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Five Survive

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Member Reviews

1 Sentence Summary: Red and her friends are on a road trip for spring break, but the trip turns deadly when their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere, only it wasn’t an accident; someone has trapped them and wants one of them dead.

My Thoughts: WHAT?!?!?!?! Okay, did I stay up until 2 am to finish this book? Yes, I did. But was it worth it? Yes, it was. Although maybe reading it at night in the dark wasn’t the best idea…I was so scared! And then I got to the end and went from being terrified to literally tearing up at all the emotions. Ughhhh it was incredible!

First, the writing style. Wow! It really makes you feel like you’re there, like you can’t help but panic along with the characters. It flows so well and has so much great tone and mood, and is just all around fantastic writing.

Then we have the story: so suspenseful, keeps you on the edge of your seat, holding your breath, and there were so many twists and turns I did not see coming. And the ending!!!! Holly Jackson really went and trampled my poor heart. It was not what I was expecting, and was really open-ended in the best way (which, if you know me, you know I’m a sucker for a good open-ended ending). But even though it was a satisfying conclusion, would I sell my soul for an extra epilogue or sequel? Yes, I would. Oh, and the whole story takes place over the course of 8 hours, which was so cool and really well executed!

And lastly, Red!!!! Can I just say, she is one of the most interesting, well written characters I’ve come across. She felt so real. Her inner voice, her mannerisms, the way she thought about things, it was just so well done. I feel like I actually know her, and I love her.

My one complaint is that I wish there were less swearing; specifically the frequent use of the f-word.
And a warning: the story got pretty dark at times, so take care of yourself and read the content warnings before going in:)

Recommend to: Fans of the group-of-friends-trapped-together-with-a-killer trope & twisty YA thrillers.

(Warnings: swearing; death; blood; gun violence)

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I was really excited to receive an ARC of Holly Jackson's new book "Five Survive." I read her previous series, "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" and I already knew that I loved her writing style and her mysteries. My teens also really enjoyed her previous books.

In this story, Red and her friends are in an RV headed to Spring Break. Red's friends were kind to agree to a Spring Break road trip as she could not have afforded to go with them otherwise. Red really needs the break, from her father who is having issues, her financial woes and to get away from the memories of her mother's death five years earlier. Soon into their adventure, the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere and the teens all learn they are being targeted by a killer. The question is who is targeting them and why.

While this book was well-written and really kept me on the edge of my seat with the suspense, I had a hard time reading this as a YA mystery novel. I thought some of the more brutal scenes did not fit in the YA genre and were quite shocking. Also, I thought the book could use some additional editing. It was often repetitive and several parts were just too long. Overall, it was a well-thought out mystery with appropriate clues throughout the book, but I thought it was too mature for the intended audience and I really missed some of the fun and quirky characters and scenes that the author's other YA novels contained. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. ((3.5 stars rounded to 4))

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2.75 stars

I loved A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, so I was really excited that I got approved to for this galley! However, I have mixed emotions about this book.

Red and five of her friends are traveling in an RV to their spring break destination, when a wrong turn quickly turns catastrophic. Soon, the six are trapped in the RV and can only get out alive when one of them admits the secret with deadly stakes that they've been keeping.

So, I'm gonna break this down point by point:
-The pacing was off. The first half was tedious and difficult to get through, and I think the second half's pacing should have been applied to the whole book. Frankly, I think the whole thing could've been shorter.
-The plot....doesn't make much sense. And look, I realize that thrillers are not true to life, but there were so many things that were just never explained.
-We spent a lot of time in Red's internal monologue, which is very nonsensical and scattered at times (which is never really explained).
-The side characters (besides Oliver, who I actively wanted to get sniped) were likable enough and were given just enough backstory for me to care about them.
-Speaking of Oliver, why was everyone letting him be such a tyrant? No one really took a firm stand against him despite his insane behavior.
-All the characters were supposed to be 18-21 years old but acted more like 14-16 year-olds
-The ending was too ambiguous in my opinion. I think even just a bit more tying off of loose ends would have really helped.

Honestly, all in all, I think that for a Young Adult Thriller, this gets the job done. I just might not have been the right audience for this. I would recommend this more for the YA demographic or maybe people who are just getting into/haven't read a lot of thrillers.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press for giving me access to this in exchange for this honest review!

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Incredible. Holly Jackson is a master. This book will make me think twice about ever getting into an RV.

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What a book, what a book. This was my first Holly Jackson book and I was VERY impressed, her writing style keeps the reader interested and the storyline kept me up late because I needed to know what happened next. This book is described as YA (Young Adult) but I think anyone who appreciates a well written, edge of your seat thriller will enjoy this book.

Brief synopsis from Amazon:
Red Kenny is on a road trip for spring break with five friends: Her best friend - the older brother - his perfect girlfriend - a secret crush - a classmate - and a killer.
When their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, they soon realize this is no accident. They have been trapped by someone out there in the dark, someone who clearly wants one of them dead.
With eight hours until dawn, the six friends must escape, or figure out which of them is the target. But is there a liar among them? Buried secrets will be forced to light and tensions inside the RV will reach deadly levels. Not all of them will survive the night.

A special thank you to Holly Jackson, Random House Childrens and Net Galley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

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Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This book starts off weird-no other way I can put it. The way the MC narrates her story is so REAL, it almost feels as if you’re just listening to a friend explain their weekend. It’s full of suspense and paced just right. Towards the end, I couldn’t put it down! I did figure out the “who” behind everything rather quickly-I almost feel as if Jackson did that to us on purpose. But the why and how it would end up left me reeling! I’m a sucker for books on secrets and scandals so this book was right up my alley and did not disappoint!

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The Spring break trip from hell. Six friends road tripping in an RV, but when they break down in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, the next 8 hours will show them who they truly are. Because their flat tire isn't really a flat tire, it's actually a sniper, and he wants something.

Wow. I just.... wow. When I started reading, I instantly was concerned because the narrator seems very scattered. I was thinking to myself, is this Holly Jackson's first flop? The answer to that is a resounding NO. The scatteredness makes you feel crazy, until you don't. This book gave me severe anxiety. I felt like I was in the RV (all 31 feet of it). My face got hot. I was convinced there might be someone who would ambush me from around the corner as I read. It was a reading experience like none other. You feel the emotions of the characters. You bond with some, while detesting others.

Holly Jackson makes you uncomfortable. She puts you in a state of mind where you don't trust your surroundings. If anything, I'd say this is her best work yet.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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I was ecstatic to receive this e-arc as I am a huge fan of Holly Jackson's A Good Girls Guide to Murder trilogy. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. Thats not saying it was a bad book. She did a great job at pacing an entire novel into just a few short hours. I felt most of the characters had a decent amount of backstory for the time frame as well. I also was not able to guess the twists, nor the ending, until the end. I feel like this type of book does much better as a movie than it does a novel, though.

The biggest issue I had was it started out so slow. So boring. I had a really hard time picking it up because it just took forever to get to the good parts. Also, the main character, Red, seemed to have memory issues or something sometimes and not others. It was never clear why. She also was trying to figure out the pattern in the curtains the entire novel and kept repeating the size of the RV and I don't even think we ever found out what that pattern was. It felt really irrelevant and might've made sense if we actually got to find out what it was and if it tied to the story in some way. Near the ending it finally picked up and got interesting, but before then, I had a really tough time getting invested.

That being said, I still very much absolutely love Holly Jackson's work and will absolutely read whatever she releases next. I feel she does much, much better with a series than a standalone and I hope that's what she chooses next time! I do recommend checking this book out as it seems to be a hit or miss with people! I definitely recommend her other work as well!

Thank you for this ARC that was generously provided by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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This was surprisingly my first Holly J read! While this wasn’t my favorite book in this genre, I did really did enjoy how everything tied together in the end.

This book started very slow for me. I didn’t like being privy to the MC’s mind when she wasn’t under pressure. Her thoughts were so… bland. Chaotic but bland.

As the story progressed, however, things really started to pick up about a quarter of the way through.

I hate Oliver. The story needed that care but my gosh, he is THE WORST.

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This book just wasn’t for me, Red and her friends are traveling in an RV on spring break, they break down along a deserted road. Outside the RV is a sniper threatening to shoot if he isn’t given the secret he’s wanting. I struggled to get through this book, I was waiting for some twists or big reveal but it was very predictable. Also I couldn’t figure out why Red had memory issues for some of the book but seemed fine in other parts. That didn’t add to the story at all, it was more distracting to me. Thanks NetGalley for this eARC.

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I could not put this one down! A group of young people head to the beach for Spring Break in a borrowed RV. What could possibly go wrong? After getting lost in a deserted area, they quickly realize someone outside the RV is trying to kill them, and one of them inside is the key to their escape. While the set up of the story seems contrived, nothing about the story is predictable as events unfold. Jackson explores the themes of friendship, family loyalty, and sacrifice in this exciting book.

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This book was very interesting. The plot was intriguing and pulled me in. Some parts seemed repetitive to me and seemed to move pretty slow but for the most part it was a solid read and I was definitely invested in the characters and the story as it unfolded.

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➵ 3.5 ⭐️

this book might be my biggest disappointment this year.

i haven't read AGGGTM but i seriously hope it's much better than whatever this was.
we have 6 friends trapped in an RV for 8 hours, held at gunpoint by a sniper - sounds intriguing enough but the execution.......
all of the characters were flat, some more 2 dimensional than others. i have no idea why the mc - Red - was written the way she was, but what i do know is that it drove me crazy. adhd on steroids is the only way to describe her inner monologue, it was just all over the place and i could not understand why. she was also not really fleshed out.

the first 60% of the book dragged out - Red kept repeating how the RV is 31 ft long and wondering about the pattern on the curtain and in the end neither one of those things were relevant but regardless they were constantly repeated. imo nothing really interesting was happening most of the time - the plans to escape the characters were coming up with were just absurd, everyone is supposed to be between 18-21 yo but instead they all sounded like a bunch of 13 year olds.

i liked the plot twists and the last 30% were fast paced and interesing and that's the reason i'm not rating it lower. also Red's inner monologue did get better by the end.
can't tell you what the pattern was, who's the second person to vote "yes" [when u read the book you'll know what i'm talking about], wheather Red shows up at the pier or not but at least certain characters got what they deserved.

eternal gratitude to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. all opinions are my own

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Red and five of her friends are on a spring break trip in an RV. They make a wrong turn and end up trapped inside the RV, being watched by a sniper who knows someone in the group has a secret.

I really, really wanted to like this book. I LOVED the entire AGGGTM series and couldn't wait to see what Holly Jackson came up with next. The premise sounded good, but the plot felt really slow and repetitive (especially the incessant references to the length of the RV), and the whole situation didn't end up making a ton of sense. The characters were all sort of meh, and the ending was predictable and implausible.

I will read any and everything Jackson writes and wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this book -- lots of reviewers have enjoyed it, but it was not a great fit for me.

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Oh my goodness what a great book! I have loved all of Holly Jackson’s books and Five Survive is even better than ALL the others. The characters, the story, the everything was fabulous! And the ending (don’t want to spoil it) was the best – absolutely perfect for this book.
Highly recommend!!!!!
Thank you NetGallery for my ARC.

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Book Review

Five Survive by Holly Jackson
@HoJay92
Pub date: November 29, 2022

First off, big thanks to @DelacortePress for this gifted DRC!

What should be a fun road trip traveling to spring break soon turns into a nightmare for 6 friends. Red Kenny is traveling with her bestie, Maddy, Maddy’s brother Oliver and his girlfriend, Reyna along with Simon and Arthur. The RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere and soon, it looks like this may not be accidental. With no cell service, the group attempts to leave the RV when they discover they’re not alone out on this deserted road. A sniper has them in their sights and their looking for a secret but what secret? Seems like suddenly almost everyone has something to hide.

Told via Red, it gives insight into the story and her perspective of each person’s ability to not only handle the stress of the situation but also, who she thinks is hiding the biggest secret – news flash, she thinks it’s herself but could she be wrong. The sniper manages to contact them and gives them an ultimatum and soon the ugliest of behaviors emerge and more truths come out, separating friends and family.

This is the tensest of stories and really shows just how desperate some will be and the lengths they will go to in order to save themselves … or someone they love. It has the twistiest of plots and gasp out loud moments – the descriptive writing put me in the situation of all the characters – all of them richly portrayed in such a short amount of time. I felt invested and that is what I look for in a page turner. Get me invested in the characters and you’ve got me invested in the book.

I’m highly recommending this one and I’m calling it a psychological thriller because it is just that! It plays on the mind of the reader as much as it does the characters – I love when a book makes me go through a host of emotions – from nervous and scared to elated and sad, so many emotions in this story! Well done, Ms. Jackson!

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5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-arc for an honest opinion.

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

This was honestly such an intense, intriguing and interesting book. The plot was very interesting. It was quite interesting to see that more people had secrets, and what secrets could do to one person. Every character was unique and all made sense to the story.

The ending though lets talk about that, I didn’t see that one coming. That secret was just wow, never expected it to be THAT! Also the last page had me in tears…

Hope we are going to see more!

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Setting out on a road trip for Spring Break with her best friend, along with her friend's brother, his girlfriend, and a couple of other classmates, Red thinks her biggest worry is which side of the pull-out sofa her friend wants to sleep on. Just a short time later, as they lose phone service and find themselves lost deep in the woods, she soon discovers that none of them will be sleeping as they become the focus of a deranged madman. Their captor wants just one thing - the secret that one of them is hiding. One by one, the secrets come to light, but which one will be the key to their survival?

There are plenty of twists in this one. I had a hard time keeping the characters and their motivations straight as they all seemed a little underdeveloped, including the main character, but overall that helped keep this a quick read and move the story along. This is a great thriller, recommended for those who love a quick suspense that also answers all the questions and leaves everything with a satisfactory ending. Perfect for fans of Karen McManus.

I received an eARC from the publisher.

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this was a thoroughly enjoyable read from Holly Jackson - author of one of my favorite series (A Good Girls Guide to Murder). It was super fast paced (reminded me a little of No Exit) and I read it in one sitting. It fell a little short for me when it came to character development, and since there were 6 people to keep track of, I found that a bit frustrating. But overall, it was a super fun book and definitely reccomend picking it up when it comes out!

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While this book definitely had the propulsion that Holly Jackson’s books are known for, I can’t help but feel that it would have been better suited to a short story. I thought the RV setting was perfectly tense and claustrophobic, as was the narration, but around the halfway mark things started to lag. While I can definitely see this story working as a short story or even a short film, I don’t think the format of a novel served the story well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Electric Monkey for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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