Book Review: Last One Out by Steph Nelson

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“When your life is full of trauma, you have to find ways to come to the surface for air. You can’t live in those deep dark waters of fear, sadness, and shame every moment of every day or you’ll drown.”

📚

It’s August 1999, and Chloe Webster and her two best friends secretly trek out to isolated Idaho hot springs for a midnight soak: a bit of fun and a precursor to their much-anticipated senior year of high school. But after her friends are brutally murdered and Chloe vanishes, everyone presumes her dead except for her devoted cousin, Frankie, who holds onto hope and keeps her memory alive through an annual memorial event.

But when Chloe unexpectedly reappears at said event 25 years after her disappearance claiming no recollection of that fateful night or her life prior, Frankie is both elated and confused. And what of the cryptic messages Frankie receives alleging that Chloe’s hiding something? Frankie needs and wants answers, but what cost will she pay for uncovering the truth?

Last One Out is a harrowing and immersive thriller that gradually unfolds via alternating timelines and points of view. It’s a brutal, binge-worthy reading experience rife with terror and horror, bravery and sacrifice, suffering and endurance, trust and betrayal — a heartbreaking account of victims and survivors, masks and true faces, and of evil and the unrelenting fight for survival amid nightmarish situations.

Narrative tension and mystery coupled with rich atmosphere, creepy settings, and short chapters keep pages turning, while moments of levity offset the darkness, producing a compelling story where everyone is suspicious, genuine bonds are few, and truth reveals itself as both gift and curse.

A huge thank you to Steph Nelson for sharing a copy of this recent release, which was published on May 1st by Ticking Clock Press. As with all of Steph’s novels, it was a thrilling and unputdownable ride!

🖤Amanda

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