Name: Holly's review of One Last Breath by Ginny Myers Sain
Item: One Last Breath
Rating: 3.5
Author: Holly

Ginny Myers Sain

The New York Times bestselling author of Dark & Shallow Lies delivers another chilling supernatural thriller filled with murder, romance, and a decades long mystery that haunts a small Florida town. The perfect blend of Natasha Preston, Krystal Sutherland, and Delia Owens, with a paranormal twist. Mount Orange, Florida, is famous for two things: Cerulean freshwater springs, ideal for free divers who aren't afraid of lurking gators. And the gruesome cold case murder of best friends, Bailey and Celeste, twenty years ago. Bailey and Celeste's murders cast a permanent darkness over sunny Mount Orange. Tru has always lived in that shadow. Now she's supposed to head to FSU in the fall with her boyfriend, but those unsolved murders -- and the death of her own sister -- invade her every thought. It’s only in the shadowy deep of Hidden Glen Springs that she can breathe. When a strange girl named Rio rolls into town, hell-bent on figuring out who killed Bailey and Celeste, Tru can't resist entangling herself in the thrill of solving the decades old mystery any more than she can resist her familiar, aching attraction to Rio. As the summer heat ignites, so does the spark between Tru and Rio...along with their other-worldy connection to Bailey and Celeste. But when someone begins stalking them, the girls become convinced the killer is back in town. And if they keep digging into the past, Tru and Rio know this time, it could be their blood that makes the springs run red.

One Last Breath

Trulee (yes, you read that right) has been obsessed with the Hidden Glen killings since she can remember. The small town where two girls were killed and the killer never caught is also Tru's hometown, and the town where her sister died to boot. Enter Rio. Not the river, the girl. Everything about Trulee's life gets turned upside down, including her feelings and her understanding of the world at large.

I have read everything Ginny Myers Sain has put out. This one would likely have been my favorite if not for a couple of glaring issues. But let's start positive.

The plot is a slow burn, both in the romance and actually action parts, at some points it's too slow. I would argue that the ending is a little too fast and as a result, some details are fuzzy and confusing. The twists are GOOD though. I just wish they had maybe been spread a little bit more throughout the book. 

The characters. They fell a bit flat. Derry was probably the best, and she doesn't make much of an appearance. East is great as well, I need justice for my boy. Rio and Tru are nearly codependent, and they just met. Tru doesn't seem to do a lot of thinking for herself, she believes whoever she's around at the time. I won't go into too much because of spoilers, but the paranormal twist is super obvious early on, and honestly too many people believed it right off the bat with no pushback whatsoever. 

Now for my frustrations (no specifics but vaguely spoiler-y): there's emotional cheating in this book. I am staunchly anti-cheating in any form. I will say it does toe the line, but Tru pulls away from her longtime boyfriend and emotionally replaces him with another person before breaking up with him. Also, while the mysteries are "solved," it's unclear who killed Celeste and Bailey, because one second it's explicitly stated that person A did it, and the next, person A and person C are vouching for each other because they knew they would be suspects and that person B did it. The reveals at the end were great though!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!:)

Holly

Trulee (yes, you read that right) has been obsessed with the Hidden Glen killings since she can remember. The small town where two girls were killed and the killer never caught is also Tru's hometown, and the town where her sister died to boot. Enter Rio. Not the river, the girl. Everything about Trulee's life gets turned upside down, including her feelings and her understanding of the world at large.

I have read everything Ginny Myers Sain has put out. This one would likely have been my favorite if not for a couple of glaring issues. But let's start positive.

The plot is a slow burn, both in the romance and actually action parts, at some points it's too slow. I would argue that the ending is a little too fast and as a result, some details are fuzzy and confusing. The twists are GOOD though. I just wish they had maybe been spread a little bit more throughout the book. 

The characters. They fell a bit flat. Derry was probably the best, and she doesn't make much of an appearance. East is great as well, I need justice for my boy. Rio and Tru are nearly codependent, and they just met. Tru doesn't seem to do a lot of thinking for herself, she believes whoever she's around at the time. I won't go into too much because of spoilers, but the paranormal twist is super obvious early on, and honestly too many people believed it right off the bat with no pushback whatsoever. 

Now for my frustrations (no specifics but vaguely spoiler-y): there's emotional cheating in this book. I am staunchly anti-cheating in any form. I will say it does toe the line, but Tru pulls away from her longtime boyfriend and emotionally replaces him with another person before breaking up with him. Also, while the mysteries are "solved," it's unclear who killed Celeste and Bailey, because one second it's explicitly stated that person A did it, and the next, person A and person C are vouching for each other because they knew they would be suspects and that person B did it. The reveals at the end were great though!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!:)

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One Last Breath by Ginny Myers Sain

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