Thank you so much to Kate Alice Marshall,
PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for this ARC of We Won’t All Survive.

To say I’m a Marshall fan would be putting it mildly. This is an auto-buy author for me. When I saw this YA book I was intrigued. I haven’t read a YA book as an adult but I figured there was no harm in trying!

This book had an amazing plot line and very likable characters. The plot line for me was extremely easy to guess but maybe that’s because I’m reading a book made for a younger audience. I would definitely recommend this as a quick read for adults or for any young readers that are interested in thrillers. This is a wonderfully written, age-appropriate story. 4/5 stars!

Thank you Viking Books and NetGalley for this eARC, here is my honest review:


Mercedes Gray (Mercy) went through a traumatizing event a few years prior. When an opportunity to make money by joining a survival reality show presents itself, she jumps at the opportunity. Much to the dismay of her younger sister, who begs her to reconsider. When Mercy arrives to her destination, she quickly realizes this may have been a mistake.

This was such a fun read. Definitely feels YA, but not in a bad way. The FMC is someone you immediately connect with and root for, making the read so gripping. I did feel like some of the other characters were hard to differentiate between and I sometimes got confused/lost about which character was being discussed/was talking. I did enjoy a lot though! Very ‘Survivor’ but YA, and kind of gave Hunger Games vibes at times. Altogether, definitely recommend!

Kate Alice Marshall’s “We Won’t All Survive” is an action-packed reality TV/Final Girl thriller that will keep you entertained until the last page.

Our primary protagonist is Mercy, a mall shooting survivor, who's been invited to spend 6 weeks at an isolated California ghost town owned by an Elon Musk-ish daredevil/evil billionaire named Damian Dare with his own apocalyptic thesis about survival of the fittest. Just making it to the end of the show, “Who Survives?” guarantees each contestant $100,000 — enough for Mercy to pay for her sister Jamie’s college education. Joining Mercy are seven other 18-20 year olds, all of whom have also endured some kind of defining traumatic event (a “Precursor Event” according to Dare’s philosophy) — an eclectic gathering for adolescent PTSD sufferers to suffer again. There is supposed to be a high tech safety element, but , like “Westworld”, there are immediate glitches, someone dies, and the remaining group realizes they are trapped and apparently alone.

The plot is partially predictable — involving a lot of twists, physical challenges, backstory reveals, surprising skill sets — but it’s paced to have us rooting for Mercy and some of her teammates. Marshall is tasked with developing multi-layered characters who seem to be worthy of trust in one scene, and then suspicious in the next. There are times that juggling eight plus characters could be confusing, but the author manages to clearly define each of the contestants. This was a quick read that I completed in one intense sitting. Always a good sign! 4 stars!

One irk: Did no one consider setting up rain barrels to conserve water?

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO No eye colors were mentioned.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): Well, the spines of prickly pear cacti don’t need to be burned off — you can just cut them off with a knife.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy this author’s adult novels, and since YA is usually not my choice of reading, I was expecting to at least like or tolerate this YA thriller, but I was wrong - I LOVED it!!

The premise of gathering all these teens together had me skeptical at first, but once the suspenseful things started happening, I was hooked. And I thought I knew how it would end but it honestly threw me for a loop like three separate times going “wait what???”

Pleasantly surprised and would definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed this book. It had a little bit of everything! The characters were well developed and the writing was superb. I will recommend to my friends!

A survivalist reality program that turns deadly sounded right up my alley! I went into this book with high hopes as I have enjoyed several of the author's other books. Sadly, this one wasn't quite as enjoyable for me as the others were. This is geared for the YA audience so keep that in mind when picking up this book.

Mercy Gray is part of a group of survivors who have been invited to participate in a reality survival program. She survived a mall shooting a few years ago, and agrees to participate hoping that if she wins, she can pay off her HUGE medical debt. Others will join in her a program dreamed up by a billionaire turned tv host.

When they arrive and become acquainted, things take a turn fast! Soon one of them will be dead and others will follow as the game doesn't appear to be working, and no one knows what or who is behind the deaths!

This book was lacking a little bit of the intrigue and gripping mystery of the previous books I have read by this author. I did enjoy the trapped feel in this book, along with some of the tension between the characters. This book quickly becomes a whodunit with characters not knowing who they can trust or how they will escape. Speaking of the characters, some are more fleshed out than others and I had a hard time connecting with them.

YA readers looking for a mystery meets survival story; this might be the book for them. There is some tension and suspense. Unfortunately, it was just ok for me. But that will not stop me from reading more of what Kate Alice Marshall writes. I will just stick with her adult books.

Others did enjoy this book more than I did, so please read their reviews as well.

**If you get this book from NetGalley it does have a lot of issues (at least mine did). The version on NetGalley is not a kindle book. It can only be read on the NetGalley App/NetGalley reader. I found it to be very hard to make bookmarks when I needed to put the book down. I also found that it was very touchy and would jump pages in both direction which made reading the ARC very frustrating. I do not like reading books on my phone unless they have a 'read aloud' choice. This one did not and made reading this book very frustrating.

I read this over the weekend and I really enjoyed it! I loved this authors previous novels, so this one was already one on my TBR. This was for sure an edge of your seat, fast-paced thriller and every chapter left me wanting more.

I really liked the entire theme of survival in this book and I felt it kept me hooked. The MC was a really likable character and I felt like I connected with her while reading this. Such a wild and twisted story and I will forever read what this author publishes in the future.

Note to publisher: initially i couldn’t download this but ended up finding a way (although it was extremely painful reading on a computer). If kindle option is possible in the future I would 100% ask to add that feature back!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I was immediately hooked from the first page and couldn't stop until it was over! We Won't All Survive is a thriller/mystery about 8 young adults who join a fun reality TV survival show for $100,000. Slowly but surely they begin to notice that is not a game and they must actually find a way to survive in this isolated town hoping that somebody in the outside world will come and save them!

This book was full of suspense that had me screaming! I was deeply invested in each character and their relationships with one another. Each character is written so well keeping you wondering if they're being truthful about who they really are. It was fast-paced without rushing anything! I love the Mr. Beast psycho millionaire vibes that the contestants observe from Damien Dare. This book is definitely at the top of my YA Thriller faves!!

A big thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Although I have never read this author before, I’m definitely a fan now. This was the perfect mix of survival and mystery thriller. I liked the characters and was immediately hooked from the first chapter.

I had a bad feeling about one character all throughout, and my suspicious were confirmed at the end. I liked the ending and the explanation of what was actually occurring. I can’t wait to read more from this author and would definitely recommend everyone read this book when it is released!

Solid YA thriller. 3.5 stars. For some reason I just wasn’t invested in the story or characters. It started off kind of slow but picked up quickly, I flew through the last half of the book.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, I don’t tend to have luck with this author. I wanted to try this one since I have not tried her YA books before. I was not a huge fan though.

I just don’t like the authors writing style and it is not for me. I found myself wanting more action and excitement. I was just bored for most of the story. I also was not a big fan of any of the characters.

I hope others have better luck with this one and love it.

I was really excited to read this book but I’m not able to get it on my kindle. I hope that changes soon.

Kate Alice Marshall does it again!! Holy crap this book was so good!! We Won't All Survive was the perfect combination of survival, murder, and more questions than answers. A group of young adults ends up trapped in a desert ghost town, thinking they are participating in a reality TV show. Each contestant is weighed down by their own traumas, and you can never really tell who you can trust. Loved this book so much, it was fast-paced, and once I started, I did not want to put it down for anything.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers group for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

✨4.5 stars rounded down✨
I really enjoyed reading We Won’t All Survive. I loved the premise of this book. A survival competition in a deserted town and the contestants are just trying to survive. Everyone had some kind of previous trauma and a reason for being there. It was hard to know who you could trust and nothing went how the contestants expected. It was creepy, twisty, and entertaining. I really liked it and didn’t want to put it down.

I was given an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

As long K.A.M. keeps writing books, I will keep devoting them.

Thank you to netgalley for the eARC provided in exchange for my honest review.

We Won’t All Survive is an electrifying mix of survival thriller and murder mystery, keeping you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. It’s fast-paced, intriguing, and never quite lets you breathe easy as it throws twist after twist your way.

Mercy Gray is a fantastic protagonist—tough, flawed, and deeply human. Her trauma from the mall shooting, paired with her desire to give her sister a better future, makes her motivations feel authentic and relatable. The reality show setting adds a thrilling, almost claustrophobic atmosphere, especially once the contestants realize they’re not just competing for a cash prize but fighting to survive.

The suspense is palpable, and the body count rises quickly, creating a sense of urgency that really propels the story forward. My one critique is that some of the character development takes a backseat to the action, which left a few of the side characters feeling a little thin. Still, the central mystery is compelling, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

If you love a good survival story with a dash of paranoia, We Won’t All Survive is a solid pick. It’s dark, tense, and will keep you guessing until the very end.

We Won’t All Survive offers a tense, character-driven thriller that delves into themes of trauma, trust, and resilience. While some readers may find certain plot elements familiar, the novel's strength lies in its emotional depth and the psychological complexity of its characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC. This is kind of my favorite sub-theme of locked room mysteries- reality show gone wrong in a remote location. So as such, I had high hopes, and am happy to report that it did not disappoint. I enjoyed the pace and had a hard time putting it down. Devoured is the right word.

I have really enjoyed Marshall's previous books, and I really liked this one too. I will say it felt a little more YA than her other works but don't let that deter you. It still offered mystery/suspense. It was a quick read for me.

Ok, I really enjoyed this book. A group of young people who survived traumatic events are invited to a survival-type game show and everything starts going wrong. I have read other Kate Alice Marshall books (What Lies in the Woods and A Killing Cold) and this one felt more YA.

I loved the survival, dystopian aspect and enjoyed most of the characters. This book kept me confused and guessing until the end. I also think Marshall did a good job of representing how trauma can impact every day life after a life changing event.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.