As fast paced as the river they survived, this is a multi layered plot as twisty as that very river!
Told in different parts, the days the group are at the annual retreat to The Shallows, a rented house they all make a pilgrimage to each year for the anniversary of the fatal crash, as well as taking us back to ‘Then’ from each of the survivors points of view this is a multilayered story about how each person deals with the aftermath of the crash, and for some, survivors guilt.
There were nine survivors, Amaya, Clara, Grace, Oliver, Joshua, Ian, Hollis, Brody and Cassidy, but after two of the original group take their own lives, it is just the remaining seven that make the trip this year.
The recent loss of Ian is felt by all, especially Cassidy, so right from the first day something felt off about the house and a quite unease surrounds them all.
As a storm approaches from outside they once again find themselves held captive by the elements, trapped in by rain, whilst inside another kind of storm is brewing.
With frequent hints about secrets and lies, stemming from then and now, the plot forges along at the same rate as the river did back then, sweeping them all along with it.
It accumulates with an unforeseen plot twist and an ending as equally unexpected.
This is the first book I have read by Megan Miranda and after reading this book she will definitely be an author I keep am eye out for in the future!
The Only Survivors is due for publication on the 11 April 2023 in the UK and is available to preorder now from your local bookshops, library or the link below.

I just reviewed The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda. #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Schribner for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published April 11, 2023.

This is my fifth book by this author. The premise sounded good: a group of friends reunite every year on the anniversary of a deadly crash. They share secrets. They made a pact. But someone is lying.

At times the book was super suspenseful but other times I felt like it dragged on a bit. It alternates between present and past. The ending did have some good twists!

I enjoyed this book by Megan Miranda…it was a slow burn thriller and unique. I loved all the secrets and crazy connections weaving throughout the story. Thank you!

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Megan Miranda for allowing me an ARC of The Only Survivors! I’ve noticed with a lot of Megan’s books they are slow burns - so this one definitely meets that criteria. This probably is my favorite one of all of hers - I did enjoy the twist and the ending, but it wasn’t edge of my seat thrilling. The main character Cassidy, was about average and sometimes would talk about stuff that happened but you weren’t sure exactly what she was implying to. But overall - still a great novel!

Cassidy Bent is one of nine survivors of an unfathomable tragedy that occurred on their way home from a high school service trip. Ten years have passed, and Cassidy is ready to move on with her life. She's changed her cell number and blocked the other survivor's emails. But a random text containing tragic news pulls her back to the tenth reunion of those who survived that fateful night and sends the reader down a slow burning path of a tale riddled with danger and suspicion.

Though there are many characters to follow throughout this story, they are all distinguishable and memorable. It was easy to fall into the story of their lives and to legitimately care about what had happened to them (as well as fear what would happen to them as the story progressed). Both the current day reunion timeline and the numerous flashbacks told by various characters were rich in imagery and setting. It was easy to picture the story unfolding both at the shore house and along the winding riverbanks.

Though the story did seem a slight bit too slow moving at times, the last few chapters left me clutching my Kindle late into the night. I sensed one of the plot twists coming...the other left me slack jawed. Overall, this is a well-constructed thriller, and the last few chapters are sure to keep many readers on the edge of their seats.

*A special thanks to Netgalley and Scribner/S&S Marysue Rucci Books for an advanced readers copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*

The Only Survivors is another outstanding book by Megan Miranda. She has become one of my favorite authors and her books are must reads. The Only Survivors refer to a group of students who survived a horrific accident involving 2 vans. The survivors meet every year on the anniversary of the crash. When the book starts, Cassidy has decided that she is not going to meet the other survivors that year and then she received some upsetting information that survivor Ian had recently killed himself. Miranda did a great job building that tension and the suspense. We slowly learned what happened the day of the accident. We also the survivors realize that they don’t know who they can trust. There was quite the plot twist at the end.

I think I have to come to terms with the fact that Megan Miranda just isn’t for me. I’ve allegedly read 3 books from her previously (according to Goodreads), and yet I somehow don’t remember any of them. This one will be no exception. While I thought the premise and eventual outcome was intriguing enough to keep me reading and the writing was pretty good, I for some reason had a hard time following the story and what was happening both in the present and the past. I didn’t feel like I knew any of the characters very well, not even our narrator, and they all felt kind of the same. The beginning was interesting, the middle was slow, and the ending picked up a bit. Overall, this wasn’t the thriller for me and I don’t think I’ll be picking up anything from Megan Miranda again. She’s not for me, unfortunately.

A decade ago, tragedy struck a group of volunteers traveling through Tennessee. In a monstrous storm, two busses filled with high school students careened off the windy road and into the flowing ravine below. Nine students managed to survive the accident, fighting for their lives and coming out alive. All of the students had different reasons for being on the trip, different versions of their story of the accident, and different ways of coping afterward.

Every year following the accident, the surviving students reunite at The Shallows, a beach-front property where their secrets and trauma mingle for a week in remembrance. But now, only seven remain. And on the tenth anniversary, when one more survivor slips away, the rest can’t help but become suspicious of one another. Is the pact they made all those years ago still intact, or had someone started to spill the secrets about that night?

This story focuses on Cassidy, one of the survivors, and her present time as she reunites with the fellow survivors, but flashes back to each survivors memory of the crash. Like the other characters, you grow suspicious of everyone - they all seem like they have more secrets than we are being told. Megan Miranda is a thriller queen. Her writing always has my had my heart pumping, leaving me with an uneasy feeling the whole time I read.

I enjoy Megan Miranda's books I think I have read almost all of them. I think this one was my favorite because of the ending... I love a book I can't put down until I've finished, even if it means I wake up early before work to read it, and stay up late to read it such a page-turner. I love it when I don't figure out the end and this one definitely was one I didn't figure out. I would like to reread it just to see all the clues I missed. I highly recommend it.

A mystery about a group of former classmates who reunite to mark the tenth anniversary of a tragic accident—only to have one of the survivors disappear, casting fear and suspicion on the original tragedy.

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

Megan Miranda does it again! She is a master of suspense thrillers. As Miranda invites the reader to relive the events that led to only nine survivors and how things have unfolded over the last ten years, she keeps the reader guessing with unexpected twists and turns up until the very end. A long time fan of Megan Miranda, The Only Survivors is my new favorite! Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

I received a free copy from NetGalley. What happened to this group of kids years ago that they still feel the need to lie and get together every year to deal with it? And yes, sometimes they really are out to get you. But how they went about it was kind of interesting. The final twist was super sad and made me think different of main character.

I was surprised by how much I really liked this book! For some reason, Megan Miranda's books are kinda wishy-washy for me. I have to say that the ending of this book BLEW ME AWAY! I was not expecting it to resolve in the way that it did and I really loved it for that reason alone. This book, as they say on TikTok.: "10 outta 10!".

A decade after a high school community service trip to Tennessee ended in multiple fatalities, the surviving members of that group are still gathering yearly. The question is are they meeting to support one another or is there an ulterior motive to these annual reunions? Cassidy Bent, an outlier volunteer as a teen, who had only tenuous connections to her classmates prior to their fateful trip, is our narrator as we navigate the current state of the survivors and travel back in time to the day of the accident. Even with a blackout and a severe storm that causes flashback-inducing road flooding, the overall tone seems less thrilling and more like an ineffective therapy session.

This was fun - I picked it up because I've been on something of a mystery/thriller kick of late and this definitely scratched that itch. I also grew up near the Outer Banks, where the book is set, and it's always fun to read about a setting you know. There were plenty of twists and turns - some I saw coming, some I didn't. The characters and situation felt probable and the unspooling of the duel connected mysteries was fun to read. There were even a few scenes that got my heart racing and I read the book in a few days. I definitely didn't call the identity of the main antagonist (ok, I sort of did, but I can't explain without massive spoilers). Anyway, so recommend to fans of the genre or folks in the need of something to read on the beach (it's truly the perfect beach/airplane read). FWIW I would binge the heck out of this as a streaming mini-series. 3 stars - I liked it!

I always enjoy Megan Miranda's thrillers and this one did not disappoint. A group of students survive a terrible bus crash that takes the lives of several peers and teachers. Years later they continue to meet each year on the anniversary but it becomes clear that these are not warm reunions. As tragedies befall members of the group, the remaining survivors must figure out who is trying to uncover their secrets and make them pay for the past. This book switches between the current reunion weekend, set during a huge coastal storm, and the details of what happened during the accident. It's clear there is more to the story and it unfolds slowly. I found the plot a bit of a slow burn but I was interesting in finding out how the story would wrap up. I can't wait to see what Megan Miranda writes next. Thanks to Megan MIranda, Scribner, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Only Survivors started strong. The layout of this book was great, jumping timelines from the accident and present day with each character telling his or her perspective of events of that night. That night was a car crash that killed two teachers and several students on a high school trip. The survivors now meet up on the anniversary to remember those who died, but of course no one can be trusted.
I really enjoyed the premise of the book but the twist fell a little flat for me. I think there is a balance between something shocking and something that is flat out unbelievable, and this leaned a little toward the latter for me. All in all, The Only Survivors is a solid thriller, but not my favorite Megan Miranda novel.

I went through a serious Megan Miranda phase around 2018 and then I kind of forgot about her, so when I saw this arc was available, I HAD to request it.
I have to say, I didn’t *love* it like I loved All The Missing Girls, but it was still good. Some of the twists seemed really predictable while others were unexpected. Basically every character in this one was unlikeable for me and though their bond was forged through the trauma of the bus accident, they all should have quietly separated from themselves to save all the trouble. This book gave Yellowjacket vibes from the TV series and I thought the flashbacks to the tragedy and the students’ time in the woods 10 years prior were well-written and tough and real.
It’s a good “closed circle mystery.” The house Outer Banks and their weeks together felt creepy, so the whole energy was good, but overall just kind of unnecessary and I wanted to shake them all. I’d recommend for thriller fans and Miranda fans and now I wan to read some of my backlist Miranda sitting on my shelf.

I really enjoyed Megan Miranda’s last two books, “The Last To Vanish” and “Such A Quiet Place”, but I seem to be an OUTLIER with this one.

The author returns with another SLOW BURN mystery (which I don’t mind) which oozes with atmosphere, and has her signature two time lines-the PAST told in reverse chronological order, and the PRESENT which unfolds in real time.

A DECADE ago, two vans filled with high school seniors, crashed into a Tennessee ravine, killing all but NINE students who managed to escape the raging river, in the middle of a storm.

Amaya, Clara, Grace, Oliver, Joshua, Ian, Hollis, Brody and Cassidy (who is our present day narrator).

They weren’t really friends when the accident occurred but what they survived together has created a bond of sorts. When Clara commits Suicide a year after the tragedy, they decide to meet ANNUALLY at a beachfront rental property owned by Oliver’s family, known as The Shallows, as a way to keep tabs on each other, and to make sure that their pact to keep secret all of the details from that night remains intact.

Yet, ten years after the tragedy, they aren’t really friends now either, and Cassidy has decided that a decade is long enough. She has changed her phone number and deleted all of their contact information, in an attempt to move forward from the Survivor’s guilt and remorse.

On the morning she would’ve been leaving for the tenth year reunion, she gets a text from an unknown phone number, informing her that another one of the Survivors is dead.

Their secrets from the SEVEN hours prior to rescue refuse to let go.

The SEVEN who remain gather at the property, and the charade continues, with sand, swimming, and S’mores over a sizzling campfire until ANOTHER one from the group disappears. Can they really trust one another?

Are they being lured to the Outer Banks each year by someone who isn’t as forgiving as they pretend to be? Will all seven still be alive at the end of the SEVEN day retreat?

I had two issues with this one.

First, it’s a challenge when there is a large cast of characters to really get to know any of them, and with the exception of Cass, that is the case here, as well. As a reader who enjoys strong character development, that is one reason that this one missed the mark for me. We learn the bare minimum about each, so I never grew to care for or empathize with any of them.

Second, the story just wasn’t holding my attention but I was hoping for a huge payout by the end. Unfortunately, the reveal didn’t surprise me.

While this one may not have been my favorite by the author, I am still a fan, and I look forward to her next!

Expected publication date: April 11th, 2023

Thank You to Scribner/ Marysue Rucci Books for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for a candid review!

I love Megan Miranda's thrillers! The Only Survivors solidified this. This book is full of twists and turns, tense, and has the kind of plot that keeps me personally intrigued! If you're a psychological thriller fan you can't go wrong with any of her books!

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. Cassidy Bent is one of the nine students who managed to escape the river that night irrevocably changed a community and those who survived. This year Cassidy is determined to avoid the yearly remembrance. Until she learns of the death of one of the nine—the one she trusted and cared for the most. What ensues is an untangling of the fragile web of complicated interrelationships and deceits that have kept each of these characters in one another’s orbit but prevented them from forming truly intimate bonds. It is not really a traditional suspense novel but a thriller based on tragic distrust and misunderstandings.