Vienna Taylor’s sole aspiration is to make music with her best friend Madison. Together, they embark on their journey to form an all-female pop rock band, the Bittersweet. Tragedy strikes when the band is in a car accident during a blizzard, claiming the life of one member and leaving another severely injured. After seeking refuge in an abandoned cabin, the survivors are met with a grisly fate. Only two people make it out of the cabin alive and Madison has fully disappeared. As the story unfolds, we put the pieces together of what the hell happened in this cabin.

I requested this ARC because I loved You Will Remember Me by the same author. It’s no secret that 75% of the books I read are thrillers, but this was a unique reading experience for the genre! The rock and roll aspects and themes of female friendship cause an emotional reaction and connection to the characters and storylines which is difficult to achieve in the midst of suspense. The scenes at the cabin are incredibly atmospheric. I loved the dual timelines and the interspersed news articles and interviews. I’m pretty vanilla in terms of my day to day life so getting me to root for the baddie is also a feat, but this book did it. Only One Survives is expected to release on July 16!

I received this ARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own. Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Hannah Mary McKinnon!

A good book. My first one reading on Kindle. It had me interested from the start but I got bored quickly and it took me longer to finish. I did enjoy it though, just seemed to drag on a bit too long for me.

This is the story of an all girl band who has a car accident before their big break in the music industry. They end up stranded in the woods in a blizzard and have to spend the night in an abandoned cabin, but only one member of the band is alive when they’re rescued. The idea had promise but really didn’t come through for me. Vienna and Madison both are very unlikeable characters and honestly I would have been fine if everyone died. I guess the pull of fame and dangers of social media are supposed to be the causes of the drama and the girls’ choices, but it was just predictable. The plot just kept jumping back and forth and was a little exhausting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for allowing me to read this and provide my honest review.

Only One Survives is an interesting and well crafted book. This is my second book by Hannah Mary Mckinnon. Vienna is the narrator, a talented drummer who only wants to play music and leave her troubled family. Madison, a guitarist from a wealthy family, is her best friend who also dreams of being famous. They pair up to make a rock duo with Madison as lead singer. The book opens with the girls now part of an up-and-coming all girl rock group called The Bittersweet. They are on their way to a party in the Catskills in a snowstorm when the van careens off a cliff. All we know is two girls survive, one is missing and the rest are dead. The first part of the book focuses primarily on how Vienna and Madison meet in high school, the shenanigans they get involved with, and the growth of their very close yet highly toxic relationship. The scenes alternate between past and present, and each character has a distinct personality. The theme is primarily about fame, and how far someone will go to be worshiped and famous. If you like 80s music you will love this book. There is a surprising twist fairly early on and another more shocking one at the end. Only One Survives will certainly keep you reading! With thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

God i love HMM! She is the queen of thrillers, and always manages to knock me off my feet in this tragic time when no other thrillers can even get me through the first half of the book. I am obsessed with her twists and her dark turns and this is definitely one of my favorites of hers!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

All Vienna Taylor wanted in life was to play drums and get out of her hometown. When the band she forms with her best friend Madison Pierce has a catastrophic accident on the way to a party in the Catskills mountains, things quickly go south. Madison disappears, leaving only Vienna and another girl alive. As police try to put together what happened in the cabin, the truth will be revealed.

If unreliable narrators are your jam, this is a great book for you. Nothing is quite as it appears in this book. I found it to be a little jarring in some parts. Roughly half the book is about what happened with Madison and Vienna in high school and then there's an abrupt shift to be about the present. That threw me a little. Overall though I found the book to be an entertaining ride where you're never quite sure who to trust and who is telling the truth.

Vienna is an aspiring drummer who befriends wealthy Madison, a talented guitarist and singer, in high school. Despite Madison’s parents disliking Vienna because of her background, the two become the best of friends. They form an up and coming band, the Bittersweet, with three other talented women. Just as their fame is expected to take off, they are involved in an accident on snowy mountain roads. In the midst of a snowstorm, the rest of the band must fight to survive as they mysteriously begin to die, one by one.

This thriller is a page turner! Once I got into it, I didn’t want to put it down. It highlights the ugly side of fame and toxic female friendships, while alternating from past to present. I love a locked room mystery, and this one is filled with red herrings, twists, turns, and unreliable characters. I loved how I didn’t see the first big twist coming at all. There are so many elements working together here to make this book an addictive, wild ride from start to finish.

Thank you to Hannah Mary McKinnon, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Hannah Mary McKinnon's "Only One Survives" is a pulse-pounding rollercoaster of suspense and intrigue that grabs you from the very first page and doesn't let go until the final, shocking twist. With its razor-sharp prose, relentless pacing, and twisty plot, this novel is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers.

What sets "Only One Survives" apart is McKinnon's masterful storytelling and her ability to keep readers guessing until the very end. With its cleverly crafted plot twists and red herrings, this novel keeps you on the edge of your seat, eagerly turning the pages to uncover the next shocking revelation. McKinnon skillfully ratchets up the suspense with each new development, building to a heart-stopping climax that will leave you breathless.

But perhaps the greatest strength of "Only One Survives" lies in its complex and compelling characters. From Vienna and Madison's determined pursuit of the truth to the enigmatic motives, each character is given depth and nuance, making them feel like real people with their own fears, flaws, and desires. McKinnon deftly explores themes of betrayal, revenge, and redemption, keeping readers emotionally invested in the outcome until the very end.

In conclusion, "Only One Survives" is a five-star masterpiece that will keep you up late into the night, eagerly devouring every twist and turn. With its gripping plot, unforgettable characters, and jaw-dropping surprises, this novel is a must-read for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller. Hannah Mary McKinnon has firmly established herself as a master of the genre, and "Only One Survives" is further proof of her talent and skill as a storyteller.

A highly entertaining mystery! The first half of the book starts off incredibly strong, but the largest twist is revealed fairly abruptly removing a lot of suspense from the book. I read it in one sitting and was very eager to see if there would be more twists later in the book. If you start the book expecting a mystery more than a true thriller, you'll be very entertained!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC! Vienna, Madison, and their band, The Bittersweet get into a fatal car accident during a snow storm. After a terrible night, only one band member survives.

I couldn’t put this book down. I kept second guessing my own theories with every chapter. A must read when it’s released on July 16, 2024!!

This is SUCH a good book! Definitely this author’s best! The plot complex and layered, the characters coming alive on the page. And I adored the musical backdrop to it all.
It’s about two unlikely friends that bond in High School over music. After some detours in life, they form a band that becomes successful. It explores the drive necessary to become famous and just how far people will go.
When tragedy strikes the band, you won’t see what’s coming…..

Vienna Taylor is a member of The Bittersweet, an up-and-coming girl band when a car accident with all of her band mates in a snowstorm derails their success. They are left to survive the night with no cell signal and not knowing where they were.

This story is told in Vienna's point of view in the present, the very past and during the night of the accident and after. We get her background in meeting Madison during her senior year of high school, leading them to becoming best friends. She is the rich girl while Vienna is the poor girl with a terrible mother and her worthless husband, and a grandmother with dementia. Madison is part of the band, too. She hasn't always been the best of friends to Vienna in her actions.

This book was definitely interesting. It's one where you go back and see things that happen in a different light. An "a-ha" moment. I had more than one of those while reading this book. Surprises...I love it. I also enjoyed that it didn't end with the major reveal. There was more to the story and we got a lot of it in Part Two of the story. I didn't know what or who to believe. It was great!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Mira and Thrillerbookloversthepulse for the advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Vienna Taylor and Madison Pierce dreamed of having their band and becoming famous. After they formed their all-female band, the Bittersweets their hit song reached the top of the charts; they suddenly became the most sought-after band in town.
Tragedy soon struck when the band traveled to an out-of-town event in the Catskills during a blinding snowstorm. Their van slid off an icy mountain road, killing one member of the group and injuring the others.
They were able to take cover in an abandoned cabin but were unable to seek help. The injured band members met their end one by one, leaving only Vienna and Madison. Then Madison suddenly disappeared, and Vienna was left alone. Where is her friend? Has she escaped to leave Vienna to die and reap all the rewards the band has accumulated for herself?
An edge of the seat thriller with a spectacular ending.

Wow, this is my first read by this author and I was impressed! I was lucky to get my eyes on an ARC & wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was a great read! The author did an excellent job of character development, which led me to buy in and root for and against certain characters. It was well written and kept me engaged. I will be checking for other titles. I loved the way the topic of fame & the influence of social media tied in to this book.

Wow. I really don’t want to say a lot because I don’t want to spoil anything, so just wow. Only One Survives follows the story of Vienna, a member of a band whose truck has crashed in the Catskills leading to the deaths of four members, and one member who goes missing. The storyline alternates between past and present, and has some news articles and interview transcripts. It’s incredibly well written, I enjoyed this read a lot!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Only One Survives is out July 2024!

I thought I had it figured out. Then I thought I had it figured out again. Then I was totally surprised. The depth and detail in this book really made me feel like I was in each and every scene! Loved how the character Vienna grew from a small town gal to a rockstar city woman!

Hannah Mary McKinnon has done it again. She’s left me with a book that I can’t stop thinking about. I’m still trying to process in my mind how it all ended up the way it did.🤯

As I was reading this book I thought I knew exactly how everything was going to play out. Yeah, no, I knew nothing. I should know better, haha. After reading Hannah’s other books, I should definitely know better. I had this love/hate relationship with the MC. I want to tell you all the things, but I really don’t want to spoil ANYTHING for you. So I’m going to 🤐.
If you like reading stories about twisted characters, toxic relationships and a little bit of rock and roll thrown in, then this book needs to be on your TBR.

And when I tell you that Hannah’s books stay with me, I truly mean it. I finished this book almost 3 weeks ago and I’m still going over it all in my head.

All thoughts and opinions are my own. #ad

I don't know how to write this review without spoilers! There were so many moments I was in disbelief as different layers of the onion were peeled back and important details revealed - mostly things that I thought were true weren't true at all, and plot lines that I thought I was following ended up taking me down a totally different path! Such a well-written and fascinating book about the 5 members of a band + their documentary maker, some of who end up murdered and/or missing while on a group trip, and how the survivors navigate the accusations and aftermath. 5 stars, highly recommend!

Everything about this book was new for me. It started off slow and it took me a few chapters to get used to the time jumps, but once I got into it I couldn’t put it down.
This book has everything, murder, rock’n’roll, suspense and so much more, it will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Just when you thought you knew where this book was going it threw something completely unexpected at you, I thought I knew what #team I was on from the beginning, but boy was I sooo wrong!
And the ending?!?!? I did not see that coming, I had some theories, but that one slipped by me (maybe because this was my first thriller but still…).

The writing style of those book is also so very unique, you don’t realize until almost the end what you are actually reading, but I thought that was a nice touch. And you get some radio show transcripts sprinkled in too, which I thought added another layer to this book.

Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a non-stop mind-f*ck. Review done.

Kidding; but honestly, by the time you finish Part One, you’ll be so sure you know which was it up, that when you start Part Two, you may need to confirm you’re still in the same book. The one constant through the entire novel though, is the age-old question “how far would you go for fame?”.

Vienna Taylor- drummer of The Bittersweet, and our narrator leads you through the months leading up to, hours following, and weeks after the horrific car accident in the Catskills that claimed at least one other bandmates life. We examine the relationships between Vienna and her parents, her best-friend (and other half of their original band EmVee) Madison, the two additional bandmates, and the documentary maker- Libby. Unraveling the events of and surround the tragic and haunting night in the Catskills cabin.

Will the desire for fame and glory be the downfall of The Bittersweet; or is there something, or someone, far more sinister at play? You’ll think you’ve got it figured out, and then you’ll turn the page. While five girls left the scene of the accident, only one survives.

Review posted to IG: 4/11
Review posted to Goodreads: 4/11