Cover Image: The Only Survivors

The Only Survivors

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Member Reviews

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve picked up almost every Megan Miranda and I’m never disappointed. I especially love that this was set in OBX which I’m very familiar with. I’d recommend this to everyone!

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🌊 A R C • R E V I E W 🌊

Title: The Only Survivors
Author: Megan Miranda
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (Rounded up to 4 Stars on GoodReads/NetGalley)

I think this is only my second Megan Miranda book, my other one being All The Missing Girls - weird right? I have a bunch of her books; I just need to read them. I feel like she's a reliable popcorn thriller/mystery author. But one thing I will say - the covers of all her books though - just incredible.

The Only Survivors is told in a dual timeline of past and present but also while in the past in reverse chronological order (the past starts at hour 8 and works its way to the accident). The setting is perfectionThis one is definitely a slow burn, but there is drama galore and some really unlikeable characters to entertain you along the way. I was immediately hooked, found myself to get a bit distracted in the middle, and was once again hooked at the end. It's most definitely a bingeable read.

Miranda is great at creating such an atmospheric read. I remember that from her first novel and it still reigns true with this one. This story kept my attention enough, had me questioning everyone and I liked the reveals and where they were placed throughout the story. I really enjoyed how this one was wrapped up; it didn't feel like that average run of the mill ending. 

Overall, this is an easy bingeable read that I would recommend to all popcorn thriller fans. The Only Survivors came out on April 11 of this year - be sure to check it out! Huge thank you to @netgalley and @scribner for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#netgalleyreview #netgalley #netgalleyearc #electronicadvancedreaderscopy #earc #atmosphericread #thepastmeetsthepresent #reversechronologicaltime #murdermystery #theshallows #outerbanks #carcrash #survivors #whowouldyousave #theonlysurvivors #meganmiranda

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This was an excellent read. We got to follow the story of survivors spanning 10 years. We learned a lot about each of the characters and the impact of the recent tragedies. The way the climax came together was satisfying and answered a lot of questions.

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This was really great and fast read and I really enjoyed how the story was laid out. The chapters consisted of each day of the weekend that the group gets together to commemorate the anniversary of the tragic accident they were the survivors of as well as flashback chapter through each character’s point of view from 10 yrs. previous during the accident. It was super interesting how the story unfolded and when you get to the cause of the accident it was a surprise and the twist at the end man I didn’t see coming.

Thanks to Scribner and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

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A decade earlier, two vans filled with high school students crashed into a ravine and in the water. Nine survived. The survivors meet annually , but two have recently died. The seven remaining meet, but something is off. Amaya disappears right away. Can they keep they promise they made to each other to save each other? Lots of twists and turns in this page turner. Miranda is at her best with this book.

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I was iffy about this book before before deciding to give it a try, and unfortunately, it was not my favorite. This is not my first Megan Miranda book either. The plot has too many character POVs and with the dual timelines, I was constantly confused. I listened to the audiobook and had to keep rewinding to figure out what was going on.

There IS a big twist at the end that I did not guess, so that was good for the plot. But, in my opinion, it did not redeem the plot. And there were other “reveals” that happened as well but didn’t make sense to me.

Overall, this book wasn’t memorable. I feel like I’m a few days, weeks, or months, I’ll remember not liking this book and not remember anything about the plot. It didn’t grab my attention and it didn’t draw me in as a reader. Personally, I would suggest other books if you’re looking for a good thriller.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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THE ONLY SURVIVORS
MEGAN MIRANDA
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two vans that are carrying high school students and teachers to do some service projects, wreck into a ravine in Tennessee. Lives are lost and only 9 survivors remain. These students make a pact to keep secret what happened out there and they come together every year at THE SWALLOWS beach house in NC. The 9 become 7 and no one is very trusting of each other!! While the 7 are at the beach house on the 10th anniversary, one goes missing, a big storm comes and there are lots of secrets!! So many twists and turns will be taken before this book is over!!!

I love the way that this book is written….Seven hours in the past/seven days in the present/7survivors. Megan does not disappoint and had me glued to the pages right till the end!! Highly recommend!!!

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Megan Miranda does it again! What an amazing viewpoint on what it might take to survive a disaster….and by what means you may need to survive.

High schoolers on a trip have their travel vans fall into a revine. There aren’t many survivors….but those that survived meet up once a year to be together and cope. Until the second of the survivors dies….and there’s a terrible storm. Something is off….


Told in dual timelines: today and when the accident happened. Though it doesn’t start at the beginning of the accident, rather hours later. And each dip back fo the past takes you one hour closer to the actual accident.

Brilliantly told. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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It’s been a decade since a tragic high school field trip accident left 9 “survivors” behind. It’s been 9 years since another survivor took their own life at those very cliffs over the raging river that claimed the fate of the others. Every year, the remaining 8 survivors meet and spend a week at a vacation home called “the Shallows” in the OBX. Although their backgrounds and personalities are all glaringly different, they’ve forged some kind of trauma bond based on the secrets and lies. When one of the remaining eight turns up dead prior to their trip… more and more odd things continue to happen and it begins to feels like a cat and mouse game. Someone knows they are here and is watching them. Someone wants to know the truth about the accident that night 10 years ago.

I was really excited for this one but it was meh for me. An interesting synopsis and plot line idea but it was an incredibly slow burn and draggggged until about 60% when it sped up considerably with more suspense. There were two “plot twists” at the end - one fairly predictable and unsurprising and the other hit me and I didn’t even see it coming! Just not enough excitement for me throughout all of this one. It felt like there were a lot of unnecessary fillers and unanswered questions and all the action and truth was packed into the last few pages and ended abruptly.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the gifted e-ARC and finished copy.

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Megan Miranda has done it again. Her 7 chapters through told backward worked so well — she is the master of this style! Telling so many people about how great this book is.

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I truly loved this book, and felt the set up in the beginning was well worth the reveal. I kept saying "one more chapter..."

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A slow burn mystery that ultimately was more slow than burn for me. Read as an ebook on my kindle, I kept wondering how I hadn’t hit the halfway point yet. While the end didn’t feel predictable, it just took too long to get there. The pieces came together nicely and the character development was strong.

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The Only Survivors is a thrilling 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 event.

I’m a big fan of Megan Miranda! I love her characters, settings, and the tension in her novels. The Only Survivors has all of those things and the beach setting makes it the perfect read to take on vacation this summer!

Cassidy is one of the my favorite characters that Miranda has written so far. She has her flaws but she is smart and capable. I also liked the other survivors although I would have liked to know a little more about some of them. There was one character that felt unnecessary because they just kind of disappear from the story.

The plot is fast paced and has several twists and reveals to keep it interesting. I liked the tension and sense of foreboding. I started to suspect part of the ending later in the novel but it wasn’t so predictable that I was sure and there were other aspects that I didn’t see coming.

The fast paced plot and beach setting make The Only Survivors the perfect addition to your summer TBR!

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I was somewhat disappointed in this book. I was hopeful for a thriller that I could not put down and instead I found myself struggling to pick this up. I couldn't really relate to any of the characters, and the flow felt choppy. I kept waiting for the book to hook me, but it never happened. I will say the big twist was a surprise that I did not see coming, so that was at least something good. I just was not a fan of this book which made me bummed because I generally love Megan Miranda books. This one just didn't hit home for me.

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It's not surprising that this author created this amazing story; she's become known for them.

The characterization once again is incredibly well done. The tension and fear that so many of them face jumps off the pages. Along with that, you can tell that most of them would clearly rather be anywhere else than with each other. But what's at stake is what forces their hands.

I guessed fairly early on who was behind the messages, but it didn't make the book any less exciting. This is definitely a five star book.

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This may be my new favorite Megan Miranda book. The story is told in a dual timeline. The interesting part is that the past timeline all takes place in one day and is told in reverse by hour and each hour is told by a different POV. The characters are all survivors of a horrible accident that happened 10 years ago. They continue to meet around the anniversary at the same house every year. They all have survivors guilt issues and secrets. Reading each character slowly unfold their secrets made for a fun mystery. As many other reviewers have stated, this is a slow burn mystery. I felt like the characters and twists kept it intriguing and I needed to know how everything would wrap up. At the same time, I was hooked on the countdown chapters to see how it all began. The cover is gorgeous and I can't wait to add this physical copy to my Megan Miranda collection.
Thank you @scribnerbooks @simonandschuster for a free digital ARC and @simon.audio for a free audiobook.

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Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Miranda nails it with an eerie thriller that keeps you hooked. Flashbacks to that fate day sprinkle just enough evidence to make suspects out of each of them. Ends with a plot twist I didn’t see coming!

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10 years ago a school trip went down hill and only 9 returned alive. Every year they each came to The Shallows a beach house in the Outer Banks. On the tenth reunion, two more are dead. This book is great and the ending was a surprise.

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A group of high school survived a car accident years earlier. The accident always seemed suspicious, but they each have reasons for never speaking of it. Cassidy no longer feels the need to keep meeting every year on the anniversary, but an urgent message sends her back to her classmates. The plot twists between Cassidy's current timeline and her classmates timeline from that night. Everyone has their own motives for keeping the events of the night a secret, but someone wants the truth to come out. The action moves ahead nicely and the characters are quite well rounded given the large cast. The finale is both surprising and heartbreaking, making for a satisfying read.

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I really enjoyed Megan Miranda's latest thriller about a group of high school classmate united by tragedy a decade earlier. It was twisty and unexpected and kept me engaged until the very end.

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