the marketing technique was to tout this novel as on the same par as "Daisy Jones and the Six." It is most assuredly not on the same level. This happens in publishing all the time---a concept novel is highly successful and every author on the planet feels the need to copy it. And that's exactly what this feels like a copycat novel. However, this lacks the tight plot and characterization of Daisy Jones and the Six. The characters are vapid, and I didn't really connect with any of them.
The writing was crisp and clean, so I might given McKinnon one more chance.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

I know I’m lucky to have positive, healthy female friendships in my life. Probably why twisted, messy dynamics fascinate me in books. Only One Survives is a part snowed-in locked room mystery, part a story of two musicians with a complicated friendship.

Drummer Vienna and guitarist/vocalist Madison and their band The Bittersweet are on the verge of their big break when a car accident in a snow covered isolated location derails not just their careers but also their lives. Not all band members make it out alive. But what really happened that night?

I loved the dual timeline storytelling and the multimedia concept (radio interviews, articles, online comments) - it gave the story an extra dimension. It’s a thin line between fame and infamy, especially when there are unexplained deaths involved. The first part of the book is more focused on the history and dynamic of Vienna and Madison’s friendship. The second part is where things get wild in the best possible way possible!

Hannah’s writing made Vienna and Madison come alive - in all of their shades of grey! This was a very memorable, interesting story with characters that’ll make you feel all sorts of complicated feelings! If you are a fan of twisty murder mysteries, you will want to make sure you read this one!

A huge thank you to Thrillerbookloversthepulse, Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA Books, NetGalley and Hannah Mary McKinnon for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, this was intense and I really appreciated the different layout of the story line and plot. I can’t say a whole lot without giving away anything, but this was such a cool and devastating look into what fame and money can do to people. I also thought it was a great way to point out how easy it is to believe the information being presented to you. I highly recommend that you pick this up immediately when it officially releases in July. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Only One Survives is the story of the all-girl band The Bittersweet’s attempted rise to fame told in a familiar then-and-now narrative.

High school rivals-turned-friends make up the duo EmVee, a local Maine band that finds online success after an impromptu gig goes viral.
Madison is Rich. Vienna is poor. Madison has an idyllic home life with successful lawyer parents who are more than a bit controlling. Vienna doesn’t know her father, and her mother has recently moved herself, Vienna, and Vienna’s demented grandmother in with her latest alcoholic boyfriend.

With graduation around the corner, EmVee’s popularity seems destined to be short-lived. That would be fine with Madison’s parents who blame everything wrong in Madison’s life on Vienna’s influence, but fate works in mysterious ways. Vienna and Madison end up cohabitating in a NYC home purchased by Madison’s displeased parents.

Madison becomes the college party girl. Vienna sees music as her way out of poverty and begins looking for bandmates to add to her and Madison’s ailing duo. Enter The Bittersweet, a band on the rise, heading to the Christmas party of the season where they plan to mingle with the rich and famous—until a car crash sends them scrambling. Trapped in a cabin in the woods, with band members suffering from exposure and injury, a mystery unfolds that circles back to the title. Only One Survives, indeed.

Touted as Daisy Jones and the Six meets Yellowjackets, Only One Survives is reminiscent of both, yet lacks the heart and character of either one after the midpoint. The author does a brilliant job fleshing out Madison and Vienna as characters. The accident subplot suffers from a lack of the same level of development. The band members serve as pawns in the greater fame scheme, and tragedy befalls them with little to no emotional impact. Yellowjackets injuries were jaw-dropping and gut-punching every single time. The twist of what happened came out of nowhere and felt revealed far too early.

I'll try to avoid spoilers here, but as the truth about the crash gets conveyed through obsessive thoughts and observations on talent and fame, I felt there is no one—except maybe the Italian restaurant owner—worth rooting for.

The police investigation seems run by amateur sleuths, and the ending, well, perhaps it is poetic justice in a Mean Girls sense, and Only One Survives, but it isn't for me. I went from hot to cold in this novel, which has a five-star beginning and a two-star middle-to-ending.

Unevenly plotted, Only One Survives is an excellent idea with a flawed execution. Cautiously recommended for fans of unreliable narrators who appreciate nostalgic musical references and tales of female rivalry.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Mary McKinnon, and MIRA for the ARC.

I liked this one! For fans of the music industry, girl bands, NYC, girls behaving badly, and abandoned snowy cabins…I think you’ll like this! I NEVER saw this twist coming and it was a BIG one. I felt duped and at the same time wanted to thank McKinnon for throwing me for a big big LOOP. My one criticism/opinion is that I enjoyed part one way more than part two. I felt part two dragged on and was a smidge repetitive.

Vienna and Madison have been best friends since high school. They met in detention and quickly bonded over their shared love of music. Despite Madison’s rich parents doing everything they could to steer Madison away from Vienna’s “bad influence” the two decided they would stop at nothing to pursue their dreams of becoming famous musicians. Fast forward five years, the two have found three additional members and begin the small venue circuit. Luckily, a music producer spots them and the rest is history.

One night, they are en route to a big party when the band gets in a terrible crash. Some members die and some are severely injured. Vienna and Madison find a deserted cabin in the woods and decide to take shelter there. As the days continue, more of the band members seem to take a turn for the worst. Could one of their own be responsible for the demise of Bittersweet? Or will they ultimately be the demise of themselves?

Thank you Mira for the ARC!

I was very intrigued by the premise of Only One Survives. But there was two much back and forth in the plot. It kept going from the time of the accident to 5 or so years before. And then 4 years and 9 months before etc. The chapters in the past did not grasp my attention so I started to skim to get to the present day.

After I was about half way through this book there was no putting it down. The story is about two high school friends who make good after forming a singing duo, and then decide they should have a female band of five. While traveling to a party in the Catskills they have an accident and there is a fight for survival. This story has a several twists right about the time you think you’ve got it figured out. All the descriptions were good, but the way the author described the house they found after the accident is excellent. You definitely get the vibe!!! For any fans of HMM don’t miss this book! I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

All female rock band, Bittersweet is steadily gaining attention in the music world. On the way to a gig, their van careens off the road and the girls take shelter in an abandoned cabin for the night. One by one, members of the band go missing and it may be caused by one of their own. A twisty, suspenseful look at the cost of fame and what lengths some will go to achieve it.

"Only One Survives" delves into Vienna's journey as the lead drummer and singer in a band she co-founded with her high school best friend. The narrative takes a tragic turn one night, resulting in the deaths of other band members and Madison's sudden disappearance, leaving readers to unravel the events of that fateful evening.

The initial section of the book captivates with its exploration of the band's dynamics, leading up to the pivotal night. As the plot unfolds, the second part gradually reveals unexpected twists, challenging the initial portrayal of events.

While the latter portion of the book may feel slower due to its focus on developing these twists, it ultimately adds depth to the story. Despite this slower pace, I found "Only One Survives" to be an engaging read, earning it a solid 4-star rating from me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC.

After reading the description of this book, I was excited to read it. It was a good book. I read it quickly and I definitely wanted to know what exactly happened. There comes a point when you realize things aren't exactly as they seem and the reader has been manipulated. After that is when the truth really comes out. Honestly, the truth was more disturbing than what you initially thought happened. It's weird that sometimes it takes a similar person to see the truth of a situation and expose it. The ending is not a particularly happy one, but, maybe, its the only one we could have had. I would recommend this book.

I need to divide this book in two halves to review it. Before the twist and after the twist. Before the twist this book is a solid 4 stars and has done the high school friendship where one is rich with controlling parents and the other is poor with an alcoholic mom and abusive step father trope done perfectly!

I really enjoyed the dynamics of the two friends but then the twist happened and I just couldn’t buy in to any of it. It felt forced to right till the end. The idea that fame corrupts just wasn’t fleshed out and believable. I can’t say more without giving spoilers so I’ll stop here.

I think if you’re looking for a palette cleanser or a book you can get through quickly, then give this a read.

I also think that because I read an arc book that I received from NetGalley and Harlequin (BIG THANKYOU!) that was not formatted correctly for the kindle that spoilt my reading experience somewhat.

This book was aslow burn and the middle was a little wordy and slow. There are some great twists and we're the reason I gave a 4 star review instead of three

This book was full of twists and was a very easy read. The middle was a bit slow-paced that is why it’s only 4/5 stars but I binged the last quarter of the book in one sitting. Hannah Mary McKinnon did a great job bringing the past and present together each chapter. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves authors like Freida McFadden and Jeneva Rose.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing

An addictive read! Impossible to put down!

Comprised of five women, The Bittersweet is a band on the rise, co-founded by friends Vienna and Madison.

As their fame expands they set off for a event in The Catskills. The band will be accompanied by Libby, a woman assigned to film a documentary of this hot band on the brink of stardom.

But after a devastating crash and its aftermath, not everyone will make it down off the mountain.

I was expecting more of a traditional closed-room thriller but this storyline played out deliciously different. (I just love surprises!) I won’t say more than that as to risk spoilers.🤫

The cast of characters is large. And I was a bit concerned in the beginning, assuming there was no way I’d keep all the names /characters straight. But Hannah Mary McKinnon has such a splendid talent of developing each character and fleshing out enough detail to bring each to life.

Clear your calendar because once you settle in everything around you will fade into the distance until the final chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing

3.75 🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

This is a thriller about two best friends in a pop rock band. Their names are Vienna and Madison. These two characters are multilayered and their relationship dynamic was interesting to follow.

The author’s writing is accessible making this book really easy to binge. I read the last bit in one sitting. The short chapters also contribute to keeping my attention and engaged. There is mixed media sprinkled throughout the book from new articles to emails.


The middle of the book was a bit draggy which is why this book ends up getting a 3.75 star instead of a 4. I would still encourage people to check it out.

This book had me addicted from the start! It was so intense that I could not wait to see the twist. Authot knows how to deliver the breath taking, draw dropping twist that we all know and love and never expect the ending. I believe this book is her best one yet but I say that everytime I read one of her books. Thank you for allowing me to read your book in advance.

I adore this book and immediately had the library purchase their pre-order. The structure of the book by past and present showed a lot of character development. I could tell that Vienna was younger during the past by the writing style and inner monologues. I really enjoyed being given that insight and it made a lot of sense when she made the decisions during the accident. She seemed grounded more due to her struggles and class differences from Madison. The other characters did seem to be less developed, but I think if they had been it could have been too lengthy. I really loved it and the ending was not one I predicted. I hope the book club gets to read this, but I will be suggesting it for the vote.

Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon had me guessing till the end. Half way through I thought I had it figured out. Then 3/4 of the way through it went a different directions. The author had me second guessing myself all the time. Really well written, fast chapters, and a great ending.

I came into this book off of another that took me a long time to get through and devoured this in a couple days. Just when you think you have everything kind of figured out Part 2 arrives and BOOOOOM. That's all I can say without being too spoilery.

Read this if you liked Gone Girl but wanted a MC a bit less bonkers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mira for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

"Only One Survives" by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a gripping thriller that takes readers on a tumultuous journey through the highs and lows of fame, friendship, and the dark side of ambition. McKinnon's narrative prowess is on full display as she weaves a tale of Vienna Taylor, a drummer whose only desire is to make music alongside her best friend and lead guitarist, Madison Pierce. As their all-female pop rock band, The Bittersweet, begins to gain traction, tragedy strikes when their van crashes during a blizzard, leading to a series of harrowing events that culminate in a fight for survival.

McKinnon masterfully crafts a story that is as much about the music industry's glittering facade as it is about the twisted paths people take to achieve their dreams. The novel's structure, alternating between the past and the present, builds suspense and keeps the reader guessing. The characters are well-developed, with Vienna's perspective offering a raw and honest look into the complexities of human nature when faced with life-and-death decisions.

The setting of the abandoned cabin adds an eerie layer to the narrative, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere that mirrors the characters' escalating paranoia and fear. McKinnon's use of the harsh, unforgiving landscape as a backdrop for the psychological thriller elements is both effective and chilling.

"Only One Survives" is a testament to McKinnon's ability to blend genres, incorporating the excitement of a musical journey with the intrigue of a mystery. It's a novel that entertains while it provokes thought about the price of success and the secrets that can tear apart even the closest of bonds.

Hannah Mary McKinnon's "Only One Survives" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and those fascinated by the complexities of human relationships under extreme pressure.