This was a wild ride. Six teens trapped in an RV with a sniper outside wanting to know someone's secret...

While the plot was extremely, ridiculously over the top, it absolutely kept me reading to see who had what secret, who the sniper outside was, and obviously which "Five Survive." I had a real love/hate relationship with 5/6 of the characters and just flat out hated one character from page one. I definitely think this was due to the way Jackson had to write all the characters to keep you suspicious of each one of them - I found myself rooting for them sometimes and then other times they had me hearing that meme voice "Oh No. It's Melanie. That's a shame, she was really nice." Like I said, wild ride. But that one character was just horrible 24/7 and had absolutely no positive at all and I wished I could punch him in the face more than once.

I would really really have loved one more piece to the epilogue documents at the end though... IYKYK.

I really enjoyed this book. I read it in one sitting! I did not want to put it down, I had to find out what happened. I would definitely recommend this book!

WOWOWOWOW. Holly Jackson has done it again. I was a huge fan of the “A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder” trilogy, This book was absolutely incredible. We follow 6 friends as they travel in an RV for spring break. Six friends together and indeed.. only five survive. They become stranded in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. There is someone out there, lurking, who wants them dead. They just find out how to survive and escape.

Okay first of all, the fact that I got to read this early is so exciting. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read “Five Survive.” This book was super fast paced and intense. I caught myself holding my breath for so much of this book, anxiously awaiting what would happen next. The banter between characters was just *chef’s kiss* and the twists and turns were simply captivating. All I can say is.. READ THIS BOOK!

This might be the road trip from hell. One RV, six friends, 8 hours and only five survive. Who wants them dead, who is the target and who is a liar?
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This is a solid YA mystery which Jackson is quickly becoming the queen of. This would make for a great movie to tv limited series.
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Thank you @randomhouse @prhaudio and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Holly Jackson grabs our eyeballs from the jump with this one. I was immediately there on that road trip with the whole crew and stayed there with them all night. I basically read this book in real time.
Red is an unreliable narrator who has secrets. Then again, so does everyone else in that RV at the time. Her best friend Maddy, their friends Simon and Arthur, and their chaperones on this doomed spring break trip, Maddy’s older brother, Oliver and his girlfriend, Reyna. Every. Last. One.
When they get lost on the way, they find themselves on the backroads with a flat tire in the middle of absolute nowhere. However, they soon find that the flat tire is no accident. Within moments of fixing it, all four of their tires are immediately shot out. Someone in the fields around them has a gun.
The group soon finds themselves stuck in the RV trying to come up with a plan on how to escape. Until they begin to hear a voice from a walkie talkie that tells them that they have until morning to reveal the identity of the person with a certain secret.
But who is it? As the night wears on, the group realizes that everyone in the RV seems to be hiding something.
Red has a feeling that this has to do with her plan. The plan she has to be able to get her dad help. A plan to help Red herself go to college, something that has been out of her reach since her mother, the Chief of Police, was executed in cold blood a couple years before. But there’s no way they could know, right? And she can’t reveal the plan. The plan is the only thing she has that can help her, the only way she can get revenge for her mom.
However, as things begin to unravel and logic takes a vacation, long hidden secrets begin to chip away at the group. Before long, they realize that fate has unknowingly woven its sticky web around the six friends, and one will not be able to get out of its clutches alive.

A lot of the characters in this book were sympathetic, with one major exception and I absolutely hated them with a passion. I ended up yelling at my Kindle a few times in utter exasperation that they were getting away with their irrational and harmful behavior. I love books like this, ones that bring out my passionate side. I absolutely adored it.

Thank you so much Random House, Delacourte Press, and Netgalley for the advanced copy of Five Survive by Holly Jackson in exchange for this fair and honest review.

Five Survive
2.5 ✨
First off just the biggest thank you for this ARC from @randomhouse and @Delacorte Press and Holly Jackson I love you and will always be so excited to read your work!!

It makes me so sad to say it, this was a huge miss for me…

Read if you like:
A closed door thriller
Unlikable characters
An unreliable narrator
Road Trips (you might not after reading this though! Lol)

What this was missing for me:
More backstory for the characters
Less redundancy
Maybe some flashbacks to breakup the monotony of being in the RV the entire setting
Oliver was so unrealistic to me, I like antagonist to have something likable about them. This wasn’t just a classic “douchebag” character, it literally didn’t make sense, and felt unbelievable imo.
WTF was up with the curtains?! Lol

I’ve been frankly putting off writing this because this was such a bummer since I was SO excited to read this one since GGG series is one of my favorites of all time! I’ll happily read the next one she writes but this was a flop for me…

Do you post reviews for books you didn’t love? I hate doing this but I love reading them so I’m super torn on it, tell me below!

Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series is my absolute favourite YA crime/ murder mystery series so I was extremely excited to dive into Five Survive! As a stand-alone, it was a lot quicker paced and more plot driven than AGGGTM, but the premise and unreliable narrator made it to be a gripping read that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I read a fair few thrillers but can honestly say the plot twist was a huge surprise!

The story follows 18 year old Red and her group of friends as they set off in an old RV for a spring break road trip. All of them have their own secrets and motivations for the trip, which becomes alarming clear when the van is mysterious targeted by a sniper. Alone in the middle of nowhere with no mobile service and only each other, they’re forced to try to work together to meet the snipers demands and find their way to freedom. The sniper wants just one thing if they want to walk away unscathed— a secret. He won’t say what it is or who has it, only that one of them holds a dangerous truth and the rest of them will die of the sniper doesn’t receive it by the end of the eight hour deadline.

I loved the tight framing of the novel. It all takes place over the course of a single night. Eight hours where plans are made, betrayals happen and suspicions are rife. I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety, growing more and more tense as each hour passed. I was lucky enough to have the time to read it in a single sitting, an experience I’d highly recommend!

As I mentioned at the start of the review, Red as an unreliable narrator was an intriguing element to the story. Still raw after the unexpected death of her mother and dealing with some serious money issues, she’s battling more than just a murderous sniper. Observant, distracted and selfless, I found Red’s head the perfect place to view the unfolding story from. Unreliable narrators work so well for thrillers and Holly Jackson did a great job with the trope.

Overall, I loved Five Survive and it was great to see Holly Jackson go off with a bang after moving on from Pip and Ravi’s adventures. Needless to say, I’m very much looking forward to anything else she might write!

Overall I liked the story, loved the ending, but struggled with the pacing. For a YA novel it had some pretty gruesome imagery.

For how high-stakes the synopsis was this book was a slow burn (like setting fire to damp cardboard). The first half of the book the dialogue dragged the story along and I struggled through one chapter at a time.

Then around the halfway point the "thrill" in this thriller started to pick up. I read the second half of this book in one sitting because it was edge-of-your-seat action packed. I enjoyed the ending and how everything fell into place.

This was my first read by Holly Jackson and I'm interested to see how 'A Good Girls Guide to Murder' compares.

This was decent...a little far-fetched for me. 6 teenagers set out on a Spring Break trip in a borrowed RV and get lost on their first overnight stop. They quickly find that someone is out to get them when they realize that their flat tire was no accident. Someone is trying to scare them and possibly kill one or more of them. The story focuses on trying to figure out who has is holding the secret that the killer/stalker wants to know and how the characters are going to survive in the process. While it is suspenseful, it just wasn't what I had hoped. I did not predict the ending though, which is a positive. I would recommend, but won't rave about it.

Holly Jackson might just be the queen of YA thriller/crime fiction.

Wow, I enjoyed this! Finished it in one sitting. This book is low on the ~teenage drama~ and there are HIGH stakes that keep you invested the whole time. It felt like a mix of a YA version of No Exit and One of Us is Lying while also simultaneously being singularly and totally it's own.

My only gripes: not sure how I feel about Arthur's ending, other than that I feel like it kind of ruins the potential for a sequel, which is a bit disappointing. I also feel like one half of the RV (Red/Arthur/Oliver) were better fleshed out than the other half (Maddy/Simon/Reyna).

High points: **SPOILERS** the scene where Oliver throws Red out of the RV had my heart POUNDING. Arthur, for the most part, was a delightful character. I loved the use of mixed media out the end as well.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Holly Jackson for the advance review copy in exchange for my free and honest review! 4.5 stars, rounded up.

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is my favorite newest obsession.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this early e-arc of Five Survive!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🌪️ love a good twist
🛻 enjoy roads trips
🤥 are a good liar
🔒 like locked door mysteries

• 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄

When Red and her friends decide to travel down to Louisiana from Pennsylvania via an RV for their senior Spring Break trip, they find themselves trapped on an abandoned road with a sniper unwilling to let them leave.

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Red is a senior on her way to enjoy Spring Break with her friends, Maddy, Simon, and Author, and their chaperones, Oliver, Maddy’s older brother, and his girlfriend, Reyna. But as the first night begins to wind down, they find themselves lost on a back road rather than at their first campsite. When a tire blows, the group gets out and replaces it. As they start to leave, all four tires are suddenly blown out. Confused and now terrified, the group eventually discovers they are being held hostage on this remote road in the middle of South Carolina with no cell reception and no one around for miles. Then the sniper tells them that someone is hiding a secret and must divulge it, or else everyone will die tonight.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was such a great thriller, and also my first Holly Jackson book! I loved Red’s character, but I have to say that I guessed her main twist really early on and was just waiting to see if I was correct. I did love the second and third twists though, as I didn’t see them! I also loved the feeling I got reading this story. I became invested in this group of friends (more like strangers!) and like I was there with the group, fighting against the evil lurking outside. I think this story would make an incredible movie.

This was entertaining! I read and enjoyed The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder so I was pretty excited to check out Holly Jackson’s newest offering. I was hooked by this story right away and wondered how things would work out. This book was filled with secrets and plenty of twists and turns. I am so glad that I decided to give this one a try.

Based on the book’s title, I had a good idea that one of the six on the trip in the RV was not going to make it home. I didn’t know who it was going to be but I sure knew who I hoped it would be pretty early on. I guess it is safe to say that one of these characters rubbed me the wrong way from the start. We see everything from Red’s point of view and I thought that she was a great character, although she had a few secrets of her own. I couldn’t wait to see how this group would handle everything being thrown at them. This book had plenty of action and a whole lot of secrets to keep things interesting.

Emma Galvin did an amazing job with the narration of this audiobook. She brought the story to life and quickly became the voice of Red for me. I thought that she did a great job of adding just the right amount of emotion into her reading. I found her voice to be pleasant and I had no problem listening to this book for hours at a time.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was an exciting story that kept me guessing until the very end. I hope to read more of Holly Jackson’s work very soon.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Delacorte Press and Listening Library.

It’s very hard not to say too much about the plot without having given away any spoilers.

With Red Kenny and her five friends in a broken down RV in the middle of nowhere the scene is set. Is the breakdown really an accident? Who has the secret?

The tension is so thick in the air as this story progresses. It literally had me on the edge of my seat. My inner detective was flipping back and forth to who it was, it had myself guessing for the large part.
I will admit I didn’t like most of the characters and one or two of them I was rooting to be killed off within the first 10 pages. But I did like the mix of personalities when it comes to the group and how each individual person reacts to danger, fight or flight mechanism. Interestingly how a group of people will come together and then separate like the swing of a pendulum.
It was a roll coaster, a very fast paced story with lots of dialogue which is needed in this thriller. Holly is always full of surprises when it comes to the reveal of ‘whodunit’ definitely looking forward to what she creates next.

When I had the chance to join the blog tour for Holly Jackson’s newest novel, Five Survive, I knew I had to take it. I own A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and loved it – I also own the second and third books in the trilogy, although I haven’t read them yet1. You’ve already seen my star-rating for this book, so let’s get into why I gave it 5 stars.

Characters
There are six main characters we’re going to focus on here – Red, Maddy, Oliver, Simon, Arthur, and Reyna.

Red
Red is the main focus as far as main characters go – at least in my opinion. She is the first character we meet in the book. She is an interesting character, although a very sad one in my opinion. I like her a lot – even if she might be hiding something.

Maddy
Red’s best friend in the entire world. She tries her best to keep people from upsetting Red and helps her out money-wise whenever she can. I like her as well, although not as much as Red. There is something about Maddy that always makes me wonder if she’s still friends with Red out of pity.

Oliver
Maddy’s older brother. He’s not a favorite of mine. He’s kind of a jerk. No, not kind of, he is a jerk. I get the distinct feeling that we aren’t supposed to like him – I know I certainly didn’t care much for him.

Reyna
Oliver’s girlfriend. You’ll find that Red isn’t the only person in the RV who is hiding something. But I’ll admit, regardless, I really liked Reyna. She has guts, I’ll give her that. You’ll have to read the book to see what I mean.

Simon
Simon is one of those characters that is there, but not there, if you know what I mean. He’s generally just obnoxious or in the way. He’s pretty much only there to be irritating and because he’s the one who provided the RV. At least that’s my point of view on him.

Arthur
Arthur is an interesting character. Another person who might be hiding something, although it is difficult to say. But he likes Red, which I think is pretty awesome. You’ll see what I mean when you read the book. I liked him.

Atmosphere
For a thriller, you can’t get much better of an atmosphere than a broken-down RV in the middle of nowhere. I mean, it’s the middle of the night, your vehicle is broken-down, you’re in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and even better – there is zero cell service. What more could you ask for? If this wasn’t a thriller, I’d say it’d make the perfect atmosphere for a horror novel.

Writing
Ok, since I’ve already mentioned that I love Holly Jackson, let me tell you why. Her writing style is easy to read and she knows how to make a book move. Sure, you’re going to get slow parts. That’s a given with any book – I’ve never read one without at least one. But even the slow parts are paced well and are easily blown through. Holly writes books that you don’t want to put down – that you can’t put down. You’ve got to know what’s going to happen next because the book is so well written, you can’t stop thinking about it.

Plot
I love the plot for this book. It’s amazing. Stranding a bunch of high school and college students in an RV in the middle of nowhere without cell service with a killer? And having one of those students be the reason they’re stuck out there? Even better! The best part is that none of them realize why they’re there and when they finally get told – none of them believe it could be them. It’s brilliant.

Intrigue
The intrigue for this book is seriously high. Besides wondering how six people are going to survive in a 31-foot RV2 without killing each other, you’ll be wondering how they’re going to get out of the fact that there’s a killer on the outside of the RV. You’ll wonder whether they’ll all survive or if only five – or less – of them will survive. It’s a pretty intense book for intrigue.

Logic
I have to say, with Red, logic isn’t her strong suit. But that’s because she’s designed that way. Everyone else makes up for what she lacks in logic. You’ll see some pretty ingenious ways to handle things. You’ll also see some pretty stupid ways to handle things. There’s a great mix of logical and illogical things going on in this book.

Ending
The ending was satisfying, but yet not… it seems to end in a way that could point to a second book if Holly Jackson wanted to add another book, but yet is also closed enough that if a second book isn’t in the plans, it wouldn’t really matter. I do wonder what the answer to the question was though…

This book was amazing and I highly recommend it to thriller fans. If you aren’t a fan of YA, you should still pick this one up because it’s absolutely incredible. I don’t think you’ll even notice you’re reading a YA novel. Trust me.

eARC review: Five Survive by Holly Jackson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Red Kenny is on a road trip for spring break with five friends: Her best friend – the older brother – his perfect girlfriend – a secret crush – a classmate – and a killer. When their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, they soon realize this is no accident. They have been trapped by someone out there in the dark, someone who clearly wants one of them dead. With eight hours until dawn, the six friends must escape, or figure out which of them is the target. But is there a liar among them? Buried secrets will be forced to light and tensions inside the RV will reach deadly levels. Not all of them will survive the night.

5 survived - but did I?! The amount of anxiety I felt reading this is off the charts. The story takes place over 8 hours (with chapters as time stamps) so it’s super fast paced and dialogue driven. I think those are 2 key components to a good thriller. Even though the timetable is short, I still feel like I got to know each of the characters on a deep level. I loved some, and I absolutely hated others. Red is the main character, and she is a bit unreliable. I have a soft spot for a chaotic narrator so I loved it. Every chapter had me fighting with myself trying to guess the mole, everyone seems guilty at one point or another.

Another great factor within this book is the author’s way of showcasing what can happen to your brain under extreme pressure and fear. How fast people can turn on each other and do anything possible to save themselves. The dark side of humanity.

I loved Good Girls Guide To Murder, but I loved this even more. Go pick it up!!

I didn’t dislike this book, but I found myself disliking all of the characters so much that I found it hard to read. I enjoyed the author’s other series, and this book has a similar tone. I just had a harder time with the characters here.

Six people, stranded in an RV, being hunted by a sniper. Everyone has a secret, but one of theirs might get someone killed. Whew! This book brought the suspense and tension. A twisty turny tale. Definitely a must read for fans of physiological suspense.

I was drawn into this story quickly and I enjoy all the characters with their distinct personalities, lives, and views. It was interesting to watch this mystery unfold and see what everyone is really hiding from each other. Some things are coming to light and I was excited to see who would survive the night. And even if they are still alive, will their lives ever be the same again?

Here are a few of my favorite quotes (without spoiling the book)

“Maybe Maddy had learned to read her mind in all that time [....] Red really hoped not. There were things in there no one else could ever see. No one. Not even Maddy. Especially not Maddy.”

This gives the reader a small insight into Red, how she feels she needs to protect her best friend. From what, we haven’t found out yet.

“...Maddy pulled me aside and told me to never ask about your mom,....or to mention moms in general in front of you. And if that’s what you want, then that's fine, but if you can’t talk to your best friend about her, I was wondering, maybe, whether you wanted someone else to talk to about her. And I could do that sometime. If you want.”

Red’s mom was murder & its a sore subject even five years later. Her life has been completely upended and it looks nothing like it did when her mom was alive. She always feels like an outsider & the differences are growing between her and her friends, but not newcomer Arthur. There is something different about him that makes her feel more open to exploring a relationship with.

“One of you knows something. A secret. You know who you are and you know what it is”.

The reason for all the mystery, the blown tires, and why they are trapped in an RV in the middle of nowhere. Who has a secret? Does everyone? And how bad could that secret be?

Five Survive is Holly Jackson's latest new-adult thriller that follows 6 teens as they take off towards their final spring break as high school students. Packed into a 31 foot RV, the 6 teens are made up of Red - our narrator, Maddy, Oliver, Simon, Anthony, and Reyna. Red is the outcast, her status as Maddy's best friend the only reason why the crew is in an RV and not flying to the coast. Maddy protects her, ensures no one asks about her mother, and tries to make sure she is always included. Except, this trip might be one where Red wishes she wasn't included. As darkness descends they find themselves lost and with a blown out tire. What begins as dread for a night stuck in the RV with no cell service soon begins full blown fear. Someone is out there and they know exactly who is inside the RV. One of them has a secret and one of them won't make it out alive.

I flip flopped on my rating for this book, I think it's a 4-star read for some, but ultimately it was a 3-star read for me. Red is a fantastic, brooding character, but her ties to the group are fraught and the improbability of them all being friends was too difficult to believe. This isn't how friends operate. Then you mix in their secrets? No, maybe one or two friends would have big secrets, but not all of them and not to the extremes. The mob/cartel storyline that ties to Red's mom is done well, but seems so far-fetched for the age group of the read and almost too adult in theming. It doesn't feel like part of the story, almost like the rest of the book was written, but a bad guy and a reasoning was needed. Jackson is a fantastic writer, but this needed to be either a new-adult book or an adult book, it's a little bit too much of both.

I love Holly Jackson's writing, the concept here was great, I read it so fast, but it was a miss for me.