A YA thriller that is Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None meets Gossip Girl about a mountain retreat for a select group of students who all have terrible secrets and deeds except for one uninvited guests...and when bodies start dropping so does the betrayal begin. Eight teens are are trapped in a remote ski cabin where they find that they are being killed off and that the killer might be one of them... and they all have a motive. Warner Prep is an exclusive school and the students who go there all have secrets.... and when eight students get are put together for a trip all their secrets will come to light. From the jealousy, to the cheating, to the sabotage and the anger... they all want each other gone.... but someone is willing to go through much greater lengths to make it happen, can they figure it out before it's too late. And Then There Were None is my favorite Agatha Christie story so when I found out this was inspired by that and had a touch of Gossip Girl, I was so on board. The story starts off interesting as it jumps from various POVS and does have moments of recalling the past, but where the story ends is the problem for me. The story ends in such an abrupt open ended kind of way, it just doesn't feel satisfactory in the least and it just feels like nothing really paid off or was resolved. There was only one likable character in the book and the fact that she barely had an ending just felt so unfinished. The reveal of the killer and there motive just didn't feel all that earned or well thought out. I wish I liked this more but I do think that teen YA thriller readers would have a fun time with this.

Release Date: October 15,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's | Random House Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Imagine a game of Clue crossed with the high-school slasher vibes of I Know What You Did Last Summer. Then cast the scene with a bunch of wildly rich and spoiled Gen Z influencers.
That is the backdrop of Alexa Donne’s young adult thriller, The Bitter End.

The story is a classic closed-circle mystery. A rented shuttle drops eight high school students from Warner Prep and their guidance counselor at as isolated mountain cabin in Colorado. The teens are there for a digital detox retreat at the request of their parents (or so the reader is led to believe). They forfeit their cell phones. There is no TV and no internet. Nothing but snow and mountain-fresh air. Oh, and murder.


Photo by Gabriel Alenius on Unsplash
The killings start in the early hours after drunken games of “Oh the Humanity” (Donne’s version of Cards Against Humanity) and “Never Have I Ever” the first night. The characters throw down cards and make backstabbing claims that surface old rivalries and betrayals from a party they all attended three years before.

The Bitter End is a reminder to be careful who you pretend to be

and what company you keep…online and off.

(from Alexa Donne to the reader at the beginning of the book)
Donne tells the mystery in two timelines. We read flashbacks of the party from each teen in the third person. In the present, however, we see the events unfold through the eyes of only three of the teens: Willa, Delaney, and Piper. Suddenly, the high schoolers are stranded without power, without adult supervision, and without a clue as to why they are all there. The body count rises.

This story really makes you believe that any of the characters could be the killer. They are, simply put, that unlikeable. Or perhaps that flawed. The teens all have motive for violence, and you can see them falling apart in front of each other.

Donne writes a thriller with plenty of bitterness, duplicity, and page-turning drama.

That might be where this story fell short for me. I like heroes in my stories. I don’t mind twists or cliffhangers. Epic drama? I’m here for it. But maybe I don’t like teenage drama as much as I thought I would before I picked up this book. It was difficult for me to find a character to root for in this story.

The Bitter End is a twisty thriller that is a good fit for any reader who is itching for a fast-paced, young adult/teen murder mystery to keep them company this winter.

This book was provided in exchange for an honest review

This was a great read! Prefect October/Fall read. it gave me”I Know What You Did Last Summer” vibes even before the reference was made. The killer was not predictable. You knew it was one of them, but it could have also been an outsider. Loved it!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this early copy!

Alexa Donne, dare I say, crafted a perfect YA thriller. The Bitter End follows a group of (mostly) rich teenagers who all got stuck on a trip that ends up being deadly. It focuses around three characters — Willa, Piper, and Delaney — with flashbacks for all of the characters from a pivotal party 3 years ago sprinkled in between.

Donne keeps the suspense up from the first body that’s found. It’s fast-paced, nail-biting, and a page turner. You find yourself wanting to desperately put all the puzzle pieces together before the book tells you. But honestly? I wouldn’t have guessed that twist from a mile away.

This book was great and definitely a one-sitter. Easy 5 stars!

I think this may be it for me for YA thrillers with the “rich kid” vs “poor kid” trope. It’s just so played out and I feel like I’ve read this exact book like 100 times. I also just didn’t live the motivation for the murders because it was just so unserious and absurd. It honestly was fine and I probably would have loved this a few years ago, but I need YA thrillers to do something fresh and this was a bit stale.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

This story had a lot of twists and turns with me thinking I had the ending figured out but second guessed myself (then realizing I actually did have part of it figured out in the end). The first part of the book was a bit harder for me to get into while I was trying to get a feel for the main characters while going through the different POVs. But once I got to the second portion of the book, I was hooked and needed to know how things ended. There were certain characters I really enjoyed and some that were harder to like given the drama and pettiness. I graduated high school 10 years ago so some of these moments weren't really for me and lost my attention at times. 3.75 Stars!

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the ARC. The Bitter end is an atmospheric thriller book, about a group of teenagers, stuck in a cabin during a snow storm during a school trip. This book kept me guessing. I thought I had it figured out half way, just for Alexa Donne to throw in more plot twists. I would recommend this to fans of Lisa Jewel. Alexa has become an auto buy author for me!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Alexa Donne’s latest thriller, The Bitter End, is a masterclass in suspense and psychological tension. Set against the chilling backdrop of a snow-covered Colorado ski chalet, this novel traps eight high school seniors in a deadly game of survival when a winter storm isolates them from the outside world. The twist? One of them might be a killer.

From the first page, Donne hooks the reader with her atmospheric writing. The remote ski cabin, with its creaking floors and howling winds, becomes a character in its own right, amplifying the sense of dread that permeates the story. The isolation and the relentless storm outside mirror the internal turmoil of the characters, each of whom harbors secrets and fears that slowly unravel as the plot progresses.

The strength of The Bitter End lies in its well-crafted characters. Donne excels at creating multi-dimensional teens who are far from the typical stereotypes often found in YA thrillers. Each character is given a distinct voice and backstory, making their interactions and conflicts feel authentic and compelling. As the tension mounts and trust erodes, the dynamics between the characters become increasingly fraught, leading to explosive confrontations and shocking revelations.

The pacing of the novel is impeccable. Donne expertly balances moments of high-stakes action with quieter, introspective scenes that delve into the characters’ psyches. This ebb and flow keep the reader on edge, never quite sure when the next twist will come. And when those twists do arrive, they are both surprising and satisfying, a testament to Donne’s skillful plotting.

The Bitter End explores themes such as trust, betrayal, and the lengths people will go to survive. Donne doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of human nature, and this adds a layer of depth to the narrative that elevates it above a simple whodunit. The moral ambiguities faced by the characters force the reader to question their own assumptions and judgments, making for a thought-provoking read.

The Bitter End is a gripping, atmospheric thriller that will keep readers guessing. Alexa Donne has crafted a story that is thrilling and emotionally resonant, with characters that linger in the mind long after the final page is turned.

For fans of YA thrillers and anyone who enjoys a well-told tale of suspense, this book is a must-read.

An excellent example of the 'and then there were none' genre that had me excited for each body to fall. All the characters were messy in the best way, and it left me waiting for each of their secrets to be revealed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 10/15/24!

This book is a classic case of whodunnit. It moves at a good pace throughout, and I found the pace to be consistent. I did enjoy how the author ended this story and the “answer” to the whodunnit puzzle. Giving this one three stars because I found it difficult to relate to, or even like most of the characters. To me, not being able to relate to the characters does break the immersion of the story. That being said, this would be a great book for winter and for any reader looking for a quick and fun whodunnit mystery.

Keeping in mind that this book is geared toward middle school age children I thought it was pretty good. The killer is actually revealed before the end of the book which was different. It reads like one of the teen slasher movies. It is not overly gory but it is definitely creepy.

There was a party several years ago with all the same people. Something happened at the party that seems to be triggering the events in the present. With alternating chapters we learn about the past party and what is happening on a school trip in a secluded cabin, snowed in at the top of a mountain.

The ending was fantastic and really left you guessing and while I'm not a fan of open ended endings this one hit its mark. I would say that this definitely skews for a younger audience and not a YA mystery. It was a bit campy but I liked it.

Alexa Donne called this her "And Then There Were None with a Gossip Girl flair" and I think that definitely describes this book well. Like Donne, I love an isolated murder mystery and a snowy cabin in Colorado with no cell service is a great backdrop for that. While I would not put this on par with And Then There Were None (what book could match one of Christie's greatest masterpieces?) I do think that the And Then There Were None vibe that Donne was going for was there, and while this is one of the better And Then There Were None inspired pieces I've read in a while, some of it still fell a little flat for me.

Donne is great at writing quick paced mysteries that keep you turning the page. With both The Ivies and Pretty Dead Queens I got very wrapped up in the story and read the majority of them in one sitting, The Bitter End was no different. It was easy to keep going from one chapter to the next because Donne knows how to weave together an interesting plot. I really couldn't stand any of the characters in this book --- and that's the point. Most of them were pretty insufferable, some more than others, and I do think that Donne did a great job of creating these very rich, entitled kids who think they're untouchable because of their wealth and that the rules do not apply to them. More than anything I was curious about the who and why of the murders and although my suspicion had some solid evidence to support it, I ended up being wrong which I was slightly surprised about, though the ending did leave me thinking that there's more to what happened that weekend, which I liked. I liked the more open-ended ending.

If you're looking for a quick paced murder mystery that will keep you entertained, I would say to check out this one although it's not my favorite of Donne's books, but it was a fun time.

A bunch of teens are stuck on a trip to the Colorado Mountains and none of them want to be there. When one of them ends up dead and the storm raging around them makes it impossible for anyone to get to them or for them to get off the mountain they do what they can to survive. Until someone else turns up dead, then another. What are they to do when no one is coming to rescue them anytime soon, and one of them is a killer?

So, I loved the setting of this isolated cabin during a blizzard. Piper was my favorite character, with Liam and Wren taking up the rear. The rest of the group comes across as obnoxious, entitled, and just gain A-holes. Now I don't think they deserved to be killed or anything but I can absolutely see why someone would want to.

I loved how the tensions slowly ramped up, with more and more of them dying, and the survivors trying to find clues and figure out what's going on and how they are going to make it home. This has some great twists and turns and a plot that will keep you engaged from beginning to end.

“And Then There Were None” is one of my favorite Christie mysteries, so I love reading books where authors put their own spins on that classic whodunnit. In this take, the teens are on their Senior Excursion at a ski chalet in Colorado… one that they mysteriously ended up on even though none of them signed up for it 👀

They have to turn in their phones for a weekend of digital detoxing, which proves difficult with some TikTok stars and influencers among them. I thought it was a really interesting layer to this story about who people show up as online compared to how they act in person and even who they are at their core. Everyone wears different masks, and Donne took us on an incredibly twisty journey to finally reveal who’s behind them.

This story is told through multiple POVs and a dual timeline structure, which generally worked well for me. Although I did find the present storyline more interesting. Piper’s POV was my fave because she was a little amateur detective, and I loved seeing what all she picked up on! 🔎

While this is YA, it read older YA to me - I feel like 17-18+ would be appropriate due to the adult themes and language. As an adult reading it, I was hooked! Give me an isolated, closed-circle thriller any day and I’m in 👏🏻 Definitely recommend giving this one a read, and also check out The Ivies (4⭐️) also by Alexa Donne. I read it last year and loved it just as much!

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC. This was such a thrilling, fast paced read. I really liked all the different POVs. I was constantly trying to piece together the clues and figure out who the murderer was. The characters had complicated relationships with each other, making it seem like there were multiple potential murder suspects. I really like how everything came together in the end, everything tied together really well, and the ending was shocking. I literally zipped through this book, it was so good, and I was so desperate for answers.

I’m a big fan of Donne’s work! Her YA thrillers are so good!
The Bitter End by Alexa Donne is a chilling and intriguing murder mystery.
I just loved this, it was very enthralling and had me glued to my Kindle.
The characters were all so compelling.
There were twists and turns galore that kept me guessing.
This was actually such an interesting and amazingly well-done thriller.
It will definitely keep you reading. An engaging and interesting whodunit.
There were so many times when I was reading that I was on the edge of my seat.
The ending is unpredictable, but even more important than that are the elements to the ending that make it great.

A story full of secrets, lies and betrayal.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

thank you to netgalley for the arc! all my opinions are my own.

what a strange, twisty, mildly gory and scary YA novel. i wasn't really sure where it was going to go next. teenagers will love this book.

i am in my 30s, so a lot of the catty and petty behavior was a little lost on me. however, it makes for a great story and great drama.

Loved it! Twisting and turning right until the very end! I still can't trust any of the characters

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of The Bitter End!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🎿 have ever gone on a ski trip
📱 can’t live without your phone
🗣️ ever said something you couldn’t take back
👀 enjoy multiple POVs

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

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.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was such a fun and twisty YA thriller with a lot of twists and dark moments. The setup is so good as we are immediately thrown into the story of a bunch of seniors on their way up a Colorado mountain. I enjoyed the different POVs as it made it harder to figure out who the antagonist ultimately was. I had my guesses and ended up wrong, until the final chapter. That had me second guessing myself! This is one where you really need to pay attention to the little details to try and figure it all out as early as possible. Overall, this was a fun, locked door thriller, perfect for older teens!