Another beautiful book from Court Stevens. I will always love the pictures she paints (whether as Court Stevens, Courtney Stevens, etc :)) Court is quickly becoming one of my favorite, auto-buy authors!

Lucy’s little brother Clay was swept away in a flood when a dam broke. He was never found. Years later her stepbrother is murdered and his sister missing. Could the events be connected?
This was a heart wrenching read that had me hooked from beginning to end. I couldn’t hardly put it down. I hope to read more from Court Stevens. Thanks NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this ARC that will be published November 7, 2023!

Lucy's life forever changed 8 years ago when the dam broke, killing her little brother and members of a local Boy Scout troop. Now, the town is reeling again with a murder in the same area. As the investigation drags on, more secrets are revealed. Can anyone in the town be trusted?

This was an engaging murder mystery story. I think students will enjoy the suspense, although the stretched timeline was an interesting choice. I'm not fully convinced there was enough evidence for the reveal at the end, but I don't think my teen readers will be as critical.

Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens is a riveting young adult thriller that dives deep into the complexities of guilt, grief, and redemption. Lucy Michaels, haunted by her younger brother's tragic death, embarks on a journey to protect her loved ones while chasing her Olympic dreams, while navigating her teenage existence. When she becomes caught up in a heinous crime, Lucy becomes entangled in a web of secrets and suspicion.

Stevens' writing is compelling with a slow-burn sense of suspense and unease. Lucy's determination to uncover the truth is both heartening and heartbreaking.

This stand-alone thriller is perfect for fans of suspenseful young adult fiction, with relatable, multi-faceted characters that add to the overall narrative.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson--FICTION, Thomas Nelson for the advanced reader copy via NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The plot of this book is very good, a story that made sense from beginning to end and left no plot holes. It has a good measure of suspense and intrigue. Unfortunately despite how good the story was, almost until the end I could not connect with any of the characters, which made me enjoy the book less. Another point is that I think the book wasn't so much for young adults, and the plot was a bit dark and depressing.

With grit, intrigue, and compassion, Court Stevens will keep you glued to your seat with her new novel Last Girl Breathing.

Lucy just wants to live her dream: to enjoy the relationships she has left, to relax in nature, and to work her way into the Olympics. Instead, every single piece of her normal life is threatened by violence coming from every direction throughout this book, and this high-stakes story will keep you turning every page.

Lucy’s a great leading lady – though she’s not much like the traditional definition of a lady. She’s independent, a potential Olympic sharpshooter, and a truck-driving, nature-loving woman. She’s kind, she’s been hurt, and she’s trying to make the best of her rough heretofore life – when it all tanks.

A disaster from Lucy’s past is coming back to haunt her in violent mystery form – and if she wants to survive, she has to figure out who did it way back then. Stevens writes this story masterfully, though, and each time you think you see where the plot is going, a new disaster shakes up Luke’s present and everything veers off into a new direction.

I thought I had this one figured out – I mean, isn’t that half the fun of a mystery story? To try to solve it before the villain is revealed? I solved this one nearly half a dozen times before finally getting it – right before the big reveal.

Stevens rules at penning the unsolvable crimes. With edgy action and compassionate characters, Last Girl Breathing is the young adult book you’ve been looking for – and you won’t be able to put it down.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read most of Court Stevens' books. Her writing and character development are strong and sharp, along with the plot for the most part. I'm not entirely sure of the execution because there were many moving parts and suspicions.

Lucy Michaels is an Olympic hopeful with the air rifle. To be honest, I didn't know it was an Olympic sport. Anyways, she's 18 years old and survived the dam break 8 years ago, but she lost her little brother Clay. Now she's finishing high school and close with her stepbrother Martin. Except until Martin tells her suspicions that tie his dad and Lucy's stepdad to the dam break. Then Martin disappeared. Soon, a search and rescue team is formed, and it's discovered there's 2 more missing people: Deuce, a young cop whose dad is the town sheriff Owl, and Astrid, her ex boyfriend's sister.

The first half of the book is about recovering two bodies, and then someone is arrested. Then, in the second part, Lucy has moved away, and after winning bronze in Paris, she gets a clue that Astrid may be alive. There are many red herrings and only 1 actual truth. I wasn't altogether surprised, but Lucy had made these people her family. So, trusting the wrong person could cost her life.

TW for abuse in the past, kidnapping and control, hunting for sport and murder.

3.5 stars - 11/7/23

i just couldn't get into this. im not a fan of the writing style and the way the timelines are set up were kinda confusing. also i feel like some of the short chapters weren't necessary.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this E-arc for my honest review.
Excellent thriller that grabs you from the first chapter. I guessed the “bad guy” relatively quickly but was shocked at the ending!! Very good, fast paced read and highly recommend.

Lucy lost her little brother Clay when he went on a camping trip with the scouts. Clay died in flood waters from torrential rain that caused the dam to break. It’s eight years later and Lucy is seventeen and hoping to make the Olympic air rifle team. Clay’s death is still fresh but the family is moving on. Then another tragedy strikes this small home town and two of Lucy’s friends are found dead. Lucy’s luck worsens as she learns the number one suspect is her ex-boyfriend. Secrets begin to be revealed and Lucy slowly realizes that not everyone is as innocent as they claimed to be. 

The story began rather slowly for me as the narration moves between what happened before the damn brake to present day. Around part 3 is where the book grabbed my interest and kept me guessing with enough twists and turns.

I really liked the main character, Lucy, who was likable and possessed so much empathy for others and everything the town had been through. This is a good read albeit being wrought with tragedy. I enjoyed the representation of loving people through pain and mistakes as experienced from the eyes of a young adult.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens. The last part was great, but the beginning was rough. I couldn’t connect with the writing style and the words and dialogue didn’t have a smooth flow. It took a while to get used to the timeline switching and it was hard to see how the past related to the present. I didn't really engage with the story until part four when things started to come together. As much as I love YA books, this one was not really for me. If you like a surprising reveal, this book might be for you!

I would have read this book in one sitting if time would have allowed. This is a fast-paced, young adult thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is the second Court Stevens book I've read. I read "We Were Kings" and love it almost as much as I love this one.
One of the great things I loved about this book is that there is not a lot of bad language. Too many YA books today are peppered with cursing and swearing that are completely unnecessary.
This is definitely a great book for all ages.

The Last Girl Breathing is now my favorite Court Stevens book! This is a thriller that you won’t want to put down. As with any Court Stevens book, the backdrop is in a rural community and this community is grieving the loss of 2 teens suspiciously in the same area where a dam broke years before, killing several. We follow the perspective of Lucy as she’s searching for answers. Adults will enjoy this one as much as teens. It’s nice to have a thriller where I didn’t have to worry about the dog! I did get a little lost with so many characters, but that is the natural of a story set in a small town. The community plays a large part of the story.

This is my first book by this author and it will certainly not be my last! It was such a page-turner.

I found the main character, Lucy, to be very likable and I felt so much empathy for everything she'd been through! Life really threw a lot at her and she continued to be strong and fight through all the hard stuff. Even with all the death and tragedy, I still would hand this to anyone who is a teen or older. I think it's a good representation of loving people through pain and mistakes told from the perspective of a young adult.

My favorite part of this story was the mystery element. I thought the author did an excellent job of arranging the clues in such a way that I truly didn't see the end coming. Five stars from me!

This was a very interesting thriller that kept me guessing until the end. It was a little hard to get into this story as I really wasn't into the characters right away, but they did grow on me and, by the end, I was hooked. The back and forth between then and now was a great plot point that revealed little by little, even if you weren't sure exactly what you were getting at the time. I would definitely pick up another book by this author in the future to see where it can go! Will definitely recommend to the YA patrons at the library. This book definitely has some male appeal to it!

I had trouble in the beginning with this book. There are lots of people in this story and it took a while to remember how the relationships worked. In addition the narration is almost chain of conscious. I persisted, and by the time I had figured everything out I became obsessed with finding out who was responsible for the deaths and I was on Lucy's side as she was determined to find answers about the collapse of a dam, and the deaths of her childhood friends. It was a well done mystery and I was only one step ahead of Lucy at the end. The end is more nearly about real life because Lucy's future life is not tied up in a neat bow. This is a worth reading book. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc and for not pressuring for a good review.

Can’t explain enough how amazing this book was! Fast paced, amazing characters, so many twists and turns throughout. I loved how the background to the story was run through the main story so it kept it to the point, relevant and well paced. Really enjoyed the splitting of the story and starting again a few years later, was really unique and was a great addition. The ending was just mind blowing!

An adrenaline-pumping thriller that had me gripped, teetering on the edge of my seat throughout. I found immense satisfaction in reading this one; undoubtedly, it ranks among the finest books I've encountered this year.

Wow!! This is an amazing story that pulled me in from the first page. I couldn’t stop reading. I wanted to keep reading so that I could figure out who was behind the murders and put all the pieces of the puzzle that the author created together. My only complaint is that the switching back and forth between the present and past was a little confusing. As the Court Stevens laid out the events it eventually came together and told the story, but it was a little confusing at first. The Stevens did a great job of developing the characters and as a reader you feel that you are a part of the community. I highly recommend this book. I have students coming into the library looking for mysteries and adventure stories and I will be sure and recommend this book to them in the future.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advance copy so that I could leave a review!!

Finished it in one sitting. Fast paced even tho the writing felt off at times.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.