think that any of these people Lucy loves could be capable of murder, but you also can't be sure. So much like real life experiences, really- you think you know people, and they cannot be capable of horrific things, but then they often are. Anyway, obviously someone is responsible for what is happening here- the victims did not hurt themselves, that much is clear.

This story is told over many years and many heartbreaks, and I loved that it seemed so realistic. There is nothing neat and tidy about this, and the author made some very daring, but very realistic choices. While my emotions didn't always love them, my head knew that they were right narratively. While the book itself is definitely darker in style, there is absolutely some heartwarming hopefulness to be found.

Bottom Line: Another stunning and heartwrenching novel from Court Stevens, complete with relatable characters and just enough glimmers of hope.

Ugh this book was just so ughhhhhh. Like in the best possible way. I have the biggest book hangover now. I don’t even know how to write a good enough review for this one. I suspected everyone throughout the whole book. Well except the dog.

One thing made me laugh and it’s a just me thing. I’ve had my name misspelled a lot but Joanny is a new one even for me. I wouldn’t have even assumed it was Joni if I hadn’t listened to the audiobook in tandem with reading the book.

Last Girl Breathing is a thrilling YA mystery that truly lives up to expectations. From the first page, it captivates with a suspenseful narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The storyline is intricately woven, filled with unexpected twists and turns that continuously defy expectations. The author skillfully balances tension and intrigue, making it nearly impossible to put the book down. As the protagonist unravels the layers of the mystery, the sense of urgency and anticipation builds, creating a gripping reading experience. Last Girl Breathing not only meets the high standards set for YA mysteries but surpasses them, delivering a compelling and satisfying story that will leave readers eager for more.

#LastGirlBreathing #NetGalley

Eight years ago Lucy's life changed, she feels like she lives her life in patches. Before she lost her brother and after she lost her brother. A camping trip turned tragic, when so much rainfall in a short amount of time causes a dam to bust and the tragedy is Lucy lost her little brother Clay that same day. Then another tragedy, three people missing that Lucy knows and loves. Lucy must decide who she will trust. This story was so spellbinding and I couldn't put it down. This is my first book by Court Stevens it won't be my last.

Eight years have passed since the dam broke and caused a flood that swept away Lucy's younger brother. The dam breaking was just an act of nature, or was it? Now tragedy strikes again when Lucy’s stepbrother disappears and ends up dead a few days later. This sets Lucy on a path to find out if the events are related and to find out the truth of who is behind it all.

I really enjoyed this book, with all of the twist and turns. Last Girl Breathing is truly a who-done-it in the best way. I can’t wait to read more by Court Stevens.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to enjoy this ARC.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for an early e-arc of this book. All thoughts in this review are my own.

What a rollercoaster ride Court Stevens takes us on. The book does not start slow. You have a moment of false peace at the beginning, and then it's ripped from you and never given back throughout the entire time. Court Stevens builds a world that is full of heartbreak, a found family feeling, and touches on the small towns that get rocked by tragedy. Her characters, while not entirely complex, are thought out well enough to the point where you feel each sting of betrayal and hurt.

Lucy was a good FMC in the sense she was logical, and felt all of her emotions in ways that are completely human. I liked how she approached things and didn't know more than was realistically possible in the moment.

This was an easy read and entertaining! I'm definitely interested in what else Court Stevens comes up with.