Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens

Thank you to @netgalley, @harpercollins, and @quartland for the opportunity to read this #advancedlistenercopy in exchange for my #honestbookreview. This book will be an available in both physical and audiobook format starting November 7.

Seventeen years ago tragedy struck in Lucy Michaels’ small town in the form of a river accident. Now in high school, Lucy’s world is upheaved once again when two of her friends are hunted down in a nature preserve. The entire town is then reeling and the heat is on to unmask the killer and their motivation. But secrets in this town are not in short supply and the everything is not what it seems. Is Lucy the next target?

This book was super twisty. I almost didn’t realize it’s YA when reading because it reads like a standard suspense novel. Definitely one where everything is not working to a peachy keen ending, which y’all know I appreciate. I highly recommend this for fans of mystery, domestic suspense.

TWs: bl*ckmail, violence, m*nipulation, more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/4

Stevens last novel, We Were Kings, held me spellbound, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of her newest YA mystery.

Tragedy struck the small Kentucky town of Grand Junction several years ago when the dam broke after excessive rain, and lives were lost. Among the victims was Lucy’s little brother, Clay. Eight years later, Lucy is focused on making the US Olympic air rifle team and taking care of her mother, who is still very fragile after Clay’s death. Tragedy strikes again when two of Lucy’s closest friends are found murdered in the same vicinity where her brother died.

Small towns seem to hold the biggest secrets, usually deeply buried, and Grand Junction is no different. Some characters have held them close for decades. The author created realistic and flawed characters, making it easy for readers to empathize with them. A wide net of suspicion is cast over the town, and there’s no shortage of red herrings to throw readers off the trail. I never got to a point where I felt as if I knew without a doubt who was behind the murders, and I love it when that happens. When all was said and done, it’s nothing I could have predicted.

The story moves seamlessly as chapters alternate from present day to the past, the weekend Clay died, and my heart went out to Lucy after the gut-wrenching nightmare she lived through. With Grand Junction being such a tightly knit community, the whole town grieved when the dam burst, and wounds are still fresh eight years later.

Passages of this story will break your heart, and the gripping mystery will keep you guessing until the end. I listened to the audiobook, and narrator McKenzie Fetters does a fantastic job. If you’re a fan of small town mysteries with realistically drawn characters, you can’t go wrong with Last Girl Breathing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a good story. It was dark and had a lot of death and emotions. But at the same time i also didn’t feel as much. Sometimes the story telling felt like telling & a little dry.
Some things didn’t make much sense. Astrid’s storyline kind of seemed out there and the reasoning behind why the killer did it after knowing who it is seemed kind of unbelievable. I kind of felt like it wasn’t totally plausible the why… and then the ending with the abuse of how the killer had been treated seemed thrown in.

It was a good read but some didn’t totally fit in to me.

The narrator did great tho.

This was a good thriller. There was a lot of death in it, and the hits just kept coming. I honestly figured out who the bad guy was fairly early in the book, but it was still a good read. There were more twists and turns than I expected to end up where I anticipated, so that was a fun ride. The narrator did a great job, she differentiated a bunch of different voices and did so efficiently.

Lucy may be in high school, but she knows tragedy. Her little brother died (along with some Boy Scouts) when the dam collapsed while they were camping. Her mother collapsed and her dad left, leaving her to act like the adult. And now, years later, her stepbrother is missing. He told her he needed to show her evidence that the dam collapsing wasn’t an accident and he hasn’t been seen. They found his vehicle and there is a ton of blood. Will they find him? Is someone trying to cover up something? What will they do to keep that secret?

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and Thomas Nelson Fiction for an early arc in exchange for my honest opinion. This was just the right book that got me through my spooky season.

This was such well done thriller! I questioned everyone because everyone seemed guilty in some way.

it's a very emotionally packed book, there's a lot of trauma, with the current time line as well as the past timeline from when the flood happened.

I liked the audiobook a lot! the narrator did a good job bringing the story to life.

thank you Netgalley, Court Stevens as well as HarperCollins for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley, I got to hear the audiobook. Honestly, the trend of all the first person YA thrillers can be annoying, but this character was interesting and I wondered the whole time what was happening behind the scenes.
The original mystery started years before, and the time keeps switching between the past and present. The protagonist Lucy tries to save her brother during a flood, and there are questions as to whether the flood was an accident or caused by people. Then there are new murders, and the question of whether the new crimes are tied to the past.
Who can you trust? Lucy is in an odd place because her mother depends on her so much emotionally that she is too adult in some ways. She is a hero, though, saving lives in the past and now trying to help her friends. There is action throughout the whole book

#FirstLine ~ The bulk of Mom’s messages come through in a span of thirty-eight minutes.

What makes Last Girl Breathing truly captivating is its compelling characters and their emotional depth. Lucy's journey, filled with guilt and determination, is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. The novel keeps readers on the edge of their seats as it unravels the truth, revealing the intricate web of lies and deceit in the town.

Court Stevens delivers nonstop suspense, creating a story that keeps you guessing until the very end. Last Girl Breathing is a riveting exploration of the human spirit, the power of redemption, and the resilience of the last girl standing. With its well-crafted characters and suspenseful plot, this novel is a must-read for those who enjoy thrilling mysteries and stories that tug at the heartstrings.

I was able to read and listen to this book via @netgalley eARC and audiobook!!! Thanks so much!!

A tragedy changed their lives forever. A damm broke and took more than little Clay's life. It started a wave with consequences well into their future. Murder, lies, love, friendship, family all bring together in a great story that keep you reading/listening until the end. The audiobook is great. McZenzie Fetters does an amazing job with Court Steven's words

Eight years have passed since a broken dam caused a flood that swept away Lucy's younger brother. Now tragedy strikes again when her 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 behind it all.

The novel does a great job of capturing the complex family dynamics that follow such tragedy. I liked how strong Lucy was under these circumstances and how she was a rock to her mother. The number of characters in the story was so large, but everyone was well-developed, and Court Stevens wrote them so intricately woven together, that it was difficult for me to determine who was responsible for what.

I found this plot to be quite original, but part two ruined the suspense somehow, and the time jump in part three pulled me out of the narrative a little. All in all, I thought this book was OK and despite its sadness and heartbreak, I was intrigued enough to finish reading it. But I think it's a hard one to rate, as it is not a pleasant reading experience.

3.5 ⭐️’s
Eight years ago, Lucy’s young brother was killed in a flood while on a camp out when a dam burst in an unprecedented rain storm. Many in the town have still not recovered from that devastating flood, but Lucy has stayed strong throughout for her mother. When her stepbrother doesn’t show up for a very important high school game, panic sets in, especially when his car is found covered in blood! Located near where the dam burst, the search is on, but Martin isn’t the only one missing, an officer is also missing along with the sister of Lucy’s ex boyfriend. Is it possible that the dam incident is connected. Martin was questioning what really happened the day the dam burst and suspects his dad of wrong doing, especially after he benefited so much from building the new hydro electric plant. When all things point to Lucy’s ex, Neil, being involved, she doesn’t believe it for an instant, but as more and more evidence is presented, it’s hard not to doubt. As Lucy digs deeper, it becomes harder and harder to know who to trust, but if Neil didn’t kill Martin and Duece. who did? This was a very good YA book with a host of suspects and a well rounded plot. This book was equally entertaining as either a read or a listen. The narrator voiced Lucy perfectly! While everyone was searching for answers in the book, the perp was an easy spot for me, but didn’t take away from the overall story. Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an ARC and ALC of this book.

Last Girl Breathing is a mystery book that kept me gripped and guessing through the entire story.

Lucy lost her brother in a tragic accident when she was younger. Now present day during her senior year of high school her stepbrother goes missing and the search takes place in the same area where her younger brother died years prior.

Lucy knows that it can’t be a coincidence and she goes on a hunt for the truth. I loved Lucy’s investigation and all the people that helped her along the way. I really never felt I knew what was coming. I don’t think any of the twists were overly shocking but it was always fun to try and figure out.

There were so many tragic stories mixed up into one story with Last Girl Breathing and I definitely recommend it.

An enjoyable mystery thriller by Court Stevens follows Lucy as the past comes back to haunt her and her hometown. The story is broken up in parts with thankfully very few minor flashbacks. Most novels that have important past events tend to spend too much time in flashbacks which thankfully this book did well. The author also does a fantastic job showcasing grief and how characters coped with it.

Not only was the past and present shown super well in this book, each character was both likable in their own way. They all very very real and human, especially considering the events of the tragedies shared in the book. The only character who would irritate me was Lucy’s mom who was so emotionally dependent it seemed overbearing. For the most part though I liked all the characters, even Robert who I probably liked more than Lucy’s mom but just a smidge.

Lucy was a strong main character and I loved her duo with the private investigator. I wasn’t too shocked at the whodunit, I had a feeling part way through. I knew instantly I was right once (without spoiling) Lucy received something.

Some of the critiques I have is certain aspects didn’t make much sense. Astrid’s storyline seemed kind of out there for a story that seemed pretty realistic. That part and the reasoning behind why the killer did it after knowing who it is seemed kind of unbelievable. Also the part three time jump threw me off a bit as it skips a couple years. It threw me off a little bit. This was still an enjoyable read.

Whew, this book was heartbreaking...

Eight years ago, tragedy struck. Lucy Michaels’ life changed forever.
But under the surface of her small town lies a secret that could pull her under.
During a camping trip, the rain didn't let up causing the local dam to break..
Lives were lost. Including five-year-old Clay Michaels, who was swept away in the floodwater
Lucy, has never forgiven herself for her little brother’s death, She was supposed to protect him.
Now, her world is once again shaken when tragedy strikes Grand Junction.
Three of her closest friends are missing and presumed dead.
The more Lucy uncovers about the secrets of those around her, the more she realizes that she, too, is a target.

A stand-alone young adult thriller
Perfect for fans of We Were Liars and The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Thank you NetGalley for this Advanced Readers Copy of Last Girl Breathing!

Last Girl Breathing
By: Court Stevens
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Narrated by: McKenzie Fetters
Release date: 11-07-23

5 Stars! Court Stevens has done it again with a plot-twisting page turner. Lucy's lost a lot in her young life - her younger brother in a flood, her dad to divorce, now her friends due to murder. But who's the murderer? The narrator does an excellent job of keeping you on the edge of your seat.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I unfortunately got to 30% and had to stop listening. I couldn’t get into this book.

I enjoyed listening to the book and it kept me gripped. I just didn't like some of the relationships but I don't want to spoil it for people.

The narration did really suit the style of the book and it definitely worked and kept me interested and involved.

I was given an advance copy of the audio version by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

She lost her brother to flood waters And now her step brother is murdered. Someone in their group knows why but no one is telling. Good, quick listen. I didn’t expect the killer.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins Christian Publishing for an audio copy for an honest review.
This is my first Court Stevens novel, and it won't be my last. Thoroughly enjoyable and character driven, which is what I like.

When Lucy's stepbrother is killed, the investigation points to her ex-boyfriend. But did he really do it? This mystery was so good! I was hooked from the start of the book, finding it hard to stop. There were a few great twists thrown in and I found myself satisfied with the ending. This is my first book by this author but it won't be my last.