Last Girl Breathing
Court Stevens
I chose this book because it takes place in Grand Junction Kentucky. While the city of Grand Junction is fictional, I recognized the area the town is based on. The plot moves back and forth between present day and eight years previously.
The rain came and the dam broke. Lucy’s brother, Clay Michaels was swept away by the flood waters. She managed to save the lives of several boy scouts, but she couldn’t help Clay. She was only a child herself. It was later discovered the dam had been sabotaged.
Eight years later, Lucy is a senior in high school. She is an Olympic contender in the sharpshooter competition. Her stepbrother is missing, and everyone is searching for him when they discover a deputy, and a teenage girl are also missing. It looks as if Lucy’s former boyfriend, Neil, was guilty. He was arrested, tried, found guilty and sentenced to prison. Nothing would ever convince Lucy of his guilt. Lucy begins to investigate the murders.
As Lucy investigates, she discovers the past and present are linked.
This tale is told from Lucy’s point of view. I enjoyed the setting. I liked Lucy and Dana. I didn’t like her stepfather or her mother. Lucy is a strong character.

The narrator for this was absolutely phenomenal and it felt like Lucy herself was telling the story. I feel like this was a perfect fit! The story was extremely engaging and twisty, I didn’t figure out the ending until very close to the end. Will definitely be recommending to all readers. Solid thriller book for sure
My only complaint is that they state that Michigan City prison was a federal prison and it is in fact NOT a federal prison, it’s a state prison. Indianas federal prison is down in terre haute. Normal people wouldn’t understand this but I worked at the Michigan city prison for years so I caught it! WILD to see small town Indiana in a book!

3.5 rounded up.

This book was more than I anticipated! Not quite a thriller, I would classify it more as a drama/mystery. I felt like the characters and setting were really well fleshed out. I don’t have a great imagination but I could really get a sense for the people and places we were lead through.

The tragedy of losing such a young child felt so raw and heartbreaking. It was made so clear how drastically impacted the town was by the disaster. I loved how complicated several relationships became in the aftermath. There isn’t just one way to grieve and survive and I love the variation in how characters coped, whether they crumbled or became stone facades.

The mystery of the murders and how it tied into the dam break was quite captivating. I really had no ideas of who or what to suspect and enjoyed being able to discover things along with Lucy rather than feeling like I needed her to catch up to my ideas. The reveals all felt satisfying and believable and terribly disappointing on an interpersonal level.

There were a few moments that seems to drag and feel a bit repetitive but overall I really enjoyed this story - much more than I anticipated.

I read a book by this author last year and I really enjoyed it! I was happy to see she wrote another and was excited to be able to read it early.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Lucy Michael. She has had a rough family life since her youngest brother died in a tragic accident. No one has forgotten the dam broke and she can’t let go of the memory of her brother, especially her mother who she feels she has to protect. It’s sad that she had to step into the role of a parent for her own mother. She already didn’t have a father figure until she gained a stepdad. There is a lot that she deals with throughout the book on all fronts like the murder of her stepbrother. She couldn’t catch a break. Lucy is definitely a strong character and has the guts to face the truth no matter the cost.

I don’t think the other characters were as strong in development, but since this is a mystery/thriller I didn’t mind. I liked the investigator Danna (not sure how you spell it since I listened to the audiobook). She was very sweet and wanted to help Lucy in any way. She basically took her under her wing.

The cool thing about this book and the reason I connected to it so well is that I don’t live far from where this author grew up. She does use names of towns/cities that I go to and so it was easy to get swept into the story!

There is a lot that happens in the plot and it is split into three parts. I liked this way of telling the story because we get the aftermath of the murder investigation and what all of the characters were doing after everything settled. Obviously, some have skeletons in their closets that eventually come to haunt them. Small towns can never keep secrets for long. i didn’t guess who had done everything and the plot twists definitely left me in a shock!

My only complaint about the audiobook is that in the middle of it there was some weird breathing and I am assuming it was from the narrator. I thought it was my headphones but wasn’t. Hopefully this is looked at and fixed so other readers don’t have the same problem.

Overall, this was an enjoyable mystery! It wraps up well and gave me a nice break from my fantasty binge.

I need a few days to process this. It was SO much more than I expected.
Lucy is on her way to the Olympics. She is in love with a childhood friend and her mom is remarried to the richest guy in town.
Anyway, when L:ucy was young her brother drowned when the town dam broke in a record storm. Now her friends and stepbrother are missing. Bodies are found and she is stuck coping. Her boyfriend is convicted of the crime even though she knows he is innocent.
A lot happens and it comes down to some major eco crimes and a cover up.
It is so good and so so sad.
The narration was perfect.

The emotional punch this book packs was insane. I don’t know if it was my heightened emotional state at time of reading or what, but probably due to the intense writing. This book had me sobbing!

Eight years ago, Lucy lost her little brother. While her heroics were enough to save many others, she couldn’t save him and she lives with that pain. Now, when her stepbrother is missing in the same area that happened years ago.

Deaths and missing persons are shocking this small community and she cannot help but think it is all connected. When her ex-boyfriend is pinned for murder, Lucy knows she needs answers.

This book spans years of tireless effort, dark town secrets, greed and loss and each moment had me HOOKED. Lucy was so strong, never wavering and always pushing for the truth, even if she didn’t like the outcome. What a fantastic listen. I usually never dislike a narrator and can listen to anything, but this felt like the narrator truly helped bring this story to life!