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thebooknerdscorner 's review for:
One Last Breath
by Ginny Myers Sain
A thrilling mystery featuring two young girls who may have been destined to meet each other who will do anything to solve the murder that occurred in Mount Orange, Florida twenty years ago.
Mount Orange, Florida is known for its beautiful freshwater springs where divers spend much of their time basking in the peaceful waters. It is also known for the Hidden Glen murders that happened twenty years ago and ended with Bailey and Celeste dead in the water. Now, the entire town remains paranoid that the killer remains among them even after all this time. After the accident that led to her sister dying, Tru can't help but be obsessed with all the needless death that has occurred in her hometown. When a young girl named Rio mysteriously appears and demands to know more about Bailey and Celeste's deaths, Tru's life changes forever as she begins to learn the truth about what happened to the two girls. And how deeply involved she is in the case.
I've been wanting to read all of Myers Sain's books ever since I learned they existed, so I'm glad that I finally had the chance to pick one up. It was even better than I thought it was going to be! This is hands down one of the best thrillers that I have ever read; I know that the next time I'm looking for this kind of thrilling high, I will turn to another one of her books.
I felt a connection to Tru from the very first page. I may not be as addicted to death as she is, but I can certainly understand wanting to escape the mundanity of life and the uncertainty that comes with trying to figure out one's future plans. The fact that she is a free diver is something I've never read about in a book, which was pretty cool. She has lived through so much trauma, grief, and horrific events but she is still so strong and resilient; it's hard not to cheer her on.
There were many elements that I predicted about this book. Most of these incidents involved things appearing and disappearing at various times to add a super creepy scare factor. Despite predicting most of them happening, that didn't mean I knew exactly who was moving the things or how those things were going down.
As the book progressed, I was very suspicious of a few characters. Despite feeling pretty confident I knew who was behind certain things, Myers Sain did such an amazing job pulling all of the main characters into suspicion toward the end of the novel and I truly didn't know who to trust. I was convinced that some people would never hurt a fly, but that didn't make the fact that Tru and Rio were stranded in the middle of the woods with nothing to protect themselves but a baseball bat and a prayer any less horrifying to experience. Camping and stranded in the woods horror is so freaky, and I couldn't imagine putting myself in these girls' shoes. It was a tad difficult to fall asleep after reading this one; I'm so glad I didn't bring this one camping with me.
The magical realism aspects of this book play with the idea of reincarnation, destiny, and fated friendships. All of these topics are really neat, and I love thinking about them. Reading the author's note about this was very enlightening, too. I find the idea of there being certain people we are destined to meet to be very cool, and it would be amazing if the reason we connect with some people so deeply is because we knew them in another life. This definitely added a super mysterious and twisty element to this thriller, but I also love the authenticity that the author feels about this subject.
The thing I was most split about in this novel is the romance element. Tru's long time boyfriend, East, is literally the sweetest man in the entire world. I am a sucker for the childhood friends to lovers trope, so it broke my heart watching Tru grow away from him. On the other hand, when Tru is destined to be with Rio, it is so hard to want them to stay away from each other. I am still extremely conflicted about this love triangle, but I also want the best for Tru. That doesn't stop East from being my favorite character. He goes through so much strife throughout the course of this book, and my heart really goes out to him. And the fact he is so loyal to Tru through everything is so cute and honestly inspirational. Everyone deserves someone who will go to the lengths that East does for Tru. Even if it is platonically.
Overall, I was blown away by "One Last Breath." It is the perfect dose of wickedly twisted while also being so sweet and heartwarming. The murder mystery plot is enthralling, but the romance is also adorable. The whole fated meeting subtheme hits so hard and adds a magical element to this story that I just ate up. If you are a fan of thrillers with a hint of fantasy, I can't recommend this one enough! I am so excited to explore more of Myers Sain's work in the future; consider me a fan!