Locked-room thrillers are some of my favorite reads. Add in a reality show premise, and I’m instantly hooked. I loved the entire idea behind We Won’t All Survive - with the ghost town setting and the team challenges.

Each character was fully fleshed out with a traumatic backstory that made them ripe for this Survivor-esque competition. Their trauma informed their actions and I thought Marshall did a great job exploring what types of reaction they’d have to the challenges based on their previous experiences. Especially Mercy, with the ghosts in her head and her flashbacks.

This story takes some dark turns, but balanced them out with scenes full of action, adventure, and reflection. I loved the way the characters supported each other when things could easily have devolved into a Lord of the Flies situation. The messaging around toxic masculinity and the importance of trusting your instinct were huge themes of the story, but conveyed in a way appropriate for the intended young adult audience. This was a compelling read sure to hook lovers of reality game shows with impossible odds!

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/Viking Books for Young Readers for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

ARC provided by Penguin Young Readers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

We Won’t All Survive throws readers into a high-stakes competition where trust is scarce and survival is uncertain. The book opens with a bang and wastes no time pulling you into its tense, claustrophobic atmosphere. I couldn’t stop turning the pages—it kept me on edge from start to finish.

The mystery at the heart of the story was compelling, though it didn’t deliver a shocking twist. Instead, it maintained a steady stream of suspense that made me want to piece together every clue. The main character’s distrust of the other contestants made me feel uneasy in the best way—it amped up the psychological tension and made me second-guess everyone’s motives.

By the final 20%, it gave off serious YOU vibes—dark, obsessive, and a little unsettling, which I loved. And while it didn’t leave me gasping, it absolutely scratched that itch for something in the vein of Squid Game meets SAW, with a psychological edge rather than gore.

If you enjoy survival thrillers with moral gray areas and a creeping sense of dread, this one’s worth the read.

Enjoy the setup with there being a survivalist reality show element to the story; wish that had progressed a bit more than it did before things started going off the rails. There being a killer on the loose is fun too. There’s also an interesting idea with all the contestants having survived something traumatic; our lead character survived a mall shooting. Even enjoying the overall premise for the story, I was let down by the characters. I would have liked a bit more depth to the characters; I just didn’t really connect with any of the characters. Mercy being all my sister, my sister the whole time was on the annoying side of things. The character relationship dynamics also weren’t there. The story does have some entertaining things though. Enjoyed how the mystery evolved with a fun twist to the end. Enjoyed the remote, ghost town setting too. Overall, I appreciate the cool premise to this story, but the characters didn’t work for me.

This was a young adult thriller with a Survivor vibe. For me, it was ok, but not great. It didn't grab me the way this author's other books have. Each character had a unique backstory, but some turn of events didn't work for me. The characters spent too much time just running around without anything happening.

A side note: I received this from NetGalley and it wasn't available for kindle so I used NG Reader and that was awful. It didn't affect my rating, but will never choose another read that requires using that.

Sometimes I just want to read a YA thriller with a few good twists and a plot that I don’t have to question too much. We Won’t All Survive was exactly that; plenty of surprises all wrapped up in a PG-13 suspense story. A group of young adults who’ve each experienced an immense trauma are brought together to film a survivalist reality show, but almost immediately realize that things are not as they seem. When one of them dies shortly after arriving, their plans quickly shift from fun and games to escape and survival, but who is behind it all? 3.5 stars

So, I don’t think this author is for me. I read What Lies in the Woods and had the whole thing figured out. But, I was very intrigued by this story and while it started off pretty strong, the last half fell very flat. I just don’t think it’s for me.

We Wont’t All Survive was a fast paced, adventurous, survivalist, thrilling read that felt like being on a roller coaster.
Two years ago Molly Black was hailed a hero for saving lives during a mall shooting, but Molly doesn’t feel like a hero. When tv host Damien Dare recruits Molly to compete in a survivalist reality show she jumps at the opportunity. Molly and the other contestants arrive on set and something doesn’t feel right. There is no one else there and the gates suddenly lock them in. When one contestant mysteriously dies it looks like a tragic accident but after another contestant dies things begin to look even more suspicious and surviving becomes the main event.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a fast paced thriller. It captivates you from the beginning and takes you for a ride of trying to figure out what is going on and who is behind it!
Thank you Viking Books for Young Readers for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is my second KAM novel, and I think I'm still learning her writing style. It was a bit "softer" of a thriller in the sense that it was more predictable to me. I'm not mad that I read it and I think a lot of people will really enjoy it.

A huge fan of this author, I feel like the thrillers are always good and keep me on the edge of my seat and this one definitely did not disappoint.

I do love the plot twists. I do like the setting but I’m used to very dark books! If you like a young adult thriller this is for you. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read it. A survivalist reality gone deadly!!!!

this book started out strong and I really connected to the MC and her backstory, however it was also very predictable and the later half of the novel was not as compelling.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC to review!

4 Stars

We Won’t All Survive is a tense, fast-paced thriller that totally hooked me from the first chapter. Kate Alice Marshall really knows how to build suspense and keep you second-guessing every character’s motives. The setup—a group of teens trapped together with secrets, lies, and danger swirling around them—is classic YA thriller material, but Marshall gives it a sharp, emotional edge that kept me turning pages late into the night.

The characters feel real and flawed, which I liked. No one is totally innocent, and that makes the story hit harder when things start to unravel. There are some twists I saw coming, and a few that caught me off guard, but the emotional stakes stayed strong throughout. If you're into dark, character-driven mysteries with a survival element, this one’s for you.

It’s not perfect, but it’s intense, well-written, and totally unputdownable.

I thought this book had a clever premise. Several young people are invited to compete at a survival camp in a contest sponsored by a well-known survivalist. Yet when they arrive there, nothing is as they expected. Things only go from strange to bizarre as time goes on. As people start dying, it becomes clear that this "contest/challenge" is not legitimate and help isn't coming. They are stuck in the middle of nowhere and will have to rely on one another to try to make it out alive. The problem is that they aren't sure if they can trust each other or if someone in their midst could be responsible for some of the horrible things that have gone wrong.

I did think this was a well thought out and creative storyline. It wasn't one of my favorite books by this author. But it was still quite good.
Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy of this ebook.

This was a fun, young adult thriller. I enjoyed the setting and the characters. The story felt really unique and not like anything I'd read before, which was a welcome change from a lot of what I've read recently. There were a couple typos that will hopefully be worked out in editing. Thank you to the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

I read through this entire book in like 2 and a half hours and I enjoyed myself for every single second of it.

If you are the kinda thriller reader where you like to just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride this is definitely a good one for that. Was some of it a bit predictable and formulaic if you looked too hard? Yeah probably, but I liked the concept and the characters and honestly I was so immersed I wasn't even thinking about the concept of trying to figure out for myself what the twists could be.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ This was an okay YA Thriller. It moved along at a great pace (2 sitting read) with a decent story but also a very obvious ‘bay guy’ twist and overall felt a little too YA, which is fine but typically not my favorite. I’ve read the YA thrillers that knocked it out of the park with original stories and shocking twists, but this story isn’t the most original and the twists are fairly predictable. The characters and their personal journeys are what make this story.

This story reminded me a lot of a mash up of other thrillers I’ve read when a group of people are left stranded in a deserted town, being watched by cameras and having to complete tasks, originally set up to be a survival TV show but then people start dying. It’s a story that can be so fun. This one starts with a group of 8 late teens/early 20s who all have survived something pretty terrible in their life and get asked to be on a TV show for a chance to win $100K. There are a lot of characters to keep track of in the beginning but it gets relatively easier as the book has decent pacing and it is a locked room type setting. I enjoyed the character development in this book the most. It has a great found family aspect from unlikely allies. LGBTQ friendly storylines. Please be aware of the trigger warnings, school shooters/mass shooters, stalkers and of course lots of various murder and death.

For Fans of:
*Locked Room Setting
*Escape Room - Survivalist Stories
*Young Adult Thrillers
*Found Family
*Late Teen/Early 20s Main Characters

Please note, I was gifted an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and that had troubles of its own that delayed my reading time. It was not in Kindle format and I had to read on a computer or iPad, ultimately I am glad I found a way to make it work but it wasn’t a great experience.

This was my 51st book of 2025
Format: NetGalley, e-reader app

Thank you to NetGalley, author Kate Alice Marshall and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers for this digital advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

“Jamie loves the Greek myths. How the gods put the heroes among the stars to shine forever, and maybe it’s because that’s the only way they could endure it. The only way a mortal body can hold meaning like that. Because it’s so vast, and I am so small, and no one can bear the weight of the stars.”

I’ve read (and loved) a few of Marshall’s books, so when I saw this book on NetGalley, I requested it so fast! I’m happy to say that I absolutely loved this one as well 😍

A billionaire/survivalist, Damien Dare, invites a group of young contestants to come be apart of his new competition TV show in an old ghost town. Mercy Grey, having a couple years prior helped save people in a mall shooting, is dealing with mental and physical trauma. She accepts the recruitment offer so she can win the cash prize to help get her sister to college. She quickly learns that the other contestants have also been through traumatic events and no one is quite sure how much they can trust each other.

Arriving to the town that will serve as the set of the show, they notice there is no staff or crew anywhere. As they explore the town, the gates shut and they are trapped there. Forced to play the game (and try to stay alive) they’ll have to learn to try to trust each other or risk no one surviving.

If you enjoy a thriller book with characters overcoming traumatic pasts, survival game show setting, whodunnit murder mystery elements, unreliable characters, and a true twisty page turner, then I highly recommend giving We Won’t All Survive a try! 🖤

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. ✍🏻

I have loved Kate Alice Marshall from the first time I opened a book written by her. I have been trying to consume as many of them as I can. She knows how to write a page turner. The tension building was beautiful and I do love a good whodonit mystery. The entire premise around this book is truly intriguing. Taking someone who has already survived something horrible and then involving them on a survival show?! As if one trauma wasn't enough. I highly recommend reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do if you signed up for a reality survival show... and it turned into a fight for your life?

That's exactly what happens to Mercy Gray in this pulse pounding thriller packed with secrets, betrayals, and survival at its most brutal. Two years after surviving a mall shooting that made her a household name, Mercy is still trying to pick up the pieces, physically, emotionally, and financially. So when billionaire turned TV host Damien Dare offers her a chance to compete for a life-changing prize, how could she say no? But when Mercy and the other contestants arrive, the set is empty. The gates slam shut behind them. And then...one of the dies!!

Was it an accident? Or something far more sinister? Who's behind the deadly "game" and how far will they go? And more importantly, who will make it out alive?

I will read anything Kate Alice Marshall writes! Every book l've read of hers has been a five star triumph, the kind that lingers long after the last page. So when I saw she had a new release, I didn't hesitate. I hit request without even reading a single word of the synposis. That's the kind of trust she's earned.

While this one didn't quite strike the same emotional depth or intensity as her previous novels, perhaps because its young adult. With that being said, its still a sharp, suspenseful thrill ride with a gripping premise and a heroine worth rooting for.

Though I will stick to her adult books going forward, where her storytelling truly shines, I remain in awe of her ability to craft a story that pulls you in for a ride. Even when the tone shifts, Marshall writes with a voice that demands to be heard and I'll keep following wherever it leads. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was a bit worried when I started reading because it starts off a bit slow. But I think that once it picked up, everything happened quickly. I was hooked! A survivor of a mall shooting incident joins a survivalist show? Imagine what could go wrong!!! I recommend this to anyone that enjoyed squid game.