I love the isolated location trope and The Bitter End is no exception! The setting of the ski chalet on top of a mountain in Colorado during a snow storm offers the perfect place for a murder spree and adds to the tension and bleakness of the novel. There is literally no escape for the eight teens and one teacher who think they are going on a senior trip and things are about to get a lot worse for everyone than a phone free weekend in freezing conditions.

It becomes obvious pretty quickly that this field trip was not meant to happen and that it is a last minute change, but who created this plan and why? I really enjoyed the plot of this novel and there are lots of secrets and twists revealed the further I got into the story which gave me plenty of suspects to keep an eye on and red herrings that succeeded in throwing me off the scent. The big reveal at the end was a surprise as I hadn’t guessed the culprit or their reasoning and I love how everything came together neatly to answer all the questions that had been building up.

The Bitter End is a multi POV story and not only do you have to keep track of the four main girls and a few one off chapters from the boys, you also have to contend with chapters that slowly reveal an important event that occurred three years ago. In my opinion, this definitely felt like too much was going on and I found it quite hard to differentiate between the girl POVs, especially the rich girls’ Eden and Delaney. They sounded quite similar and I had to really concentrate to remind myself who’s POV I was currently reading. Add on top the chapters from the past, it felt a little too chaotic for me and disrupted the pacing even though the events from that night were integral to the plot.

I think Piper was my favourite character and I enjoyed the chapters from her POV the most as she is one of the smartest out of them all who tries to think logically and clearly while trying to figure everything out. She also seemed to have more fight in her than I originally would have expected and her character development is one of the strongest from start to finish.

I love that the murders are all quite unique which makes it an exciting read, as I kept wondering what is going to happen next and to who. Once you find out who the killer is, all of the murders then begin to make sense and the reveal just adds more intensity to the end as I wondered who was going to make it out alive.

The Bitter End is an incredibly thrilling and fast paced YA book which kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

I'm on the fence with this book. I really enjoyed the setting, which is the perfect location for things to go wrong. However, it was somewhat difficult to keep some of the characters straight, as their voices weren't as distinct as I would have expected. None of the characters were easy to root for or connect with enough to care about what happens to them. And, sadly, many of them seem like the same person but with a different name. However, it is a quick mystery that had the feel of "Clue," which I loved. Having fewer points of view may have helped with some of the issues. I had expected more suspense, but instead, I found this to be a bit of a fluff read.

The bitter end. This book takes you on trip of a group of young adults. There is a killer. Is the killer one of them

In The Bitter End, eight high school seniors are stuck spending their senior trip at a secluded cabin on a snowy mountain in Colorado for a weekend of digital detoxing. While their classmates enjoy luxurious, Instagram-worthy trips to France and Alaska, they're left with only their school counselor and each other. Just when they think the trip couldn't get any worse, things take a twisted turn when one of them turns up dead. As more bodies pile up, secrets and betrayals come to light, making it clear that this getaway was no accident. Can they uncover the truth before it's too late? Their survival depends on it.

This was such a fun and thrilling read! The story is told from multiple points of view and has a dual timeline, switching between the present and a party from three years ago. Piper's POV was my favorite—she's an amateur detective with a passion for true crime, always picking up on the clues. While the book starts off a little slow, the tension quickly ramps up after the first body is found. Overall, this is an excellent locked-room mystery, perfect for the snowy season!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alexa Donne, and Random House Children's for providing the ebook! The setting of The Bitter End is both captivating and suspenseful, perfectly complementing the story's thrilling twists and turns. What starts as a seemingly innocent weekend getaway quickly spirals into a chilling murder mystery, with not one, but four victims. Donne masterfully crafts a cat-and-mouse game, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they piece together the clues. This gripping who-done-it is a must-read for fans of mystery and suspense!

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This was a fun and twisty YA mystery/thriller that is a quick and easy read. Eight students from LA’s elite Warner Prep are on their Senior Excursion. It's supposed to be five days of Instagrammable adventure in one of the world’s most exclusive locations. But, at the last minute, each of the students is pulled from their original excursion and assigned to a new one set high in the mountains. It's explained the excursion will be a digital detox in an isolated Colorado ski chalet.(insert eerie music here)

Well this isn't suspicious at all, is it? Nothing could possibly go wrong, could it? Yep - you guessed it. A severe storm hits the chalet, they are snowed in and the internet and phones are down. There is no car to leave the chalet. It looks like they are in for a few uncomfortable days, but nothing too bad. Then the deaths begin and the suspicions begin to fly. First it's one member of the group that they might be able to check off as an accident. But then one after another student is found dead. It's clear one of them is a killer, and as the suspect list gets shorter and shorter, is there anyone you can trust?

All of the characters in this book are horrible people with questionable morals. They all have secrets they don't want revealed, and their relationship with the other students have multiple layers. All of the narrators are unreliable and you never know whose version to believe. There are plenty of red herrings, which are quickly dispelled when each suspected person is killed off. Things continue to get worse for the survivors as they barrel toward the exciting ending.

The author does a great job of building tension as the story progresses. You can almost feel the student's despair jump off the page as their plights get more and more dire. The reason behind the murderer's killing spree was a bit ridiculous - but then again, mass murderers are not exactly known for their clear thinking.

Overall this was a quick and fun read that can be read in a day or two. If you like closed door mysteries and reading about bratty, spoiled kids getting picked off one by one, this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from TBR and Beyond Book Tours, the author, NetGalley, and Random House Books for Young Readers. All opinions are my own.

Eight teens are trapped in a ski lodge in the middle of a blizzard with a killer on the loose.

Eight seniors who did not want to be on a four-day trip to a mountain in a ski lodge found themselves without internet access. Instead of embracing the situation, Eden, one of the seniors, drugs the chaperone and throws a party with the contraband alcohol they sneaked in. Unfortunately, the party takes a tragic turn when Declan, a former TikTok influencer and one of the seniors, dies. Soon after, the group begins to die one by one, indicating that there is a killer among them. Will they manage to survive and uncover the identity of the culprit?

The book I just finished was absolutely gripping and utterly impossible to set down! I devoured it in less than a week. It was my first foray into the thriller genre, and I was captivated by the challenge of trying to unravel the identity of the killer. It reminded me of the intense mystery-solving in Danganronpa, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Willa is a character I found incredibly relatable and endearing, and I couldn't help but root for her. Declan's larger-than-life personality was intriguing, and Delaney's outward perfection left me questioning her true nature. Wyatt's penchant for video games added an exciting layer to the story, while Eden's dramatic tendencies kept things lively. Liam's unwavering loyalty was put to the test, and Camille's prickly demeanor added a dynamic twist. Lastly, Piper's enigmatic personality and sharp intellect drew me in.
Give this book to fans of thrillers who are intrigued by a thriller with a revenge best-served cold.

Happy Reading, Paige ❤️ 📚

Good YA stuck in one place can't get away or communicate kind of murder mystery with more than one death. The interesting thing about this one is that there was a death in the past, and we unveil that mystery from the flashbacks. I appreciate the vocabulary level in this one.

A nice paced YA thriller. The book is set in the past and present which I personally like when it is done well, which I think this is done well. I liked how the past and present helped to show the plot of the story unveil.

Alexa Donne has quickly become one of my favorite YA thriller authors. If you’re looking for a book you can binge read in a few hours, look no further! As the weather cools off this fall, this is the perfect atmospheric read to get sucked into while cuddled up with a fuzzy blanket and hot chocolate.

In The Bitter End, a guidance counselor brings a group of 8 teenagers to a “digital detox” in a cabin miles from civilization. When the weather unexpectedly takes a turn for the worse, they’re trapped in the cabin while the blizzard continues. Then someone dies. At first, it seems like an accident... until another person dies.

I was convinced I knew who the murderer was, so I was completely caught offguard when it was revealed that it wasn’t them. This book is full of twists and turns, I loved how macabre the murderer’s motives for killing were. The Bitter End is a fast-paced thriller with high-stakes teenage drama, unlikeable characters, and an unexpected ending.

*I received a free eBook ARC, but this is my honest opinion.

8 senior year students, 1 guidance counselor as a chaperone, and a remote mountain lodge in the dead of winter. What could go wrong?

Set in snowy Colorado, none of these students chose a “Digital-Detox Retreat” as their senior trip, but here they are! They’ve found themselves at a desolate lodge surrounded by lots of snow and silence. Most of the teens think they can treat the weekend as one big party, until Ms. Silvia takes all their electronics and presents them with a strict schedule. Then a vicious snowstorm hits their isolated retreat and circumstances go from bad to worse. No outside contact, intermittent power, and then, one of them turns up dead. At first they think it’s an unfortunate accident, but as one-by-one they fall victim to fatal accidents, they realize one of them is a murderer. Someone’s goal for the weekend is revenge, can they figure it out before they all die?

I thought this was a good YA thriller/Mystery. Set in past & present views, slowly giving you snippets into possible motivations for murder. I did not guess the who or the why.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it.

THE BITTER END could also be called Payback is a Bitch! 8 seniors take a planned trip to celebrate their upcoming graduation. No cell phones, no outside contact. A remote cabin in snowy Colorado. Does this seem familiar to anyone who watches horror films? Two parties, two timelines, the same people. As freshmen there's Something that goes wrong. Those that escaped....well turns out they didn't escape. As each one dies, the story circles from then to now. The story line might seen familiar but the ending.......unique!!!

Thank you to Alexa, Random House Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of The Bitter End!

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a fun ya thriller. The book was fast paced and a fun read for the fall. The book is told from multiple POVs and jumps between current timeline and a past event with the cast of characters. It did take a little bit to understand how all of the characters were connected and get used to the jumps in the timeline, but once I was a few chapters in it all made sense. I loved the isolated setting for the book and found the cabin in the woods to add to the eerie factor of the book. I did find some of the phrases that characters used or pop culture references they made to be a little off putting at first, but was able to overlook it with remembering that they’re teenagers and it’s set within the last 4 years. 

I did not guess who the killer was, which is a big win for me with a thriller when it keeps me guessing. Overall, the book was super fun! It was my first Alexa Donne and made me interested to checkout her other books. The writing style was enjoyable and it was a goof, fast paced ya thriller!

My only main issues with the book outside of that was that there were a few moments of things being mentioned or happening that were slightly vague and had me stopping to question if i read the moment correctly and what purpose it was serving. There was a moment where a character tripped while skiing and it was written as if something big had occurred, but only left me with more questions. I’m assuming that was the point and that readers were supposed to wonder what happened and if the girl tripped or was pushed, but it needed just a little more explanation in my opinion. I also did think the ending was one of type weaker points within the book, mainly the last couple pages. I did not guess who the killer was, which is a big win for me with a thriller when it keeps me guessing. However, the last couple pages kind of threw me off and made me unsure if we will be looking for a sequel or if it was meant to end a little confusing and leave some mystery.

Overall, the book was super fun! It was my first Alexa Donne and made me interested to checkout her other books. The writing style was enjoyable and it was a goof, fast paced ya thriller!

This book has all the elements of things I do like so I should like it and yet I did not. I didn’t care about any of the characters who felt like they were written by someone that know any teenagers in real life. I was bored from pretty much the start. Maybe it was just not for me but I did not enjoy this book.

Eight students, one guidance counselor chaperone, and a remote mountain lodge in the dead of winter. What could go wrong? As it turns out, everything. None of the students chose this Digital-Detox Retreat in the wilds of Colorado as their senior excursion from Warner Prep, but they have all found themselves at the desolate lodge surrounded by snow and silence. Most of the teens think they can treat the weekend as one big party, until Ms. Silvia takes all their electronics and presents them with a strict schedule. Then a vicious snowstorm hits their isolated retreat and circumstances go from bad to worse. No outside contact, intermittent power, and then, one of them turns up dead. At first they think it’s an unfortunate accident, but as more of them succumb to other fatal accidents, they realize one amongst them is a murderer. Someone’s goal for the weekend is revenge. With no where to go and no one to turn to, will any of them make it out alive?

Alexa Donnie’s The Bitter End is chilling and suspenseful. An intense closed-loop mystery, it leaves the reader tense and unnerved as suspicions and the body count rise. With multiple characters and POVs, we don’t know who to trust or who is telling the truth. Sympathies for the characters switch, fast and furious, from like to dislike and back again depending on the oftentimes faulty narrator. None of the characters are truly likable. They are selfish, arrogant, rude, insecure, and mean,,,typical teenagers, but their faults are elevated by setting and circumstance. Donne has done a tremendous job of delving into their psychologies and motivations. The reader is left with a bit of whiplash, never really knowing who to root for or if we should really root for anyone. Donne leaves us constantly guessing and on the edge of our seats. The plot is carefully crafted and well formulated, leaving no huge plot holes. Donne doles out little nuggets of information, but the plot is in no way transparent. The end, a terrifying surprise. The Bitter End is creepy and twisty, unsettling and scary good.

📖 Book Review 📖 What’s the worse than a digital detox weekend in the snow capped mountains for a bunch of privileged teenagers? Obviously being trapped with a serial killer in a cabin in the aforementioned snowy mountains. As my husband and kids spent their weekend getting all of our ski and snowboarding equipment down, I hunkered down with this absolutely gripping read! The Bitter End is a fast-paced, psychological thriller that follows a long weekend getaway for seniors that goes horribly wrong…

THE BITTER END by Alexa Donne is a young adult version of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE set in a snowed-in cabin in the mountains. While I'm sure it was cleverly plotted on some level, I had an impossible time differentiating several characters and couldn't follow the story very easily. Maybe it was just me, but I wish the character voices and personalities had been more distinct. Spoiler alert: I also didn't feel like the murderer had sufficient motivation, so making them a sociopath felt like a bit of a cop-out.

4.5 stars rounded up

The Bitter End is a twisty thriller following a privileged group of high school seniors on a digital detox ski trip who get snowed in with a murderer. And the killer just might be one of them... There's lots of bad behavior, secrets from the past, backstabbing, and unreliable narrators. I really enjoyed it!

This is a cool way to do a modern isolated closed circle murder mystery- a remote location, a snow storm AND a digital detox where a chaperone has all of their cell phones. The characters are layered and complex, and there is so much messiness you could plausibly imagine most of the characters as being the culprit. Bodies keep dropping in a variety of gruesome and inventive ways, and then we get flashbacks to a key party freshman year that the whole thing revolves around. It's clever and salacious in a juicy kind of way. Definitely recommend! Note that I am friends & mutuals with the author and received a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

The Bitter End struck my attention first with the isolated mountain trip of wealthy teens going to a prominent school.

Oftentimes an isolated routine can provide the best backdrop for something spooky to occur. Something like a body drop or many.

The character is being from a wealthier standing just needed all the more entertaining. The lack of restraint when it comes to devices and the harm that I can play in society. But also to other things that can play a key role in societal problems.

I was caught up in the mixture of all of this clever secrets and details.

Initially I was shocked at the fact that these teenagers were so exposed to online things because back when I was a teenager we didn't have that kind of access. At least I didn't have my first cell phone until middle school and I couldn't connect to the internet. In high school I had a flip and I didn't connect to the internet until I was in about high school.
It's also unrelated to my teenage years because our parents made sure that we weren't around things like alcohol or drugs.
We were taught that sexual conduct was for marriage (fade-to-black or references only are mentioned in book).

Something I realize is not the normal these days. In today's society all of these things become an actual occurrence within the lives of various youths. Causing this book to be a reminder that innocence is fleeting.
Betrayal within circles is sadly a very real occurrence as well.

There is much to be discovered in this trapped in a cabin murder spree book.
Evoking shock, fear, & addicted page flipping. This was a twisted ride.

Check Content Warnings always.