I love thrillers, so when I read the description of this one, I knew it would be a good one.
The Lucky Ones is the story of a group of teenagers who survive after their parents are killed. The 5 survivors go away and live simple lives, hoping that the dark past won't come after them.
But one day, they all receive a letter, and they understand that whoever killed their parents is back and is looking for them. From here the story gets fascinating, and they are trying to play the detective, fighting literally for their lives.

Reading Between the Wines book review #4/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Lucky Ones
Author: Kiersten Modglin
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Audio RELEASES on January 11, 2022!!!

Sipping thoughts: The lucky five, if you would call them that, are reaching the 5-year anniversary of making it out alive while the rest of their family was massacred. This Fallen Oaks Five have just realized that they are now the focus on someone who wants them dead. Now it is a race against time to figure out who killed their parents long ago and who is now after them. Only problem is, there are so many secrets and lies so who can they trust? This was not one of my favorite thrillers from KMod but it was interesting and such a fast read.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @OrangeSkyAudio for an advanced copy of @TheLuckyOnes.

#TheLuckyOnes #OrangeSkyAudio #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

This one has so many twists and turns in typical Kmod fashion. Only 5 survive a massacre in a subdivision after escaping to the forrest. Fast forward 5 years and they are threatened again.

I couldn’t totally connect with this book. Not sure if it’s because I’m in a bit of a book hangover. I definitely could not predict the twists at the end but also had a hard time believing them.

Thank you to @netgalley and @orangeskyaudio for the ARC. This one comes out tomorrow, January 11th!

A story about 5 children living through a tragedy and having to relive their worst fears. When they receive a letter stating that the killer is after them they have to join forces in order to find out what really happened to their parents. There is an almost love story with a twist and I was not prepared for how this was going to end. A good thriller with an unexpected twist.

Five years ago, everyone was murdered in a neighbourhood of a small town, except for five surviving children. Five years later on the anniversary of the murder, each survivor receives a letter from the killers who are back for more. Together, the Five return to their hometown to get to the bottom of this mystery.

This was such a captivating read from the start. Though pretty gruesome (tw - massacre), I was immediately transfixed by the rush and adrenaline of the opening scene. Flashing forward, we see the aftermath of the events and where the children are at in their lives as they received their letters. I honestly had no clue how things would play out or who was causing the terror -- definitely a book that kept me guessing till the end. Even when I got to the end, there was an extra part that came out of nowhere. I feel like the book could’ve been slightly longer, and what happened did feel a bit surreal, but I did enjoy seeing the Five come together again. Overall, this was an interesting, engaging, and quick read!

Thank you NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for my copy!

I've read quite a few KMod books in the past couple months and while this one wasn't my favorite one, it was definitely entertaining. There's been kind of a theme of "final girls" in the past year and this fits into that theme. The only survivors of a town's massacre are now in fear for their own lives. There were some hints placed early on that helped me figure out what was happening, but I was convinced everything I noticed was a red herring, so I went along with it. I am so impressed with KMod's writing since she writes SO MANY BOOKS. I will say that in this one I did get a little irritated with how often she says "truth be told" (at least ten times) but I guess if you publish eight books a year, some of the editing has to go pretty quickly.

Five years ago, the residents of the Gerbera subdivision in the small town of Fallen Oaks were brutally murdered in their beds. The only survivors, now called The Fallen Oaks Five, were children—practically strangers at the time, forever connected by the weight of all they witnessed.

Now grown, the anniversary of their families’ deaths approaches and the Fallen Oaks Five receive letters of warning: the killers are still out there and they aren’t finished with them.

This book reminded me a bit of "Those Meddling Kids", as the five survivors join forces and head to Fallen Oaks to find out what happened five years ago, who wants to kill them and, most importantly, why. Linda Jones does a great job with the narration.

So you know those thrillers, the ones that keep the reader on the edge of her seat? This is one of those thrillers!
Five years ago the residents of Gerbera were ambushed and murdered in the middle of the night, in their beds. The only survivors of the attack are the 5 children who were able to get away and run to the forest. They are now connected by not only their grief but also the horror of the attack they witnessed.
Now, they are all grown and living on their own except for the youngest and she is living with her sister. Around the anniversary all five receive threatening letters letting the survivors know that they are coming from them. So they meet up and go back to the town where it all happened.
While they go back they, of course, go to the police station with the letters and start doing a little digging on their parent's murders. What they find is jaw-dropping crazy! Legends, murder, revenge, and of course a good mystery make this shocking thriller soo addicting!
I would like to express my gratitude to Netgalley and OrangeSky Audio for the extraordinary opportunity to listen and review this one!

This is another great book from Kiersten Modglin.
I did not expect this story to go where it did, but knowing the twists from Kiersten's other books i really should of expected it.
I highly recommend this book and all the other books she had written. You can not go wrong no matter which you pick.
I also really enjoyed the audio of this book too. The narration was really good and kept me in the story.

I liked this book. The first half was full of suspense and a new storyline that kept me intrigued. I got confused the last half and that’s why I only gave it three stars. I do like this author though and hope to read more from her!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

3.5 Stars for this twisty thriller

Five "lucky" survivors, that was all that was remaining of the Gerbera subdivision of a small town of Fallen Oaks after (almost) all residents were ruthlessly slaughtered one unsuspecting morning. These survivors, all teenagers with the exception of one who was a child, have moved on with their lives to the best of their ability, however after 5 years of no suspects and no leads, they are constantly left looking over their shoulder. Until one day, a note arrives, bringing it all to the surface and reminding them that, until the mystery is solved, they will never be safe.

While listening to this on audiobook, I was immediately drawn in. This was a thriller with plenty of twists and turns, and a solution that was not easily predictable. I think part of the reason was that, although entertaining, a lot of the twists seemed farfetched. Ultimately with the answer of the story kind of falling flat for me, I was anticipating something more given the gravity of the murders.

Overall, I was entertained along the way and it was a quick listen for me as I kept wanting to find out more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kiersten Modglin, and OrangeSky Audio for an advanced listener copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an audio ARC of this book.

This book has me hooked from the beginning. I wasn't sure what to expect, but following the tale of Ellie and Cassie and the rest of the Fallen Oaks Five on the anniversary of their parents murders was a thriller full of many twists and turns. Some twists were a bit hard to follow (like a curse), but overall I can say I had no idea how the book would end and I was thoroughly surprised.

The writing style of this book was excellent. The narrator did read a bit old for the characters she was portraying, but that is my only issue with the book...other than the conclusion. The conclusion made me angry, because it seemed that the book builds up to one thing and then the conclusion takes it away.

I will definitely be reading more from this author.

The performance quickly hindered y enjoyment of the narrative and I gave up. I wanted to stay with the story but when I am listening to a book the performance is vital.

The audiobook was narrated beautifully and it was a quick one to get through but as a story there wasn't much to go on. The author is famous so I'd like to read her other books but this one was just okay.

EXCERPT: On the dingy brown welcome mat, lay a crisp, white envelope. There was no writing on the outside. As I picked it up, two white daisies fell out of the top, landing in my hand. They'd been crushed by the paper, their petals wilted. I had a sickening feeling filling my belly as I closed the door and flipped both deadbolts. Everything in me told me to throw the letter away, toss it aside without reading it and never think about it again. But I couldn't. The sick, paranoid part of my brain had to know. I turned it over, looking at the unsealed part. What secrets did this letter hold?

I stared at it, blinking endlessly as my mind twisted and turned with every dreadful scenario - human teeth, fingernails, a court summons, photographs of myself taken by a stalker, death threats. As I finally reached for the paper, willing myself to stop thinking and just read it, my hands shook. I pulled the paper out. No teeth fell to the floor. I turned the paper over in my hand, sliding my finger in between the fold to read it.

'SCREEEECH!' The kettle screamed from across the room, causing me to throw the paper, and my heart nearly leaping from my throat. I cursed loudly, hurrying towards the stove and grabbing a potholder to move it from the burner as I turned it off. I shook my head, running a hand over my forehead in exasperation. As I turned back around, looking for the paper I'd lost, my jaw dropped. It lay open on the floor, the words that will haunt me for the rest of my life lying open on full display.

Two little daisies, ready to pluck. We're coming for you daisies, don't count on your luck.

ABOUT 'THE LUCKY ONES': They were supposed to die.

Five years ago, the residents of the Gerbera subdivision in the small town of Fallen Oaks were brutally murdered in their beds. The only survivors, now called The Fallen Oaks Five, were children—practically strangers at the time, forever connected by the weight of all they witnessed.

Now grown, the anniversary of their families’ deaths approaches and the Fallen Oaks Five receive letters of warning: the killers are still out there and they aren’t finished with them.

In a race against time and murderers who remain both faceless and nameless, the Five must return to their old homes in order to piece together the events of a night they’d all rather forget. Their old town is riddled with secrets, and every person they come into contact with is a suspect. With everything at stake, can the Five solve the mystery and finally learn the truth about the night that cost them everything? Or will they find themselves victims of a fate they should’ve succumbed to years ago?

MY THOUGHTS: My virtual red pen was working overtime with this book. Clumsy is the word that springs to mind both in the plotting and the execution. There are a lot of things that don't make sense - and/or just don't work.

The five survivors of this senseless massacre which was never solved are scattered far and wide across the USA, but somehow manage to gather in a mere few hours.

A lot of the plot was farfetched, and the characterization wasn't good enough to enable me to push the believability issues into the background. This is particularly true when it comes to the motivation behind the killings.

Scenes that should have been suspenseful simply weren't.

There is one aspect of the plot which I thought showed great promise, but this also strayed into the realm of the highly unbelievable and eventually had me rolling my eyes.

I do think Linda Jones did a good job with the narration, and that earned an extra half star from me.

⭐⭐.3

#TheLuckyOnes #NetGalley

I: @kierstenmodglinauthor @orangeskyaudio

T: @kmodglinauthor

#audiobook #contemporaryfiction #crime #murdermystery #psychologicalthriller

THE AUTHOR: Kiersten now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and their two Boston Terriers: Cedric and Georgie. She is best known for her unpredictable psychological suspense. Kiersten's work is currently being translated into multiple languages and readers across the world refer to her as 'The Queen of Twists.' A Netflix addict, Shonda Rhimes superfan, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her nose in a book.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Orange Sky Audio via Netgalley for providing an audio ARC of The Lucky Ones, written by Kiersten Modglin and narrated by Linda Jones. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Twists and turns keep this going!
This story about the Fallen Oaks Five introduces you to the five lone survivors of a brutal attack in their neighborhood when they were children where they were the only ones to escape. Years latter on the anniversary of the attacks they are all brought back together when they each get a letter bringing them back to that awful day and threatening to end what was started so many years ago. In their path to find answers to who did this to their families that even the Police couldn't solve they start to question can they even trust each other let alone those that should have been there to protect them so long ago?

The Fallen Oaks Five, that’s what they called them. The 5 children who survived a massacre in their neighborhood. Just days before the 5 year Anniversary, all 5 survivors receive a disturbing letter, the killers are still out there and the 5 were not meant to survive. Ellie and her younger sister Cassie are part of the Five, gathering together with the other 3 survivors, they set out for Fallen Oaks, with the letters to hopefully find their parents killers.⁣
⁣
From the opening of line “They came for us in the night…”. I was pulled into this story with many twists and surprises. My first book by this author and I will be reading more.⁣
⁣
Thank you to OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

-Thank you Kiersten Modglin, NetGalley, & OrangeSky Audio for this Audio ARC!

This was my first Kiersten Modglin book and it definitely won’t be my last! I love how unique this plot was and Kiersten had me hooked by the first line: “They came for us in the night.". She is an amazing writer and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I had an idea of what the twist was going to be but I didn't have it all figured out like I thought and I loved that! I love when the author takes the twist in a totally different direction, and that is exactly what Kiersten did with that last chapter. Just when I thought the story was finished and all the loose ends were tied up, she threw in one last twist that just blew my mind!

As for the characters, my heart broke for Cassie and Ellie and the other survivors. I can't imagine losing my parents and family members the way they did. Each one of them didn't give up or let their past trauma rule their present. I have so much respect for their courage and perseverance.

Like I previously said, I had a suspicion of the person/twist but did not see that last twist coming at the end. So if you like twisty, suspenseful thrillers, I HIGHLY recommend!

Narrator 3 stars
Nice voice, did a great job with the story

Story 3 stars
This has a ripper of an opening. Caught my attention instantly.
The story overall was good and lots of elements. First time trying this author and would definitely try another book by her.

In the vein of Riley Sager's Final Girls, The Lucky Ones tells the tale of a group of survivors from the Fallen Oaks Massacre, aka the Fallen Oaks Five.

The Five to exactly what we expect, and head straight back to the place of their origin story, after each receiving threatening notes some years after the event. With seemingly no help from law enforcement, the Five try to figure out who and why they are being targeted now, however, some should look closer to home than others.