I love Megan Miranda's writing! So, when I saw this one I knew that I was going to have to read this one! It was definitely one of the most anticipated reads of 2023!
A story of secrets of both past and present. A group of high school students go through an unimaginable event. A trip that would change the course of their lives and they still show up for each other later on in life.
The only thing that I did not like was that the beginning was sluggish but the last 1/3 of the novel made up for this sluggish with all the action and twist! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed her books before and if you have not read one of her books then you are definitely missing out!
Thank you S&S and Netgalley for the extraordinary opportunity to read and review this one!

I usually really enjoy Megan Miranda's books, but this one I could not finish. Maybe one day I will pick it up again and enjoy it, but unfortunately I was unable to get into it this go around.

Good story, slower until the last third. When it is much more action filled than first part.

Keeps you guessing!

A decade ago after a tragic accident involving two vans filled with high school seniors, the remaining survivors meet again to commemorate that terrible night. On the one year anniversary, one survivor commits suicide and this year another dies by overdose making the reunion even more tense. One by one, we flash back to each's remembrance of the night of the accident and their interactions in the present.
Each of Megan Miranda's books is better than the last and this is true for this one as well. Well written and enjoyable.

She is an amazing writer I also bought this hard copy after reading it I absolutely love her writing and this one did not disappoint!!

“In a room full of strangers, who do you save?” “The Only Survivors” is an atmospheric novel that had me curious and a little unsettled from the beginning. I’m also a complete sucker for a story set near the ocean (the Outer Banks-in this story), so I loved the way Megan Miranda drew upon the level of intrigue and foreboding that only the ocean can bring.

Reading this story reminded me of the way I felt while reading “Daisy Darker” by Alice Feeney and Lucy Foley’s “The Guest List” - atmospheric mystery, secretive characters, and instant questions as a reader for who to trust and how these characters are all connected.

I liked the repetition of “reasons to save” each character as the story progressed. It felt like a solid anchor while reading.
I recommend this story to those who love an atmospheric mystery.

I enjoy Megan Miranda's work and also love books about groups of people who bond over tragedy and who get together regularly. An enjoyable suspense novel!

Fantastic! I'm a longtime Megan Miranda fan, but they aren't always hits for me. This one was the perfect blend of trauma and intrigue. The characters had depth and I felt empathy for them. And, there was the added bonus of a tension filled romp to the finish line! Loved the way the story was told with the dual timeline of past and present, with the past being told in reverse order. So very clever and the perfect way to reveal the truth of what happened! Love it!

**Seven hours in the past. Seven days in the present. Seven survivors remain. Who would you save?

A decade ago, two vans filled with high school seniors on a school service trip crashed into a Tennessee ravine—a tragedy that claimed the lives of multiple classmates and teachers. The nine students who managed to escape the river that night were irrevocably changed. A year later, after one of the survivors dies by suicide on the anniversary of the crash, the rest of them make a pact: to come together each year to commemorate that terrible night. **

This book flips back between the now and the then which is the lead-up to the crash. Visiting each of the survivors and seeing their point of view.
It leaves you suspecting everyone! Who is guilty in this group of friends? The huge twist ay the end I didn't guess until it was revealed. A very well-thought-out plot and builds to the ending.

This was a pretty typical thriller about a group of people who survived a school trip 10 years ago. They remaining survivors agree to meet up on the Outer Banks to remember the accident. The pacing of this was a little slow for me, but it does pick up! I enjoyed the last half a lot.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and Marysue Rucci Books for my honest review.*

I will always read Megan Miranda novels!

Cassidy survived a tragedy in high school with several other classmates and they have become known as the survivors. And then one commits suicide on the first anniversary of the accident and the group starts having reunions every year to keep everyone.... accountable? Finally Cassidy tries to take back her life and not make this year's reunion. Then she gets a text that her closest ally in the group has OD'ed.

Miranda has a fantastic way with story telling. Slow burns and tidbits of knowledge throughout and it makes you question everyone and everything until the end.

I will always read Megan Miranda novels!

A decade ago, a fateful school trip turned into a tragic ordeal, leaving only nine survivors. Now, in the present day, these survivors gather at a beach house in the Outer Banks to commemorate the anniversary of that life-altering incident. Their relationships are fraught with tension and suspicion, each harboring their own hidden secrets from that ill-fated journey. However, the grim reality is that only seven survivors remain alive. The question looms large: who will be the next to meet their end?

The storyline falls within the conventions of the psychological thriller genre—familiar and well-trodden rather than groundbreaking. The pacing, at times, is unhurried and meandering, testing the reader's patience. The central character is Cassidy, a part-time event planner who struggles with familial connections and long-term commitments. She carries the weight of feeling invisible during her high school years, though her background remains largely enigmatic.

The narrative oscillates between the present and "Then." Cassidy exclusively narrates the present, while the "Then" segments are voiced by different survivors. The "Then" chapters provide a refreshing perspective that engages the reader. Perhaps the most captivating aspect of the book is its atmosphere. The author transports readers to the Outer Banks, masterfully mirroring the foreboding nature of an impending storm. The narrative evokes a sense of entrapment, danger, risk, and a looming sense of dread, making this element of the novel truly immersive.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While this book unfolds as a slow-burning psychological thriller, there are moments when the pacing feels excessively drawn out, and certain points are reiterated excessively. Despite these shortcomings, the overall reading experience is enjoyable.

Megan Miranda's latest novel keeps the reader on the edge of their seat! It is full of suspicious activity and allows the audience to be drawn into the paranoia, shifting blame from character to character.

Cassidy Bent survived a horrible bus accident in high school and is one of 9 survivors. After a fellow survivor committed suicide, the group decided to get together once a year to memorialize the event and keep tabs on each other. Now on the 10th anniversary of the crash, they are down to 7 survivors and everyone is keeping secrets. Told in two timelines, present day and the date of the crash, the real sequence of events comes to light from that fateful night on the river.

Thank you to Scribner Books, Mary Sue Ricci Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel. It is the perfect pick for readers who love thrills and suspense!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Ten years after a tragic school trip accident, the nine survivors are reunited at a beach house to commemorate the anniversary. They are all still struggling to cope with the trauma, but when one of them goes missing, the others are forced to confront their past and the guilt they've carried for the past ten years.

The story is told in a dual timeline, which gives us a deeper understanding of the accident, the characters, and the relationships between them.

The novel also explores some interesting themes, such as survivor's guilt, the power of secrets, and the importance of friendship.

Another great book by Megan Miranda! The Only Survivors is a very well-written and suspenseful novel that kept me guessing until the very end.
It’s a great book for fans of suspense and mystery.

Short and sweet review: Much like all of Megan Miranda's books, I loved this one! I thought the whole book was captivating, and interesting and it kept my attention the entire time. It was fast paced, atmospheric, and full of the trademark Miranda twists and turns I love!

I liked this book but I didn’t love it. It was interesting but it almost felt too long. It got very repetitive for me, especially because I knew what the plot twists were right from the beginning.

The Only Survivors is a story about a group of individuals who survived a tragic accident in high school. They have gathered once a year on the anniversary of the accident but this year strange occurrences have been going on. While this story had an unexpected ending, it was not my favorite Megan Miranda novel. I have been a big Miranda fan since All the Missing Girls and I enjoy the twisty nature of her novels. Unfortunately, The Only Survivors was slow and lacked the binge-ability I've come to enjoy from Megan Miranda. The duel timeline was confusing and difficult to follow. It appeared the Miranda was trying to be intentionally vague with details about the past but I feel like she was too vague. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and really caring about them as people. My love for Megan Miranda and the fact that her endings are almost always great, are really the only thing that kept me going to the end. Despite this book being a miss for me, I continue to look forward to her new books.

Megan Miranda has been so hit and miss for me over the years. Some of her books I devour in a day, others it takes me a month to finish her book and that's with me forcing myself to trek through it. I was so excited for this book, the setting and the premise sounded like something I would love and not be able to put down. Instead it took me forever to read this and multiple times I wanted to put the book down and call it quits. I didn't care for any of the characters so obviously anything that happened to them in the book didn't matter to me. The twists were okay but man this book felt slow for the parts that weren't twisty. Honestly I cared more about the past parts when they were at the crash scene than I cared about what was going on in current day.

I'm sure I'll still give any future books of hers a chance but I really hope the next one is better than this one.

*Many thanks to Scribner for the gifted copy for my honest review*

A fast paced thriller that is full of suspense and mystery. I could not put this one down. I was captivated from beginning to end. Great character detail! I couldn’t tell who to trust.