Her Last Breath

The two main characters are what make this book. Tess and Allie have been best friends since childhood - but they couldn't be more different. Allie is a confident, globe-trotting travel influencer, and Tess is a shy, claustrophobic legal assistant just trying to scrape by in law school. Tess actually grew up in an abusive home, and it was Allie's family who took her in- so there's weight and history to their friendship. You spend the whole book trying to figure out how you feel about both of them, and that tension is just as intriguing as the cave events that are happening.

And then there's Detective Layla Washington, who I loved. She's interviewing a hospitalized Tess about what happened underground-she's calm and sharp and acts like she is totally used to being underestimated. She is facing mandatory retirement, and noticing her colleagues keeping their distance. She is also sidelined during this very intense rescue operation. But in reality, she is grounded and has razor-sharp intuition, allowing her to untangle a web of lies.

The book alternates between the cave and the hospital bedside conversation, making you question what Tess isn't sharing. While a few of the scenes involving the boyfriend felt a bit forced to drive the plot forward, the core survival story is so relentlessly tense that it didn't slow the momentum at all. If you enjoy thrillers with complex, realistic characters instead of just people in danger, this one is worth reading.