I loved every minute of this book. From the very beginning I was hooked. The writing is fantastic and the story is even better! I was not expecting such a huge twist in this book.

Only One Survives is a gripping addictive thriller. It's what a happens when Daisy Jones And The Six has dead people.

It's a blend of music, the amazing friendships we cultivate in young adulthood and the freedom of finding our way in our own. It's complicatedly layered with jealousy, selfishness and the quest to be known.

It makes you wonder what you would do on your rise to the top.

So good

One of those books that keeps you on the edge and wondering who's who and if what you read is what is really happening.
A well plotted and tightly knitted story, growing suspense, toxic relationships, and a dual timeline that helps you to understand and is never confusing.
Loved it, a page turner that kept surprising me and on the edge.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Hannah Mary McKinnon’s new release “Only One Survives” was fun and exciting for me to read. I love McKinnon’s storytelling, and how she weaves women’s fiction with Thrillers. Cabins always scare me. The title to this was electric enough to scare me! The musical element really had me loving it more. McKinnon does it again!!
#OnlyOneSurvives #NetGalley Thank you for the advanced reading copy in exchange for a fair and honest Review.

"Becoming the star is easier when the rest of your band is dead..."
Starting a band has challenges, but Vienna and Madison think as long as they have each other their band Bittersweet will be successful until one fateful day on a snowy mountain everything changes. Their van slides off the side killing one member and critically wounding another. An abandoned cabin sits idly in the snowy woods beckoning them in for shelter. What they don't know is that not everyone will survive. Each member will meet a gruesome fate. Madison disappears completely while Vienna is the only survivor...she thinks...
This is jaw dropping and twisted. The eeriness is amplified with the chilling atmosphere. You will not be able to predict this one because not everything is as it seems. A lot of characters to keep up with, but it helps that it is laid out with blogs, social media and news reports. It is really that good that I highly recommend you add this one to your TBR. It is so hot outside that I was relieved by the snowy scenes. It took me awhile to get to the end because it wasn't something I could enjoy while on the beach.
Thank you NetGalley andHarlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Only One Survives is true to it's name and will have you on the edge of your seat as they fall one by one.
Vienna Taylor didn't have it easy growing up, but behind her drums it all disappeared. Her best friend Madison sang and played the guitar, and together they formed an all girl band named Bittersweet. Things were looking up and they were finally getting noticed. But things took a turn when on the way to a gig they got caught in a blizzard and their car went off the road. With one member dead and another injured they find a place out of the storm but instead of finding safety one by one her bandmates begin to die, and Madison disappears. Vienna is forced to face the truth, was her friend capable of killing their bandmates? She can't believe it, but do the innocent run?
This was such a fun book, I couldn't put it down, and it had me guessing long past what made sense. This twisty thriller will keep you guessing and leave you awestruck. A must read!
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Shotgun Beginning Focuses Into Laser Ending. This is one of those stories that opens up with a lot of moving parts, even as we only really get a single perspective of them, so it can be a bit difficult of a read to get into at first. Compelling, to be sure, particularly the accident during the blizzard, but through these intro sections the tale doesn't seem to know what it wants to be yet... and thus the reader may find it difficult to follow.

This noted, as the story progresses, things become ever more clear and pointed and the book finally decides what it wants to be... and oh, boy. Absolutely several interesting twists here, both within the story and in how the story itself subverts expectations of the reader.

Ultimately this is going to be one of those stories that seems like a bit of a challenge up front, even if compelling, but stick with it long enough for the tale to figure itself out. Because once it does, you're in for a fun time indeed.

Very much recommended.

This twisted thriller is full of surprises and revelations that I just didn’t see coming! Sure, there were clues and I did figure out some things about the band and the interactions between the characters, but there was so much that caught me with my mouth open, totally unsuspecting that the book was going in that direction. The story of a rock girl band would normally not be my kind of story because I’m not a rock fan, but the way the story developed, with Madison and Vienna meeting and starting their own duo and then including others who combined to create the sensationally popular Bittersweet, was a compelling read with lots of reasons to keep me reading. The first reason, of course, was that I really wanted to know who survived the horrible accident in the blizzard and what happened to the other members of the band. I could have never guessed the revelations that were like a snowball rolling downhill; they just picked up momentum and kept growing. I was not a real fan of any of the characters because I didn’t consider them particularly likable. On the other hand, all of them were well-developed and dynamic. The plot moved along at a good pace and then, like the revelations, picked up speed and took off like a rocket ship so that once I got to the second part and found out who survived, I really wanted to know what happened in that isolated mountain cabin and why only one survived. What a nail-biting story, with escalating tension and an immersive plot. The reading experience was like no other, with my determination to piece the clues together and the author’s mastery of keeping things secret until she was ready to reveal them. This was brilliantly written and intriguingly complex…highly recommend it, but be prepared to stay up late reading!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This story starts out with a horrific car crash. The band members end up taking shelter in an abandoned cabin during a winter storm. One by one, they start dying, and one band member goes missing.

This book is a pretty good ride. You are reading from the perspective of Vienna, who is one of the surviving members of the band. It jumps between the past and present and each timeline is fascinating. I found myself wanting to read the next chapter to see what would happen next.

I really enjoyed the main characters and this book took its time developing them. Vienna is all sorts of complicated, and I loved every minute of it. You never know who to watch out for in this book.

Overall, this is a pretty fast-paced read. The characters were complex, and the plot was well thought out. I would recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC to review. All opinions are my own. This book is available today, July 16, 2024!

It was a dream come true…until it became a nightmare. Best friends Vienna and Madison are about to achieve their dream. Their band is about to hit it big. They should be celebrating a bright future, but when a blizzard sends off the road in the mountains their future, their very survival, can be measured in hours. Now maybe it was because I was reading this one in the middle of a major storm (I had no power and the wind outside was howling) but I really got into this one. The story was intense and so many of the twists took me by surprise. It’s clear that fame is a dangerous beast! I believe this is my first time reading Hannah Mary McKinnon and I have to say I’m quite impressed and look forward to checking out more of her work. I’d like to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Only One Survives.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R34EWZZUNLXQBD/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This was not at all the story I was expecting from the synopsis. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more had I not gone in with different expectations. Not so spoiler alert, the majority of it doesn’t take place at the cabin. It’s not really a survival thriller like I thought it was going to be. There's a lot of backstory about Vienna and Madison growing up and forming the band. Then there's a lot of present day after the accident, with few flashbacks to the actual accident. The story becomes more about toxic friendships, the price of fame and fortune gone wrong, what people are willing to do to both obtain and maintain it. I found myself wanting to skim by the end. It was all just a little underwhelming to me. I have one particular gripe about it that is somewhat spoilery, so I’ll hide it here: I like unreliable narrators when they’re done right, but in this case it pissed me off. It wasn’t a known thing from the beginning, and instead I felt duped by the author when halfway through it was like… just kidding, this character isn’t at all like I told you they were, for the first 200 pages I was lying to you. And when that understanding and connection I’d been building with the character got ripped away, I was left not knowing how to feel anymore. Overall, it was just okay for me.

4.5 stars
Today is Bittersweet day!
It seems like ages ago when Hannah Mary McKinnon announced the plot of Only One Survives, and I've been anxiously awaiting since!
I love books about bands (Opal &Nev, Daisy Jones et al.) and once I found out her newest thriller centered on all-woman band The Bittersweet, I was hooked without needing one detail more.
Only One Survives is very well my new favourite of Hannah Mary's.
So join me in meeting the band - Vienna, Madison, Isabel, Gabi and Evelina.
This book is out today. (As I semi-creepily peer out the window anxiously awaiting my pre-order copy to land at my doorstep...)
And don't miss the Spotify playlist to accompany the book, picked by the author herself, along with original lyrics!
Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollinsca @htpbooks for my eARC for preview.

What really happened to The Bittersweet? I'd love to blurt out every juicy detail; you've got to read the thrilling story for yourself!

Picture this - an all-female band on the brink of stardom. They're on their way to an event when disaster strikes - their vehicle veers off a remote mountain road, and things turn dark. There's a fatal accident and a chilling disappearance.

From there, it's a heart-pounding tale of survival, friendship, and betrayal. With shifting timelines and unexpected twists, you'll be on the edge of your seat as the band members face one harrowing ordeal after another.

But that's just the start - the narrative delves deep into the complex relationship between the two lead members, Madison and Vienna. Once the action kicks off, you'll be unable to put the book down. "Only One Survives" is a story that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster - wild, intoxicating, and utterly captivating.

Although I have most of Ms. McKinnon's books on my TBR list, I was shocked to find this is the first I've read! I'm so impressed by this book and her kindness that I'll move them up on my list.

Thanks to the author and HTP Books/Mira for providing an ARC of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

#OnlyOneSurvives #HannahMaryMcKinnon #htpbooks #MIRA #htpinfluencer #pulsepoint #thepulse #thrillerbooklovers #thehive

Only One Survives is the perfect story of the ugly side of fame, and the lengths some will go to gain and keep it.

Firstly, I love how ambiguous the blurb is and how the foreshadowing gives nothing away while maintaining a lovely level of creepiness and foreboding. For a while I didn’t know if this was going to be a ghost story, if one of the characters was murdering the others, or if it was an outside person who had happened upon their unfortunate party.
The book is told in alternating timelines, before the accident the Bittersweet suffers and the years leading up to it, and after. We get amazing unreliable narrating and villains, toxic relationships, and a good look into what fame does to a person. The intensity throughout was so well done, I read this book in 2 sittings in 12 hours after having been in a slump.
The outcome was SHOCKING, and the final twist at the end was even more shocking despite having guessed at it previously.

I loved this book, I couldn’t put it down from start to finish and I’ve already added the author’s backlog to my TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 7/16/24

Thank you so much to HTP Books for the ARC!

This was such a fun and twisty read! I absolutely loved it!

Just when I thought I had everything figured out, McKinnon threw me a major curve ball and I LOVED the plot twists! And yes, twists plural because they just kept coming!

When a girl band crashes their car and ends up stranded in the snow, they take shelter at a nearest place they can find, an abandoned cabin in the woods. The stress and fear brings out the absolute worst in some of them and reveals what they have been hiding all along.

The story alternates between current day and past timelines in short chapters that had me flipping pages so quickly! The character building was done so well as they were all unique and easily distinguishable! If you're looking for a perfect thriller you won't be able to put down, this is it!

This one stars with an interesting premise, all female band started by two best friends, a car accident, major snowstorm, secluded cabin, one missing… sounds good right?!

Part 1 had me hooked, the story started in the present with an article/blog about the band and a tragedy. It then flips back to the past prior to the accident - how the two friends came to meet and their shared loved of music and the making of the band. The writing was smooth, I enjoyed the back and forth in timelines, the addition of social media comments and activity was fun, it was very well done…

Part 2 is where I start to lose interest…without giving anything away, I just didn’t believe it, the twist felt unbelievable to me based on the behavior and thoughts in part 1. It started to feel predictable and I figured what happened towards the end was inevitable… it was a little over the top for me and it just kept getting more ridiculous as it went on (400 pages)…

The grand reveal happened early and was not convincing based on the flow of the first part and the end was inevitable, no shock factor. The first half of the book was great, the second, not so much. Still a good read, but just adjust expectations on plausibility.

As mentioned, I do enjoy the writing and will read future work by this author. You Will Remember Me remains my favorite Hannah Mary McKinnon book to date.

Thank-you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC!

Synopsis: A tragic accident on a remote mountain road leaves an up-and-coming girl band stranded - and not everyone will make it out alive.

Thoughts: Well this was a wild ride! It has been awhile since the twists in a thriller got me this good! Without delving into spoiler territory here, I will say that this one had me questioning who to trust and totally shocked me - I read a lot of thrillers and thought it was pretty unique. It’s a binge-able page turner of a read with both the thriller aspect and the relationships and drama between the band mates.

Read this if you like:
❄️ locked-room style mysteries
❄️ twisty thrillers
❄️ music groups
❄️ dual timelines

This was such a fun and twisty thriller that was full of suspense. It had me sucked in from page one, and I didn’t want to put this book down. I loved that the characters were members of a female rock band because that brought some tension to the story. The way it was written was utterly unique, and had me captivated throughout.

The build up in part one was done so well, and the creepiness of the scenes after the accident had me on edge. Then part two starts, and I was totally shocked. I can’t say much more without giving things away, but I will say that this book rocked (pun intended)! The writing was phenomenal, and although it was my first book by McKinnon, it certainly won’t be my last!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Book: Only One Survives
Author: Hannah Mary McKinnon
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Mira, for sending me an ARC. I cannot remember the last time I would give star reviews back to back. This was an edge-of-your-seat, exciting, and well-done thriller. I have read a few other thrillers by Hannah Mary McKinnon and enjoyed them all. I came into this one with high expectations and it did not disappoint.

In this one, we follow Vienna, who was a member of an up-and-coming all-female band called the Bittersweet. The key word here is was. The band was hit with a tragedy, in which all the members either died or disappeared. That is all, but Vienna and a documentary flimmer. Madison, Vienna’s best friend, is missing and is believed to have had something to do with the tragedy. Part of what happened to the band is weather-related. The roads were bad and their car ended up sliding off the road. It is what happened afterwards that has people talking. Vienna wants to be famous, but not in this way. She starts to write a book to work through what has happened. The problem is trying to figure out what is fact and what is fiction.

One thing I liked about this was it was told in then and now. Sometimes I am not a huge fan of this, but found that it worked well for this story. We get to see everything that got us to this point. Now, of course, this is being told from Vienna’s point of view. Everything is twisted in a way that is fitting for her. We have to work through what is real and what is not. All of it is played out in a very convincing way. We see how our characters are viewed by Vienna and are put into this story that she wants to tell. What I mean by that is to keep in mind that Vienna is writing a book. Of course, what she puts on paper is going to be the version that she wants to tell.

Vienna is driven. She is the one who comes from the wrong side of the tracks. Her mom and stepfather would rather visit the bar than be a parent. Her mother always sides with her stepfather on anything. She is abused and feeling worthless. The only thing she has going for her is her Grams and drumming. It is drumming that brings her and Madison together. Madison is rich and everything that Vienna is not. Yet, their love for music brings them together and sparks a very unlikely friendship. When Vienna’s grandma passes, she moves in with Madison. Madison is having trouble at university and her life is spiralling. Her parents notice, but they don’t know that Vienna is living with her. If they did, they would only blame her for Madison’s behaviour. Their moving in with each other does spark the music again.

Both have different views on how to do the music, but they do end up forming a band. This band is all female. We get to see the highs and lows, the good and the bad. We get to see how having more women in the mix changes Vienna and Madison’s relationship and dynamic. We know that Madison wants to be famous and Vienna wants to make music. There are disagreements. It gets to the point where we can see that everything is in trouble. Then, the accident happens. The events that transpire from it make sense from the story. Once again, we have to figure out what is real and what isn’t. It makes for a very twisty story.

One thing that I did not like about this was the fact that the big reveal comes a little over halfway through the book. I know I gave it a five-star rating, but it’s something that I don’t like in thrillers. Now, I will say the way Hannah carried out the second half of the book was strong and very well done.

Overall, I did enjoy this one a lot. If you like twisty and fame-driven stories, you will like this one.

This book comes out on July 16, 2024.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/_DZ7xj5AvHw

Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a very highly recommended, remarkable, twisty psychological thriller. Once I started reading Only One Survives it was impossible to put this excellent thriller down.

After the two discovered their similar interest in music while in high school, drummer Vienna Taylor and guitarist Madison Pierce became best friends and began playing music together. After high school they briefly formed a duo called EmVee. Their success led them to form an all-female rock band called The Bittersweet, with some resistance from Madison, that also took off with a record deal. As they are heading up in the Catskills to a party to celebrate their success, their van crashes in a blizzard. They are injured and need to find some where to shelter - and not everyone will survive.

The writing is absolutely brilliant and exceptional! I was engrossed throughout the whole novel. The narrative unfolds in dual timelines following Vienna and Madison and all the events along their path to fame that lead them to the struggle to survive. The plot in both timelines is equally compelling and captivating. To avoid spoilers I can't say too much more, but there are several huge, jaw-dropping twists that occur - HUGE ones that make you gasp and reread what you just read as your head threatens to explode.

There is a large cast of characters but it is easy to follow who is who and where they fit into the plot. Vienna and Madison are both depicted as fully realized, flawed, realistic individuals.

If you like music and psychological thrillers with twists, you have to read Only One Survives. Thanks to MIRA Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.