I have been in the mood for horror books lately. The Bitter End was the latest read. If you like horror books, this should be on your list of next reads.

This book had me gagged. Eight teens on a trip that none of them signed up for? Bodies dropping like flies? A locked door mystery? Alexa Donne? Sign. Me. Up.
As I said, The Bitter End follows eight teens (of whom we have the POV of 3) on a winter trip--one none of them chose to be on. Secrets start coming out, the past is dredged up, and someone is a murderer. I can all but guarantee you will not guess whodunnit. The ending is not concrete, and I do not like that generally, but I've come to my own conclusions about what happened and that is my canon. I was obsessed while reading it and cannot recommend it enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!:)

All of the narrators sounded exactly the same in this. I would have preferred one narrator over three or four that are indistinguishable from each other.

I've only read one other book by Donne (The Ivies), but I think she's becoming one of my automatic must reads/buys.

I was so hyped when The Bitter End was announced. I love a good isolation mystery. And the cover?? Love it, chef's kiss, no notes. I requested an ARC as soon as I could.

The Bitter End is about eight teens isolated in a cabin on top of a snowy mountain where they are picked off one by one. Secrets come out, tension runs high, and a murderer hides amongst them.

I was hooked from the very first chapter and engaged throughout the rest. The characters were set up nicely and distinctly, and I did like following the alternate POVs with Piper as my favorite. I really wanted to know all their secrets and what happened at a party three years ago (which was presented as a dual timeline).

Donne's writing has improved in the short amount of time between this book and the one I've read. It was so easy to immerse myself in the characters' reality, and I could imagine everything so clearly— like a movie. In fact, I would watch this playout as a miniseries. 

I do think the ending was one of its weaker points, but I didn't dislike it. I was incorrect with my guess of who the killer was! I switched at the last minute, too! So that was fun. Just like with The Ivies, I love the final image/scene.

I will be getting my own copy upon release and totally recommend it to anyone looking for something thrilling, easy, and fun to read in the wintery season.

I read this in one day. I couldn't put it down.

I'm definitely loving Alexa Donne's books so far. This one had me thinking I knew who the murderer was and then second guessing myself the whole time. I love that. It wasn't a huge surprise, but there were still some twists. The idea of being snowed in on a mountain in Colorado is kind of terrifying so the setting was great too. Those roads are scary without snow. I honestly didn't like any of the characters. Some were worse than others though. The pacing was good. I just really enjoyed everything about this one.

I gave this book 5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley for my earc.

I love Alexa Donne's previous books, so I was thrilled to get an ARC of The Bitter End. (Also, the cover? So. Good.) While I'm always down for a locked-door thriller and an atmospheric setting, I'm a little bummed by the writing of this book. The author did a great job of setting up a series of creepy circumstances and a cast of people who could all be the killer. However, it felt like in trying to keep readers guessing, she added way too much confusion.

The flashbacks from three years prior, in which pretty much everyone's relationships with each other were different, was hard to follow. Additionally, the layout of the cabin (and the fact that everyone kept switching up sleeping arrangements), made it challenging to understand the layout and, therefore, make guesses about who the killer is. And, no spoilers, but it felt like the ending prioritized twistiness over giving readers a satisfying explanation. There was so much whiplash that eventually I stopped trying to keep track of the reveals.

All of this to say that it's still an interesting read, but one that I feel like could use some strong clarifying. And, of course, I'm still a huge fan of Donne's and will continue to read whatever she writes.

This was a great quick read. Finished in one sitting! High school friends who think they are friends, away in the mountains during a snow storm with no service and 1 of them wants revenge, need I say more?! This was a great thriller and Alexa Donne did a great job writing the story. I enjoyed it being from everyone’s point of view.

Thank you random house childrens for the arc, this book comes out 10/15/24, looks out for a great quick thriller novel

What a fun and wild ride. The Bitter End is a locked-room mystery thriller set amidst a severe winter snowstorm at a secluded mountain home. It is full of twists and turns and little surprises, toxic teenaged friendships/people, and murder.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

This isn’t a completely new plot, but I enjoyed the tension and the ending was clever. Solid 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As expected, I absolutely loved this book! Alexa Donne is an auto-buy author for me and this one did not disappoint! At every turn I was so intrigued and I couldn’t put the book down. I don’t always love multi-POV or dual timeline because often I’ll find myself bored with one and wishing I was back in the other—that didn’t happen with this one. Alexa did a great job with each POV and I was fully invested. I did guess the killer very early on, but that didn’t hamper my reading experience. After reading all of her thrillers, it seems we just think about the plot in similar ways, so despite figuring it out, I still had a blast reading. Loved this book! And will continue to read whatever Alexa writes next!

Eight teenagers find themselves stranded in the mountains as one by one they begin to die in mysterious circumstances...

This was such a good thriller! I was totally gripped and changed my mind about who the killer was quite a few times. This is a quick but really engaging read!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy to review

Love love love Alexa Donne!!
I'm not a big fan of thrillers, I actually never read thrillers unless Alexa Donne writes them.
Alexa did a wonderful job on this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed The Bitter End!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for accepting my request for an ACR of this book!
No, I think this trip will be burned into our memories forever.
1.75/5
I need to say, this has been one of the most disappointing ARC I’ve had. I just didn’t end up liking the characters which made me less interested in the story. I know they were all bad but I was never really rooting for anyone. The characters then just ended up seeming really similar to each other. The good thing about this book was that the pacing was really fast! I loved how I was able to glide through the book and the suspense was done well.

I love a good “closed room” troupe. This is a closed mountain with a group of mostly privileged teens. There are lots of red herrings and an ending that still got me.

A teenage, modern 'And Then There Was None' by Agatha Christie x Clue

'The Bitter End' is a fun thriller, full of twists and turns. 8 wealthy, internet-addicted teens begrudgingly go on their school-mandated Senior Excursion, which includes a total digital detox. Instead of partying while their chaperone sleeps, they stumble upon the bodies of their classmates one-by-one, and have to figure out how to survive the weekend and incoming blizzard.

8 teens, 8 POVs, 2 different timelines - author Alexa Donne put a lot into this book, and it's well worth it. Most of the narration is split amongst only 3 of the characters, so it doesn't get confusing. The second timeline is of a party they all attended 3 years prior, so that's also easy to follow. I particularly love the representation, there's a character with OCD, another with anxiety, another with a little-known connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS).

The stakes are high in Alexa Donne's newest thriller, with a handful of teenagers trapped on a mountain together . . . and then the bodies start dropping. Told in present tense, with a series of flashbacks revealing one fateful night years before, THE BITTER END will keep readers on their toes. Everyone is a suspect.

I truly enjoyed this one.


[NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, my NetGalley feedback is not a blurb or endorsement. If a publisher wishes to use any part of my comments for promotional purposes, please contact me or my agent via email. I would prefer not to include star ratings but NetGalley won't let me post without one, so all will be 5 stars.]

This book would be a great selection for high school students who enjoy thrillers and murder mysteries. The intensity of the story was built through following a group of high schooler trapped on a mountain in a blizzard while on their class trip. The overall plot was exciting, interesting, and I loved the twists that left me questioning who might find their untimely demise next. It took me a bit to become interested in the characters as they felt un-relatable to most high school students, mostly due to their elite, upper-class status, and I wish there was a better story arc for several of the characters. It was a bit hard to care about them when most of the characters were only focused on vanity and competing with each other for the first half of the novel, but I was happy to get more of their backstories later on. There are mature themes throughout the book, so this might be better suited for an older YA audience.

You get five stars you get five stars yoou get five stars. round of a freaking applause. so so good. Alexa donne does it like no body else.

This was so much fun! A locked-room mystery where gossip-girl-level rich kids get stranded in a cabin in the mountains in a snowstorm and then begin dying one by one.

Told through multiple POVs and with flashbacks between a party at the beginning of High School and the present, The Bitter End is a YA thriller with plenty of twists and turns. This would be an excellent late fall/early winter mystery read! I enjoyed this a lot and might check out some of Donne's other works.

✅ YA Thriller
✅ Multiple POVs
✅ Timeline jumps
✅ Locked-room mystery
✅ Wintery setting ❄️❄️❄️

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I really liked it!

📅 Out October 15th, 2024 and available for preorder now. (Currently on sale on Amazon!)

🙏 Thanks so much to Alexa Donne and Random House Children's for this ARC through NetGalley! This was the most fun I've had reading YA in a while :) It finally broke me out of a several week long reading slump!!

I enjoy a closed circle mystery, and wanted to give this one a try. The premise of teens trapped in a snow storm always has merit. This book is based on Agatha Christies And Then There Were None, which was interesting and overall it does keep you guessing on who is responsible. It is told in dual time lines and multiple POV’s which can get a bit tricky to understand but still works. And ultimately is very necessary to the plot. You can definitely tell though that this is an adult writing what they think teens talk and act like. I didn’t find it to be very realistic, based on my experiences. I do think Donne is getting stronger with her writing, but to me she’s just not quite there yet. If you can look past that though it is a decent thriller. There is casual alcohol and drug use throughout, in case you need to be aware of that. Ultimately it’s a quick thriller that I can see some YA readers get into if they enjoy a murder/survival story.