Kate Alice Marshall delivers a pulse-pounding, adrenaline-fueled YA thriller in We Won’t All Survive—a novel that begins at a dead sprint and ends as a swift walk. With the eerie intensity of Hunger Games and the psychological tension of Survivor at its most twisted, this story plunges readers into a high-stakes reality show where past traumas are the entry ticket—and survival is anything but guaranteed.

The premise is as gripping as it is unsettling: a group of teens and young adults, each between the ages of 18 and 20, are chosen to participate in a mysterious televised competition. Locked in a remote ghost town, they're instructed to "play," but it quickly becomes clear that the game is far more dangerous—and far less controlled—than anyone anticipated. The question isn’t just who will survive, but why they’ve been chosen, and who is really pulling the strings behind the scenes.

The story's structure alternates between present-day perils and emotionally charged backstories, creating characters that are compelling not because of elaborate development, but because of the very real scars they carry. Each participant has endured significant trauma—mass shootings, near-death experiences, stalking—and their survival stories aren’t merely background details; they are the foundation of their identities and the twisted reason for their inclusion in the game.

Among them is Mercy, a young woman haunted by the label of "hero" after saving her sister and others from a violent attack. As the game unfolds and alliances are tested, Mercy is forced to confront her past, redefine her sense of self, and decide whether she truly believes she deserves the title thrust upon her.

.While some characters aren’t explored in great depth, their emotional wounds are deeply felt and lend a chilling realism to the narrative. It’s a book where you never know who to trust, who might turn on whom, or who will ultimately make it out alive.

Fans of psychological thrillers, dystopian survival stories, or just plain good storytelling will find this one hard to resist. My main issue was having to read this on my phone and not being able to on my Kindle and it didn't wow me like I was really hoping for. About 45-50% in, the intensity of plot really slows down. 3.5

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers, and Kate Alice Marshall for the advance copy. The thoughts shared here are entirely my own.

If Kate Alice Marshall writes it, I will read it—We Won’t All Survive absolutely delivered. This YA thriller takes the concept of a survival reality show and cranks the danger all the way up. Think Survivor meets murder mystery, with high stakes, intense twists, and a killer locked-room vibe.

The characters are compelling, flawed, and fully developed—no throwaways here. The pacing is spot on, the tension builds beautifully, and the social commentary on power, control, and fragile egos adds real depth. I flew through this book and didn’t want it to end. Marshall proves once again why she’s one of the best in the game.

I have read every YA and adult book by Kate Alice Marshall and I've enjoyed them all so much so I was very excited to dive into this one! We Won't All Survive starts with Mercy, who survived a mall shooting but required expensive medical care. The money used was supposed to be her sister's college fund, which Mercy was heartbroken about, even though her sister was very supportive. When the opportunity comes up to join a survivor-type tv show held by a tech billionaire with odd views for the chance to win $100,000, she jumps at the chance to help her sister's college dreams come true. However the moment she steps onto "set" (a ghost town in the middle of the desert) something feels off, and when someone winds up dead, the group realizes that this is not what they thought it was, and no one is coming to save them.

Unlike Marshall's other books, this one felt a little more... structured, and I felt like I've read others like it before. To be fair, this was done way better. The characters felt well rounded, the dialogue authentic, and I really appreciated how everyone was competent, even though they were flawed. They felt like real people and not characters. The plot kept flowing, and at no point did it become stale. I did see the main twist coming, but the smaller ones weren't as easy to see coming I suppose. Nothing felt groundbreaking or super remarkable.
I really love Kate Alice Marshall's YA paranormal and kind of more odd and unique books, so I was honestly a tad disappointed when I heard this new one was going to be just a YA thriller, but overall it was solid and I enjoyed it. 
I rated it 3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC!

Wow! This book is amazing! I couldn’t put it down. Mercy, the hero who survived a mall shooting, heads to Landry Gap for a survival type reality show. From the moment she gets to where the bus is supposed to pick up the contestants, nothing seems right. Along with 7 other survivors of other tragic incidents, they find themselves locked in Landry’s Gap with no host or crew for the show. When the first person ends up dead, she has no idea who she can trust or if they will even make it out alive.

This book had my heart racing from the beginning. I loved the characters and how they all fit together. I couldn’t stop reading! I have really enjoyed all of Kate Alice Marshall’s books and this one was no exception! I loved it!

One thing about me is that if I see Kate Alice Marshall's name on a book, I'm going to have to read it. We Won't All Survive was no exception, and because I have no self-control, I binge-read the whole damn book today. ((Arguably the best way I could have spent the day.))

This upcoming release is an absolutely enthralling YA thriller with a great twist on the concept of reality survival shows- because our girl Mercy and her fellow contestants are in danger of being killed off, and it doesn"t get much more real than that. In an isolated setting ((my beloved)) where anyone around you could be a killer, who do you trust... and how do you make it out alive??

Marshall nailed it once again when it comes to compelling, flawed, realistic characters, which is something she delivers consistently across the board from YA to middle grade to adult. Our cast here is well-developed, leaving the reader more invested. ((Throw-away characters bother me, and I love that we don't get that with Marshall's writing.)) The pacing is ideal for readers who don't love a slow burn but also don't want their books to feel rushed. And the locked-door feel of the plot makes this a wholely entertaining popcorn thriller.

We Won't All Survive is so easy to recommend because it's keeps the reader entertained. Between backstories and present-day perils, the characters keep you engaged up to the very end. The downside? Now I have to wait for Kate Alice Marshall's next release all over again.

((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers, and Kate Alice Marshall for this complimentary copy.))

This book was excellent! I enjoyed all of the characters and their development. The story twisted and turned and kept me guessing. I certainly wasn’t sure who was the bad guy until it was too late!

Fans of Holly Jackson will eat this book up. 8 young adults with difficult pasts are chosen to participate in a reality survival show where everything is not what it seems. The complexity of this story worked out chapter after chapter. I liked how we learned a little about the characters as we went along. Overall, the movement of the plot did take away from the development of the character relationships. This was a quick original story that was enjoyable and kept me guessing. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this story.

thank you to netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

i would read a grocery list if kate alice marshall writes it, tbh

a nepo-billionaire trying to control every person he comes across and transform the world into a “better” place by claiming society is in a free fall? sounds eerily familiar!

this book was GREAT. the characters were so well written and the twists were twisting. i love a good story with the premise of how men are fragile babies who can’t handle rejection. i love strong, unapologetic women who know just who they are! i would read 100 more pages of this book.

it absolutely flew by and kept me captivated with every page. KAM is the goat.

“sometimes things just happen, and they’re not important. they’re big and they change things, but they shouldn’t get a say. they shouldn’t get to mean things. this here — it doesn’t get to have a meaning. we survive it. that’s all.”

We Won’t All Survive is a YA thriller with a game show concept. The contestants are chosen based on their commonality; they’ve endured a traumatic event. Once they arrive for the show, it’s apparent that the goal isn’t about not dropping out to win the prize money but about staying alive to find a way out. If you enjoy survivalist, game show plots this is definitely the one for you!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

I LOVED the premise of this book, so I was over the moon to receive an ARC copy. This book follows 8 teenagers with deeply traumatic pasts who have been selected for a survival reality show, in which they all work together to try and survive off-the-grid, completing challenges to access resources. (Think ‘Survivor’, but no one gets voted off the island.) Whoever makes it to the end without dropping out receives a whopping $100k. However, when they arrive at the TV show set, everything feels off. And when one contestant winds up dead, the group realizes they’re in for a lot more than they signed up for.

I love a good YA thriller, and this was certainly no exception. It packed a punch with numerous twists and turns and surprise elements. What really set it apart from others in its genre, though, was how fleshed out the characters were. They weren’t the flat, one-dimensional, throwaway characters you often find in thrillers. I found myself caring about them and rooting for their growth through the book. I will say, I suspected the culprit all along, which was my one disappointment with the story. Nonetheless, it kept me hooked! Would highly recommend this book when it hits shelves in July 2025!

We Won't All Survive by new to me author Kate Alice Marshall, published by Penguin Group is a full length, stand alone, mystery/thriller for teens and ya.
Mercy Gray is kind of a tragic hero and gets hired to compete/attend a survivlist show- who I'm a fan of btw., just saying.
But something is off , the attendants drop like flies and soon they can't call it accidents anymore. Intriguing, well written 4 stars.

This gave me the same vibes as the Escape Room movies — WHICH I COMPLETELY DEVOURREDDDD. I really enjoyed reading this book! I was a little iffy at first because of the many characters introduced, but it wasn’t that bad keeping track of them all. I also liked the fact that they kept the storyline straightforward between past and present instead of dragging it on. Overall, a really good YA survivor thriller read!

Super YA but I still enjoyed it amd really liked the characters. Loved the Mercy's past connection. Overall decent fast read

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC. I was having trouble getting into it at first but halfway through I got hooked. I liked the game and mystery of it. I figured out who done it early on. Liked how the author connected Mercy's past to what was happening in the present. Without giving anything away. I would say it was a pretty quick read once you get into it. I was happy at how it ended. I was also surprised that for an ARC there wasn't like any typos or weird placements. I have read some other ARC's and they have been pretty all over the place. So was very pleased with this one. I don't think I would want a physical copy of this book when it comes out. However; I would an ebook. Just feel like I would read it quicker that way.

This was a great read with wonderfully developed characters!! I enjoyed the many twists and turns and it was quite the page turner!

Title: We Won’t All Survive
Author: Kate Alice Marshall
Publisher: PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/Viking for Young Readers
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: July 29, 2025
My Rating: 3.7 Stars
Pages: 336

Mercy Gray was hailed as a hero for saving lives during a mall shooting. She still carries souvenirs from that incident: 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.

Billionaire now wannabe TV-host Damien Dare decided to sponsor a new survivalist reality show “Who Survives” and recruits Mercy Gray as well as seven others. Mercy is a local hero as two years ago she saved lives during a mail shooting. She as well as the others cannot turn down a chance at winning $100,000. Mercy knows this amount of money would allow her to send her sister to college.
When Mercy and the other contestants arrive on location – it is empty. The gates close without warning, they are trapped. They know the contest is for six weeks but something isn’t right!

Then one of them turns up dead.

Story has interesting characters and I was pulling for all of them.

The Epilogue was very interesting!

This is my fourth Kate Alice Marshall. Although not my favorite – I definitely am looking forward to her next story.

Want to thank NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/Viking for Young Readers for granted me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 29, 2025.

(4.5 stars)
* Tropes/themes
* Survivalist reality competition TV show
* Deserted town
* Trauma
* Trust
* Non-stop action and suspense with tons of twists.
* Never knew who to trust and it kept me on the edge of my seat.
* Intriguing concept.
* Very diverse characters.
* Really hard to put down- I kept saying I’d read one more chapter and before I even realized, I’d read three more.
* Slightly predictable yet incredibly entertaining.
* Content warnings:
* Murder/death
* Violence
* Mass shooting
* Injury/injury detail
* Isolation
* Bigotry

4.5 stars rounded up. I was IMMEDIATELY hooked. Loved the underlying plot point of the 'Nice Guy syndrome'. A bunch of twists and turns without being over-engineered.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the eARC!

This was a tense, twisty thriller that pulled me in from the first chapter. Mercy, a shooting survivor, joins what she thinks is a survival reality show—but it turns out to be something way darker. No cameras. No crew. Just danger. The characters are complicated and haunted, and the mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a YA book, and I didn't know that before reading it. I think that demographic would enjoy it more. I love Kate Alice Marshall books but didn't love this one.