Basically inhaled this book in less than 24 hours - entertaining from start to finish.

Mercy Gray survived a mall shooting and, along with a handful of other participants, arrives at a sketchy location in the desert to be on a reality competition. There, she'll survive and do challenges for the chance at a 100k prize. The group arrives and things seem a lot more abandoned than they should, and the initial challenge doesn't go according to plan.

Plot-wise I liked the beginning of the book the most - high stakes game? Weird stuff going on? Sign me up. Reminded me a bit of the poorly-written but loved-the-idea book "Hide" by Kiersten White. Things change pretty quick to a whodunnit, where it's more about who to trust than how to survive the game. Still interesting, but less for me.

Really *the* major focus, though, is unfortunate and topical: red pill / manosphere culture. The person putting on the reality show is Damien Dare, a tech billionaire (ugh, even more relevant nowadays with fools like Elon Musk) and essentially is a survivalist Andrew Tate. Y'all, you should watch Adolescence if you haven't yet, because it's very similar themes and is chilling. Anyways, that's a main focus, and since this is one of Marshall's YA books, hopefully it'll get through to some people.

I've been a big fan of Kate Alice Marshall since "What Lies in the Woods", but my main criticism across her novels is that there's slightly too many twists and turns, red string on a board style, that makes them feel a little less realistic. That's mostly missing here, which I appreciated, except for one major plot point I could have done without. That, and a few other mild criticisms, below.

SPOILERS:

- Damien Dare's views are well known - he's famous because of it. So why did 3 women and a trans man agree to be on his show? At least one of them has cutting words to say about Dare throughout the book, so it's odd to me that they'd actively agree to participate

- Really could have done without [redacted] being the mastermind. The mall shooter's back story, combined with Dare's personality, would have been more than enough to get the point across that this was about toxic red pill culture. The fact that [redacted] was basically *exactly the same* as the shooter as far as being a creepy stalker, it felt heavy handed to me. This, too, was the only element that felt like it crept back into "too many twists" territory.

I've seen some reviews say they couldn't get into this book because it's YA. Personally, I didn't feel much of a difference between Marshall's adult books and this. Both are engaging writing and keep you hooked. The only difference for me was that they're teens.

I'd give my overall enjoyment score a 4.5/5. Definitely check this out.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for this chance to review the ARC.

I had a fun time reading this one - the story was very easy to follow and I read this in nearly one sitting. Completely unrealistic and over-the-top at points which kept it fun. Overall a fun, simple, and fast-paced read I can see myself recommended to younger thriller readers.

I am a huge fan of KAM's writing so I may be a little biased, but I had so much fun with this book. The stakes of survival on top of literal survival added so much to the book. I didn't realize that this one was supposed to be YA when I requested it, but it was just as enjoyable.

I received this as an ARC - thanks NetGalley!

Overall, this was good, I liked it. The story was interesting and the character development was good. Although this is YA, it didn’t feel to YA for me like some do. The beginning was slow in parts when I was waiting for something to happen. The ending wrapped everything up nicely but it felt a bit rushed. Definitely don’t sleep on Kate Alice Marshall - she does a good thriller/mystery!

I was excited to receive an ARC from the Penguin Young Readers Group through Netgalley because I love Kate Alice Marshall's thrillers for adults and, even though this is a YA thriller, it's perfect for adults too.

The central plot of We Won't All Survive is engaging but the real highlight is the characters. They are intensely likeable and layered and I enjoyed learning more about each of them.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants a quick read for vacation this summer

Kate Alice Marshall’s "We Won’t All Survive" is a gripping blend of survivalist thriller and murder mystery that will keep readers hooked from the first page. The novel follows Mercy Gray, a teen haunted by the trauma and medical debt left in the aftermath of a mall shooting. Desperate for a financial break, she joins a reality survival show, only to discover that the contestants are truly trapped and deadly danger lurks within the group.

Marshall excels at crafting tension, with a fast-paced plot full of twists and an atmosphere thick with paranoia and suspense. The story’s mix of a locked-room mystery and high-stakes psychological drama makes for an addictive read, echoing the suspense of Squid Game with a YA flavor. While some reveals may be predictable for experienced mystery readers and a few secondary characters lack depth, Mercy’s complexity and the ever-rising stakes make this book a standout in the genre. Highly recommended for fans of Karen McManus and immersive survival thrillers

This is such a good YA Thriller that is based on a group of teens/young adults that apply for a survival show. It reminds me of Survivor and The Hunger Games. You have have a group of eight contestants all with a traumatic past with the potential to win $100,000. What will happen when the show is not being filmed as they all were lead to believe? Things are not as they seem especially when one of them is found dead. I have read Kate Marshall Alice in the past and she writes a solid thriller. Thank you for the ARC!

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

This is a very solid YA thriller! It flowed really nicely and kept me interested the entire time. There really weren’t any slow parts either which was really nice. I could have finished this in one sitting and would have if I didn’t need to sleep! The characters are all interesting and have their own traumatic backstories that get them onto this survival show.

Would recommend!

Sometimes I like Kate Alice Marshall and sometimes I dont. It depends on the book I liked the reality show portion of the book and the girl who was hero during a mall shooting being on the show and realizing that surviving this reality show is much harder and dangerous than she anticcipated.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the E-ARC of We Won't All Survive. A solid thriller that kept me guessing until the end. As an adult reader, I think both adults and young adults would find this book a good fit if you are on the hunt for a good thriller. Was it the best book I have read? No. But I have enjoyed Kate Alice Marshall's other works and I would still recommend this one.

We Won’t All Survive is a modern Old West thriller mix of Survivor meets Hunger Games. Kate Marshall paints vivid pictures throughout the book, and from the first few pages, I could picture the old western ghost town. The book follows a group of teens/young adults supposedly hand-picked for an up and coming new hit survival game show. Each participant has been selected due to a trauma they survived. Early on the participants learn it’s not all what it seems. Something (or someone) is picking them off one by one leaving them distrusting of each other and the game. Who will survive? Who will walk out the victor? Will anyone be left standing? Find out in We Won’t All Survive hitting stores later this summer.
I know I for one will definitely be buying a finished copy when it's released.

I really like this author, but unfortunately this book was a miss. It was a struggle to get through it. I did not find the story engaging at all, and I did not connect with a single one of the characters. None of them were all that likeable. It makes it difficult to care about a story if you don’t care what happens to the characters. It took me a long time to finish it because I just didn’t enjoy reading this book, unfortunately. I know it’s meant to be a YA book and I do typically enjoy those, But this book just wasn’t it.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Penguin Group for the advance reader copy. Publication date July 28, 2025.

This book grabbed my interest right away. I enjoyed the setting and premise, so many things could happen and many possibilities of who did it. Kept me guessing for most of the book.
This is labeled as young adult but it didn’t read like that. As a “ mature” adult, I really enjoyed this book.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! The premise was pretty unique in a market in which a lot of thrillers are pretty similar, and that made this book a lot more memorable to me. The story was really twisty and enjoyable, and I was able to read this so fast because I was really invested in the plot. Loved it!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for allowing me to read and review this book before publication.

I honestly went into the book completely blind, and didn’t know what I was going to read. All I know is the title and the cover caught my eye. And I’m so glad it did. I couldn’t stop reading the book. I’m honestly sad it ended and I can’t reread it for the first time again.

I love the survival and game show vibes from it, along with all the mystery and the what’s going to happen next. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and honestly the ending threw me off because I honestly never suspected it. But after reading it all I finally see the parts I missed that pointed a little towards who did it.

I also honestly expected to hate Dare, which still kind of do, but in a good way? I don’t even know if that makes sense. But absolutely loved this book and recommend to anyone who likes a good mystery.

This is a fun little YA thriller.

I found that I liked our MC immensely and definitely liked some of our other characters. While I wasn't surprised by the big reveal, I still very much enjoyed watching it all play out.

The reality show aspect was done well and I enjoyed learning the tragic backgrounds of some of our characters.

A fun, easy breezy read.

* ARC via publisher

Anything by Kate Alice Marshall is forever going to be an automatic read for me, and I was SO grateful for this opportunity to read one of her books as an ARC for the first time, and it did not disappoint. For any fans of KAM this is yet another super solid, super creepy read with well developed characters and story despite a surprisingly low page count.

Now I prefer to go into all my books blind, and I coincidentally started reading this book the same week as I started listening to One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware, which has a startlingly similar plot (reality show gone horribly wrong) albeit the two books are also wildly different. If you loved this new YA offering from KAM though and feel ready to head fully into adult fiction, that is where you should start!

Back to WWAS though. Like I already mentioned, the book is about a reality show that our team of characters have all been cast on, however once they arrive on set, nothing is as is as it seems. Our FMC Mercy, barely survived of a mass shooting in the mall (she carried a bullet in her spine still), and the other contestants also all seem to carry stories of surviving harrowing experiences. And where are all the cast and crew of this reality show? And as the gates around this odd empty set close and lock, Mercy has but one last thought- We Won’t All Survive!

Thank you so much to Kate Alice Marshall, Penguin Young Readers, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review!

Marshall has become an auto read author for me, and this book really seals the status. "A Killing Cold" wasn't my favorite of hers (that honor goes to No One Can Know, but this book is my second fav. (To be fair, I have not read any of her other YA books yet, but I sure plan to). I gobbled up the premise for this book: Survival show, something goes wrong (it always does), people start dying (of course). They have to lock up their phones? SIGN ME UP.

8 teens with backpacks full of trauma arrive for what is supposed to be a survival reality tv show. Last till the end and win 100K. Easy peasy? But something is very, very wrong. No one is there, they are locked in, it's the desert, there is no water. And did I mention they were all chosen for very specific reasons? The book follows the POV of Mercy Gray who recently lived through a mall shooting. Other teens on set survived be stranded at sea, a train crash, lost in a mountain, and I can't remember the rest (there are 8 which is a lot to keep track of!).

Overly friendly Milo gives Mercy the icks, but can she trust her instincts? Harrison is sweet but is he safe? Is Althea a pampered princess or a survivalist badass? Why does Eli look familiar? Is Spencer the killer? Maybe it was Colby? Who can she trust? Is one of them the killer or is there someone else in town? This book also has an eccentric billionaire which is just like, icing on the cake. He is absolutely insane, but is helping them, or is he the one hurting them? You have to read it to find out, I can't tell you.

There was just a touch too much teenage angst and a few slow parts that made this four stars for me, but definitely go read it! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

A dystopian novel exploring survival and moral dilemmas in a collapsing society. Marshall presents a haunting narrative with complex characters. A thought-provoking read about humanity's resilience.

Pub Date: 7/29/25

I've never read anything by this author but wow ... I absolutely loved it !!! I've been in a reading slump & this book really helped with that. It's a fast paced YA thriller that gives off survivor reality TV vibes & it absolutely sucked me in . I went into this read completely blind so I don't want to ruin it for anyone & I also recommend just reading this. There are so many twists & turns going on .. never a dull moment.
I also loved the podcast at the end.

Definite solid read for sure 🖤

Thank u to #NetGalley & #Penguin 🐧 for this uncorrected Arc. 🤘