Lucy Michaels lost her little brother years ago, to the flood waters and broken dam that also nearly ruined the town she lives in. They all rebuilt and time moved on. She was not prepared to lose another brother, however, or to have old traumas and secrets reappear and threaten to bury them all again.

Damn, that was a twisted final quarter! Everything that occurred before that point had me engaged and enthralled, but the concluding events proved, yet again, that Court Stevens can pen an emotionally taut and truly twisted novel.

I felt like I knew the town and all its inhabitants, by the novel's close, and Stevens had me not only invested in the outcome but feeling like I was a part of the drama unfolding so truly did she recreate the events occurring in both the characters' present and in their pasts.

This is an YA mystery thriller about the killings past and present, where young girl Lucy realizes she might be in the middle of conspiracy and where certain information might mean - death.

I have found this a good, catchy read - yet I would love to have much more human interactions. There really is too much of secretive atmosphere is the close community, so I would think there would be much more of the human connections? Also, there is too high a pile of dead bodies here without much explanation. But the atmosphere is intense and I have enjoyed this read (which is quite a praise in my books).

The narrator was well-skilled and the narration has enhanced this audiobook exprience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was hard to get into at first, but after the first 25% the events of the book moved quickly and was gripping. The small town secrets and deception was so wild because there was so much. The who done it was somewhat easy to figure out, but it did not detract from the book as a whole. This was a great thriller and was gripping.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC of this book.

I LOVED this book. It kept me on my toes the entire time. I also loved our main character Lucy.

I know some folks on Goodreads said they were able to pick out the culprit of the Lucy's missing friends was from the beginning, but I had no idea. Each character has some sort of redeeming quality that makes the reader doubt that they are capable of any sort of foul play. The characterization in this book was top-notch.

This book also brings into play how a large corporation/factory/plant can impact a community and community member choices. As climate change and the impact of factories is more on the forefront in todays news, this subplot I found to be very relevant and interesting.

The alternating timelines really worked with the plot of the book. You slowly learned the background of what happened when the dam broke while getting deeper into the present day investigation.

Now, can we talk about the twists. The last third of this book was WILD. I could not predict the outcome at all. And all of the subtle little details made it even more difficult for me to infer what would come of Lucy and the investigation. When you learn the whole story, if you are like me, you will spend time just sitting in shock.

I also need to add that I listened to the audio narration of this book and McKenzie Fetters did an excellent job. You could tell who was speaking by how she changed her voice in the story. As the majority of the story is told from Lucy's point of view, I have to add that her narration for Lucy was very genuine and fit Lucy's character perfectly.

Loved this. Would recommend it to any mystery reader- especially the audiobook version! And will be looking into reading more of Court Stevens other books.

Last Girl Breathing got my attention because I adored Dress Codes for Small Towns by the same author, Court (Courtney) Stevens. Dress Codes for Small Towns is a moving, queer coming of age story about Billie and her group of friends in a small rural town with a conservative preacher as a father. Dress Codes encapsulates the uncertainty of exploring your gender and sexual identity in that kind of pressure cooker environment. So I went into this book with high expectations of good writing, deep characters, and space for queer identities beyond the binary.

NOPE. That's not what this book is. Honestly, the fact that both of these books are by the same author makes me furious. Last Girl Breathing is chock full of unnecessary gendering ("him and her self" when it would have been so easy to say "themselves"), frequent and extended Harry Potter references and romanticizing, and an inappropriate step sibling relationship. The characters and plot excludes any kind of diversity. And the story should have touched more on the role of class in rural towns impacted by millionaires, but that opportunity was completely ignored. Then add in that this book was painfully slow until the 70% mark and had little character development throughout, and I can no longer read from this author.

We deserve better from YA authors. This is NOT it.

4.5 stars.

Eight years ago, tragedy struck Lucy Michaels that changed her life forever. She lost her five-year-old brother Clay Michaels, who was swept away in the floodwaters. Now seventeen, Lucy tried to put everything behind as graduation and Olympics were on the horizon. But tragedy struck again, and she was thrown right back into her trauma.

Oh gosh, this story broke my heart. I knew it was gonna be heartbreaking, but I didn’t know how much. I had heard of the author before but I hadn’t read any of her previous books despite of seeing all the praises, so this was my first one. And it didn’t disappoint.

Lucy’s life was full of tragedy. She had to face so much already despite of her young age. Her thought process, her dialogues with the other characters and her way of coping felt so real, sometimes I forgot this was a work of fiction.

As a thriller, the mystery elements were done well. I didn’t actually guess the main twist, but I also didn’t look too hard because I was just enjoying the story. The narration of the audiobook was done really well.

All in all, this was an unexpected gem. I’d recommend this highly to anyone who likes their thrillers with some depths and great writing.

This is the first audiobook I listen from this author and I’ve really enjoyed it. The narration was extremely good, what makes the book even more enjoyable. The plot is well constructed and the twist at the end was totally unexpected. I would definitely recommend this book and will look for other books from this author as I liked the writing style.

1st one kid is missing. now 2. 2 kids are missing. now 3. 3 kids are missing. One shoe is found. Blood in a Hummer belonging to one of the kids. Then 2 kids are dead. 1 still missing
What is happening at Ladue. Is there a murderer on the loose
Neil, another kid that hangs with the deceased kids, has been accused of their murders. His hunting rifle was discovered as the murder weapon, and all the clues point to Neil
The Ladue damn broke and killed Clay many yrs ago. The remains were never found.
Something is definitely going on in this town that has a lot more to do with why these kids are missing or end up dead
The town has secrets, and the people that live in the town know more than what they are telling

Promising premise, poorly executed. How's many different things could one novel have? Olympic shooting hopeful, big corporation corruption, blackmail, murder, revenge. Just way too much. I was lost at times and there were other times when I was utterly bored.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
The southern Kentucky setting is brought to life by the excellent narrator of this audiobook. Beware, this is a tragic thriller loaded with loss and trauma. It’s brimming with emotion.

The book depicts various timelines that piece together the tragedy that the community survived. While some parts of the book may seem slow, the book's last section is incredibly twisted. I thought I had it all figured out, but then the author threw in some major plot twists that left me stunned!

A fascinating fact that piqued my interest in the book. I live in Colorado, close to the city/town of Grand Junction.

Sincere thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing this complimentary ARC through NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.

#LastGirlBreathing #CourtStevens #newrelease #ThomasNelson #audiobook #justfinished #giftedARC #thriller #honestreview #thrillerbookloverspromotions #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #suspense #mystery #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #lovetoreadbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booknerd #bookreviewer #instabook #readaholic #igbookreels

This is my first Court Stevens and I will definitely pick up more from her backlist! Two young members of a community are found murdered at the location of a horrible tragedy that took place when they were children. Lucy, our narrator, lost her brother at this tragedy - a damn break that took place while she was camping. Close with both of the victims, Lucy is forced to attempt to determine if there is a connection between the recent murders and her childhood loss. To complicate things more, her ex-boyfriend stands accused of being involved.

Lucy was such a relatable narrator. She struggles with her own grief while trying to stay strong for everyone else. At the same time, her determination will not allow her to leave things alone - she has to search for answers. All the other characters also held nuance and the characters were as well developed as the plot.

Random, and definitely specific to me, but my town was briefly a key location in the book. It gave me another added connection that made me enjoy this book all the more.

4 ⭐
I'm keeping this review extremely short due to time constraints.

Things I liked:
The book focused pretty heavily on the plot, which is great in thriller books
The book focused more on friendships and family rather than romance (though romance is still part of it), which is refreshing to see in a YA book
The plot twists at the last 25% of the book
The revelation of the culprit and the explanation of all events leading up to the gruesome happenings
I listened to the audiobook, so I also loved the narrator, she did a brilliant job at narrating the characters and all their emotions and stuff

Things I thought could've been done better:
I liked Lucy, but I did wish her characterization could have had a bit more depth
The pacing was a bit slow in the middle of the book

This one's 50/50:
The book is told from three timelines: from when Lucy was 12-ish, when she was 18-ish, and when she was 20-ish
I personally thought that the different timelines were interesting, however, some people may find it more difficult to follow than a single, linear timeline

Finally, thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley, Court Stevens, and Harper Collins Christian Publishing for the audiobook!! This was a great listen. Started off as a slow burn and had me wondering what was going on. I truly felt for all the characters and had me questioning a few. Picked up pace and threw some twists I truly did not see coming. I still can’t believe how it turned out, but the ending was very satisfying!

This was a good whodunit overall. I didn't really connect with the character Dana but the rest of the characters were great!

I listened to this as an audiobook and enjoyed this story in that format. This YA mystery-thriller would be enjoyed by many.

3.5

I wish there was more character development in the beginning before cutting right to the suspense & drama. Would’ve felt more connected this way. As the story goes on though, more & more is revealed due to the switching between past & present tenses. As an audiobook, it took some adjusting to get used to but once you figured it out, the style of writing led to a fast paced thriller. I enjoyed it but think it fell a bit short for some reason.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Following the life of Lucy was interesting. I was sad for her to have so much loss and trauma and to feel like she had to take on the responsibility of her mother’s feelings also was a lot for a 17 year old and yet to succeed in the field she trains for.
Most of the book was filled with lots of descriptions; then the last few chapters flew by with so much activity and very little description.
Glad that Lucy got her answers…. Without giving the end away I had hoped for a different outcome.
Overall a decent book for a quiet day.

I really wanted to like this one but I couldn't finish it. I found that I was zoning out and missing sections of the plot. Sorry but this story is not for me.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

This story excels in:

Gripping narrative depth
Unveiling hidden mysteries
Overcoming past tragedies

"Last Girl Breathing" is a compelling tale, albeit with a slow start. The initial one-third of the book lagged due to what I felt was overly descriptive and distracting prose. Nevertheless, once the story finds its footing, it delivers a captivating narrative that holds immense depth.

The story centers on Lucy, haunted by her brother's tragic death in a flood eight years ago. She grapples with guilt and a fervent desire to protect those she cares for, all while pursuing her Olympic aspirations. However, when her friends are targeted in the same place where her brother died, suspicion falls on her ex-boyfriend, throwing Lucy into another vortex of turmoil.

Court Stevens weaves a narrative filled with suspense and suspicion, painting a picture where everyone is a potential suspect. The story’s strength lies in unraveling the secrets hidden within the community, keeping readers on edge and engaged.

Though the initial prose seemed excessive and detracted from the narrative, the story underneath proved to be intriguing and emotionally resonant. As Lucy navigates the present dangers, the novel delves into her past, unveiling long-buried truths that ultimately shape her future.

"Last Girl Breathing" is a page-turning hunt for truth, offering nonstop suspense and characters whose journeys will tug at your heartstrings. While the beginning might pose a challenge, perseverance rewards readers with a story rich in depth and intensity, making it a worthy read for those who appreciate unraveling mysteries layered with emotional depth.*side note, the audio says AT AT for the Star Wars character "AT-AT" pronounced (aye-tee aye-tee).

A nice little mystery to listen to. The whole town has been touched by tragedy and have their own reasons for liking and not liking others in the town. Lots of lies and manipulation and money sure does talk.
I was not overly blown away with this audiobook but it was good enough not to stop reading. Narrator did well, although at times I could hear her breathy after a sentence. Only heards this when I was camping in the bush and had absolutely no sound around whatsoever so not a big turn off.

I'm on the fence about this book. I knew "whodunit" at the beginning and I think that's what lowered the rating for me. I like to be surprised and it was just a little too obvious for me.

I've never read Court Stevens before but I would be willing to check out more of their work because I did like the writing style, just not the story so much.