Cover Image: The Only Survivors

The Only Survivors

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Member Reviews

Could. Not. Put. This. Down.

Read this if you want to be up until 3am, hiding underneath your covers, questioning all of your life choices.

This book gave me major Yellowjackets meets Final Destination vibes.

I was guessing until the very end. The past timeline is done from varying POVs, offering several perspectives. I was simultaneously feeling like I was closing in on the truth, while also feeling thrown completely off the trail at every turn. Everything and everyone was under constant suspicion.

Anytime I read a thriller that is a page turner, I’m afraid to finish it. Keeping the reader hooked is not the same as delivering a deserving ending, and can often lead to disappointment. Of course, everyone has different opinions of what is disappointing/satisfying, but I was satisfied with the ending of this book.

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When a group of friends reunited each year, it's for support for an awful tragedy they can't seem to forget. But who can you really trust? Megan Miranda never disappoints!

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A well paced thriller set during two different time periods and multiple perspectives. Megan knows how to write a good mystery than keeps the reader guessing. I enjoyed the couple twists that the story had to offer

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I feel like all of Megan Miranda's books are the same. The title is interesting, the summary hooks you, and then the actual story is a dud. In this book, the characters have no redeeming qualities and are flat. The big secret is a letdown and the climax was obvious half way through. It was awkward and my time would've been better spent with another book.

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“The Only Survivors” grabs your attention as Megan Miranda expertly builds tension and suspension. The author of “All the Missing Girls” and “The Last to Vanish” continues to excel at creating fast-paced stories with plenty of unexpected twists and turns without sacrificing character development.

The nine survivors of a school trip reunite every anniversary in the Outer Banks to remember what they have lost. Each survivor has his/her own ghosts. No one can trust anyone; the fear heightened is as the number of survivors start to dwindle to seven. Yet, were those deaths suicide, accidental or intentional?

The narrator of the story is Cassidy, but the story switches from her in the present to the various survivors in the past. Though we spend a lot of time in Cassidy’s mind, I feel as if I didn’t know her very well. While the tension in this story is high, I did feel as if parts were predictable. I don’t always want to be right in what I guess might happen. I did like the dynamics—and dysfunction—between the survivors. I also liked the setting in a beach house of what could be an idyllic spot if it weren’t for the situation these individuals were in. Overall, I found this an enjoyable read.

Three and a half stars.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and Megan Miranda for my advanced copy.

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I’ll read anything written by Miranda so I was so excited to receive a ARC. Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Miranda, and the publisher for the opportunity.

This was a thrilling ride about a group of friends connected by a tragic past. Cassidy, the main character, narrates in the present tense while “Then” chapters are narrated by the other survivors of the tragedy/crash. I enjoyed the dual parts and the build up over time of the story which increased the suspense.

Megan Miranda does a fantastic job of painting the scenes so that you feel like you are vividly seeing them play out in your head.

If you are looking for a good mystery/ thriller I would definitely recommend this book!

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A thriller that left me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. A tight knit group of people comes together each year on the anniversary of a tragic accident that killed many of their classmates. Even though there were many characters involved, I felt like I got to know each one and learned who I liked and trusted and who I did not. I didn’t expect the big revelation at the end, which was a complete shock to me. I also really loved the structure of the book. Told between “then” and “now,” the “now” is told by the main character, Cassidy, while the “then” rotates between each character in the group. I would definitely recommend this books to thriller seekers and lovers of Megan Miranda!

Publication Date: April 11, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This was a real page-turner about a group of friends with a secret they've kept for 10 years that kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing right up to the end. I enjoyed how Megan Miranda slowly reveals, through flashbacks, what happened that fateful day 10 years prior through the viewpoint of each of the nine friends. Highly recommend.

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10 years ago a high school trip turned to tragedy leaving many dead but 9 survivors. A year after the accident, one of the survivors takes their own life. The 8 remaining decide to make an agreement to get together every year at a beach house in the Outer Banks to remember the accident and watch out for each other. Cassidy Bent, one of the 8, decides maybe she will skip this year but at the last minute receives a text that includes an obituary of another of the group who has died. Feeling obligated and very suspicious of this sudden loss, she finds herself once again making the trip to the beach house to get some answers. Switching back and forth from the present to the day of the accident, the story unfolds and brings all of the tragedy, grief and unanswered questions forward. This was a fast paced novel that kept me guessing and had quite an unforeseen twist and ending. I gave this novel a solid 5 stars.

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What a wild ride! The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda is a fantastic thriller about a group of people who survived an accident 10 years before. This twisty suspense filled book was impossible to put down! I loved the past flashbacks as we watch each of the character's secrets unfold. 4 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Megan Miranda’s newest thriller is a twisty delight. If you enjoy dual timelines, multiple POVs, and twists galore in your thriller, then this is for you!

3.5 stars (round up to 4)—the beginning was slower paced and there are many characters, which was a little confusing at first. However, I was drawn into the mystery and thought the ending was very satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

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January is for reading....

I'm a beach kid, always have been, always will be. So as the winter sneaks upon me, going outside is the LAST thing I want to do. I use these cold months to binge read books. If I am not reading a book, I am listening to a book. This has been the only way I have managed to survive these cold and dreary months until the sun begins to burn my skin.

I had really really wanted to be chosen to be an early reader for Megan Miranda's, The Only Survivors. It was a long shot, as I am fully aware this is an extremely sought after book as well as an in demand author. This of course, is all rightfully so. Megan Miranda deserves every ounce of fortune and success headed her way.

Miranda has a way of keeping me on my toes. Her storyline is always well thought out, the characters engaging and realistic and the best part? The twist. You will never figure out the twist before she exposes it to you. The Only Survivors is no different.

I know before even starting a Megan Miranda book that there is no way I will be disappointed. I have read them all. From All The Missing Girls to The Last To Vanish. I can rattle off moments in each one of her books from memory. I read quite often so remembering details isn't always my strong suit but Miranda has a way to make her words linger through your soul for months, even years after concluding one of her books.

The Only Survivors is going to be a fan favorite amongst readers. I know we are very early into this year but I can say without one doubt in my mind that this book will be one of my favorites this year.

I want to give a big thank you to Megan Miranda, Scribner, and Netgalley for allowing me to be a part of the success of this book. It was one of the highest honors

Teaser :

Seven hours in the past. Seven days in the present. Seven survivors remaining. 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.

To keep one another safe.
To hold one another accountable.
Or both.

Their annual meeting place, a house on the Outer Banks, has long been a refuge. But by the tenth anniversary, Cassidy Bent has worked to distance herself from the tragedy, and from the other survivors. She’s changed her mobile number. She’s blocked the others’ email addresses. This year, she is determined to finally break ties once and for all. But on the day of the reunion, she receives a text with an obituary attached: another survivor is gone. Now they are seven—and Cassidy finds herself hurling back toward the group, wild with grief—and suspicion.

Almost immediately, something feels off this year. Cassidy is the first to notice when Amaya, annual organizer, slips away, overwhelmed. This wouldn’t raise alarm except for the impending storm. Suddenly, they’re facing the threat of closed roads and surging waters…again. Then Amaya stops responding to her phone. After all they’ve been through, she wouldn’t willfully make them worry. Would she?

And—as they promised long ago—each survivor will do whatever he or she can do to save one another. Won’t they?

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Absolutely INCREDIBLE. I read so many of these books I was convinced that I had the plot twist figured out, but Megan continues to amaze as she caught me off guard yet again.
100% recommend this to everyone who likes a mystery/thriller novel.

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A group of teens who had been on a school trip are involved in a horrible accident. Only nine survived. They made a pact to meet up each year on the anniversary of the accident. The story had two time lines: Now which is ten years after the accident is told strictly from the point of view Cassidy one of the survivors and Then at the time of the accident is told from different perspectives of the nine survivors.

This story moves so slowly and because there were multiple narrators I had a difficult time keeping track of what happened. It wasn’t until 80% way through the story that I even begun to understand what had happened the night of the accident. I found I had to go back and reread parts a couple of times to keep track of what had happened. In the end, I did not see the major twist coming which is always a plus with thrillers.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for my honest review.

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Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Miranda, and Scribner for this ARC!

This was a thrilling ride about a group of friends connected by a tragic past. Cassidy, the main character, is one of the "Only Survivors" who survived a terrible crash and environmental disaster while in high school. Cassidy, along with the other survivors, meet every year at the beach.

The chapters told in the present are narrated by Cassidy, and the "Then" chapters (which is how they are labeled in the book) are narrated by the various other survivors. I think I enjoyed the "Then" chapters the most, because it broke up the narration from Cassidy and added more to the story, in my opinion. I also liked how the story of the crash was told in pieces throughout the book, which helped to build up more suspense for me.

While I thought this was a great book, and I enjoyed the ending and the twists that I did not anticipate, I will say it was a little hard for me to personally follow along with the many characters. I don't find this to be a fault of the author--it's more of a personal preference. I will say, the development of the characters was superb!

Perhaps my favorite part of the book was the way the author, Megan Miranda, painted the scenes perfectly. I could vividly watch everything play out in my head by reading her amazingly descriptive text.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great mystery/thriller! 3.5 stars!

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Every year, I am OBSESSED when the new Megan Miranda book gets released, so when I was able to get my hands on a copy early, I was over the moon. With all the murders and accidents lately, my mind always goes back to the survivors, and the guilt they must feel. Miranda’s new novel, The Only Survivors, is based off just that.
This fast-past thriller is about a group of former high school students that survived a tragic accident together ten years ago. After two of their group members lost their life to suicide, they now get together every year on the anniversary of the accident, to check in on each other. This year they are suspicious that one of their own is talking to the press, and that the true story of what happened that night will come to light….
I always get suck in to Megan Miranda books with her fast-past writing and her unexpected twists and turns. This book was exactly that, with me finishing it in two days! The story takes place now in the present time, with some chapters focusing on the past of each survivor. With both perspectives, you start to piece together what really happened that night, and the unexpected events that follow. This takes place in the Outer Banks, so I can not wait to read it again on the beach this summer. The only difficultly I had reading this was there were many characters, so a little hard to keep them straight at some points.
Miranda does it again with 5 stars! Everyone go grab a copy of The Only Survivors on April 11th!

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I absolutely love Megan Miranda, and she knocked it out of the park with this one! I was on my toes until the very end!

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Megan Miranda always has some nice twists thrown in, and this book kept me on my toes to start. The multiple characters, the multiple narratives, the multiple timelines. It was a lot to digest, but after fighting through the first few chapters, I was committed

I can't necessarily say that I liked any of the characters, but the changes in each one over the two timelines were believable and on brand. Limited red herrings, so I figured out the anti-hero just after the halfway point, but I still enjoyed the story and would recommend it.

Overall: 4/5 stars

I'll tell my students about: language, sex, trauma, mental health issues, murder, physical violence, stalking, alcohol

**Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for the free ARC prior to publication. All opinions expressed are my own.**

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I really enjoyed the dual-timeline nature of this book. The way the chapters in the past were told was quite ingenious, moving from the conclusion of the accident, to the beginning of the trip. The outcome was never in doubt, but you knew from the start that the story was in how everyone got to this point. The impending storm makes for a tight, atmospheric feel to the book - I've never been to The Outer Banks, but I feel like I have, based on the evocative descriptions. Definitely a title that I will recommend to fans of Mary Kubica, Ruth Ware, or Rachel Hawkins.

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This novel didn't hold my attention like her previous obesity. Students in college are in a horrible car accident and come together every summer at the Outer Banks to grieve and mourn. Yet, fewer seem to arrive each time. An interesting twist to reach unpredictable conclusion.

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