Once again, Alexa Donne has created a wonderful twisty thriller to keep readres guessing until the last page.

A group of teens have been selected to attend a digital detox retreat in the mountains for their senior excursion. None of them selected this, so it all seems a little weird to them. Suddenly, strange things start to happen and soon, they are snowed in at the cabin. When they wake in the morning, one of them is dead. Is there someone outside hunting them, or is it one of them?

This book with unreliable narrators was a fun mystery that kept me guessing. It was very fast paced and I did not want to put the book. I was anxious to see the resolution and who would make it out alive. I really liked Donne's other books and this was another one I will be recommending.

A group of mostly-privileged teenagers ends up on a digital detox excursion rather than the more glamorous trips the other students get to go on. But it turns out it’s all by design when the teens start dying one by one.

This is my kind of book, a homage to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. It’s got a real eerie, horror movie sense to it, and is full of suspense. I liked the twist ending as well. I would recommend this book.

The Bitter End by Alexa Donne is a young adult thriller where a winter storm traps eight teens at a remote ski cabin and they start dying. It becomes clear that one of them is the killer. I received a review copy from the publisher on Netgalley. This is a very well written thriller with multiple points of view. It did take me a bit to get a feel for all of the characters and I suspected different people at different times.

The story switches between the current events at the ski lodge and a party several years ago that created drama between everyone. Based on the information that we get about the party early on I was suspecting that someone died at the party and that is the problem. However, the actual reason for the conflict was not what I was expecting. I didn't see who the killer was or what their reasoning form killing their peers. I loved the ending and I feel like this would make a good TV show or movie. It reminded me of the video game Until Dawn but without the supernatural elements.

If The Bitter End sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The whole kids from an elite school getting stranded on a school trip only to discover a murderer in the midst is not a new idea. However, Alexa Donne’s pacing, plot and overall storyline make it stand out amid the crowd.

The Bitter End is told from multiple points of view and two time periods, which is a little confusing to begin with, but makes more sense as the story progresses. In fact, this setup really helps move the narrative forward and helps to keep you guessing all the way until the end.

Now because this story features really rich, entitled teens, you can expect some debauchery — allusions to sex, drug use, drinking, bullying and violence. The book wouldn’t work without it, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re sensitive to any of these things.

The Bitter End feels cinematic in a made-for-tv way. It’s a fast-paced mystery that’s not exactly deep but is enjoyable nonetheless.

Now that autumn has hit the UK and temperatures have dropped (quite suddenly, mind you), I’ve been diving into all sorts of cosy reads to snuggle up with under the blankets. The Bitter End was not one of those reads, and that’s because this book is so chilling and thrilling that I did not have a cosy time AT ALL.

It took me a few chapters to get into The Bitter End because I struggled with being introduced to three point of view characters as well as a large group of friends at once. If you know me or watch my Booktube videos, you’ll know that I am awful with character names, so this is entirely on me. I eventually got it though and by about 20% I was flying through this book and trying to apply my best detective skills to figure out who was killing the characters off – after I finally learnt their names and everything!

My favourite thing about The Bitter End was the setting. As I said above, it was truly chilling, with the group of school…. friends? acquaintances? heading off to an isolated cabin for a wellness retreat that they really didn’t want to go on. I have found that I really enjoy isolated cabin and mountain settings, so I tend to seek out these kinds of books. Alexa Donne did isolated and cold really well, and once night hit in both the book and real life I felt like I was alone with only candlelight to keep me company.

I had a lot of fun trying to figure out who the killer was and what their motive could have been. I enjoyed the outcome a lot, especially because I was starting to get a niggling feeling about someone a few chapters prior and I was laser focused on them after that. It turned out that another character was too! And this meant I was instantly more connected with the other character because they were basically representing me in those moments.

The only downside of this book for me was the lack of emotion with some of the characters, particularly once their “friends” started dying off. These teenagers all coped with it very well, considering there was murder afoot, and I felt like we should have seen more meltdowns or crying from the start, rather than just towards the end of the crisis once everything became too much.

This story was a perfect take on the closed-door-mystery. Set in Colorado at a fancy chalet, eight students from an elite private school are there on a senior trip that goes horribly awry. During a blizzard, they're snowed in with no power and no way to call for help. Nothing seems too bad at first. The counselor agrees to ski down the mountain to get help and the teens settle in to wait it out. But then one of them is found dead. Then another. Can they both be accidents?

Soon it becomes clear that one of them is a killer and the distrust and suspicions escalate.

The teens aren't nice people. They all have questionable morals and have behaved badly toward others in the class in the past, especially at an infamous party three years prior. Things that happened back then tie directly into what is happening now and provides motivations for any one of them to be the killer.

The author does a great job in teasing the reader with the true identity of the killer and keeping the level of suspense high. The tension builds as the story progresses and several failed attempts to help them get help leaves the teens frustrated.

When the actual murderer is revealed, I thought the motivation for killing all the classmates was pretty thin and the climax lacked some of the punch of earlier scenes of confrontation, but the story comes to a satisfactory conclusion.

Using the blizzard and the cold and the sense of being trapped to add more drama to the story is perfect. The setting played an important role in how the various teens found resilience within themselves and accepted a challenge to work together to help each other.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. It's a quick read for a rainy afternoon, and if you like closed door mysteries, I encourage you to read until The Bitter End.

I always love a good locked room thriller. Give me a snowy setting and I am even more sold!

I loved the premise of this book. EIght teens are stranded in a remote ski cabin with a killer. But who is it? Is it one of them? The pacing for this was fantastic. It kept me turning pages right until the very end. I enjoyed the characters and their development. I didn't see the twist coming at the end which took me by surprise in a good way.

I'm definitely looking forward to checking out more books by this author. This YA thriller is definitely one not to be missed!

Eight disgruntled Warner Prep students are on their way from their Los Angeles homes to a remote Colorado ski retreat for a digital detox. This trip was almost none of their first choices for their high school’s annual Senior Excursion. Their chaperone, the tough but respected school counselor Ms Silva, is adamant that this will be good for them though:

QUOTE
“This weekend is about stepping back and reflecting. Your generation is so used to being watched. Every move monitored by your teachers, your parents, your publicists”–she nods to Eden–”your peers, your coaches, or even yourselves as you curate your perfect images in person and online. This weekend you’re stuck with me, but in a few months you will graduate and enter the world, and you will have no chaperones at all. I challenge you to take a cold, hard look at who you are and who you want to be. Because so far, I’m not sure I am impressed with what I see.”

A chill fills the air.

My plans for this weekend are front of mind.

I know exactly who I’d be, unseen and consequence-free.

Not a good person at all.
END QUOTE

While the narrator in that chapter is Willa Hawley, her thoughts could apply to pretty much everyone else in their group. Willa herself isn’t really part of the other students’ world of wealth and privilege. The daughter of one of Warner Prep’s teachers, she’s used to being bumped from more desirable activities due to the peremptory natures (and deep pockets) of her classmates’ parents.

At least she’s not the least popular person on this trip. Hard-ass chaperone aside, that dubious honor goes to Piper Giambruno, the injured gymnast who is viewed by the other students as both a liar and a narc. Willa is at least allowed to hang out in the orbit of the other popular kids with minimal blowback, so long as she does what they tell her.

In keeping with her contrarian reputation, Piper actually signed up for this excursion, though finds herself rapidly regretting it as the trip progresses. The competitive gymnast has been plagued with injuries that have derailed her Olympic career, a fact that’s constantly thrown in her face by Camille Sutter, her archnemesis on the mat and in school. Neither girl is thrilled to be stuck in close proximity to one another, given their long history of animosity and the resentment already simmering under the group’s surface.

For all their chaperone’s best attempts at encouraging her charges to center themselves and really think about their futures – including by taking away all their electronic devices – the students quickly figure out how to circumvent her, and start on the inevitable drunken party games after she falls asleep. Given the scheming, back-biting nature of almost all of the kids involved though, the shenanigans soon take a cruel turn:

QUOTE
Whatever this is, it isn’t working. Piper is neither ashamed by not drinking, nor is she drinking with shame. We’re getting drunk, sure, but no one’s having fun.

Camille goes for the big guns. “Never have I ever done drugs.”

Something ripples through the air. A current shifting. A rip in time, transporting us to the night three years ago. Snow flicks against the glass, and the fire crackles, almost analogous to deep bass vibrating the walls, the chatter of partygoers downstairs. That night and this night, colliding.

I’ll never forget that party and what it cost me.
END QUOTE

Memories of that party cast a long shadow, souring the trip even before one of the teenagers is found dead the next morning. Was it a tragic accident, or had someone set the victim up for a terrible demise? When more people start dying, the surviving students will have to accept that there’s a killer in their midst. Will they be able to figure out who it is and why, and stop the murderer from successfully preying on the rest of them too?

I do enjoy a juicy closed circle (or, as I like to think of them, isolated manor house) mystery. All of the kids have awful secrets festering behind their glossy, carefully curated facades. While it’s easy to blame social media for fueling young people’s obsessions with image, Alexa Donne makes it clear that their pressures are almost all spawned by parents who enable, if not outright encourage, questionable behavior.

I also appreciated how she exploded one of my least favorite tropes at the end of the novel: the “grateful to be the consolation prize” girl. Adolescence is a tough time for most people, and Ms Donne explores the murderous consequences of too much pressure on the young with aplomb, both in the main plot and in the book’s ominous denouement.

The Bitter End delivers a suspenseful, atmospheric thriller that plays well with classic tropes of isolation and mistrust. The setup—a group of privileged teens stranded in a remote ski chalet—creates immediate tension, especially once the first death hits. The mystery of the killer’s identity adds a satisfying layer of suspense as secrets unravel and alliances shift.

However, the pacing feels uneven at times, with some chapters dragging while others rush through key moments. The characters, while distinct, can lean into familiar stereotypes, making some of their actions predictable. The tension ramps up toward the end, but the final reveal may feel underwhelming for some readers expecting a bigger twist.

Despite these flaws, The Bitter End is an entertaining read for fans of YA thrillers. The stormy, claustrophobic setting and rising body count keep the pages turning, even if the story doesn’t break much new ground. It’s a solid, enjoyable mystery, even if it doesn’t fully capitalize on its potential.

I have really enjoyed this author. I (sort of) recently read a lot of their previous works, and I just like the way Donne writes. The plots and characters are always well balanced against the worlds/settings. The pacing is always solid, the twists and turns are good, and this story is no exception to that. I think this is probably my favorite of theirs because I love a good snowy setting (I lived in the UP for many years and I miss my 100s of inches of snow every winter). I definitely can't wait to make a winter YA display with this book, and I long for more from this author! Awesome story and a cool cover to boot!

I LOVED this book! It was so reminiscent of And Then There Were None, mixed with Pretty Little Liars! I was completely invested and the person who I thought was responsible actually surprised me very much. If you want a bone chilling crazy book for the winter you need to read this!

Thank you for the arc! I was very pumped to read this book. It was a highly anticipated for me, but honestly, it fell a bit flat :( An isolated murder mystery and a snowy cabin in Colorado with no cell service sounded like the perfect set up for a YA thriller. I couldn't really connect or even root for any character. I did like how it was a quick mystery which left me feeling like I was reading the game clue!

A bit too YA with a bunch of entitled, dumb, boring teens. Do kids actually talk like this in real life as mine did not!

Thank you, Random House Children's | Random House Books for Young Readers

I read that prom one by Donne, the one with the author grandmother, and I LOVED it. I thought it was going to be another one of those. Unfortunately, it was good, but the thrillingness wasn’t there for me. For some reason i wanted more.

I think the reason I didn’t care for this one as much was the many POVs. The voices were all different in sound (I listened to it via audio) but they sounded alike via the terms of voices in writing if that makes sense. Basically of they hadn’t been all different people I wouldn’t have known who said what. And I know that might be a me thing, but it was a lot to keep track of when you were reading it via audio. But because we had so many POVs, we never really got into the heads of all of them. And we never really got any back story for them because it was constantly changing.

Now I can say I wasn’t able to guess the whodunit. But I didn’t know if that was because we never really get to the meat of the mystery, or if it was actually hard to solve. I don’t even remember trying to figure it out. Usually I even have a colored tab for predictions or red herrings that I have in mind. But I didn’t bookmark any in this one. I just didn’t fall into this one 100%.

I will say tho, the red herrings and the clues were crazy good! I’m not from a place where we have really bad winters or snow, so I didn’t know about most of the things that happened. I simply wouldn’t have known what a lot of that stuff was, so this really made me sit and think about the time we had that big freeze and the power went out. In a place where I wasn’t used to this, this was scary. I definitely had some flashbacks. This is a place I don’t want to experience again. Whether in real life or fiction.

The students of LA’s elite Warner Prep can’t wait for their Senior Excursion—five days of adventure in one of the world’s most exclusive locations. This is not your average field trip. The eight students can’t believe their bad luck when they end up in an isolated Colorado ski chalet. Their epic trip is panning out to be an epic bore. Until a winter storm traps them in this remote ski cabin. They will find themselves stranded with a killer—who may be one of their own or is it?

The author has written a fun and twisty mystery/thriller. The book is focused on three women who find themselves trapped in the stories that aren’t really theirs. I found the mystery of why the students were being killed off a true mystery as I didn’t know who the killer was. The author wrote an excellent book.

This one was good. My favorite? No.

They were a little too self involved for me. I get that it is supposed to be because influencers, private school kids etc but I think I just never felt a connect. The HS kids will love it though.

I did love the story line and the ending I just wish I connected with the characters more…

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Thank you Random House Children’s for my copy! All thoughts are my own

I am not a thriller reader by nature but I am always tempted by YA Thrillers. Maybe it’s the influence of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or maybe it’s my love of Gossip Girl (the original), something always draws me in. Especially when it’s rich kids behaving badly…which The Bitter End has in abundance.

I was totally drawn to this book due to the mountain setting and the students being trapped in a blizzard. It kept me on my toes and I really couldn’t guess the ending. It made me feel adequately spooked but intrigued enough to keep reading. Overall, an enjoyable wintery thriller for fans of Pretty Little Liars, The Ivies, and even Euphoria.

Synopsis:

“The trip of a lifetime might be the death of them all.The students of LA’s elite Warner Prep can’t wait for their Senior Excursion—five days of Instagrammable adventure in one of the world’s most exclusive locations. This is not your average field trip.Which is why eight students can’t believe their bad luck when they end up on a digital detox in an isolated Colorado ski chalet. Their epic trip is panning out to be an epic bore . . . until their classmates start dropping in a series of disturbing deaths. The message is clear: this trip is no accident.And when a blizzard strikes, secrets are revealed, betrayals are exposed, and survival is at stake in a race to the bitter end.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Setting—A ski chalet on top of a mountain in a blizzard! An epic setting for any mystery but really great for a high stakes YA revenge plot.

Couldn’t Predict the Ending—I really was on my toes the whole time and didn’t know who the culprit could be.

The Unsettling Feeling/Was Actually Scary—I haven’t felt “thrilled” but thrillers lately but this one definitely got me there. Some of the deaths were so gruesome! Which not to say I liked, but they were definitely scare-worthy.

What Didn’t Work:

Pacing—Things felt a little off pacing wise, especially with the jumps in time. I was hoping it would feel like something I couldn’t put down but there were definitely moments I needed to go back and read to fully understand.

So Many Characters to Keep Up With In First POV—With so many characters, I wish this book had been written in third person POV. It’s probably a reader flaw because I’ve been struggling to focus lately, but sometimes i’d forget who’s POV we were in and it was hard to keep track of them all.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 4/5

Content Warnings:

death, gore, murder, revenge plots, mentions of sexual assault, grief

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Well that was certainly interesting! The killer was a stone cold sociopath! It was really hard to like any of the main characters, Willa, Piper, and Delaney are the ones I consider main since it's all from their POV's, but if I picked someone it would be Piper. She really was just there because of bad luck and I felt bad for her throughout the whole novel because the killer orchestrated this whole plot and then didn't factor her into it and she nearly died for it anyways!!! Willa I couldn't get behind either for her actions. I found her rather annoying actually that all she really cared about was Liam the entire time. Delaney I didn't like at all, especially after what was revealed about the video done of her.

Wow!! The Bitter End was such a great, immersive YA thriller, that to me is like Scream meets Cabin In The Woods!! I loved being able to see the different POVs and the jumps in timeline were so conducive to good storytelling, but didn't get confusing at all, as is sometimes a trap that these types of stories can fall into. The book, while written for a young adult audience is mature and well-written and doesn't feel like you are reading a book for kids. The plot twists were so well thought out and executed and I was on the edge of my seat from the first chapter to the very last page!!

Thank you to Random House Books for Young Readers & NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book before publication in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what's it about? ⬇️

When a group of eight high school seniors and their guidance counselor find their planned senior trips suddenly changed to a new location, tensions are naturally high. Where they were expecting weeks in castles learning about gothic literature or dogsledding in Alaska or any number of other fun opportunities, they are no headed to a cabin at the top of a lonely mountain for a technology-free week of self-reflection, which for a group teenagers might just be their worst nightmare. Especially when a snow storm rolls in to strand them on the mountain and one of their classmates mysteriously turns up dead the morning after their first night there.

Told between the points of view of each different student and flashing between the stressful hours of their present predicament and a party three years before that may just be the reason they've all become targets, will they make it off the mountain alive? And when it becomes more and more likely that the killer is actually one of them, will they solve the mystery and unmask their attacker before it's too late?

my thoughts? ⬇️

The number of red herrings in this book were enough to make your head spin, and I mean that in the best way possible. Even trying to figure out who was responsible for the murders as I read, I was suspicious of someone new every few pages, and the twist ending--while making me feel very validated--was also such a crazy fun spin on the rest of the violence twisted throughout the book.

Each of these characters were so flawed and so interesting, and getting a glimpse into their past relationships and the way they've twisted in the present added so much depth to the story. I loved the use of a Cards Against Humanity-type party game to add tension from the first night of the trip, and each beat of this story was paced perfectly.

Also, the inclusion of a character who is on the Asexual spectrum and also has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome was so refreshing and incredible to see, and I loved seeing the way those things had effected the character and the opinions of others' on her. Love, love, love, love, so many piles of love for this book.

based on your likes? ⬇️

If you enjoyed any of the following, I think this one will be great for you (and vice versa)!

🥶 They Wish They Were US by Jessica Goodman - prep school seniors with dangerous secrets to protect, who can you trust?
🥶 Summer's Edge by Dana Mele - a group of friends in peril, everyone has secrets, what's going on at the lake?
🥶 Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning - a social-media cleansing retreat goes wrong +murders, everyone is hiding something.
🥶 Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar - a senior trip for self reflection takes a scary turn, unreliable narrator, who can you trust?

trigger warnings ⬇️

death, murder, blood, violence, anaphylaxis, allergy related death, drug use, drug abuse, drugging others, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, infidelity, emotional abuse, bullying, classism, ostracism, gaslighting, chronic illness, child death (mentioned repeatedly, happened off page), confinement, sexual content, sexual harassment, sexual assault, multiple near-death experiences, injury/injury detail.