Absolutely loved this one. It was so twisted and every time I thought I knew what might happen next I was completely shocked. Perfect pacing and kept me wanting more

This is another entertaining read from Holly Jackson that kept me guessing until the end. I had high hopes after enjoying the 'A Good Girls Guide to Murder' series, and this standalone didn't disappoint. The story of Red and her friends trapped in an RV while they're being stalked by a sniper was a page-turner until the end. My only critique is it seemed to drag a bit in the middle and could've been a bit shorter.

I was disappointed by this book. I enjoyed the first two books in the Good Girl's series, and I had hoped this book would be similar. Unfortunately, this book was more like the last book in the series. The characters in five survived were one-dimensional and didn't have enough development for me to care about them. Also, the story moved slowly, really slowly, this is supposed to be a thriller, but I found myself bored. Finally, the big surprise twist felt less like a twist and more like a random event that hadn't been foreshadowed or plotted. I'm sure there are fans of this book, but I am not one of them.

Five Survive
by Holly Jackson
Pub Date: 29 Nov 2022
Six friends head out on a Spring Break road trip in a massive RV. A wrong turn lands them in an isolated area that is off the GPS. As they are trying to get back on track, their tires suddenly go flat...all four of them one by one. That's when they realize, someone out there in the dark is shooting at them.
As the night wears on, the shooter tells them that one of them has a secret and if that one person gives himself/herself up before the next day, then the rest will be free to leave. But which one has the secret? Friends turn against each other when they realize they all have secrets...so which secret is the shooter looking for and can they figure it out before sunrise? #netgalley #Fivesurvive #HollyJackson

I loved the first two books in Holly Jackson's "A Good Gir's Guide to Murder" series, did not love the third book, but was still excited to read this one. Unfortunately, "Five Survive" is a disappointment. I couldn't even finish reading it, because it was so boring, and the characters had no personality. I gave up at 51%.

Six teens are on their way to spring break when things start to happen with their RV. With flat tires and no gas, and no cell reception, they're dead in the water and won't be going anywhere anytime soon. But they aren't alone. We watch the story unfold as things go fantastically awry.

What I liked:
It's super dramatic, and I love how fast things turn. The characters, except for Simon, are super fleshed out. Poor Red has lost her mother. Her father has checked out, they have no money, and she has low self-esteem. You can't help but empathize with her. Oliver is a straight out jerk who winds people up, leaving everyone pretty helpless in his wake. Jackson wrote him well enough that I wanted to reach into the book and wring his neck. I love when a book evokes those kinds of feelings. Also, I wasn't sure of the motive behind everything and enjoyed not knowing.

What didn't really work for me:
Why wasn't the relationship between Maddy and Red explained sooner? I had no idea how they were related for too many chapters, which was confusing. I don't know why the explanation was put off. Also, what is going on with Red? Even though it's not spelled out, it's clear she has PTSD. But what was up with her always missing time? She could barely hold conversations because she constantly checked out of them, but PTSD doesn't explain that, nor does Jackson. Also, I think I read roughly 40 times that the RV was 31 feet long, another thing that isn't explained by the PTSD that I'm just presuming she had based on personal experience. So ultimately, what was up with Red?

But back to what I liked:
So I didn't love every aspect of the book, and that's okay because here I am, giving the book 4 stars. Because I am a poly reader and had 3 books going when I started this, I promptly abandoned the other two because Jackson writes this in such a meandering way that I didn't know why we were in this situation, but I desperately needed to find out. I enjoyed how the story is broken up by each hour, and a lot goes on in each hour. The book is stressful in a very fun way. Overall, this was a super fun read, and I am grateful I got to read an early copy of it.

I don't know if I loved this much as I loved A Good Girls Guide to Murder. The twist at the end could have been more believable.

That being said, Holly Jackson did do some very cool things in the story with how she depicted Oliver and Red. Red and how she's always hyper-focused on not taking up too much space, and Oliver just because it's so interesting to see such a vile person in action. He's an abusive asshole, and he'll probably go so far in life because everyone is ready to let it go. After all, human decency doesn't match up against practicality. As a whole, Holly Jackson writes characters that feel so real that you can imagine things happening in front of your eyes.

This book was very interesting. The first half did drag just a little, but the second half was really action packed and engrossing. All the characters were very interesting and felt pretty well developed l especially considering the entire book takes place over the course of a few hours. There were a few interesting twists that I didn’t totally see coming, and even with it dragging a little in the beginning, I was super interested to find out what was going on. I enjoyed the ending in general , although I wish it hadn’t ended without hearing from Red again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

I'm going to preface this review by saying that I'm a HUGE Holly Jackson fan! I was obsessed with the Good Girl's Guide to Murder series. The second book of that series - Good Girl, Bad Blood - is one of my favorite reads to-date.

Moving on the Five Survive, this book was incredible. While its premise is different from Jackson's other books, the addicting nature and my lack of ability to put this book down at literally any point were the same.

There are twists, there is drama, and there is emotional depth here that you have to read this book to understand. If you're a thriller fan, this book is a must-read!

This was a fast paced, well written thriller that kept me reading straight through in one setting. The characters were engaging, if a little bit stereotypical. Fans of Holly Jackson's "A Good Girl's' Guide to Murder" series may be put off by this intense psychological thriller with less likeable characters, but as a thriller reader I put this up there with the best.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an advanced reader copy.

Disappointed in this. I loved A Good Girls Guide to Murder but this just fell really flat for me. I felt like the story dragged if was predictable and there was nothing really interesting of new in it. It took me forever to get through.

Five Survive by Holly Jackson

My rating:
3/5

This book was an instant request for me when I saw that Holly Jackson came out with another book. I absolutely loved A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder so when I saw this I was so excited. Sadly it just wasn’t for me 😔 To be fair, I really should have read the premise before requesting.

6 friends are on a trip to Spring Break in an RV. When they hit a dead zone and all GPS activity fails, they take a wrong turn and get a flat tire. From there, they notice that they are getting shot at by a sniper who wants answers. One of them has a secret. Who is it?

This Young Adult book had a lot of potential for me but it was just a little too far fetched for me. Also, a lot of the characters were unlikeable, especially one. It was just kinda all over the place for me.

It was definitely filled with suspense and I was curious how it would end so I kept going with it, but overall it just gave me anxiety and I was bored 🥸 I’m giving this a 3 star rounded up. It was truly a 2.5 for me.

If you read it, I would love to know your thoughts. I think that overall anything with action / gun violence just gets a no from me, so I’m a bit biased.

Thank you @netgalley and Random House for the ARC! You can read this one now as it was published on November 29th!

I devoured the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series this year, so I was excited to read Holly Jackson's newest novel!

In Five Survive, Jackson sets herself an interesting challenge — with mixed success. 99% of the book takes place inside a 31 feet long RV, over the course of one night, & with only 6 characters having real screen time.

Within these confines, Jackson compels you to keep turning the pages as the tension rises inside the RV & relationships start to deteriorate. The lack of cell service means the 6 young adults are truly on their own, but they are proactive & resourceful as they come up with plan after plan to survive the night, rather than waiting for help to come — it feels almost like an escape room, but with real stakes.

However, the fact that it takes place over one night means that there isn’t a lot of room for character growth. Red, the narrator, is naturally the most developed, & the pattern of her thoughts suggests that she has anxiety, memory issues, & maybe some form of OCD. Her inner voice does feel a bit juvenile at times, though, mainly due to her insecurity & the fact that she is slow to realize things that seem obvious to the reader.

Of the other characters, only two have much development, & they still feel rather one-dimensional — but Jackson very effectively makes you hate [redacted for spoilers]. The slow reveal of their true nature is the most riveting aspect of the novel, & the source of most of the suspense.

Some of the more unrealistic or illogical aspects did strain my suspension of disbelief, & the denouement is kind of rushed & infodumpy. There was also an incident with the police that felt like it should have been given more weight, in light of the rising social consciousness around police brutality.

Ultimately, Five Survive was an average read — I didn't love it & I didn't hate it, but it definitely fell short of my expectations after AGGGTM.

**Actual rating is 4.5 stars**

Five Survive is a multi-layered and razor-sharp standalone YA thriller full of suspense, terrible secrets and intense paranoia. Like, the twists and turns of the story had me hooked from the start. I could never guess what was going to happen next, and I read the whole book in one sitting. It was just impossible to stop reading it until I knew how it ended.

The atmosphere is spot on, as the RV setting provides a forced proximity setting to an already tense situation. The countdown aspect of the story also helped make me feel the tension seeping out of the pages.

Red is a great protagonist. She’s a well written character, who has both negative and positive aspects of her personality which will make it easy to connect with her. But it was not just Red that was a sympathetic character, most of the cast had me come to care about them. Except for one character, because that character truly embodied the word d*ckhead. But the still served a purpose so I can’t be mad that they’re in the story. But yeah, overall - a great cast of characters that all added an aspect and layer to the story.

Not to mention the way everything tied together at the end was really satisfying! All the little bits and bobs, just seemed to wrap up so nicely. It was like you finally saw the whole finished puzzle after putting together puzzle piece after puzzle piece without having any idea what it should look like. It’s exactly the kind of thriller book that I love.

I absolutely adored the AGGGTM series, so when I saw Holly had a new book coming out and it was a closed door / locked-in scenario, I requested immediately! With that said, this one felt a bit too long and a bit boring in the middle. This book all takes place in the span of 8 hours, so knowing that, does all to the thrill level of it. By the time the surprise twist ending hit, I was almost too over the length of the book to be shocked or to care as much as I could’ve. I didn’t feel any specific connection to any of the characters so didn’t really care what would happen or what was going to happen to any of them. Overall, I did like the book for what it was and will read anything that Holly writes, but it did not live up to the hype I had built up for it in my head.

Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC.

{2.5 stars rounded down} I was hesitant about the premise - long-distance shooter thrillers are boring to me. But I thought if anyone could make it interesting, it would be Holly Jackson. I loved the “Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” books (book 3 not as much).

If the book’s pacing hadn’t moved the story along quickly, I probably would have DNF’d this one. It seems like it could’ve just been a short story? Also, by the end there was one character that I was actually rooting for to be shot. They were so obnoxious that I wanted to finish the book so I didn’t have to read about them anymore.

Bonus points for very good PTSD rep though.

I’m a big fan of YA suspense and this book didn’t disappoint. It was fast paced and full of action. I couldn’t put it down because wanted to know what was doing to happen and honestly, I had no idea who was behind everything and the why…when revealed I definitely was surprised. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I definitely recommend.

Thank to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

What a ride! For a novel that's set in an RV, spanning eight hours through the middle of one night, these three words seem fitting! Looking back at my review for A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series, it also seems that I only have these words to begin my every review for Holly Jackson's works, HA!

Oh boy, Jackson knows no chill! I practically inhaled this book in a day and a half. This was one fast-paced thriller that made me hold my breath, literally.

I would've rated this one four-stars, but the ending made up for it. I didn't expect it to be emotional that I shed a few tears. How I wish this could've been adapted into a movie or a series.

Thank you to Delacorte Press, NetGalley and the author for providing me my early copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Five Survive by Holly Jackson is a tense and fast-paced thriller that takes plan in a short period of time. The story is told through Redford Kenny's POV and she is an unpredictable character. Despite the promising theme, I felt this story lacked the uniqueness that you find in Holly's debut series. This is a very plot-heavy story that doesn't give you the chance to get to know the characters. The secrets were given a lot of build-up but ended up being very predictable. The characters fell flat and most of them didn't have a strong presence. The ending felt very rushed and left me unsatisfied. I would not recommend readers pick this up if they are new to this author's works.

What a road trip gone wrong!🫣

I liked how the overall book is told through time stamps.
While I guessed some twists there were still 𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗧 that I didn’t see coming. The ending to me was definitely unexpected & will leave you shocked! 😱
I highly enjoyed being in the head of Red which gave off unreliable narrator vibes.
I don’t recommend reading this heart pounding, chilling, suspenseful book at night. It will leave you 𝗔𝗕𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗬 spooked!
Otherwise I do recommend it to those who have read her other books, 𝘈 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭’𝘴 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 series. It’s much different than those but if you’re a Holly Jackson fan then I do think you’ll love this book!🤌🏼