📚 PUBLICATION MONTH BOOK REVIEW 📚

Only One Survives By Hannah Mary McKinnon
Publication Date: July 16, 2024
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded up to 5⭐)

📚MY REVIEW:

EVERYBODY has been absolutely raving about this book... And I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! Even though Harlequin has consistently denied my requests for ARCs on NetGalley, I figured I'd take a chance and request this one, just to see what happened... And lo and behold, your girl got approved! 🎉

Y'all, this book WAS as thrilling as everybody said it was! It was SUCH a fast-paced and unputdownable read. I got up early today to finish before work because I couldn't wait to see how this one wrapped up!

This book has multiple timelines, providing context and insight into the characters and their pasts that culminated into what became their present. This is the story about The Bittersweet, an up-and-coming all-female band on the cusp of making it big when tragedy strikes during a blizzard on their way to an industry party in the Catskills. From there, this thriller takes off on a dark path that will utterly captivate you until its very end.

Reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six, this book has a rock and roll inspired plotline, interspersed with radio stories and news articles and social media snippets. But this ain't your mama's 1970s rock and roll story. This is a wild thriller with twists and turns that will find you gasping aloud as more and more truths are revealed within its pages. Even when the answer to the mystery was revealed earlier in the story than I expected, I STILL spent much of the book completely shocked by what I was reading. This was the epitome of a diabolical killer -- and I loved every minute of it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for gifting me this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

#OnlyOneSurvives #HannahMaryMcKinnon #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #thrillerread #booklovers

I'll be honest: I'm quite disappointed with this book.
When I read the synopsis I got intrigued by the mystery envolving the accident with girls from a music group.
That's what I wanted from this book: to see how the accident happened, who survived and that happened later.
But what I got, from the most part of this book, were events before the accident: a lot of background of the 2 main characters - who already were best friends - and how their friendship survived after some pretty bad and heavy moments of their lives, up to the point they became a band with other girls. Even though I did enjoy some aspects of these 'past chapters', I was way more interested in the present, which only prevails after way over half of the book.
The author made some choices regarding the last 20%, and most of them didn't please me.
I didn't hate anything about it. I just had different expectations, I guess.
This book, in my opinion, ended up being much more of a character-driven lit, fiction story than a mystery/thriller one - which was what I hoped it would be.

I enjoyed this one. It was a bit predictable but I enjoyed the back and forth POV between past and present. It is a quick read due to the thrilling story being told. It's fun to watch play out even if you figure it out.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. I couldn't relate to the characters and wasn't invested in the story. It had a good premise, but the whole girl band/boy band trope is overdone.

This is my first five star thriller in a while 🙌

I was completely engrossed from start to finish. I absolutely loved that it follows an all female pop rock band.

The Bittersweet were in a car crash that left one member dead and another injured. They had to seek shelter in an abandoned cabin in order to survive in the cold weather — but death doesn’t stop there.

The character development was done so well. In the beginning we learn about drummer Vienna and her best friend Madison, who originally formed a duo called EmVee. Vienna’s home life was traumatic and forced her to escape her hometown and move in with Madison. They have a toxic friendship, but keep coming back together. As their duo evolves into a five-member all female band, their star continues to rise until the accident.

This story showed the dark sides of fame, specifically how social media can cause harm.

The author did an incredible job building suspense. I loved the dual timelines — we get snippets of what happened on that tragic night, and then the story backtracks leading up to the accident. Sometimes with dual timelines I’ll find myself wanting to speed up one of the timelines in order to get back to the other, but that never happened with this book. I ate up every single chapter 👏

I can’t recommend this thriller enough!

I can always count on Hannah Mary McKinnon for a captivating thriller. Oooooo this one. I really enjoyed it!! I don’t want to give too much bc spoilers but it’s good!!

I will be completely honest when I say I almost DNF'd this book. It felt like I was dragging myself through the first part of this book, so much so that I told myself I would put it down if it didn't get better in part two. And then BAM! The plot twist of all twists hit me like a freight train. The writing also felt so different, like the style changed when the unreliable narrator was revealed, which I suppose is a compliment. However, I still stand by my opinion that the first half of this book was almost boring at points. I did like the scenes from the day of the accident spliced throughout, I thought they were interesting and dynamic to read. It was mostly the scenes with Valerie and Maddison in NYC as friends and forming the band that I felt like trudging through. I was annoyed at Val for putting up with so much, but also for contributing to this toxic friendship. I know it all is explained in the second half but I just didn't care. All of that being said, I think this is a book that will stick with me for a while just because of the absurd twists it took me on. I will definitely pick up another book by this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This officially publishes on 7/16/24!

I am going to give a disclaimer at the top of this review in that this book fell completely flat for me. Although there were elements that were interesting, such as the girl-band dynamic, I found myself struggling to get through this one. While reading, I found the first half to be a lot of character and scene building, leaving a lot of the “action” to the second part. As a reader, this “slow burn” type of setup is not my personal favorite. I also guessed one of the larger twists at the end, which although it was logical given the plot, frustrated me when reading. To me, this would be a good read for anyone interested in “slow burn” type thrillers or are new to the genre.

"Only One Survives" is a gripping thriller that dives into the messy world of female friendships, jealousy, toxic relationships, and the high price of fame. Hannah Mary McKinnon does an impressive job of weaving a suspenseful story that keeps you hooked.

The story revolves around Vienna Taylor and her complex relationship with her best friend Madison Pierce. The alternating timelines between the past and present are handled really well, showing us how their friendship evolved and the creepy events after the accident. This back-and-forth keeps you guessing and adds layers of mystery.

McKinnon excels in character development, particularly with Vienna and Madison. Vienna's drive and loyalty come through strong, while Madison's mysterious vibe keeps you on your toes. The supporting cast, including the other band members and their entourage, add more depth and highlights the band's dynamics.

The book's first part is a thrilling ride, focusing on survival in the wilderness with some chilling and seriously unexpected twists. The abandoned cabin setting adds a spooky, isolated feel, making their struggle even more intense. McKinnon’s vivid descriptions and pacing make this portion of the book particularly engaging.

The second part of the book shifts gears, focusing on Vienna's life after the accident and her struggle to uncover the truth. While the pace slows a bit here, it’s packed with crucial details and shocking revelations that deepen the story.

"Only One Survives" combines suspense, drama, and psychological twists in a way that feels fresh and thrilling. McKinnon's knack for creating believable characters and maintaining a sense of unease throughout makes this book a standout. If you’re into psychological thrillers or stories about the dark side of fame, you’ll find this one satisfying.

Oh my what a twisty thriller! A girl band has a horrible accident on a snow-covered road. The girls try and take care of and save each other.

The book is told in real time and prior to the accident for insight into the two main characters Madison and Vienna. As the book goes along the twists and turns just keep coming. When I thought I had the story figure out…bam…another twist!!!

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book!!!

Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon was a very intriguing story.
I was not disappointed in the storyline. I thought the mystery was good with lots of twists that I didn't see coming and kept me glued to my Kindle.
The author has written a suspenseful, mysterious and compelling novel.
This book kept me absolutely hooked until the very end with a wild ending.
A page turner of a suspense novel that will suck you in quickly so sit down read, and enjoy the ride.

Thank You NetGalley and MIRA for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Only One Survives is deliciously unhinged and has @hannahmarymckinnon serving up her absolutely best rollercoaster ride of mayhem yet.

This book has all my favourite things when it comes to stories - dual timelines, questionable characters, dead bodies piling up and a clock that’s ticking on the answers being revealed once and for all. I just LOVE characters behaving badly, and this one serves it up in heaps.

The added element of the all-female band on the brink of making it big right as tragedy strikes is the icing on the cake - it was giving me early 2000’s music nostalgia and I’m such a sucker for behind the scenes band dynamics.

No spoilers, but this is WITHOUT QUESTION one of my favourite reads of the year. Creeping intensity, heightening dread and a would-do-anything-for-fame level of ambition makes this a can’t look away whodunnit that can’t be missed this summer.

Many thanks to @harpercollinsca for the book and @hannahmarymckinnon - god knows I’m dying for what comes next.

Wow, this book was just wow. Every single time I thought I knew what was going on something happened. I was completely shocked by the ending. I fell into every single trap that the author set in this book. Now that I know the ending of the book, it is painfully obvious what is going to happen. There were so many breadcrumbs spread throughout the book to help the reader figure it out but the story was so good and the book so engrossing that you really had to pay attention. I was shocked reading the final chapter because I fell for the trap. I highly recommended reading this book if you like the style of Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena. Once I learned that this book was about an accident, a band and the mystery that ensues after, I was hooked.

In Only One Survives, a female band is involved in a car accident in snowy weather and only one member survives. I loved how this book was told. It flip flopped between before and after the accident, as told by the surviving band member, but it also included snippets from a podcast and social media posts. This was the most unreliable narrator situation ever, where I got sucked in one way, so emotionally attached and then after so many twists and turns, I didn’t know what to believe, who to trust and what direction things were going. The entire thing kept me guessing and was so intense, so well-done in how it all played out and tied together, all while being a bit bonkers. Such a wild, thrilling and emotional ride.

Thank you Netgalley and Mira for the eBook. My opinions are being left voluntarily. This book kept be wondering where we were gonna go. I did switch to audiobook and felt lost by the narration and story. It's a great summer beach read.

3.5/5

this was an interesting read. loved the 180 about halfway through. it kept me guessing the whole time which i loved!

3.5⭐️

I have conflicting thoughts on this book. There were a lot of things about it really enjoyed. I thought I had a grip on where the story was going but fell victim to all the red herrings the author planted along the way and it was very surprising. I feel like the past-tense POV was a little dull and could have been pared down a bit. It obviously worked to inform some of the things that happened in the present, but I do think a lot of it felt repetitive.

I was really intrigued by what was going on as the women were trapped in the cabin. I thought it was going to be more of a locked room mystery and I was surprised when it turned into something completely different. The second half of the book also had moments that really intrigued and surprised me but I feel like once there was an answer to what had happened the exposition got really out of control.

I think the story was really interesting and had so many elements that I enjoyed but overall it felt too long and like there was too much over explaining what had happened instead of trusting readers to understand. I will still recommend it as I think it’s a good book and I am interested in reading more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Mira for an advanced e-pub!

𝟐.𝟓 ⭐️ 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐢𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲, 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐈’𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫—𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧), 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲! 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝’𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝐻𝒶𝓃𝓃𝒶𝒽 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝑀𝒸𝒦𝒾𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓃, 𝐻𝒶𝓇𝓁𝑒𝓆𝓊𝒾𝓃 𝒯𝓇𝒶𝒹𝑒 𝒫𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

Fast paced thriller! I was hooked right away! Only One Survives is about a group of women who are in a band and end up in a tragic car accident. The book goes between different time periods: before the accident, during the time of the accident and after the accident. But was it all an accident?

Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Vienna and Madison are best friends brought together in high school by their ridiculous talent for and shared love of music. They even perform as a locally popular duo. Both have bigger dreams which leads to the formation after high school of The Bittersweet with 3 more band members added in. While on the road to a gig, a trip that is being documented by a journalist along for the ride-they careen off the road in the Catskills during a snowstorm. With some members badly injured and no one around for miles, they are forced to hole up in an abandoned cabin to ride out the storm but as the storm rages on, the girls end up dead one by one until one vanishes and only one survives. All fingers point to one band member but is everything really as it seems? Ooohkay-we got a really toxic friendship with our two main characters here, and this is an intense ride as it becomes clear that one of them is willing to achieve fame at all costs. This book has been compared to Daisy Jones and the Six and I see that in the jealousy between band members. After all DJ totally gave off Fleetwood Mac vibes and if ever there was a band full of jealousy and doomed relationships... Anyway, that's about where the comparison ends with DJ. I'd say this is a combo of Daisy Jones meets Gone Girl. Took me a minute to get into but I was up til late finishing it. Definitely worth the read.