Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens is a heartbreaking, beautiful, and haunting thriller that lingers long after you turn the last page. This book is more than just a suspenseful mystery—it’s an emotionally packed story that delves into trauma, grief, and the resilience needed to face the past.

Stevens weaves a complex narrative, balancing a current-day mystery with flashbacks to a devastating flood that reshaped Lucy Michaels’ life and her small town. Years ago, Lucy lost her little brother in that flood, and just as she’s beginning to heal, new tragedies and buried secrets resurface, threatening to upend her world once more. The novel masterfully captures the weight of these events on Lucy and her community, making each twist hit even harder.

The audiobook version adds another layer to the experience, with the narrator skillfully bringing the story to life. Stevens’ vivid descriptions make it feel like you’re part of the town itself, caught up in the unfolding drama, feeling the weight of each character’s trauma and the suspense that builds with every chapter. The final quarter of the book is especially twisted and intense, revealing just how deeply Stevens can delve into the emotional depths of her characters.

This is not a light read, and potential readers should check the content warnings, as the story addresses serious themes and might be triggering for some. But for those who love an intense, layered thriller that digs into both past and present wounds, Last Girl Breathing is a compelling, unforgettable read.

thanks to NetGally for providing my copy of this book.

I like delving into YA here and there and I am glad for it with this novel. It has been on my TBR for a little while and I really enjoyed the audio production. Lucy is reliving a tragic incident from her past when she learns of a present-day murder that is related to that of her little brother. She is going to have to examine that day and her past relationships to solve the murder in time. This is a fast paced tale that makes for a great quick read.

this had me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading! the characters were interesting and entertaining. the twists and turns had me second guessing everything. I highly recommend.

4.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



✨ YA fiction
✨ mystery and thriller
✨ everyone is guilty



✨ Lucy is the main character in this book. I like her personality here and actually likeable .
Lucy’s little brother passed when a dam broke and it’s hard for them to move forward.
After 8 years later, her stepbrother gone missing again .. police are searching the same plot when her little brother dies. Coincidence or someone is to blame?

✨ I highly recommend the book, even though the ending is very predictable . It is written perfectly and you want to read more.
Nothing the less, it’s a great read .




✨ thankyou harper Collins for the arc copy of this book for a honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

When Lucy was nine years old, she and her brother Clay were in a terrible flood. Clay died. Now 17, Lucy is focused on making the US Olympic air rifle team when two of her friends are shot. Lucy's ex is the main suspect. Lucy works to uncover what really led to the dam breaking and the current murders.

This book was so good! I really wish I had wrote my review immediately after finishing the book Sunday night because I would have had a much better review. This book literally made me laugh out loud at parts and cry at others. I alternated between the ebook and audiobook. Both were done very well and kept me interested. I didn’t want to put it down! The characters were so well written and such a deep backstory, that I felt like I knew them. There did seem like a lot of characters at first but it was easy to keep them straight on who was who. This book is so full of misdirection, lies and deception. I thought I would have it figured out only to be thrown a curveball! This happened several times. I think I finally had it figured out just pages before the reveal. This story is told in present and a specific time in the past. It is revealed little by little throughout the book what really happened in the past. And then all the events that lead up to the reveal. This book was gut wrenching and heartbreaking. I personally felt betrayed! Which was kind of odd. Swipe over for the synopsis. Or don’t. And just go grab the book! I highly recommend it.
The narrator of this audiobook was perfect for this book! I had no trouble following along, she had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning. She was able to do a good job distinguishing between everyone. So much emotion was conveyed through her narration. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

This book is a heart-wrenching story of love and loss. One you will remember for a long time. I read the book and didn't get the audio downloaded on time. Must have missed it in my books. However, the book is well worth reading. I can't say how well the narrator did sorry, but I can tell you no matter what form it's well worth reading or listening to.

I loved reading this book! I've read her first published book, but now I need to go back and read We Were Kings, because this was so good, I loved the mystery, and I need to read more by her! This story was so fantastic, I had to know where the mystery would go from here!

One thing that I loved even as it hurt me, was that we slowly were told of what happened 8 years ago when Lucy's brother died. We knew it happened, but not the details-at first I thought that he was with the scouts, which just made what happened all the worse.

Another thing that I really enjoyed was the time jump. Just over half of this book takes place in the immediate happenings of when her stepbrother is killed. The other part takes place a few years later, and I really enjoyed that contrast!

This was a really fantastic mystery, I loved all the twists and turns, like the fact that someone was bribed to compromise the dam, but it wasn't clear who was bribed-just who'd done the bribing. This story dealt with so much with the politics of a small and tight knit town, and it was so satisfying when it came to a close.

Loved this book so much, it was so good, and I can't wait to read more by Court Stevens!

I really enjoyed listening to Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens and narrated by McKenzie Fetters especially as it is not a book I would usually read, but the cover caught my eye and I am so glad it did. This audiobook/book kept me guessing till the end and also kept me awake, when I thought I had guessed who it was.......Bang the narrator changed pace all over again! Hence why it was a good Whodunit and a page turner.

I highly recommend this Audiobook/book and McKenzie Fetters did a wonderful job with the narration! Superb book

Big Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing/Thomas Nelson Fiction the publishers for an opportunity to both read and listen to both versions of this excellent novel. x

This book was extremely well written. It was fast paced and extremely entertaining. The narrator set a good pace and I couldn't stop myself from listening. Overall great experience listening!

This one was just okay for me. I liked how it showed how messed up families can be and what happens after a family death/tragedy. I also enjoyed the kind of Stranger Things/evil community overlord vibes. What I didn't enjoy? The mystery/thriller aspect was a bit weak, and I really didn't love the characters.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me intrigued all throughout. Every time I thought I figured it out, I hadn't, which I found even more appealing. Very well written, and the plot was so good!

This story was as twisty as it was heartbreaking. McKenzie Fetters did an amazing job bringing Lucy to life and keeping me engaged throughout. There were parts that were very hard to handle but overall it was still a great story.

This one takes some unexpected turns, mostly in the realm of scope. It stretches out much further than I expected. The eventual reveal of the murderer was not especially surprising to me, and I felt like it took the motivations several steps to an unnecessary extreme.

Lucy lost her brother in a tragic accident many years ago, but was there more to it than just an accident? This was a suspenseful story that kept me hooked until the end.

"Last Girl Breathing" by Court Stevens is a riveting and emotionally charged thriller that delves into the complexities of survival and self-discovery. Stevens skillfully weaves a suspenseful plot with well-drawn characters, making it difficult to put the book down. While the resolution is satisfying, a slightly faster pacing in certain sections could enhance the overall experience. Nonetheless, it earns a solid four stars for its gripping narrative and exploration of resilience in the face of adversity.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the arc. This book gets published today, so go get it!

In this thriller, we follow Lucy. Years ago, his brother Clay died when a dam broke. Now, her brother gets murdered and her sister disappears. Things point to all of this being connected.

Great book! Got me hooked from the beginning.

Lucy is a shooter training for the olympics, so she surrounds herself with people who do the same. This plays into the story perfectly cause it makes us doubt even more about everyone.

I loved how everyone could be the villain.

I got the audiobook, which has a great narrator. The only thing I need to mention is that sometimes we hear someone breathing beside the narrator. It drove me nuts.

- Sorry about the delay. This was a goodreads review and I posted it on the release date!-

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel.

Oh my gosh! I loved this story. It was heartbreaking, but that made it even more endearing. I found myself connecting with each of the characters in different ways and I kept hoping that the ending wouldn’t be heartbreaking, even though I knew it would be. I don’t have a bad thing to say about this book at all.

I look forward to reading more of this author’s work.

I was excited for this book because I thought the setting was interesting and I love a good thriller, but I found it lacking. The plot felt a bit all over the place. I did like that the story wasn't totally predictable, which is a problem I find in a lot of thriller/mysteries, but I didn't love this as much as I was hoping.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

✨ About the Book ✨

When the answers to a present-day murder lie in the past, one teen girl must examine a tragic event to prevent more lives from being lost. No one expected it to rain that much. But the rain kept coming, the dam broke, and lives were lost. One was Lucy Michaels’s little brother. She was there and while she saved the lives of many young boy scouts, despite being a child herself, she couldn’t save him.

Now eight years later, Lucy is preparing to graduate from high school and compete in the air rifle competition at the Olympics when her stepbrother goes missing right before his most important football game. The search is focused on the same plot of land where her younger brother died, and she can’t help but draw parallels.

When the search for a missing person becomes a murder investigation, Lucy knows the secrets she holds about what her stepbrother was up to that day could help find the murderer. The clues quickly connect Lucy’s ex-boyfriend to the murders, but he couldn’t be guilty... could he?

Everyone involved has their own secrets and revealing hers to the wrong person could put her life—and her whole town—at risk. Last Girl Breathing is a page-turning hunt for the truth as Court Stevens once again creates nonstop suspense with characters who will break your heart.

Author: Court Stevens
Release Date: November 7, 2023 by Thomas Nelson
Genre: Mystery thriller
Pages: 400 pages, Hardcover
Star Rating: 2.7 /5


📚 How I See it 📚

When I saw the cover of this book I was really looking forward to reading it. The branches sticking out of the water were giving me creepy, mystery, eerie vibes.

However, I ended up not enjoying this book. The slow pace of the plot just didn’t do it for me and I found the story as well as the characters flat and uninteresting.

I really thought I would enjoy this book, since I had really liked Dress Codes for Small Towns by the same author but ended up being disappointed.

💛 Find Me Here 💛

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Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own thoughts