Kieran is back in his hometown after years of staying away. There are painful memories after a big coastal storm ended with a tragic accident that took the life of his brother and another local man. Kieran feels responsible and the guilt has weighed him down, but he must come back to help pack up the family home as his father’s dementia has been worsening. When a local woman turns up dead on the beach murdered the past is again stirred up, and you’re left to wonder if the past has collided with the present as they try and find the killer.

There are a cast of characters in play, Kieran and several of the locals who used to run around together enjoying the seaside and town with a bit of rivalry and a secret or two between them. They drifted apart after the brutal storm that marked more than one tragedy, but it’s like hardly any time’s gone by once they get together again. As the search for the murderer proceeds, I was questioning what really happened in the past, and how it related to the recent murder. The past is revealed bit by bit I kept wondering if there was a killer in the midst of these old friends.

The Survivors was an atmospheric mystery with a steady increase of tension as the suspicions mount, and I upped the speed on my audio so I could get my answers as quickly as possible! I was taken by surprise as the actual events of the past were revealed.

Once again Jane Harper creates a story that immediately captured and held my attention! I was sucked into the mystery and felt for Kieran as he faces ghosts from his past. I was pleased that he had his girlfriend Mia and their new baby for support.

This is the second time I’ve enjoyed Stephen Shanahan’s narration. His accent was perfect for the role of Kieran the primary POV for the story. Mr. Shanahan did an excellent job with all the voices and he made The Survivors a riveting experience. I listened at my usual of 1.5x or even faster the normal speed.

*Thank you to Libro.Fm and NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for review.

Until the very end, this book was NOT doing it for me. It was a very slow burn/build up to the thrilling aspect in my opinion, and even at the point when there was a body I still didn't really care. I liked the writing, the story just wasn't enough to keep my attention and when I want a thriller I want to be THRILLED. I keep trying to write this review but I really don't have much to say, it was pretty boring, I didn't enjoy any of the characters, and probably around 80% on audio was when I finally wanted to know what happened. Truthfully, I considered DNFing this book a lot. That being said, so so many people have given this such high praise, so do NOT let my non enjoyment deter you. Personally, I just want some more pizazz, but I would try another Jane Harper book to see if the pacing is more my speed.

I was really sad to ended up DNFing this book. I am a big fan of this author and was excited to read this book. I gave it bout 50% and was really bored to tears. I kept getting characters confused. I ended up deciding that I didn't care. I tried to listen to the audiobook a couple of times, but I was still bored. I'm not giving up on this author., though.

I received the audio version of this book as an ARC. This is also my first read by this author. I really wish I had tried the print/kindle version instead. It seemed like a great premise and I can tell the writing was well done and wonderfully atmospheric. Unfortunately, I found my mind wandering a good bit throughout the story. I think maybe the time jumps would have been more clear in the print version than they were in the audio. Overall it was a good story and I would definitely read this author again.

Kiernan returns home hoping to expel his demons. Instead, a body is found on the beach and it brings back all his hidden secrets.

I am definitely in the minority on this one. I had a hard time with this read. I struggled to follow the narrator and to keep up with all the characters. The story was a slow burn and really did not grip me like I expected. That being said…the ending is worth getting there.

I did have trouble with the narrator’s accent. This usually doesn’t bother me. I just slow down the speed and I do pretty well. But for some reason, this was a hindrance for me.

I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review.

I am gonna admit I didn't like this book at first. The next day I decided to give it another shot and I'm glad I did. Kieran being a man really threw me off. I know it may be a small thing but I had to train my brain that he was not a woman.

Kieran and his wife are back to his hometown visiting his parents. A body shows up on the beach which brings up lots of memories from ten years ago when a storm came through that took two lives, one of them being Kieran's brother. He's been blaming himself all these years.

As far as the narrator, I think he did a good job. Thank you Netgally and to the publisher for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a super atmospheric listen and reminded me a lot of Big Little Lies (although this is less domestic). Basically, it's about the ripples of tragedy, and the pain in truth. It's an engrossing experience that is paced well and was incredibly easy to get sucked right into; this will not be my last Jane Harper.

Stephen Shanahan was the excellent narrator. Being Australian he clearly had no problem with the accent, and he apparently doesn't have the "all ladies are spoken in whispers" thing that many male narrators do. I will absolutely listen to something read by him in the future.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Thanks, #NetGalley @Macmillan.audio for a complimentary listening arc of #TheSurvivors upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Secrets…

Kieran Elliott returns home with his wife and baby to the small (fictional) coastal community of Evelyn Bay in Tasmania where he grew up and where his parents still live. While he comes home to visit his parents and to help them, he isn’t expecting a body to be discovered on the beach that threatens to expose secrets that have been kept securely hidden for years about the night his brother, Finn, died.

If you’ve read Jane Harper, you know that she has a reputation for writing atmospheric mysteries: The Dry, Force of Nature, and The Lost Man. The Survivors follows in this tradition (although I find the mysteries somewhat more compelling in her other stories). In Harper’s stories, the setting becomes a character, and in The Survivors, we are treated to a fictional coastal setting complete with dangerous caves, rising tides, salty ocean spray, plenty of sand, and sudden storms.

In The Survivors, there is a past and present timeline with a tragic death in each. The earlier timeline takes place when Kieran is a teenager/young adult, and the present timeline takes place when he returns as a married, family man. Will solving the case of the body on the beach in the present, solve the mystery in the past?

What I love: Harper writes an easy to read story with complicated characters and a vivid setting. I’m also here for the family drama.

I wish: It strikes me that Harper sacrifices some descriptive, atmospheric storytelling, and tension buildup for dialogue in this story. I wish there had been a little less dialogue. This completely falls under personal preference though! Also, for readers who have read her first two books, I do miss Agent Falk and I hoped he would continue to make appearances!

Thoughtful themes include friendships, aging parents, loss of a child, grief, guilt, secrets/misunderstandings, and small-town community.

I can definitely recommend The Survivors for fans of Jane Harper, for readers who love a well-written mystery, for those who might be familiar with Tasmania, and for book clubs.

Content Consideration: grief over the loss of a grown child and brother

Stephen Shanahan has narrated the other Jane Harper books I’ve listened to and he does a fabulous job. I could listen to him read just about anything. He sets a great tone for this book.

The Survivors is about regret. Kieran comes home to help his parents move after his Father’s declining health. The story is told in the past and the present, both storylines surrounding a death of a young female.

Harper does a great job of creating an atmosphere. The beach, the storms, the statue of the survivors that always let you know how much danger there is.

There isn’t an instant reward in this book. It is a slow burn. It may be even slower than her other novels. But the book kept me guessing until the end. I quite often figure things out before the end, but fell heavily for a red herring this time.

The Survivors by Jane Harper.. I think many will like this one, and the narration was great, I just did not find myself engaged in the story. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this as much as I had hoped. I do think many will like it though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook for an honest review.

So, this is my 4th book dance with Jane Harper. I was obsessed with her first two novels, "The Dry" and "Force of Nature." With those, she became a "must read" author for me. I hated "The Lost Man." I was devastated but I could not get very far into it, for me it dragged. I understand Harper's reputation as writing books that are atmospheric and mesmerizing. I can't do slow burn stories, they don't capture my interest. I'm incredibly busy as a mom and teacher. I need to be captivated early in. The Survivors- though better than The Lost Man- was just too slow for me. It wasn't the narrator, Stephen Shanahan- he was good. The accent drew me in. I read along with the audio, so I can confirm- it's the book itself. And I still wanted to know what happened, unlike her last book.
The story is a murder mystery when a body shows up on the beach the day after Kieran and his girlfriend show up back home in Tasmania. They've come home to visit Kieran's parents; and they meet up with some friends for a drink-the next day the woman's body is found. This dredges up old memories for the town and Kieran was involved in the original murders. Memories are unpeeled like onions as the story slowly unfolds.
It wasn't for ME but I do believe fans of The Lost Man will enjoy this well written novel. I need a faster pace, so for me- this audiobook gets 3 stars.

This was my first foray into Jane Harper’s writing, and I can definitely say that I understand the hype now. She does a brilliant job of writing a book that is so incredibly immersive and atmospheric. The entirety of the book has a desolate and dying sort of vibe that really captures the essence of this small coastal Australian town after tourist season has ended.

I listened to the audiobook, which Stephen Shanahan brilliantly narrates. Since this book is indeed a dig the heels in kind of slow burn, I think that I would’ve struggled with the pacing had I done the physical or digital copy.

That being said, I loved how Harper peeled back the layers of this story. What starts off as a murder mystery in present day takes us on a downward spiral that ends up uncovering the truth about the disappearance of a girl that happened decades before.

This book definitely kept me guessing from beginning to end. There were lots of twists and turns, and the amount of secrets and betrayal that was uncovered along the way was definitely eye opening.

I definitely can’t wait to read more of Harper’s books.

Thank you to Flatiron Books for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

I'm going to be completely honest with you, I was not super invested in this book. I blame that partly on the fact that I listened to the audio, so I will possibly go back at some point to read the actual book in print. I normally don't have issues with audiobooks so I can't say if that was my whole issue or not. I do know that the narrator did not use a lot of expression, which made it easier to space out.

I did enjoy hearing about Kieran and his girlfriend and baby. The relationships between the people in this novel were great. But the mystery of it all fell a little flat for me. I think the idea of looking back on the past and trying to figure out what happened is a great premise, but I just couldn't get into it.

Also, the ending was, in a way, both beautiful and yet also cliche. Like I said, I'll give it another chance in case my issue was the audio only. However, it's also definitely a slow burn type of novel, which may have also been my issue.

2.75 out of 5 stars.

This book is also available through Book of the Month! Click Here to check out your membership options. (I am not endorsed by BOTM, I just really enjoy my own subscription.)

The star rating is for the actual book and not the audio book.

Thank God I have the actual ARC of this book (full review to come of the book on links in my bio- I only have the audio book on NG)

The narrator drove me batty. He was monotone, slow, had no real phrasing, or inflection (ETA: except for when there is a scene that gives him a chance to yell in then last half. Then he YELLS). Also, you actually hear him taking breaths. It wasn't between EVERY sentence but between a good majority of them.

It is a shame that such a good book has such an awful narrator.

The Survivors was a good, but not completely engaging or gripping story. The narrator often had me kind of zoning in and out of the story and I never really felt the thrill of a mystery.

This book sucked me into the storyline almost immediately. It was a creative look at how tragedy can affect and change people. In the case of this book, an entire community was impacted by the death of two local men years before. When the main character returns home to help his parents prepare to move, he finds that grief and blame are still thriving in his hometown. Being back brings forth his own survivor's guilts well.

Ms. Harper is definitely a talented storyteller. This book is rife with secrets, grudges, jealousy and unrelenting grief. She manages to keep you guessing about how the original events played out until the very end. I like how pieces of information are fed to the reader a little at time. They aren't always completely clear. Some snippets make you question things even more. The beauty is how the story all flows together in the end and makes total sense once you see the full picture.

I listened to the audiobook and found it to be good. Initially I had a difficult time hearing the narrator's voice. It seemed to be quieter than it should have been. I'm not sure if that's the way all of these were or if it was just my version. Fortunately, it improved as I went forward. This story lent itself well to an audio version and it was enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

The Survivors by Jane Harper
Narrated by: Stephen Shanahan
Publication Date: February 2, 2020
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Description from NetGalley...
“Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.

Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.

When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away...”
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Thank you to @NetGalley @macmillan.audio @flatiron_books for the ALC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
This was my first book from Jane Harper, and it was a good one. A story of suspense emerged from a small town on the Tasmanian coast. I was glad I listened to the audiobook because the narrator was quite good. The story was filled with nuances and the narration helped build these up, and also added to the descriptive writing. The mystery was quite layered,it kept me interested throughout.

I liked the descriptions of the caves and the storm. The details on the danger of high tide and the visual of the Survivors statues make it feel real. The story, however, dragged for me. It didn't seem like the story made any progress until the last two chapters of the book. There wasn't really any main suspect that was bothered much with. The majority of the writing revolved around the inner angst of several of the characters from the 12-year-old storm rather than revealing new information or events.

I also had a hard time understanding the narrator on the audiobook version. I'm not sure how much was the Australian accent but I had a hard time making out some of the words he was saying - a lot of it felt garbled.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

There are some novels that need to be listened to and this is one of them.

Jane Harper’s The Survivors is more than just a mystery/thriller, it is a heavy, atmospheric tale of how families and communities react to tragedy. Narrator Stephen Shanahan adds to that atmosphere, making avid mystery devourers such as myself slow down and really experience Kieran’s story.

His guilt over one childish mistake is the driving force behind the whole novel, and the way his family has dealt with the loss of his brother is as compelling as it is heart-breaking.

If you love a good mystery, you won’t see this ending coming. If you love a good, character-driven story, you need to pick this book up ASAP. You won’t regret it.

This book was very confusing. First off, the narrator was really hard to listen to which made it even more tough as an audio-book. Perhaps I may have felt differently if it were a hard copy. I felt that it was a very slow build up, and I wasn't fond of any of the characters and none of them were engaging. When this happens, its really hard to enjoy the book. The details of describing the place were great but the pace was so slow, it felt like it went on forever. Throughout most of it there seemed to be no drama, suspense or emotion. I tried really hard, but it wasn't my favorite.