My one pet peeve with Holly Jackson is that often times her British is showing when she writes about American teens. I'm not sure why it doesn't get caught by editors but there were a few instances where I was like...yeah no thats not how it's said here.

Not as good as Good Girls Guide to Murder but a captivating book none the less.

#FiveSurvive:

Thank you @delacorte and @prhaudio for the gifted copies [partner].

Y’all know in hot tub time machine when all these wild things happen to Crispin Glover’s character, and we keep waiting for the accident that took his arm? That’s how I felt the entire time reading Five Survive. First, I kept thinking only one would survive, but then I remembered what the title was called 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ Each close call had me thinking, “oh this is it” and it wasn’t 😂 Up until the very end, it felt like a Russian roulette of who would not survive.

This book was wild y’all. I didn’t know who to trust, why I was trusting, and if they were hiding more than revealed. (Spoiler: they were) This was a heart pounding thriller from start to finish. I’d LOVE to see this on the big screen because this was written perfectly for cinema.

Audio was wonderful!! Emma Galvin had me on pins and needles while listening. A perfect counterpart to Jackson’s writing, I could feel the anxiety in her reading.

Overall, another solid Holly Jackson YA read! The ending had me shocked and the letter in the end had my eyes bigger than saucers. Thank you again @delacorte and @prhaudio for the gifted copies! Five Survive is out 11/29.

This book was a massive disappointment. I hate to say it, I was really looking forward to it but, this isn’t it.

For one, al of the characters are annoying. I couldn’t get behind any of them. It was just irritating to read when a lot of them were on the page or talking.

Next, it was boring. It’s supposed to be a locked room mystery with six teens all with their own secrets but this book was so boring. And then at the end, the resolution is just rushed through and that was a massive annoyance as well.

Red is suffering from some sort of memory issue but we don’t ever find out why? And the way the book starts threw me. I had to read it several times to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. I hated being in her head. I wanted the book to be over.

Then there’s the fact that detail about the RV takes up a ridiculous amount of space in this book. It didn’t feel like it was making me claustrophobic while I think was the intention. It was just annoying. And I didn’t even care when the characters started dying because I didn’t care about them.

Everyone says her previous works are amazing and maybe I’ll read those. But this one? This was a weak read. It should have been shorter, some things feel like they’re there just to be filler. And even though the book is fast paced, it slows it down.

It takes place over a handful of hours and maybe this would have done better shorter.

I dunno guys. This was a miss for me.

I give it a two (2) out of five (5). Weak characters are always the biggest heartbreak when it comes to book and I really wanted to like this. But just couldn’t.

I revived the eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.

Five Survive is the latest thriller from Holly Jackson and she did not disappoint!

Our main character Red Kenny is heading to celebrate spring break with her friends in an RV. However, after getting lost and suffering from flat tires, the group becomes stuck in the middle of nowhere. Soon they will realize that this is part of a bigger plan and not all will make it out alive.

Overall, this was a solid, fast pace read. Jackson does a magnificent job of pacing and making me stay intrigued throughout the whole book. I devoured it in a whole day because I couldn’t wait to find out the ending. Speaking of- the ending was fantastic. Would definitely recommend to everyone I know.

Twists and turns, ups and downs. Overall very engaging and thrilling book. Definitely did not see the ending going that way!

Five friends hop on an RV to the Gulf Shores for spring break… but will five survive the night trip?


High school senior Red and her companions are pumped for their spring break trip. Having gotten an RV for free, everything is like it’s supposed to be. That is, until direction are lost, wrong turns are made and the RV suddenly gets a flat tire. Then, other tires are shot at and the friends are on an unknown road, with no cell signal. Just the company of a sniper wanting a secret that one of the five has hidden.

Holly Jackson’s latest young adult thriller, Five Survive, kept me on the edge of my seat throughout reading. The twists and turns, although some predictable, wanted me to punch some characters, root for others and fight for one to reveal their secret. The pressure was on, I’m sure, for Jackson to write something alluring after the high success of her Good Girls Guide to Murder series. Readers, fear not. This one is one you’ll want to put on your tbr and devour.

Five Survive is a tense and riveting thriller set in a 31-foot RV. I enjoyed Holly Jackson's previous series, The Good Girl's Guide to Murder series, so I was excited to read her new standalone novel.

The story follows six young people who are traveling to spring break in an RV together. Shortly before reaching their destination, they become stranded without cell service. They soon realize their vehicle has been sabotaged and are trapped and under attack.

It is a tense, closed room mystery, where the characters try to figure out why they're being targeted and how to escape. The characters are well drawn and the plot is action-packed. The ending was satisfying and surprising. I listened to the audiobook, which was perfectly narrated by Emma Galvin.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

For fans of And Then There Were Four by Nancy Werlin and the movie Wrong Turn...

Five Survive features six friends on a Spring Break road trip who get stuck in an RV on a deserted road with no cell service and a sniper trying to pick them off. Red and her friends aren't sure why this is happening to them, but the bright red dot of the sniper's rifle scope definitely means it's no joke, and when the sniper recites each of their names, they know they are definitely his intended targets. Not everyone will make it out alive, and not everyone is telling the truth -- someone's secret is going to get them killed.

Thoughts: I loved Holly Jackson's Good Girl's Guide to Murder, so I was excited to get my hands on her latest novel. Jackson knows how to build the suspense and this entire ride is tense, with readers confused as to who they can trust. None of the characters is truly likable, which just adds to the suspense. I didn't find this book to be as well-written or developed as Good Girl's, though. There is a lot of foreshadowing from the MC that makes it obvious she's hiding her own secret, and one character in particular is so annoying you can't help but wonder why everyone doesn't just stop listening to him and the orders he barks out. The ending had a few interesting twists, but Jackson dumps all of the plot resolution on readers in the last two-three chapters so I couldn't appreciate it as much as I had hoped. Not to mention that Jackson hints several times as to how the foreshadowing ties into the mystery, so any observant reader will guess the secret before the ending. However, this is a good book for YA suspense readers who don't try to read between the lines and I plan to add this to my HS library collection.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

I was very intrigued by the synopsis. It seemed like it this would be a fast paced read that would keep me on my toes. I was immediately drawn into the story due to the action and isolated location.

Then somewhere around a 1/3 of the way through I started to get bored. None of the characters were extremely likable. One of them drove me to the absolute brink with his choices and arrogance. I guessed the twist pretty early on. So, I also didn’t have the shock value of a reveal to fall back on.

I tried to remember that I’m not the target audience for this book. I think if my teenage daughter read it, she would really enjoy it. I think I’m just too much of a seasoned thriller reader to appreciate what this book was trying to do. I bumped up my rating a little knowing that someone else may love this book if they are part of the intended audience.

After absolutely devouring the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series — and rereading it often — I’ve been eagerly awaiting Holly Jackson’s next novel. While I love her writing, I did have some worries. I love the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series so much, how can her next book live up to my expectations? I’m very happy to say that my expectations were met and that I loved Five Survive.

This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions and I loved every second of it. My favorite thing about Jackson’s writing is that she makes you feel something. Whether that’s happiness, anger, sadness, grief, fear — her writing brings out your emotions. There were so many times throughout my read of Five Survive where I was completely on edge. At one point I was literally crying and shaking because I could feel the fear and anxiety that these characters were feeling. I just love books that make me feel what it is that the characters are going through. Unsurprisingly, I found myself staying up well past midnight (about three am to be exact) to finish this book, as I have done with every one of Jackson’s previous novels.

I highly recommend Five Survive to anyone who liked the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series, or likes mystery/thrillers in general

4.5 Stars!

Five Survive is the story of 6 friends who have rented an RV to drive to the beach for spring break. On the way, a wrong turn gets them stuck in the middle of nowhere with a sniper hiding in the woods. We learn that someone in the group has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for.

This book had so many great twists, I couldn't put it down. The story sucked me in and I felt like I was trapped in the RV with our main characters. It was very interesting to see how each person dealt with the situation. I found myself actively hopping for one character in particular to not make it (terrible I know but they sucked).

I am a huge fan of Holly Jackson's "A Good Girls Guide to Murder" series and I think I might have liked "Five Survive" even more!

A road trip to spring break descends into nightmare.

Six young people have borrowed an RV to drive south for spring break: Red, her best friend Maddy, their classmate SImon, his friend Arthur, Maddy’s older brother Oliver, and his girlfriend Reyna. Late at night, they lose their connection to GPS and find themselves lost in a remote area and soon develop a flat tire. And a second one. They have no idea where they are, have no way to call for help, and find out that they are not alone. Someone is out there…..and he is aiming his gun at them.

So begins a nightmare. The unknown gunman has them trapped, and says that one of them knows a secret that must be told. If the right person comes forward with the desired secret, the others will go free. If not, they won’t make it out alive. The six friends plot to escape and try to find a way to connect with the outside world, but the shooter is one step ahead of them each time. Panic sets in, nerves are beyond frayed, and it turns out they each have a secret to tell. But whose is the right secret? And will they tell it in time to save the others.

I have read and enjoyed Holly Jackson’s true-crime inspired “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” series. Five Survive is a more traditional whodunnit, but with a very contemporary spin. As the story unfolds, the reader learns more and more about each character and the dynamics between them all. Alliances form and shift under the strain of their situation, decisions are made and actions taken, and it may all end in tragedy. While this latest work is young adult fiction, I would recommend it to adult readers as well. An intricate plot, well-formed characters, and the many twists and turns make for a quick but engrossing read. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the advanced reader’s copy.

Thanks to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for an eARC version of this book in exchange for an honest review!

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Thoughts: This is a locked room mystery about 6 friends who go on an RV trip down to the gulf coast for spring break. All of a sudden they realize that they’ve fallen into a dangerous situation. 5 survive…. 1 does not. Who will it be?

This book at first was a bit slow, then it goes from 0-60 very fast. Which I personally don’t dislike. I thought it was engaging, fast paced, and had me at the edge of my seat. I finished this 400 page book in less than 3 hours, that shows you exactly how fast paced it is! I love Holly Jackson’s writing and the atmosphere that she creates with her writing. I truly felt terrified of what was going to happen next.

I’ll admit, the main mystery wasn’t much of a surprise but the details surrounding it sure were! I’m not a reader who needs plot twists and to be tricked, I actually enjoy guessing whodunnit. There definitely were twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. I’d definitely recommend this for lovers of YA mysteries specifically but any mystery lover could enjoy it. It was pretty thrilling so I think thriller lovers will like it as well. To be honest, anyone could enjoy it!

Go get yourself a copy when it’s released this Tuesday, November 29th 2022!

I am a huge fan of the Good Girl's Guide to Murder series, so I was very excited to read Jackson's next thriller! This is a tense locked-door (or RV) thriller and while the general setup was not super original, it was executed well! I started reading last night, stayed up way too late, and had to finish today--the story totally sucked me in and I had to know how it ended. The main character, Red, has a sad backstory and I found myself very invested in her well-being. The same cannot be said for one of the other characters, who I wanted to punch in the face. You'll know who that is almost immediately. I know my students (high school) will love this and I've already preordered a copy for my classroom library.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think Holly Jackson did a great job building dramatic tension, starting with the title. There are six main characters, so every time something happened I kept thinking THIS IS IT..and then another twist would come. The way the story unfolds does a great job of revealing the nuances of each character's personality and their relationships to each other.

This book is also a take on the unreliable narrator trope-we know Red has some secrets, but we have to wait until the end of the book to learn what they all are. I felt like the pacing of these reveals was managed well. It's almost a slow burn, but not so slow that you get frustrated or bored. It felt purposeful because you're consistently learning things throughout the book rather than getting a big dump at the end, and there are clues along the way.

I knocked this down a star because it was slightly predictable. By the end I had mostly figured out who did it, but there were still some pieces that I needed the author to fit together for me. I thought Jackson managed it well, though. There weren't any details that I felt were unnecessary, and there were some pieces that felt lik "Aha!" moments when they were fully explained.

Overall I felt this was a well-written, highly bingeable thriller/mystery. I would definitely recommend it for fans of Holly Jackson, or anyone who likes mysteries but doesn't want anything too gory.

This book started out a little slow but once it picked up I was fully hooked! I did feel like some parts got a little repetitive and there were a few unnecessary details. However this was a good thriller that did a great job of making you feel the suspense and dread that the characters were feeling.

There were several twists along the way and while I did find a couple of them to be fairly obvious there were still quite a few that surprised me.

I would recommend this one to fans of Holly Jackson or just fans of young adult thrillers in general.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Eight hours. Six friends. Five survive.

Red, her best friend, her best friend’s big brother, his girlfriend, a classmate, and his friend are all on a road trip in a borrowed RV. They are very nearly at their destination when they lose connection and take a wrong turn. And that’s when everything goes south.

Secrets. Snipers in the dark. Six supposed friends.

I have never doubted Holly Jackson’s ability to write me a murder mystery I won’t forget. And after A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I knew this would be a book to remember.

I can say with ease that this is going to keep readers on the edge of their seat for the whole duration of their read. I couldn’t put it down. The setting, a cramped 31-foot RV, six people whose flaws are bound to be highlighted by stress, and a sniper in the dark who wants a secret one of them has. The whole thing is set over eight hours, and yet it felt longer and much more stressful than just that.

We start off with Red, a character who was so well-written I honestly think she may be my favorite to date. She’s very forgetful and jumps from one topic to the next which could have made her a difficult read, but instead made her that much more interesting. Choosing to tell the story from Red’s perspective was the smart choice, as her observations of everyone and the little notes she makes in her head really make the mystery that much more intense.

The other five are equally well-written and interestingly developed characters who we get to see at their absolute worst. This made the book very intense, as everyone was pushed to their limits.

The ending…I won’t spoil anything, but it was definitely unexpected. I’m hoping there will be a sequel because there are some things I’d like to see more of. All in all, I really enjoyed this book. There were characters that got on my nerves, characters that’s I felt for and others I was utterly shocked to learn their secrets. I highly recommend this book if you enjoyed A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or any of the Truly Devious books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

When six friends start on a road trip, they're expecting fun, booze, and relaxation. They don't count on the tires of the RV being shot out, leaving them stranded and hunted by a sniper. What the sniper wants is simple: for one person to share the devastating secret they hold. The problem? Everyone aboard the RV is hiding something.

This was a fast-paced read that got intense fairly quickly. It's told from the PoV of Red, an 18 yr old girl who is still haunted by the murder of her mother 5 years before. I found this book to be gripping and engaging. I love Holly Jackson's Good Girls Guide series, but I actually liked this one as much. I like that she explores themes of privilege and power, exposing the differences between the haves and have-nots. It's an interesting dynamic. If you enjoy her other books, I think you'll love this one as well!

Red Kenney is on a spring break road trip with her five friends when their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. But when someone starts shooting at the RV, they realize this is no accident, and they are trapped by someone who wants them dead. But who is the target? And whose long-buried secrets are they after? With only eight hours left until dawn, they must find a way to escape, and only five will survive the night. This is a gripping locked-in mystery/thriller! It is incredibly fast-paced, with the entire plot taking place over eight hours, making it impossible for me to put it down. I loved that the book was told from Red's perspective, as she was the perfect unreliable narrator with a chaotic personality that matched the chaos of the situation. The other five characters in the RV were so well developed, with their own secrets and motivations being revealed through the stress of the situation. It is hard to write a 400-page thriller that takes place in a 31-foot RV over only eight hours with only six characters, but the twists and reveals were so intriguing that I was never bored of the setting, characters, or plot!

Thank you to Netgalley, Delacorte Press, and Holly Jackson for an arc in exchange for my honest review! I loved Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series, so I was so excited to pick up this book. It was incredible and the perfect read if you love locked-in mystery/thrillers!

wow. ok so this book was a wild rollercoaster ride of emotions. i absolutely loved the a good girl’s guide to murder series, so i was hoping five survive would live up to that (spoiler alert: IT DID).

holly jackson’s writing is so addictive and almost every chapter ended in a small cliffhanger, so it makes you want to keep reading. my heart was racing most of time while reading this and trying to figure out who was gonna make it out alive and who wasn’t and what was going to happen next. there were a couple of small things that i had guessed would happen correctly, but when the major plot twist/s hit, i was completely shocked. the fact that this whole story takes place in one spot (an RV) over the course of 8 hours made it seem like not a lot could happen, but oh boy was there a lot of entertaining drama and i loved every second of it.


*thank you sosososo much to netgalley, holly jackson, and random house children’s for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!