That description sounds great doesn’t it? Brutal murder in the past coming back to haunt Kara and ruin her life once more? Sounds right up my twisted alley! But… nope. Not at all. Really is just a major disappointment for me personally. I found there was a lot of repetition and a lot of information was regurgitated over and over again. The best part about this book was the first chapter. It just wasn’t exciting, engaging, or entertaining for me at all. Mine is a wildly unpopular opinion though and if this book sounds good to you I highly encourage you to check out the many positive reviews out there.

LOVE Lisa Jackson. This was a great book. I loved the suspense and have the bit of romance. Why do they go so well together? Well they didn't just go well they went perfectly here. GET THIS BOOK

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me advance access to this title. I really enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading more from this author. As a reader, I am really motivated by character driven stories and I found myself quickly becoming immersed in these characters’ lives. Full review to come.

Kara McIntyre survived a gruesome killing spree twenty years ago when the rest of her family perished. Age seven at the time of the murders, Kara has been in therapy since. Her brother Jonas was convicted of the murders and has spent the last twenty years in prison but has been unexpectedly released early.

Kara has started receiving text messages from an unknown number and is led to believe they are related to her sister, Marlie, who hasn’t been seen or heard from since that awful night so many years ago. That night Marlie did everything she could to try to keep her sister safe.

People close to Kara start dying again, and she can’t help but wonder if she’s next. Was Jonas really responsible for the crimes from twenty years ago or is someone else to blame?

Lisa Jackson has been one of my favourite authors for many years and this novel did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensignton Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. #NetGalley #TheGirlWhoSurvived

One fateful night, Kara is dragged out of bed by her older sister, Marnie and told to hide in the attic and to be quiet as something bad has happened. Marnie leaves Kara alone in the dark and after a while Kara gather the courage to open the attic door to see where her family is. She finds her brother, Donner slaughtered and her parents also dead. Her other brother, Jonas is injured, but no sign of Marnie. A man sees Kara and she runs and escapes into the woods.
Twenty years later, Kara is the lone survivor of that dreadful night, Marnie was never found and Jonas was sentenced to prison for the tragedy as was his sword used as the murder weapon. Kara seeks regular psychological therapy to help deal with the events of that night and her fears are escalated when she hears Jonas is about to be released.
An accelerating read with complex characters that will keep those pages turning. The events of that night are not clear cut and Kara eventually finds out the truth. A suspenseful book and highly recommended. Some aspects are a bit farfetched, but let that go!

Kara, the girl who survived, isn’t sure who killed most of her family. Her half brother, convicted of murdering 4 of her family members, is being released from jail. His conviction was overturned due to mishandled evidence. Reporters, her Aunt, the police-all want to talk to her, but who can she trust? Great suspense and Jackson is a great storyteller!

I have heard lots of great things about Lisa Jackson so I finally decided to give her a read. This was a bit of a wild ride at times. Overall, I thought the story was interesting and kept me turning the pages, waiting to hear what was going to happen next. However, I didn't really connect with the characters and felt like the book was a little too long with some filler things.

This was a winner from Lisa Jackson. Kara survived being murdered by her brother Jonas the Christmas she was 7. However her other brothers, sister, and parents did not survive. Kara has been living her life in a fog since then, and after hearing Jonas is to be released from jail, she's not sure what to do. The flashbacks were helpful in getting to know the family, and I actually wouldn't mind seeing what Kara is up to now. Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

When a book starts off with the slaughter of a family, it kind of hooks you.
We have Kara at the age of 7, who survived a killing spree 20 years ago and saw her whole family slaughtered. But her sister Marlie disappeared after making sure Kara was hidden away to survive, and while Kara is trying to cope with it, she is befriended by Wesley, a reporter who is looking for a story.
But when her brother Jonas, who was convicted of the murders, is released from prison….the pieces all start fitting together as you read on with a few surprises and a great ending, Thanks to #Netgalley I received an ARC of this book.

A thriller with a twist. Kara McIntyre was just a little girl when her family was slaughtered, her sister disappeared, and her brother was sent to prison for the crime. Now as an adult, she is still dealing with the aftermath of that trauma. Twenty years later, Jonas is being released from prison due to a technicality and people start dying around her. For most of the book I found Kara to be an unlikeable character who is seemingly unwilling to participate in the world around her. There are a lot of characters in the book but many of them are superficial. I did enjoy the plot even though it came to what felt like an abrupt end. It kept my interest and was generally believable. It was good for a fast read once I got into it. I originally received this book from NetGalley but it got archived before I read it therefore I ended up downloading it from Kindle Unlimited.

2.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for this read

While I usually love Lisa Jackson thrillers, this one dragged on and was such a slow build. It started off so strong and made me want to know what the hell happened.

The first scene/chapter might be very disturbing for some.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Not gonna lie, I was disappointed by this one. I'm a huge Lisa Jackson fan, but this was just... boring. The first and last 5% of the book captured my attention, but I trudged through the rest.

In Lisa Jackson’s The Girl Who Survived, this dark romantic thriller is so warped and bone-numbing that keeps you in suspense. At the tender age of eight, Kara McIntyre had witnessed an atrocity when she lost her whole family to a bloody massacre. Saved by her sister Marlie who later vanished, her step-brother Jonas was accused of the murders. Now after his release due to new evidence, the past had come back to haunt her, while she searched for the truth about what happened that night and why. But it wasn’t easy when someone kept an eye on her and sent her mysterious text messages. And new murders had turned up on the twentieth anniversary for her on that cold and viscous night. Then she ran into Wesley Tate, the son of the man who saved her life in the lake, while losing his own. He was also after the same answers for her. Together, they teamed up to work on this puzzle while they unearthed new clues and she needed a place to hide, going through her distorted and faded memories. The only way to face her fears was to the place where it all started for her at her former home. But in the end, it was a life-and-death battle to remember and to escape from another harrowing ordeal.

This chilling thriller would have you gasping at every turned page. I cared for Kara and became connected to her and her journey to discover the truth. She had lost everyone she cared about in a brutal act of violence, and had the scars to prove and live through it. Now, it happened all over for her. But she had found a formidable alley in Wesley, who wanted to care about her and protect her like his late father did. The dual locations of Whimstick and Bend Oregon painted bone-chilling scenic settings to transport you there. The theme of the story is that you can’t hide from your past, but having a revengeful greed is a lethal sin.

This shocking romantic thriller will give you goosebumps and chill your skin. I rated this book, four out of five stars, for no reason. If you love heart-stopping romantic thrillers with non-stop action, plenty of dramatic suspense, and bone-numbing twists, The Girl Who Survived will deliver. This is recommended for fans of Karen Rose, Erica Spindler, Laura McHugh, and all romantic and dark thriller movies and novels.

I have always been a Lisa Jackson fan since I first picked up one of her books years ago, so no matter what I love her writing! Kara is a character built out of tragedy having her whole family massacred on Christmas Eve when she was 7, so fast forward 20 years and she still is trying to figure out living after the tragedy that ripped her whole world apart. She blocks out much of the past trauma so it is believed by many that her brother Jonas is the guilty one who committed the massacre, and inflicted wounds to himself to look like a victim.... could this be true or is it a lie?!? Many could ask once Jonas is finally released, and at that same time Kara starts to receive anonymous messages and another murder happens! The big question which finally comes full circle in the end is what happened to Marlie since she seemed to have disappeared 20 years before, no body and no trace of her. The middle as stuff was unfolding to start piecing together what happened that murderous night, it started to drag a little for me but I knew I wouldn't be disappointed to keep going and it picked back up. I didn't expect some of the ending but won't put a spoiler to it. I of course overall enjoyed it and Lisa Jackson still holds as a go to for me!! Thank you NetGalley for the copy to read and review, especially with it being from a favorite author of mine!

I am a huge Lisa Jackson fan and loved this book as well. Kara McIntyre was orphaned at age seven after a horrific killing spree at her family’s Oregon cabin But twenty years later, her brother, Jonas, who was convicted of the murders has been released from prison. Kara is suddenly receiving strange messages from her older sister, Marlie, who disappeared that fateful night and no one knows what happened to her. People close to Kara start to die, Kara, is trying to discover what happened that night and is the real killer still out there.

3⭐️

This book took me forever to read and finish eventually. I don't like to DNF books as I know the effort the author put into writing them but I just didn't connect with the story and found it very long with many unnecessary scenes, details, and characters. Perhaps it's because this is my first book (book 7) in the series of detective Katie Scott out of the 9 books.

As a fan of thrillers, this book synopsis intrigued me, and thus why I read it. We follow the story of Detectives Katie and Sean as they investigate the gruesome deaths of several people in a closed summer camp. They are puzzled by the way they find the bodies, dismembered in specific parts as to send a message.

There were so many parts I just couldn't make sense of. I don't want to give spoilers in case you do want to read it. The story was too long with too many parts that didn't serve a purpose in my opinion, but then again, I haven't read any of her other books to connect it with. It was just confusing to me. Then we get to the ending and I'm left disappointed with the killer and his reasons. Seemed disconnected from what I was following in the story. I did appreciate the author retelling the evidence every few chapters. If it wasn't for this, I would have not remembered some of the details.

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

Based on the description of this book, I thought it was right up my alley!

Unfortunately, I found the first 50% really difficult to get into and did not end up enjoying the book. It failed to grab my interest and the shifting perspectives didn't help.

I love me some Lisa Jackson, she is a brilliant writer and her MC's usually grab me from the first page. This one seemed different. She was a little more whiney, and poor poor me. I get it your family was murdered but if you've spent all these years doing nothing to help yourself how can anyone else help you.

I don't know what it was but this character just rubbed me the wrong way.

All in all the book was good, if there was a sequel I don't know that I would continue on with it.

As A young girl, Kara, saw he family murdered. Twenty years later, her brother is getting out of prison and everything about that time comes back to her. Plus, someone wants to write a story about what happened. Someone who needs answers too. A lot of peoples view points are involved, be prepared. Some twists that will keep you interested. Enjoy

Long build-up, cobbled-together conclusion.

Aged 7, the eponymous surviving girl, Kara McIntyre, was orphaned after someone killed her blended family at Christmas. She was the sole survivor when her half-sister, Marlie, locked her in an attic. She then disappeared. Kara's half-brother, Jonas, was convicted for the murders and jailed. Kara is put under her aunt's custody. Twenty years later, Jonas is released from prison due to a police failing at the time of the conviction. Relentless media attention refocuses on Kara, who also receives text messages stating, "she's alive". Kara suspects these refer to Marlie.

When Jonas doesn't make contact with Kara, she goes on a hunt for his lawyer, with whose family Kara had lived when her aunt failed to take proper care of her. Soon, a body count mounts up.

The prologue was the best part of this novel. Unfortunately, I didn't find the build-up and conclusion lived up to the premise. The Girl Who Survived contains a great deal of repetition. There is much retelling of the events of the night of the massacre, of Kara's incarceration in the attic, of media attention, of her anxieties; ad nauseum. Nothing new is added in each reiteration. There is a love interest, though the romance that didn't feel organic. There is a police viewpoint with 2 cops who seem more interested in competing with each other than with finding out new clues. They were a bit of a waste of space.

It was hard to engage with Kara, the only character who was drawn in detail. We're repeatedly told of her trauma and anxiety, but not really of her loneliness or whether she has tried to make a success of her life. It's as though, she defines herself by the tragedy, but didn't pull herself up to learn amazing skills, to be a good role model for other survivors or to defend other victims. No. Instead, Kara spends the entire book feeling sorry for herself, and worse drowning her sorrows in alcohol.

I've read similar novels before recently; and the outcome felt cobbled on at the end. It wasn't a surprise or a twist, as the clues didn't add up. No spoilers here. The second half of the book, from the hospital vigils, to the chase scenes, felt unreal, like anime. Sorry to admit, I lost interest in the book, which took me an unusually long time to finish.

Thanks to Kensington Publishing Corp.for a free ARC of this book for an honest review. #TheGirlWhoSurvived #NetGalley.

This review can also be found at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5032655841 and https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-girl-who-survived-by-lisa-jackson.html