Loved this book! Lots of fun twists and turns and a great job of world-building. I couldn't put it down!

Kate Alice Marshall has quickly become an "auto buy" author for me. She writes twisty, fun thriller novels that are hard to put down. This one was a book that I read over the course of a few hours and then realized that the time had passed. Cannot wait for this one to be released next month so all my fellow thriller readers can enjoy!

For some reason, I love “reality show gone wrong” stories. And, this book’s synopsis gave me that promise. I loved the idea of a survival reality show that casts survivors of previous accidents, disasters, or mass shootings, as in the case of our main character, Mercy Gray.

Unfortunately, despite a pretty good set up, the story dragged for me for quite a while.

With 8 characters, I found myself getting a little confused although it wasn’t long term. I don’t usually experience that issue.

On the upside, the book felt increasingly action packed and cinematic as ir proceeded and it was really the last 50-80 pages that gripped me.

The ending was also satisfying and I liked it! Pretty appropriate for a YA thriller and there’s a good chance others might like this more than I did so don’t count it out.

"From the bestselling author of I Am Still Alive comes a new nail-biter that's part survival story, part murder mystery, and all thriller - perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson!

Two years ago, Mercy Gray was hailed as a hero for saving lives during a mall shooting. She still carries souvenirs from that day: the fragment of a bullet lodged in her back, a mountain of medical debt, and guilt for ignoring her sister's warnings that the sweet boy next door was anything but.

So when billionaire turned TV host Damien Dare recruits Mercy to compete on his new survivalist reality show, she can't turn down a chance at the whopping cash prize that could send her sister to college. But when she and the other contestants arrive at the off-grid location, something isn't right. The set is empty. The gates close without warning, trapping them inside. And then one of them turns up dead. What appeared at first to be a tragic accident quickly transforms as more contestants start dropping like flies. With time and resources running low, surviving this show takes on a whole new meaning. Mercy must figure out who to trust. Before she's next."

This is why we NEVER trust billionaires.

I couldn’t get this to properly download so I was unable to read the arc but I have since bought a physical copy and I can’t wait to dig in

How do we take our traumas and continue to live? We Won’t All Survive dives into that question when a group of teens with resilient backgrounds enter a game show where survival wins them a prize, but will it be more than they bargained for?

Mercy is a hero who survived a mall shooting and she gets invited to participate in a survivalist reality tv show hosted by a billionaire dare devil. Needing the money to cover her medical bills, she agrees, only when she shows up to play the game things take an all to real and dark turn.

Talk about keeping your audience on the edge of their seats. I tore through this YA thriller and continuously felt like I could not put it down. The suspense was fantastic, I felt sucked right into the world, and to top it off, the character development was fantastic. Highly recommend this book and I will be reading more of Kate Alice Marshall's books.

Tropes
* Stranded group of teenagers
* Murder Mystery
* Trapped with a murderer
* Reality TV show setting

5 stars

We Won’t All Survive by Kate Alice Marshall is an intense, chilling thriller that hooked me from the very first page.

Two years after surviving a mall shooting, Mercy Gray is still haunted by what happened. When she joins a survivalist reality show hosted by billionaire Damien Dare, she hopes to win enough money to send her sister to college. But once the contestants arrive, things quickly spiral. The set is abandoned. The gates lock. And people start dying.

Kate Alice Marshall is the queen of the slow burn. The pacing is deliberate and atmospheric without ever being dull. She layers tension so well that even the quiet moments feel electric. The twists? Completely unpredictable and jaw-dropping. I never saw that ending coming.

This book blends survival horror, psychological suspense, and sharp character work perfectly. Mercy’s guilt, trauma, and drive make her a compelling lead you can’t help but root for.

An absolute must-read for thriller lovers—creepy, clever, and unforgettable.

Mixed feelings about this one. Interesting premise. The characters were interesting. But things slowly began to fall apart.

It was hard keeping track of all the "contestants." I think there may have been one or two too many.

I get the point and the political/billionaire/most men are bad themes running through the story. I guess I've just got fatigue on all of these themes and I just find it all forced at this point.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group/Penguin Young Readers Group for an e-copy of WE WON'T ALL SURVIVE to review.

I rate WE WON'T ALL SURVIVE three out of five stars.

We Won’t All Survive is a fun thriller with contestants pitted against each other and trying to figure out which of them is killing people off. It doesn’t do anything super special with the idea, but it is a fun read and has a nice ending.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It’s not great literature but it was a really fun read!

This book could easily translate to a movie or show. It was easy to picture the characters interacting and the action evolving. The book actually IS about making a reality show with a group of young adults in a desert ghost town. Turns out they’ve all survived some kind of tragedy prior to the show, which feeds into the shows creators cult like philosophy.

Part locked room mystery, part personal growth story, and a wee bit of romantic tensions thrown in, the storyline just hooked me. I read 3/4 of the book in one night. I love a good whodunnit with a bunch of misdirection along the way.

I totally pictured Dare as Martin Short at the end. Read it and let me know if you agree.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review. I love this author and everything she writes is great,

𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 4/5 ⭐️

We Won’t All Survive by Kate Alice Marshall is a new young adult mystery/thriller being published 7/29/2025! Eight teens all sign up to be a contestant on a new survivalist show for the chance at a giant pay out. When they arrive at the secluded off grid location something doesn’t feel right and the entire set is empty!

Just my type of mystery and thriller! Gripping and a nail-biter. Mercy was definitely my favorite! I loved her calm cool exterior but we got her inner voice too. Which really showed how much she was struggling. It added a lot of depth to her character. Althea as well! What a well rounded character.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this! Loved the plot and the characters! I had wanted a little more from the ending but I still enjoyed it. Overall I would say this is a great YA mystery with a lot of intrigue and suspense! The twists were twisting and had me gasping!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Mercy, considered a hero in a public tragedy in her past, signs up for a seeming reality show in a desolate town, to earn money for her sister's college fund.

Minutes after arriving, she finds her fellow contestants have also faced tragedy....and now they are pitted against each other for another round.

Lots of twists and turns, made for a quick, thrilling read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Alice Marshall has great concepts, it just seems like they always end up lacking in the execution, and this one was no different. I did like the idea of the teens being placed on a survival show and was interested in seeing the way that they all tied into each other and their backgrounds, but it did not take off, the "trials" weren't really that interesting nor suspenseful. There was a twist at the end that was a little interesting, but nothing to write home about. The entire book was also very slow for a supposed to be suspenseful thriller and was a trudge to get through. I know Kate Alice Marshall has her following, and if you like her books, you may like this one, but this unfortunately was a no-go for me.

This book had me hooked from the first page. The characters are relatable. I could not put this book down. From the start I was invested with each character. Awesome character growth. The plot is amazing. I would come pair to Survivor/Hunger Games but it’s a thriller. There was no point while reading that I was bored. This was a five star read. I cannot wait for everyone to read this book when it comes out.

Thank you to the publishers for an e-ARC via NetGalley!

This reads a lot like Hide by Kiersten White, and unfortunately that is not a compliment. The first half was spent trying to remember whose name was whose, since there are eight characters to care about, and watching them all bicker and try to find supplies. I will admit I'm glad they, for the most part, went with the "GTFO method" as soon as they realized they were unsafe there and stuck with it the entire time, like they spent every minute just trying to leave, which is refreshing in a locked-room-type mystery as opposed to sticking it out and wandering aimlessly.

Honestly I was pretty lukewarm about this book until the last third or so where, along with other grievances, we get not one, but TWO villainous "here's what I did the whole time" stories? The clues toward the mystery were all very heavy-handed (pointing out "this guy feels suspicious" in every conversation with Milo, or "damn why do I recognize this person" every time we look at Eli, which this "reveal" wasn't even relevant to anything so why wink-wink-nudge-nudge at recognizing him so many times) to where once we're actually told what's happening, like yea I saw that coming 100 pages ago?

I also think having Mercy get with Harrison at the end undermines the whole moral of the story - she spends the whole time like "both these boys keep flirting with me but I'm too busy trying to not die" and has decided anyway to trauma-bond with this boy, even after spending 300 pages basically saying "every time a man is involved, you need to be super suspicious", which in general I'm not necessarily disagreeing with but Dare? Suspicious. Milo? Suspicious. Jamie? Suspicious. Spencer? Suspicious. Colby? Suspicious. Eli was a decent guy but still lying about his backstory for no real reason. So of course, the ONE guy in the whole story that isn't some flavor of awful, the FMC has to have a happily ever after with. Yea sure.

Also, considering the e-ARC had a special letter from the editor in the beginning saying "I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did", it is pretty laughable how many typos I found in this book. Like you made it obvious an editor read it, but still spelled "there" as "ther" and left out many a quotation mark?

I can't tell if I'm just growing out of YA mysteries, or if this was just not very good.

Sadly, this one missed the mark for me. I do believe it’s because it’s geared towards YA readers. I do recommend it to younger readers but it wasn’t my cup of tea. I still love her work!!

Ok I know this is YA and is supposed to be an easy read but holy crap! I could not stop reading this. Escape room with survivor vibes and the contestants are all final girls/guys I’m in. Seriously non stop page turning action from page 1. Loved loved loved this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for my advanced digital copy!

Good grief. What a story.

Mercy has a well known history because she saved some lives at a mall shooting. She was left with chronic pain and heaps of medical bills. Now she is invited to compete on a survivor-type reality show, she has a chance to make some money to replace some of her sister’s college fund. So she accepts.

From the time that she and other contestants arrive on the site, she realizes something isn’t right. The gates close and won’t open again, and no one else is there except them. And then one of them is found dead.

The mystery was just that for awhile, and then I began to figure it out, but I didn’t know how in the world they could escape from all this. What a mess!

It was intriguing and well-written and held my interest throughout. I’m now a fan of the author and I want to read more.

Four bright stars!

I received a copy of the digital ARC via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.