I was really attracted to the premise of this book - 5 children escaped when all of the residents of a subdivision were murdered, and now 5 years later they receive letters telling them that the murderer was not done.

The young adults meet back up to try and figure out who is the murderer and what is going on.

This was fast paced, and very twisty. However, I didn't really enjoy the book as much as I expected. I listened to the audiobook, and there was something about the narrator's voice that just put me off. It seemed almost sarcastic a lot of the time. The plot was filled with a lot of characters, and at times I found it hard to keep them straight. The ending also fell a little flat to me. The book just didn't quite live up to its promise.

Despite the rather theatrical ending, I still had fun reading this one. The whole explanation behind the events does require quite a bit of suspension of disbelief, but then again that's kind of what makes the story entertaining.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. The twists, yes, there are a couple, are so perfectly placed. I did not see this middle or ending happening and I love that I had absolutely no clue what was happening up until the very end. Perfectly written book and I would love to read more from this author.

The book description drew me in and the story started out strong. Ellie and Cassie are teenagers and have to listen to their parents be murdered. After it is over, they go outside to find that all of the parents of the neighborhood have been killed and just 5 kids are left. With no answers to this horrible massacre, life went on.

On the 5 year anniversary, each survivor receives a letter and they all begin to worry that they will meet the same fate. Sounded great and I was ready for some intrigue and suspense, but what followed was a lot of telling, no showing, no character development, and endless dialogue. It was actually boring and not much happens for this to be a thriller. The plot is thin, the big reveal is farfetched and the ending is just unnecessary.

This one just didn't work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars for enjoyment.

Kiersten Modglin is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. Her novels are so easy to read, They are perfect for escaping the world or getting out of a reading slump. They always put me in a good mood and I leave them feeling thankful for not being as much of a mess as some of her characters. haha.

The Lucky Ones audiobook is narrated by Linda Jones and she did a good job telling the story. Her pacing was on point and she made it easy to follow the characters. Ah, the poor characters known as 'Fallen Oaks Five', sole survivors of a neighborhood massacre. Now and dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy that derailed heir lives, things are about to be even worse when they all receive a letter telling them they aren't safe and the killer plans to finish what they started 5 years prior.

Modglin delivered on her fastpaced, twisty narrative. This was such a crazy ride, I am honestly lost for words. No, I actually have plenty to say but can't without spoiling it, so go ahead and read it, preferrably with a buddy.



Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to OrangeSky Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Lucky Ones.

Good storyline snd wee written characters. Lots of little surprises throughout. Kept me guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

Linda Jones did a fine job narrating this story. The book contains a full cast of characters and her voice fit each character she portrayed quite well. Her voice was distinct enough where I could differentiate between characters and that can be hard to do in an audiobook. Her reading style helped to bring the story to life, inserting personalities into each character that held throughout the entire book. The pacing was a little slow for me so I sped it up to 1.5 and that helped tremendously. I wish I could listen to books at twice the speed and comprehend everything like some of my friends, but usually 1.5 is as fast as I can go 😅

The story itself was captivating and I found myself looking forward to cleaning around the house or doing sudoku which are two times I really get a lot of listening in. I felt several emotions while listening to The Lucky Ones, including fear, confusion (in a good way!), and surprise. The author weaved the story very well and most of the twists caught me completely off guard, especially the one at the very end. The narrator’s work and the author’s work fit together well. The author grabbed my attention from the start and the narrator and author worked well together to keep my attention.

The flow of this audiobook was smooth and easy to understand as the narrator moved from one chapter to the next.

I recommend The Lucky Ones on audio if you love suspenseful books, twists, unique storylines, and, of course, if you love KMod. 🥰

Kiersten can crank out some storylines! This one had me hooked from the very beginning. An entire neighborhood slaughtered?!? 5 people escaped and now could be in danger???? I devoured this audio in one day. Overall, I enjoyed the storyline but I felt the last chapter wasn't really needed. Sometimes it's one twist too many. It left me sort of confused to be honest. Overall, another hit!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kiersten Modglin and the publisher for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Lucky Ones
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Five kids are the only survivors of a horrifying attack that decimated everyone else in their neighborhood - parents, siblings and friends. Now, five years later and nearing the anniversary of the attack, they each get a letter proclaiming the killer isn’t done. As they make their way back to their hometown, the Fallen Oaks Five wonder if they’ll finally find answers…or just their long-delayed fate.

I absolutely loved the pacing of this novel - quick and fast-paced, exactly how I like my thrillers. It really grabs you from the very beginning and it certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat. The premise - a group of kids who survived a purge-like slaughter of an entire neighborhood - is uniquely gruesome. I was hoping for more from the twists and turns… it all felt a little *too* far-fetched for me. All-in-all, I thought it was a solid thriller with a great premise. Looking forward to reading more from Modglin!

The Lucky Ones got my attention from the beginning. It's told from Ellie's point of view who is one of the survivors of the Fallen Oaks Five. Coming up on the fifth anniversary of their parents murders each survivor receives a letter and a daisy saying it's not over yet. Following twists and turns will the fallen oaks five figure it out before its too late?

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this digital arc. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, this didn't do it for me. It had a really interesting premise, and it was really exciting right from the first chapter, with a Purge-like scene with an entire subdivision being slaughtered, and only five children able to escape. 

However, it went downhill for me after that. I felt like there were a lot of plot holes, so the ending didn't make a whole lot of sense (especially the final twist), and the characters frequently acted in irrational ways. Perhaps their trauma makes them act irrationally, but it also seemed internally inconsistent. 

There was also a lot of time spent on existential questions such as what do they want out of life, and how to deal with survivor's guilt. I'm certain this was meant to make the characters more complex, but it ended up just dragging for me. 

I got an early copy of the audiobook, and I was also not thrilled with the narrator, who managed to make every character sound whiny. 

Thank you to @netgalley and @orangeskyaudio for an early copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

I guess I should start out by saying that at first I thought I wasn't going to like this book. It starts out pretty exciting but I thought maybe that portion could've drug out slightly longer. It was here that I asked myself If this book was for me. As the book goes on I kept having all these questions that I thought the author was just dropping as part of the plot. Well, I was wrong. The author knew what she was doing and she tied up almost all of my questions. In twists. Lots of twists. I liked the characters but I wish Grey had more dialog as well as the other female, I'm not remembering her name. They just kind of got lost in the background. Now, the overall plot was kind of far fetched but in a world full of bombings, and school shootings, maybe not. It was pretty heartbreaking regardless of the information that comes out. I was really pulling for the underdogs all the way around. That being said. I was so disappointed in Cole. I really thought they would end up together. I also wasn't sure (still not sure) how I feel about the ending. It wasn't bad I just kind of felt so sorry for Cassie.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts off incredibly strong. Sisters listening to men attack and kill their parents. Then while escaping they realize the whole neighborhood is being slaughtered. Only 5 kids were able to escape and flee into the woods.

Unfortunately, after that the book goes down hill. Years later the 5 survivors meet up after being threaten. Then follows talk about curses and the death of an innocent girl named daisy from poisoning being the reason for the neighborhood massacre. -insert eye roll-

The villain is obvious, the plot wasn’t great, and the ending left me with more questions than with a conclusion.

It was a quick read but not something I’d recommend if you a fan of thrillers normally.

The Lucky Ones is about a group of 5 children that were the only survivors of a mass killing in their town. Their parents were all killed but these 5 made it out alive. Now on the anniversary, the five have received letters letting them know that the killer is determined to kill the survivors.

I had a hard time getting into this story. It seemed different from Modglin's usual writing style. I am not sure if it was just the introduction of so many characters, but I struggled to latch on to the story. There was also a creepy, almost eerie feeling about it that I was not expecting.

What I liked about the book was the very complex characters. I liked that these five were sort of forced to get to know each other because they had this terrible thing in common. As always there were lots of twists and turns and I loved trying to guess the ending...which I was wrong about.

The narration for this was just ok. The narrator didn't include a lot of the emotion needed so I hurt the story a little.

Not my favorite by this offer but a solid read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kiersten Modglin for this Audio-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

Ellie has survived one of the most horrific things that could have happened. Her and her sister, Cassie, are part of the Fallen Oaks Five. A group of five children that survived a horrible mass massacre. Her entire subdivision including her parents have been killed. No suspects have ever been identified or arrested. Five years later she and Cassie receive a threatening note. This forces the 5 survivors together to try and figure out who is threatening them now.

I have come to expect Kiersten's crazy twists that I never see coming. This one did not disappoint. I certainly never expected this ending. Even if it was a little far fetched and could not play out in real life. It seemed to be a little rushed. It wasn't as thought out as I have come to expect. I loved the narrator of this audio book. The Lucky Ones hit in the middle of what I've loved from Kiersten Modglin. I'm glad I read it but will probably not read it again.

The author is quickly becoming one of my favorites, I read 2 books by her last year and have been looking forward to more! This one did not disappoint!! I listened to the audio version and was captivated from the very first few minutes all the way through to the end of the book, which was later the same day as I listened pretty much nonstop! There were twists and turns around every bend, I suspected part of the outcome but was still surprised by the way it all happened. I highly recommend this author, I always find her books to be great reads!

I don't think I have ever come across anything created by Kiersten Modglin, that I did not obsess over. Modglin, knows what she is doing when it comes to story telling and I truly believe it is a talent that you can not find anywhere else.

The Lucky Ones, is no exception.

I started this late last night (big mistake) I said I would only listen to a few chapters until my eyes got heavy (lies) . I stayed up all night listening, I couldn't help it! This audio is unbelievable!

I am not really that into audio's but when its a novel like this, I just could not help myself.

In true Modglin, fashion this audio is filled with twists and turns you will never see coming. I obsessed over the ending and had that OMG what did I just hear feeling, way after I concluded.

I loved this audio so much, I ordered myself a hard copy to read as well.

5 stars.

I was a bit torn by this book sonce I love Kiersten Modglin's stories a lot. But somehow I expected something different. Well anyway, once I got into the story I really wanted to know what happend to a group of young people who's parents got killed five years ago. This is a very serious plot and shows how a tragic incident like this influences people's lives.
Since I was permitted an audio version I particularly want to point out how much I enjoyed the narration!
Thanks a lot #NetGalley #OrangeSk ...more

This was a tough one for me. I tend to really enjoy books by this author but this one just seemed so far fetched and unbelievable that I couldn't get into it. The narrator tried but I found her voice, especially when speaking as the main character to be cringey and borderline annoying with its faux trembling. Maybe this would have been better as a physical copy...

🌼 A U D I O • A R C • R E V I E W 🌼
•
Title: The Lucky Ones
Author: Kiersten Modglin
Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•
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, 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?
•
“Everyone has a bit of darkness and a bit of light inside of them, it’s the part that you choose to act on that matters.”
•
I listened to this audio book and absolutely fell in love with the story immediately. In this story, KMod starts off with a bang, literally, and just has an entire town slaughtered, with only 5 children surviving. Needless to say I was hooked. Linda Jones did a phenomenal job at narrating this story, and has such a way to keep you engaged the entire time.
•
This story has it all, family drama, mystery, suspense, the past meeting the present. I always get so involved in a story when the mystery trying to be solved is super suspenseful.
•
As always the twists and turns in KMod’s books give me total whiplash, this was no different. As again, per usual, I did not see that ending coming. She manages in such a creative way to let you think you know whats going on, and then a second later has you completely shell shocked. This is definitely a book that you don’t want to miss.
•
Thank you to Netgalley for this Audio in exchange for my honest review.
•
The Lucky Ones is available now on Kindle Unlimited, the audio will be released on January 11, 2022
•
#audioarcreview #thankyounetgalley #kmod #kmoddoesitagain #thefallenoakfive #theluckyones #kierstenmodglin