Secrets fester.

They don't have a very long shelf life.

If you've read anything by the talented Megan Miranda in the past, you know that she creates a hazy aura around her storyline. She bends and weaves in and out as her characters make their appearances with the precision of a Swiss watch. Tickin' away and not giving you the actual time.......until it's time.

We'll meet one of the oddest groups of individuals that you've come across in ages. They had a starting point when they were Seniors in high school. Click back to 2013 and picture a gaggle of teens cramped into two vans returning from a field trip in East Tennessee. Some of them won't be reaching their final destination with the others.

A horrendous accident seals their lips. We'll only get snippets here and there of what transpired. But the group vowed to meet once a year at a beach house in the Outer Banks. And it's there, year after year, that they tend to float past one another keeping their personal views more than personal. That night still presses into their memories like poison surging through veins.

Prepare yourself for a slow, lingering, smouldering burn here. It will be frustrating because Megan Miranda is so skilled at this. But the "need to know" is a wicked mechanism. I didn't want sideline bits and pieces towards the end. I was desperate to know the elusive secret. I wanted to shake the jelly out of Cassidy, the main voice of this novel. I wanted the dirt laid out with flashcards and electric beaming lights. It does, and you will, and you'll lean back with a knowing smirk on your face........just as Megan Miranda intended.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Simon & Schuster and to Megan Miranda for the opportunity.

Do you think you could keep a big secret from everyone for ten years?

I really don’t. I just prefer to get everything out in the open so we can discuss it and figure out a way to more forward. Keeping things a secret or hidden, is not my preferred method.

A group of classmates reunites ten years after a tragic accident – except this year one of them is missing. With one of them missing, they all start wondering about the original accident and what really happened that fateful night all those years ago when two vans filled with high school seniors crashed into a ravine. Each of the nine students who walked away was changed but they vow to keep each other safe and hold each other accountable. On the day of the ten year anniversary they realize another member is gone. With every amiss they all begin to wonder if they will survive the reunion intact.

Megan Miranda is back at it again with a super atmospheric suspenseful novel. This was a slow suspenseful book and those are hard for me to like, but this one was pretty good. The buildup, however, didn’t really seem worth it to me in the end. I expected a bigger reveal of sorts. However, the writing is amazing and wonderful and pulls you in. I appreciated the dual timelines of present and past and how they merged in the end. In all, this is a wonderful book, and I would recommend it to those who love a good suspense novel.

Check this one out April 11th.

Thank you to the publisher Scribner, @scribnerbooks, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Megan Miranda’s newest book is a solid thriller about a group of survivors from a horrible bus crash. The story takes place between two timelines. One in the present day, told from our main character, Cassidy’s, POV, and the other in the past when the accident occurred. I personally preferred the part of the book in the past, as it was told from each of the survivor’s POVs, and a bit more interesting to me. I loved piecing together what really happened that night! The present part of the story picks up when the survivors meet on the anniversary of the accident, and one goes missing.

Overall, I feel like this is what Miranda’s fan would expect her to write. It’s true to her style. While I did figure out the ending, I enjoyed the ride. It’s a fun mystery, in a great setting. Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The story centers around a group of high school seniors on a school outing, when their two vans crash into a river gorge. Nine of the students survive, and meet each year thereafter on the anniversary. 10 years later, one of the survivors has died by suicide, one has overdosed and the remaining seven have secrets to keep.

The book is told in alternate timelines, then and now. Narration is primarily given by Cassidy, one of the survivors who wonders if it is time to stop their commemoration meeting. The chapters dealing with the accident reveal just a little of the tragic night before moving back to the present. However, the story isn’t a slow burn, it was just long and boring. Cassidy is a strange person and none of the survivors is especially likable to me, or to each other. I couldn’t understand why they continued to meet when they don’t really like one another as it didn’t seem they comforted or supported each other. A week of kayaking, sailboating and sunning on the beach didn’t seem an appropriate way to mark the tragic event’s anniversary either.

When the remaining seven survivors meet, it’s clear that someone is determined to find out what really happened that night. But who is watching them? And who do you trust? While the plot drew me in, it was such a long and slow execution I struggled to get through the book. While there was one twist at the end, the conclusion was still a disappointment.

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Wow! I held my breath through this entire book!! I could not put it down & stayed up all night reading! #bookhangover

Megan Miranda is a must read for me. I will always read anything she writes.
This one starts off a little slow. Ten years ago, 9 students survived a terrible tragedy. Two vans, filled with high school seniors and teachers, crashed into a river. Only these 9 survived. How they did it has remained a secret between them.
On the first anniversary of the crash, one of the 9 committed suicide. The 8 that were left made a pact, spend the week leading up to the anniversary together, to take care of one another and make sure this never happened again.
Cassidy has tried to leave this behind. She changed her number. She ignored calls and emails. She was adamant to skip this year. Until someone sent her an anonymous message that one more has died. She has to go.
Once she gets there, everything seems off. And she is certain someone is watching them.
Has someone learned the truth about how they survived? Are they seeking justice?
I enjoyed the setting, the Outer Banks, and the story picked up a little, but there were a few loose ends that were never tied up. Not my favorite by this author.

Anytime I see a Megan Miranda book, I know it will be going on my To Be Read! I really enjoyed The Only Survivors. It was just what I needed in a good, page turning, thirller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for a review.

Ten years ago, on the way back from a high school service project, two vans were in a tragic accident and only nine students survived. Yet none of the survivors feels like a hero, each ashamed of a decision they made that fateful night. Every anniversary since, they have met at a North Carolina beach house to check up on each other. Cassidy Brent has tried to distance herself from the other survivors, but when she finds out one has recently died, she finds herself drawn back in. When the group realizes that someone has been talking, they begin to suspect each other, and Cassidy wonders if one would go to great lengths to keep them all quiet.

The Only Survivors is an excellent slow-burn mystery, emanating a tense atmosphere as Cassidy suspects each classmate in turn. Slowly, Miranda reveals the true story of the accident, exposing how the weight of their secrets has influenced each of their lives. The high-action climax was a bit overdone, but I absolutely loved the final twist in the story. A solid 4 stars for me, The Only Survivors is my new favorite of Megan Miranda's thrillers.

I really enjoyed this book! We are given clues to an accident. And there were only nine who survived. We are introduced to the survivors and told they would keep the member's safe. They keep information to themselves and protect the group. The group meets every year at a house called The Shallows. Cassidy didn't want to come to the Shallows this year, but learning of one of the nine died she goes to the house. Soon, someone goes missing and at the same time, the survivors learn someone is telling their secrets.

Get ready for thrill ride!

The only part I didn't like was the ending. It seemed a little rushed!

Megan Miranda is one of my favorites. She's been around for a while yet I always find readers who haven't heard of her and I love to turn them onto her brand of the psychological thriller. The Only Survivors is another great entry into her oeuvre though probably not the one that I would give to a new reader. The denouement here was rather easy to suss out and the huge cast of characters made it somewhat difficult to follow. There were still great passages of suspense and Ms. Miranda is a master of characterization.

This was a DNF at 28%. The backstory was cool and it had potential, especially with regard to the podcast aspect, but there were too many characters to keep track of, and most importantly, nothing really happened to make me keep reading. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this early review copy.

Another great mystery by Megan Miranda! This one is about a group of friends that were the only survivors when the vans crashed on their high school trip 10 years ago. As adults, they get together every year. But, this year, things are different. Secrets are revealed, there are arguments, no one knows who they can trust. There’s an impending storm…. the power goes out… 👀
Perfect elements for a mystery, right?

I loved this book! Another riveting thriller from this author. I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A tragic accident devastated a group of classmates and an entire community. Since then, every year the survivors reluctantly reunite to remember and support each other. On the tenth anniversary meetup, one of the survivors goes missing and everyone starts questioning loyalties and memories. Secrets, secrets and more secrets!

Miranda does a good job of recreating the tragedy and putting yourself in their shoes. What would you have done? She explores the crushing guilt and second guessing of the characters effectively. Her descriptions of the setting were great and really sets the scene for the accident and present day. In my mind’s eye, I could see the whole thing! The last 1/3 of the book is a page turner.

The main plot felt somewhat unoriginal and “been there done that”. There were so many characters, it gets a bit cumbersome. The flashback scenes felt a bit repetitive. Sloooooow burn.

Overall, not my favorite Miranda title but a fine enough read. I think her die hard fans will love it.

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

I’ve read almost every single one of Megan’s books but for some reason this one just didn’t do it for me. I live for a good psychological thriller but this one was just way to slow of a burn for me. Don’t get me wrong over all it was a good story it was just a bit to slow and dragged our. This book did have a captivating plot that can take readers into the minds of several different characters as a shared tragedy from their past is unearthed and re examined. I like alternating time frames usually but this one wasn’t for me.

I always enjoy Megan Miranda’s writing. The idea of a group of teens with nothing in common meeting every year on the anniversary of their survival is very intriguing. It was a little slow starting out, the main character Cassidy Bent, didn’t have very much of a personality so she was hard to like. But given the trauma she had been through it makes sense in the end. It was hard for me to keep all of the characters straight so that slowed me down a bit too.

I loved the overall concept and thought the few little twist were great, and also so sad.

The short chapters and timeline changes are always a win for me!

Coming in April 2023!

Megan Miranda is brilliant at the dual timeline. Here, just like in her novel “All the Missing Girls,” one timeline “Now” goes forward, and the “Then” goes backwards. It all becomes so good.

This is a story of a group of former high school classmates who were the survivors of a tragic high school trip. As the survivors they made a pact to stick together and ten years later they have all come back together. Someone or ones are wanting to do a tell all book about this tragic trip, but the truth is threatening to be revealed. And, something is happening to the survivors - one died on the one-year anniversary and another just died, and now the question is who’s next?

Themes: ➡️🔙👯‍♂️👯‍♂️👯‍♂️🚌☠️🪦🔪🤫🤐

My feelings: 🙂🧐🤓🫣🤔🫡🫢😁🫠

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In a life or death situation, who do you save?

Ten years ago, two vans carrying a group of high school students on a volunteer service trip have a tragic accident and end up submerged in a turbulent river, fighting for their lives.. A storm was raging, an unwise choice was made to make a detour…in the end, the two teachers who were leading the trip and twelve of the students were dead. Nine students survived, but none were ever the same. On the first year anniversary of the tragedy, one of the nine survivors commits suicide; those remaining make a pact to gather together each year on that date, to help one another safely through the day, or maybe just to hold one another accountable. On this tenth anniversary, at least one of them, Cassidy, has decided she no longer wants to put herself through the ordeal. She changes her phone number, blocks the others on email and social media, and in every way she can puts herself out of reach. But on the day she should be gathering with the others, she somehow gets a text telling her that one of the other survivors, someone she had felt close to but who had struggled over the years, has killed himself too. She invents a story for her boyfriend, whom she has never told about her past trauma, and heads down to the house on the Outer Banks where the group has gathered each year. Something feels different this year, and its not just the impending storm that threatens surging waters and the real possibility of being stranded by road closures. Is someone watching them and, if so, who? Why? They all are haunted by that night, and each have secrets they don’t want revealed. Once again, they are confronted with stark choices. Who can they trust? And if their lives are on the line, who will they save?
Most readers will have, at some point, been asked (or asked themselves) that heartbreaking question. If they found themselves in a terrible situation, maybe a fire or a sinking ship, and they had to choose who would be saved, what choice would they make? A partner or a child? A close friend who is severely wounded or a stranger who is unscathed? Or worst of all…would you just save yourself? In The Only Survivors, each of the main characters has had to make that actual decision, and then live with the consequences of those decisions. As Megan Miranda tells the story of the seven days of the tenth reunion, she alternates with chapters talking about the seven hours on the night of the accident.from different characters points of view. What really happened that night, why some survived and others did not, and why each survivor is irreparably damaged by what they did to survive, slowly come together. None of them really trusts one another completely, and the danger to the group may just be coming from within. With more than a few plot twists, the reader is hooked by the story from beginning to end, and kept guessing right up until the final chapter. Fans of Megan Miranda’s other books (including the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick The Last House Guest) will devour this well-plotted thriller, as will fans of authors like Gillian Flynn, Alafair Burke, Paula Hawkins and Tana French will as well. I highly recommend The Only Survivors….just be careful if you’re reading it on a a stormy night! Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner S&S/Marysue Rucci Books for the advanced reader’s copy.

“A group of former classmates reunite in The Outer Banks to mark the tenth anniversary of a tragic accident, only to have one of the survivors disappear.
Seven hours in the past. Seven days in the present. Seven survivors remaining. Who would you save?”

Told from alternating points of view, past and present, details of secrets, lies and deception unfold chapter by chapter leading up to the biggest one of all.

Megan Miranda skillfully crafted a page turner from cover to cover, and I did not want to put it down! I’d recommend this read to anyone who is looking for a twisty, suspenseful thriller, with beach read and I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes!!!

Thank you @netgalley @simonandschuster and @marysueruccibooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Megan Miranda has long been on my list of TBR authors. I was excited to receive an early copy of this book & see what the hype was all about!

This story is told in dual timelines & with dual POVs. It’s primarily told in the present from Cassidy’s POV, but there are flashbacks to the past from everyone else’s POV. Right off the bat, I felt like I was missing something, which confused me. I legitimately thought this was part of a series & I was picking up midway through. You know there’s some kind of crash & that this cast of characters kept some kind of secret/the truth. For the past decade, the survivors meet up on the anniversary of the crash & spend the week together. This year, something is awry & everything comes to a head.

In some ways, this was a 4-star read because I was genuinely intrigued and interested to see where the story took me. In other ways, it was more of a 3-star read because there were so many characters to keep straight…who did what and when and with who. The beginning and the end had my head spinning just trying to remember who was who and how they all connected. I’ve rounded up to 4 simply because my interest was piqued & I was thoroughly engrossed with the story.

As I sit on it, though, the “surprise” felt rather obvious & I had guessed most of it decently early on in the book. What I wasn’t able to guess was the connection and motivation behind it all. I am intrigued enough to read more by this author! I think this one would be tough as an audiobook because of all the characters and their story lines. Definitely glad I read a hard copy.