I will not be providing feedback on this book for I had not the opportunity to read it before it got archived! However, I am still interested in reading this book and I’m hoping to review it in the future on my social media platforms!

This murder mystery kept me reading to the end due to its twists and turns. Everyone is a suspect and the lies are abundant. Who is telling the truth? Definitely one we will choose for the library. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Last One to Fall is one of those mystery books where you know part of the main mystery right off the bat, in this case, you know that one person out of a group of people has fallen to their death, but then you go back through the last several months to find out more about the people involved and then, eventually, who was the victim.

Overall, The Last One to Fall, worked. I thought the characters were decently written and that the mystery and how it all fell together was nicely done. The way it was laid out, with the texts and reports and what not, made this book an easy and quick read.

But even with all that I didn't exactly love the book. It just felt kind of basic and didn't do anything especially new for the genre. It was fine and I think teens would love it but I just didn't think it was anything special.

This is an enjoyable but average YA mystery/thriller.Those that are a fan this genre will enjoy it this book.It was fine but Nothing new.I am lukewarm towards the books it’s compared to but they are accurate.

There was a lot going on. I liked the setting of small coastal town and abandoned warehouse. I felt like I couldn't believe anyone. The ending was a surprise they seemed like the one least likely to do it. Everyone had a motive

This book has many strengths but it is not my personal taste. As soon as I started reading it, I felt like I was reading one of those books that the English teacher chooses because of its vocabulary and its usefulness for state tests. It is still interesting, and if I was forced to read it I would thoroughly enjoy it, but I can't imagine picking this up on my own as a teen and reading past the first paragraph.

This book has us off balance at all times. It spends the bulk of the plot showing us why these characters are awful and why they might have motivation to kill. It's a bit unfocused and leans too heavily on certain evidence.

fast paced thriller that i couldn't put down

thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the copy for review

This was a solid YA mystery told in alternating POVs (I know some aren’t a fan of that, but I think it worked here). It had several nice twists in it that threw me a bit, so that was fun. My only real complaint is that there was a bit of a slow start, but it does pick up a bit before the halfway point and is great from there!

Book Summary:

Savana Caruso and Jesse Melo are the type of friends that can talk about anything. They're also the type that can summon one another at a moment's notice. So it wasn't strange for Savana to come running in response to Jesse's text.

Unfortunately, everything that followed was exceptionally strange. And dangerous. As the witness to a murder, Savana and five other teens all feel like they have something to prove. Admittedly, this is partially self-defense, as they are currently the only suspects.

My Review:

If you're looking for a YA mystery/thriller full of teenage protagonists, The Last One to Fall is the book for you! This was a twisty and fun read, with way more surprises than I had expected (obviously, they wouldn't have been surprises otherwise!).

The characters were probably my favorite part of The Last One to Fall, though the overall plot comes in at a close second. It was easy to stay invested in this story, as there was always some new twist or turn to wait around the bend.

While The Last One to Fall does focus on teens, it does deal with some heavier subjects. Readers can expect bullying, domestic violence, alcoholism (parents), and mental health concerns.

Highlights:
YA Mystery
Teenage Sleuths
LGBTQ+

Trigger Warnings:
Murder

The Last One to Fall is a YA msytery involving a night that ends in a death and possibly the wrong person being charged with murder. Savana was a witness to the fall and is sure her friend Jesse is innocent. Can she figure out what really happened that night before it's too late?

I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was a solid mystery and I didn't figure out the ending ahead of time. It was a little slow to start, but it picks up about a third of the way through. The multiple perspectives worked well here. The information you need to know is laid out in a way to really keep what happened that night a true msytery until the end of the book. The characters were interesting and not annoying teens. I do recommend this one to any lover of YA mysteries.

2.5-3 stars, very torn

Felt a little Deja vu reading this because it slightly felt like rereading her first book.
Listen, I read a lot of authors who do the same thing in every book and some I love, but this wasn't it.
I also had the same problem with this book as I did with her first book, aka the whiplash - the speed that it would switch between 'it was her, no him, no her..." It gets irritating and causes me to skeem read inside of staying invested.

However, I did enjoy the messiness and corrupt justice in the story. Stories like that are what I love, and I feel like with more tweaking or changes, this would have been perfect for that need I have.

Savana and Jesse have been friends and neighbours since they were kids. One night, Jesse texts Savana, asking her to meet at the abandoned Cray’s Warehouse, and she goes without hesitation. However, when she arrives, she sees someone fall out of a high window of the warehouse. Now, Jesse, Savana, and four of their friends are suspects in a murder investigation. Told through the before and after events of the murder, this thriller will keep you guessing until the end.

I was immediately drawn into this story. It had short chapters which made it a fast read. It started with a bang, with someone being pushed out a window, and the tension didn’t slow. Each of the suspects had motives and secrets, which made it believable that they could be the murderer. Most of them were also unreliable, telling small lies, which made me question if they were telling the truth about that night. The ending was a surprise since I couldn’t figure out who the murderer was, but it made sense with all the clues.

The Last One to Fall is a thrilling new young adult novel!

Thank you Gabriella Lepore for sending me a physical copy!

Content warnings: murder, extramarital affair, bullying, alcoholism, domestic violence (off page)

The Last One to Fall is a fast paced, YA thriller that really does keep you guessing. I enjoyed the fact that the victim isn’t revealed until later in the book, it was done well, and I didn’t figure out who it was going to be.

Savana gets a text from her friend Jesse to meet at the abandoned warehouse but when she gets there, she finds someone dead and there are 5 people who could have done it. Everyone is suspicious of each other, and everyone has their reasons to want this person dead.

To me, the characters motivations and actions seemed a little silly at times and there was a lot of “ride or die” mentality that kind of took me out of the mystery. There were elements of darker subject matter like addiction, familial pressures and abuse but those issues sometimes felt shoehorned in to make the teenagers lives more complicated for the sake of the story. There was a lot of jumps in logic to connect the plot and I found the MCs reasoning half brained sometimes.

This was an OK read, it was a very quick but ultimately had a lot of flaws for me to really enjoy it.

Good story about friendship and loyalty and murder. Savanna answers a message to meet her friend Jesse at an abandoned warehouse that teens have been using as a hangout. When she gets there she sees a body falling from a top window but she doesn't know who it is. The story is told from several viewpoints. Sananna is afraid Jesse refuses to believe her friend is responsible so she and Jessie try to clear him. A very nice twist at the end. Recommend this for YAs who like mysteries. I received this as an arc from Netgalley and was not pressured for a positive review.

This was a pretty solid mystery. I can definitely see the improvement in Lepore's writing from her last book. I liked the characters more, the dialogue was less awkward, and the conclusion of the mystery (although personally I thought it was pretty obvious) made much more sense. I think this book handled all its topics really well, and the mystery was really engaging. Even though I was pretty sure who the killer was for the majority of the book, there were still enough mysterious things and lies that I really wanted to get to the end. I wanted to see the full picture, and I thought it came together nicely.

A captivating teenage drama with a twist of murder. Five teens are suspects in a murder of one of the most popular boys in school. This will grab you and keep you wanting to read until you get to the last page. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This was a teen "who done it" murder mystery. You know someone is going to die, but not who the victim is, the killer or the story of what really happened. There is a full cast of characters (many liars) and a lot of points of view to keep you guessing. The chapters mix flashbacks with chapters from the current timeline. My favorite storyline was the parts with the growing relationship between Jesse and Savana. I didn't really connect with the rest of the cast and honestly wasn't too invested in the path leading up to the grand reveal.

3.5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The Last One to Fall is the second novel I have read from Gabriella Lepore. I read This Is Why We Lie in 2021 and had a lot of fun with it. When I heard Lepore was releasing another YA Mystery-Thriller this year, I was excited to get to it.

This story is set in a small coastal town and it follows six friends after one of them plunges from a warehouse building to their death. At the very beginning of the story, you know someone has died, but nothing about the incident is clear, not even who the victim is, or if foul play was involved.

Through a couple of different perspectives, as well as some great mixed media usage, the night of the fatal incident is slowly pieced together, until the truth is revealed. I had fun with this. It's a good, solid story, full of drama, back-stabbing, secrets and lies. Frankly, we live for that.

I did struggle with my rating. I decided on a 3.5, because I didn't enjoy it quite as much as This is Why We Lie, which I rated 3.5-stars and rounded up to 4. I think that's fair. I feel like, for me, this narrative was a bit of an uneven experience.

My level of commitment to the story got stronger in the second half. The beginning was slow-going and it also had some parental drama effecting the kids and their friendships. I'm not down for that IRL, or on the page.

With this being said, there is quite a bit of family drama, which I do enjoy. Stuff does go down in families, with many barely holding it together. I get it. It's when parents choose romance, flings, drugs, etc., over their kids well-being that starts to ruffle my feathers.

That is a tiny part of this novel though, I am just using it as an example of why I didn't enjoy this quite as much. Also, I did find the first half, the relationship dynamics, a little difficult to follow.

In the later part of the novel though, once I had more of a handle of who everyone was and what their role was in the friendship group, I couldn't put it down. I needed answers. I had no clue what the truth was and it did surprise me.

I did really enjoy the mixed media aspect of this as well. I felt like it added intrigue to the story, as each time it was used it left me with more questions than answers.

Overall, I had fun reading this one. While it probably won't stick in my mind as a new favorite for 2023, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a solid YA Mystery-Thriller.

Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a great time trying to figure this one out and will definitely pick up whatever Lepore writes next!

This YA suspense/mystery description intrigued me – one dead body, five suspects. Finishing it in two sittings didn’t cross my mind. But that’s what happened.

The story starts off with one of the MCs, Savana, witnessing someone fall from the window of a warehouse. She immediately calls 911 and says it was her friend. But until the middle of the book, it’s unclear exactly who it was. Novels that use this technique are among my favs – I absolutely need to know how these characters get from point A to point B.

The remainder of the story alternates POV between Jesse and Savana. Both characters are easy to like, and my heart went out to Jesse with his difficult family situation (alcoholic father and mother who abandons them). The timeline also alternates in the first half of the book between prior to the murder and the days after, with police interviews with the suspects interspersed throughout. The second half is everything that happens after the murder. All of these suspects have motives ranging from a pretty darn good reason to you’ve annoyed me one too many times and these are the consequences. I suspected almost everyone at some point. Throw in lies upon lies and covering for other people, not to mention the unexpected twists, and you’ve got a mystery that keeps you guessing.

I have to admit that when the identity of the killer is revealed, the motives comes a little out of left field, but it’s something that’s mentioned earlier in the novel. Pay attention.

I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy suspense/mysteries that keep you guessing with a long list of suspects.

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