Intriguing

Intriguing

I love Jane Harper’s Australia. It is so wild and beautiful.

I always like a Jane Harper novel because there is a trustworthy level of enjoyable intrigue, characters who are worth liking, subtle lies about what the story is really about, a build-up of mystery sometimes caused by not knowing what the story was from the beginning.

This one has an interesting prologue. Though I have the audio version of the book, I still went back to get a kindle sneak peek as I was having some trouble because of the number of characters and their familiarity with each other. I was much happier after I read the first couple of chapters through kindle. They helped me orient the characters.

I wouldn’t usually do that – get a kindle version. I know some people switch back and forth quite happily.

Thank you to NetGalley for the pre-release version.

3.5 Stars

Jane Harper is an immensely popular mystery writer, so I was excited to listen to an audiobook of The Survivors, a crime mystery set in a the fictional Australian coastal town of Evelyn Bay. The wild Tasmanian coastal setting is stunning and the book is very atmospheric.

There are two mysteries at the heart of this novel. Kieren has returned to town with his partner Mia and their baby to help his aging parents. He is not warmly welcomed by everyone as he was involved in a terrible tragedy many years before that claimed the life of his brother and two others. Kieren has felt enormous guilt over the boating accident and others blame him as well. Old tensions rise to the surface when another young woman named Bronte suddenly disappears.

The book is told in flashbacks as Kieran recalls the events of his youth. While I really enjoyed the Australian narrator of the audiobook, and felt he added authenticity to the story, I felt his lack of infection sometimes made the flashbacks a little confusing. It was difficult to keep the events in order. I would venture to say this might be better read than listened to only because there is a large cast of characters to keep track of.

The title of the book has dual meanings because it refers not only to a monument in the town honoring an old shipwreck, but also to the survivors of the youthful tragedy that has affected Kieren and other families in Evelyn Bay.

Many readers rave about Jane Harper and her books The Lost Man and The Dry. While I didn’t fully connect with The Survivors, I loved the beautiful Australian beach setting and the twisty ending. This is a slow burn mystery that takes it time to reach its conclusion, and will definitely please fans of the crime mystery genre.

The perfect word for this book is stormy. It beautifully portrayed wrestlings of past traumas and difficulty with present situations. I really wanted to enjoy the plot because the atmosphere of the story was so strong. Character development was complex with certain characters while surface-level with others. I did struggle with the pacing of the storyline. It seemed slow and labored. I often became confused and had to rewind and listen again. Overall, it was a rigorous and somewhat frustrating experience. I am still very thankful for Macmilllan Audio, and I am excited for other releases in the future. Thank you for giving me the chance to wrestle with this read and for allowing me to write an honest review.

From my Instagram literaryVagabond account

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literaryvagabond
Jane Harper’s The Survivors, available on Feb. 2, is my favorite book of the past couple months. Although set in an Australian beach town, the similarities with my adopted So Cal beach hometown are striking: there’s a cave with low-tide exploring fun, but dangerous at hightide, the local café to catch the gossip, a boating accident in a storm, and a couple drownings 12 years apart that blow in the breeze like rotten leaves. Mostly, there are sun-scorched, statuesque and athletic beach boys and girls forever changed by the accidents. Or were they accidents?

The low season cold of this fictional Tasmanian town, Evelyn Bay, greet Kieran Elliot, now 30, who is returning to the place he left 12 years ago, still suffering from guilt in his contribution to his older brother’s drowning when Kieran was 18. A day later, a young woman is found washed up on the shore and the double mysteries converge with multiple suspects: his demented father, the visiting bestselling author researching his next book, jealous girls and boys.
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Having taught similar ocean-swimming kids over the last 25 years, I can attest to their nuanced, humane personalities to go with their lust-for-life adventures, and Harper captures that in non-stereotyped efficiency. Her writing, while dialogue-driven, is masterful, especially in set-piece conversations at the Surf-and-Turf bar and grill or at the two bookended cave scenes, which are also psychologically subtle, authentic and suspenseful.
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Already a number one bestseller Down Under, The Survivors is your top winter beach read.
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Thanks to #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreads #flatironbooks #macmillanaudio
20h
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gregggil54
Have you read her others? They’re really good. Looking forward to the new one
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nicoleelyssa
Loved The Dry! I'll have to snag a copy of this

This is my first Jane Harper book, but not my last! Kieran, Mia, and their baby, Audrey, return to their hometown to help Kieran's mom and dad pack their belongings. Kieran's dad has dementia, coupled with the death of his older brother, Finn, years ago, makes trips home especially difficult for Kieran. He blames himself for his brother's death. Circumstances change though with the death of his friend, Oliva's, roommate, which is reminiscent of Olivia's sisters' death the summer Finn died. Facts start to unravel and everything is not as it seems. This book will keep you guessing right until the end. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was terrific! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The atmosphere of this book is reason alone to read it. But the characters, storyline, and twists are also equally enjoyable. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job of sucking me into the story. I felt like I was residence of Evelyn Bay and living the mystery of this small coastal town. The characters all have such rich and complex relationships and it truly was just a wonderful story.

Jane Harper's writing is really good and her characters are incredibly well developed-- the story just wasn't that interesting to me. Secrets, lies, silence, grief, guilt... so many lives held hostage by the past and not so distant past.

If you like the kind of book that is really slow moving and delves deep in to the grief and despair of individuals, as well as how it can divide families and a small community-- this book is for you.

I felt there were so many sad things happening that it was hard to enjoy. It was more like a walk through depression. I felt the pacing toward's the end as Kieran put together the pieces, was best.

This book just wasn't for me.

The audio version narrated by Stephen Shanahan, was really well executed.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't for me. I had a hard time getting in to the story and decided to stop listening about half way through.

I wish I loved this book more. The plot in Harper's novels always SEEM like a perfect fit for me but I tend to wish that they would move faster. While I enjoyed this one more than The Dry, I still came away feeling disappointed. I thought the audio narration was well-done, however, and that saved this book from being a 3-star read for me.

I absolutely loved The Dry but I have to admit I’ve struggled with the authors last couple of books. This story just could not hold my attention and numerous times I keep wondering who everyone was and if I even cared. At 40% I had to throw in the towel.

The Survivors are twofold. A landmark statue by Evelyn Bay overlooks the site of a long ago shipwreck. And the townspeople themselves are also survivors. A freak storm twelve years ago left three people dead and the landscape of the small town forever changed.

Finn Elliott and his friend Toby drowned during the storm in an attempt to rescue Finn’s younger brother Kieran. Gabby, a fourteen year old girl, went missing. Her body has never been found. Still consumed by grief and guilt, Kieran has returned to Evelyn Bay with his wife and baby daughter to help his parents move. The day after Kieran arrives, the body of a young woman is found on the beach. Could the missing girl somehow be related to this recent death?

Jane Harper masterfully weaves these two stories together. Kieran, twelve years earlier, is caught in a rapidly flooding cave. Years later, he wonders why anyone would murder Brontë, a talented artist who was only in Evelyn Bay for the summer. The past and present inevitably collide in an emotional, shocking conclusion.

This is a character driven mystery and the main character is Evelyn Bay itself, a fictional town in Tasmania. The weather, the tides, the tourists, even the native plants shape the characters and their actions. The Survivors is sad, haunting, atmospheric and totally mesmerizing. 5 stars.

I listened to the audio version of the Survivors. The narrator was excellent and captured the pace and emotion of the story. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Stephen Shanahan and Jane Harper.

While I love a good mystery, The Survivors just wasn’t for me. I enjoyed the narrator of the audio book. I found some parts of this book to be extremely slow.

The Survivors has the atmospheric feel you like in suspense book. The characters, the town, all of it. It had great potential. With that, I'm going to start by saying I liked all of those things. It shined in setting us up for a mystery/suspense that has been sitting in the town surrounding Kiernan, his friends and family. The setting and all the characters of the small town really intrigued me, as well as the mystery surrounding the deaths from years ago and how all those people are still there living in that small town of Evelyn Bay with secrets and questions still lurking behind their everyday lives. What I found pulling me away was the narrator. I know I'm in the minority here, but I listened to the audio book and I really, really wanted to like the book more. But the narrator pulled me out so many times. I just wasn't impressed with his performance and his depiction of each character. He seemed a bit monotone. With that said, this book is SLOW. I am fine with a mystery that slowly builds up, where we get to know the characters and the town they inhabit and their history all linking them to one another. But combining that with the lackluster performance of the narrator, the first 3/4 of the book lagged for me. The last 1/4 of the book was more fast paced and to my liking. It kept me on my toes and finally gave way to answers that I would've been happy receiving much earlier without so many minor details.
Overall, I think the story was written well, just a bit too slow-paced for my liking. The last 1/4 made up for the narrator's performance and the pacing. A solid 3.5 stars for the story/audiobook combination.

A body washes along the shores of Evelyn Bay, a small costal town in Australia. Seeing that the history repeated itself, will the harboured secrets come into light? The Survivors is my first read from Jane Harper and I can see why she is a best seller. The atmosphere, the cold air of a “ghost-town” was very well captured into the story and Stephen’s Australian accent narration was a bonus bit!

Its hard to review this novel without giving out spoilers or talking about the characters, but if you love small town mysteries, you’d definitely like this book. Despite the story being an incredibly slow burn for my taste, the characters and the mystery surrounding the event held my interest. I was #gifted both audiobook and an arc, so it was easy to keep up with the load of characters that the storyline required, which was a problem with many of the audio alc listeners.

3.5/5 rounding to 4

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan audio and Flatiron books for the physical/audio arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

Honestly, I had to rewind several times for this one. There’s a lot of characters and it made it hard for me. I had to actually write down their names. I think the story was great and it definitely kept me interest. I recommend reading it verses listening to it.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Kieran has not been home many times since a fatal storm changed his friends and family forever. Along with his girlfriend and baby, Kieran is heading to his coastal hometown to assist his mother in moving. When a body is found on the beach, past secrets begin to resurface. What actually happened that day twelve years ago when two people died and another disappeared?

This is my first Jane Harper novel. I loved her writing style especially with how atmospheric it is. I felt like I was in the town of Evelyn Bay. I could see the stormy night, and feel the dampness of the caves and the spray of the seawater on my skin. It was definitely a beautifully written and descriptive story. With that said, this book is a real slow burn. There is a lot of story with not much action. I didn't necessarily love any of the characters and there were a lot to keep track of. The ending was definitely a surprise though which makes a great mystery to me!

I read the audiobook, and while I normally love an Australian accent, I struggled a bit with the narrator. I just couldn't connect with it at first and found myself starting over at 27% in the book because I could not remember what had happened. I ended up getting used to the accent though and found that the narrator did fit the role of Kieran very well.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you don't mind a slow burn mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Survivors
By Jane Harper

Deliciously Deep Dark and Atmospheric

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Kieran Elliot returns home to Evelyn Bay, a small coastal town in Tasmania after a long absence, with his partner Mia and their infant daughter Audrey. Twelve years ago, Kieran narrowly survived a fierce storm that took the lives of his brother, Finn and his brother’s best friend, Toby. Fin and Toby had been on their way to rescue Kieran when the storm got them first. On the same night of the accident a young 14 year old girl, Gabby, also went missing never to be seen again.

Now another young woman, Bronte, an art student and photographer just in Evelyn Bay for the summer has turned up dead on the beach. Kieran can’t help but relive the memories and secrets of his own close call. The guilt of surviving and of being responsible for the death of his brother weighs heavy on Kieran. And there is another secret about that night that he hasn’t told anyone.


REVIEW
THE SURVIVORS is as deep, dark and atmospheric as the landscape that envelopes the island community. The entire town is angry and upset about the recent death of Bronte. Fingers are being pointed and gossip, secrets and resentments abound. You can feel the tension in the town, with every conversation. The story is a slow roll, that keeps you wanting to know more. Who possibly could have wanted to harm Bronte and why? Is it connected to the past? To Kieran? How?

Harper’s writing is descriptive and visual. Kieran’s character drives the narrative as he visits with his parents and old friends still on the island. Harper expertly weave the past and present and delivers a portrait on a man consumed by the grief and guilt from his past. But he is a survivor. The light spot in the novel was his strong relationship with his girlfriend Mia and daughter Audrey.

Harper is a international best-selling author of three additional novels: The Lost Man (2019), Force of Nature (2018) and The Dry (2016). She has won numerous Australian and UK book awards. She worked as a print journalist for 13 years and now lives in Melbourne.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher McMillian Audio
Published February 2, 2021
Narrated Stephen Shanahan
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

The Survivors was very good and I was drawn into the setting and the mystery from the beginning, but I didn't connect with the characters quite the way I wanted to. The book was interesting but it didn't have me at the edge of my seat reading it, that being said, I do not regret reading it because I enjoyed the overall plot of the story.

Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.

Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.

When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away... (Publishers Description)

Unfortunately, this book did not do it for me. I listened to the audio version and found the narrator to be dull and unengaging. I think I may have enjoyed it more if there was a female voice to go along with the male to break up the monotony. The story felt unnecessarily drawn out and, at times, repetitive. If I had read the physical book my opinion might be different. I would still recommend this book to fans of Jane Harper and I will still read the next thing she writes. Thank you NetGalley for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

I admit that it took me a little while to get into this story but once I did, I was hooked! I absolutely loved the dark tone and atmosphere in the book. I felt like I was actually in Tasmania standing on the beach or in the caves as this story was told.

I do not want to give away any details as I think it is best to go into a suspense book completely blind. I will say that if you like reading about adults who have “survived” their teenage years and later come together to find out what exactly happened “way back when” then I think you will truly enjoy this one. There were many spinning plates unraveling at once.

This is my second Jane Harper book and I have now added her to my auto buy list. And yes, I already purchased a physical copy of this book. 😊

A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen/read an early copy of this book!