I could not put this book down!

The band The Bittersweet is composed of 5 woman and was co-founded by Vienna and Madison.

As their fame start to get a roll, they are invited to an event. As the band has been growing so fast, there’s a documentarist, Libby, that follows them to record their day to day activities.

However, on the way to the event, they get caught in a snow storm and soon looses control and crash! Once Vienna wakes up, she realizes that one of her friend is dead and one is badly injured.

In effort to find help, Vienne and Madison go to find help but could only find an abandoned cabin.

Unfortunately, only one survives from the band and she wants the world to know what happened that night so she decided to write a memoir. Libby and Vienna are now close friend and support each other while going through the aftermath of a traumatizing event.

What happened at the cabin? How come only 2 got out alive? What is coming for the future? Was it all for fame?

This binge worthy book is divided in different times lines (before and after the accident) but it’s beautifully written.

There are many characters to remember at first but the author makes sure it’s well introduced and makes it so much easier to remember them!

I absolutely loved it. It was sad, infuriating, interesting, and captivating.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and of course the author, Hannah Mary McKinnon, for a digital copy for my honest opinion.

Pub date: July 16, 2024

Thank you NetGalley and the Publishers for this ARC!

First off, I am a HUGE fan of Hannah Mary McKinnion. Pre-Covid, she was gracious enough to speak with the book club I was a part of at the time. She was so kind and generous of her time, and really engaged with our group!

When I saw this new book, I just jumped at the chance to read it. In her latest novel, We follow Vienna and Madison who are High School enemies turned friends. Vienna grew up poor with a negligent mother and hateful stepdad, while Madison had all the money and opportunities in the world. The two formed their own band, "EmVee" and eventually the band expands members to become "The Bittersweet." While on the way to gig, the van the girls in crashes and one by one, the girls begin to die. Is it a result of the crash or one of their own?

Told in dual timelines, this is a perfect read for fans of Freida McFadden's One by One or Darcy Coates Dead of Winter. So many twists and turns, you will leave yourself saying, "WHAT?!?" at the ending. 5 Stars!

“Only One Survives” was not only a thriller, but a hard look at friendship, family, deceit, and the downfalls/realities of fame. I didn’t guess the twists in this book, and I loved being on the edge of my seat as the truths started coming to light. I loved the play on words for both band names - EmVee and Bittersweet were legit the most perfect names for everything that happened in this book. No spoilers, but I’m still not sure if I should be #TeamVienna or #TeamMadison, but I can tell you without a doubt that I’m #TeamHannahMaryMcKinnon.

Only one survives⁣
By Hannah Mary McKinnon⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5⁣
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Wow! You want to talk about a roller coaster ride! This one right here will take you on one!! ⁣
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At first I will admit I was like when is something going to play out here but then BAM…it happens, again and again and again. ⁣
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There are so many twists and turns on this one! I absolutely loved it. I could read this one again! ⁣
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Book synopsis: ⁣
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Becoming the star is easier when the rest of your band is dead…⁣
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All drummer Vienna Taylor ever wanted was to make music. If that came with fame, she’d take it—as long as her best friend, guitarist Madison Pierce, was sharing the spotlight and singing lead. And with their new all-female pop rock band gaining traction, soon everyone would hear their songs…⁣
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Except, on the way to an event, the Bittersweet’s van careened off an icy mountain road during a blizzard—leaving one member dead and another severely injured.⁣
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In order to survive the frigid night, the rest took shelter in a nearby abandoned cabin. But Vienna’s dreams devolved into a terrifying nightmare as, one by one, her fellow band members met a gruesome end…and Madison simply vanished in the night.⁣
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What really happened to the Bittersweet? Did Vienna’s closest friend finally decide to take center stage on her own terms?⁣
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She doesn’t want to believe it.⁣
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But guilty people run.⁣
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#bookstagram #netgalley

Thank you to @thrillerbookloversthepulse for the #gifted copy.

I couldn’t agree more with the early reviewers who said they got Daisy Jones and the Six vibes. I loved that book and I loved this one! Madison and Vienna are unlikely friends who meet in high school after an altercation and find they have music in common. Home life is rough for Vienna and Madison in very different ways. That music eventually leads to a band which leads them down a road to fame. When the story begins, they are in the middle of a snowstorm and crash their car. The band members are dying. Who is responsible? Vienna is the only one left. Has fame become too much for Madison?

This book had its ups and downs. The writing was fine, but I was unable to connect with the characters. Things started off strong, and then the pace started to drag. Usually books have a tendency to have a bit too much backstory, but in this case, it could have used a bit more on the band and its members. Sadly, the ending missed the mark. There were a couple unexpected twists, but many were very predictable.

It was enjoyable ... enough to finish. Full disclosure, I have difficulty getting emotionally invested in a story where the protagonist makes sociopathic choices for absolutely no rational reason. There's only so much belief you can suspend and still remain curious about where the story is going. This is my own personal bias and it may not be an issue for many who choose to read this. And please don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good villain - especially one that gets revealed as a twist - but this villain simply wasn't that interesting and made incredibly lame and impulsive choices over and over again.

At first, I was completely hooked. Drummer Vienna and her bestie Madison, rocking out in their pop rock band? Sign me up! But then, tragedy strikes when their van crashes during a blizzard. It's like my heart plummeted along with them.

McKinnon's knack for suspense had me on the edge of my seat, especially with that unique twist of blending thriller elements with the music scene. It was like nothing I've read before, and I was totally here for it.

But then, things hit a bit of a snag. The pacing started to drag, and I found myself craving more backstory on the band and its members. Like, who are these people and how did they come together? I needed to know!

And don't even get me started on the ending. It felt like the buildup led to this big moment, but then it just kinda... fizzled out. Some of the twists were predictable, and I was left feeling a bit disappointed.

"Only One Survives" had its ups and downs. It's definitely worth a read if you're into thrillers with a unique premise, but just be prepared for a bit of a bumpy ride along the way.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review Only One Survives. I really like the author’s writing style, but I found the book a bit hard to follow at times. While I love dual timeline novels, this felt like it had a bunch of different timelines that made it hard to keep track. Just in the first four chapters, we have a month after the accident, the day of the accident, four years and four months before the accident, and four years before the accident. I’m hoping some of my issue had to do with the formatting (or lack thereof) of the ARC copy, and that it’ll be easier to follow once published and formatted.

OOOk so the description of yellow jackets with a side of Daisy Jones was spot on. This was a fun book full of mystery,. I also love trapped in a room mysteries so this was a perfect one for me. I kind of wished this was coming out more in a winter month that july because it involves a blizzard. I couldn't figure out the end and honestly it kept me going the whole way, I just couldn't put it down. I also wanted everyone to make it.

I enjoyed this isolated cabin thriller and was actually a bit surprised by the twist which happens early on but that doesn’t keep you from wanting all the details and the why.

I liked the way the book is written with before and after the accident which allows to get to know these characters a bit better. While this is a thriller I had different emotions throughout this book. I liked this one!

Music runs a very close second to me, only to books. So any book that encompasses anything about music has definitely got me interested. Only One Survives is many of the things I love in book- music (obviously), dual timeline, interview type/mixed media format, and suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed Hannah Mary McKinnon’s writing style & felt that this was a very good story. I will add I’m usually good at predicting the twists and I did not see this one coming. If you liked Daisy Jones & The Six (forever a favorite for me), you would enjoy this book!

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for an ARC copy of this book.

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.