Oh, Holly Jackson…you’ve got me again! I was quite shocked to see so many negative reviews on “Five Survive” as I thought it was good. It wasn’t great, but I don’t feel it warranted as much negativity as it got! Does it compare to the “Good Girls” trilogy? Mmmm, no BUT it was still a great book.

Jackson has such style in her writing that she can really capture you right off the bat. “Five Survive” is a YA thriller that takes place over the course of ONE night.

Our main character, Red, and her five friends Maddy, Oliver, Reyna, Arthur, and Simon are traveling from their home in Pennsylvania all the way to Florida in an RV for Spring Break. You get the vibe almost immediately that Red is going through something internally. And while traveling that far in an RV isn’t a teen’s dream per se, Maddy knows Red can’t afford flying so the RV thing was her plan and everyone was onboard.

As you can imagine, a bunch of teenagers traveling in a tight RV, and DRIVING one for the first time…can’t be all smooth sailing. At first, everyone is hyped for their trip and excited to arrive but that quickly changes when they get lost on a remote road that’s nearly impossible to turn around and get off. To make that situation harder? Something popped their tires. That something…a sniper hiding in the woods actually SHOT THE TIRES.

So begins the next tumultuous 24 hours. There are six people trapped on a small, hidden road in a disabled vehicle with no cell service, no spare tires, and no way of getting any help while there is clearly someone watching/hunting them right outside. Soon they try contacting the person to find out why they’re doing this and it quickly becomes clear that this meeting is not coincidental and the person knows someone in that RV.
Chaos ensues and the six friends start turning against one another as they reveal detrimental secrets to try to get through this mess.

I enjoyed this read a lot. I loved how fast the pace was. It was one of those reads where I was kept up much later than I should have been because I HAD to know what happened next. The only reason this didn’t get five stars is because the explanation of the sniper, to me, felt like it was pulled out of left field. It was just strange and left me feeling disappointed. I know this book was not meant for my demographic, but even still some things just didn’t add up.

Overall, this was a solid 4 stars and I’d definitely recommend this for those who like a quick read with a chaotic timeline and a multitude of different personalities. I’ll forever be a lover of Holly Jackson and can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!

Super angry at myself for waiting so long to read this one! So many fantastic twists and the pace was great after you make it through the first 50ish pages.

I liked the premise and plot twists of this one. It was a little slow in the middle when the kids were trying one scheme after another to escape their circumstances-one or two fewer attempts could have worked just as well. The dynamics between the characters were done well, especially the volatility that would undoubtedly arise amongst people trapped in a small space in a life-threatening situation. The resolution was clever and somewhat unexpected - it was satisfying without being perfectly tied up in a bow.. Overall, it kept me entertained.

After taking a wrong turn while in route to spring break, Red and her friends find themselves trapped in their RV, with an unknown sniper demanding information. If no one gives up their secret, they all die. But who in the group has the secret, and what is it? I love a good locked room mystery, and this one was intense. I liked the twists, and definitely hated the main villain of the story. I had trouble putting this one down. A great read. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I loved her previous books but couldn’t get into this book. Not sure why but will try again later. Tried about twenty percent

Five Survive hooked me instantly! The story took place over 24 hours (locked room, race against time tropes), allowing the plot to unfold with nonstop action and suspense. The teenagers in this RV had a suitcase worth of secrets they were hiding from each other. In fact, the gunman wanted only one secret in particular, so it was fun guessing who held the secret and what was the secret about.

Emma Galvin’s narration added to the heart-pounding drama. She even added annoyance to the characters you wanted to hate. Highly recommend this format! If you enjoy YA thrillers, definitely add this one to your TBR.

Red is on a road trip for spring break with five friends. When their RV breaks down they realize it wasn’t an accident and someone wants one of them dead. There’s eight hours until dawn and they must find a way to escape. Secrets will come to the surface, someone is lying, and tension is rising.

I’ll start by saying this is my first Holly Jackson book and I’ve heard amazing things about GGGTM. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me. The beginning was promising but somewhere in the middle it felt like it dragged. For a story that is told in a span of 8 hours… it should not drag as much as it did or even at all. Then the ending was so fast I was getting whiplash. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters and if I’m being honest the only feelings I had was how obnoxious they were and If anyone was going to die… the right character was chosen. I am not heartbroken over it. Although Five Survive was far from a hit for me, I am not discouraged and I will give Holly Jackson another chance. I have her others on my TBR and I am confident I’ll find a winner.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Delacorte Press for the ARC and the chance to read and review it honestly.

Very fast read. I enjoyed this more than a Good Girl's Guide. Interesting characters and a lot of twists.

I read this entire book in one sitting. This book was nonstop engaging. However, I did struggle at times with the characters, due to not really rooting for any of them. Despite not enjoying the characters, I still could not stop myself from devouring the book to find out the plot twists.

Meh, this one was just ok. I normally really like a closed door thriller but I didn’t love these characters. It was entertaining but not anything that will stick with me. Thank you netgalley for my free copy.

This was okay, definitely not my favorite from Holly Jackson. The story was interesting but I didn't particularly feel myself rooting for anyone and it felt really unrealistic at times. I understood the conclusion but it felt a little far-fetched. Three stars because I loved the writing and the setting.

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

I LOVED AGGGTM by this author and saw some amazing reviews so I was super excited to get my hands on this one! Unfortunately I think my expectations were a little too high and I’m in the minority for this one

This book was easy to get into which made it fun on audio, and the second half was way more action packed than the first half! I found myself just waiting for something to happen in the first half and then everything was happening all at once.

I liked the ending! I think everything wrapped up pretty well but there was just something missing, I think maybe if we got to see more of certain characters I would have enjoyed it more —Overall I thought it was fun read but it didn’t quite hook me like AGGGTM did!

I don't think that reading this with my eye is working. So since that's the case when I can get the audio book I will because this is interesting to me but I just can't get into it reading without someone tell me the story so since that's the case I'll be waiting 4 weeks to get the audio book and give a full review because I'll read along side it. Okay it's 7/6 and I finally listened to the book. This was crazy and so entertaining. I would recommend this to everyone. Also make this a movie please. I will watch it if no one else will.

I absolutely LOVED AGGGTM from Holly Jackson so I was super excited to read this one. Unfortunately, it fell just a bit below the mark for me. I did really enjoy the twists and I felt for Red with the loss of her mother. Overall a decent read but won't go down as one of my favorites.

I've really tried with this one, after loving Holly Jackson's previous series, but it felt written by someone else.
It was so repetitive, messy, not organized at all? I couldn't get past the first few chapters. A miss, was not expecting it by this author.

Another super fun teen Mystery Thriller from Ms. Jackson, a mandatory purchase for all libraries especially for those looking to better engage with teen readers

If you’re claustrophobic, I don’t think you would like this book. Everything takes place in the walls of a 31 foot RV. I love how Holly Jackson is able to write a mystery that is intriguing to adults, but is still approachable for teens. I think the characters in this were very well-rounded, although I did have an issue telling the boys apart and I felt like Simon was not really a necessary character. I also liked how their stories slowly unraveled instead of being an info dump. I think the final reveal at the ending was in equal parts expected and unexpected, depending on what part you’re talking about. Some of their interaction was a bit more adult conversation than a typical teen would have: they sounded more like a Gilmore girl teens than actual teens. But I find that’s common in YA lit—adults are writing it after all and it’s not like you can tell much of a story in random TikTok quotes and saying “bet” every other sentence. This was a solid teen mystery with a satisfactory payoff and, best of all, it’s a one-off!!! We stan a stand-alone!

Five Survive had a lot of potential. I liked the closed room aspect of them being trapped on the RV as it added to the tension and helped ramp up everyone's paranoia. I think Holly Jackson did a good job of creating this premise of this group of teenagers being stalked by a sniper and with keeping things moving at a quick pace. I like my thrillers to be fast paced and exciting and I think this definitely did that.

I think my problem lies with the conclusion of the mystery, I found it a little over the top and just not conceivable. It didn't work for me and therefore I had to deduct some points. I also never really warmed to Red as a character, I found her incredibly frustrating.

I wanted to read Holly Jackson's newest book ever since I heard about it! Unfortunately this lacks so much of what I enjoy about her initial series, a likeable protagonist, an interesting mystery, and a cool format. This one fell flat for me.

What a wild ride! Holly Jackson continues to come through with the thrillers. I was on the edge of my seat and finished this thriller in just two days.

It did start off a tad bit slow, with getting to know the six individuals in the RV, and how they all knew each other. However once they get stuck on the road and the sniper comes out it was a whirlwind of action.

The characters in the book are hard to like, they have some serious flaws, but that is not a problem for me, I love some good unlikable characters! Oliver was my least favorite, I hated how he treated pretty much everyone. Red is the main character and sometimes a little flighty. But overall they're a good mix of people, all with secrets.

I thought the ending was good, and satisfying.