Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Six teenagers are in an RV headed for spring break. A few wrong turns and some unforeseen circumstances lead to them being trapped in the middle of nowhere. It doesn’t take them long to realize that someone wants them dead and as the title suggests, they are not all making it out alive.

I had a hard time keeping up with the characters at first. There wasn’t much of an introduction to each character and it was confusing. As I continued to read, the story got better and I was able to figure out the different character connections. It was a fast paced thriller with high tension that at times made me feel anxious. Holly Jackson does a good job moving the plot along and having everything come together at the end. Although a little graphic, I think middle schoolers will enjoy it.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5104887428

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Holly after how much I LOVED the GGGTM series, but I am happy to report that this was such an amazing follow-up.

It was a little slower at parts than Pip’s story, but it definitely still had my heart racing. All in all, absolutely loved this, and Jackson is an auto-buy author for me.

Wow! That was an experience of reading. I like Holly’s writing style. I really can’t believe that ending. It was so good.

Date reviewed: November 24, 2022
Publication date: November 29, 2022


One of the best books I’ve read this year! What a crazy ride! This is an intense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole entire time. You keep guessing and trying to solve the mystery but when you think you know the answer another twist happens. There’s not much character development and you learn just little pieces of everyone’s life so most characters are not very likeable. So don’t approach this book hoping to like or relate to any of the characters. But if you like a fast paced, intense thriller I highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Children’s and the author for free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was the most wild ride. Holly Jackson knows how to write a thriller! I really loved Red’s background. It was written so well. Even if you haven’t had that trauma happen to you, the pain felt so real. So raw. Absolutely fantastic characters, a nonstop plot, and so much more.

thank you so much underlined for the arc!

4/5 stars

this book will keep you on the edge of your seat! Never in my life have I had so much anxiety reading, a murder mystery! The entire book takes place in a night, and the chapters are highlighted by timestamps, which is such a fun way to read this book. When I tell you, I never would’ve guessed the huge plot twist, I’m usually someone who has pretty good intuition and can smell a rat where it is. But this book genuinely had me shocked, I never expected all the twist and turns I never expected, the end to happen the way it did. I will say I did guess who the mole was from the jump, but that is all, and the story is so deep. Being inside Reds’ head felt like I was inside an unreliable, narrators head, I never knew if what we were reading in her POV was what was actually happening. She’s a very chaotic person and her mind catches onto things that seem unnecessary but in the end really add up. And I think that was a really fun experience. Honestly, this book deserves all its flowers.

I was a huge fan of the first two books in Holly Jackson's, A Good Girls Guide to Murder, series. I was eagerly anticipating Five Survive and it did not disappoint. The first chapter felt very discombobulated and I was worried that this book wasn't going to be for me but once you get past that and get used to the writing and Red's quirks and understand who all the players are, things come together nicely. I appreciate Five Survive being YA because the book was shorter and the pacing was steady and kept me on the edge of my seat. My only real issue is that some things were repeated which seemed unnecessary. I think fans of No Exit by Taylor Adams will enjoy this book as the vibes were the same.

Four high school friends, an older brother and his girlfriend set off in an RV for Spring Break. They intend to drive from Philly to Gulf Shores but break down somewhere in South Carolina. After fixing a flat, they try to find their way back to civilization when all four tires go flat. It is then that they understand someone is after them. One of them holds a secret that if revealed can keep the rest safe.
Opinion
There were a few things I did not like about this book. However, the book read so well that I could not justify ranking it below five stars. (I did not like one character at all and Red's memory problems did not sit well with me.)
What I did like far outweighed what I did not. Jackson knows how to keep the reader on the edge of the seat. I went back and forth trying to figure out what the secret was and who held it. It was not until the end that the one who was killed is revealed. I will tell you that you will not be able to guess the outcome until much later in the book. If you can, you are a far better guesser than me.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense, whether you are an adult or a child.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Random House Childrens for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thanks netgalley
Five survive by holly Jackson is a new book separate from her other books.

This is an intense fast paced thriller . I was on edge . I felt like no body was safe .

I like her characters I like her writing style . I like the plot of the book

OH MY GOSH!!!!! WHAT THE HECK DID I JUST READ?! Five Survive written by Holly Jackson is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. I have never read a book written by Holly Jackson before this one, but oh my goodness, I'm so happy I chose this book to be my first by this author because it was just phenomenal. Is it a good idea to read a crazy thriller before going to sleep? Probably not. Did I still read this book before going to sleep? Yes, damn right I did. At the beginning of this book, it started off a bit slow, but as I kept reading it just got better and better. I was instantly hooked and couldn't put this book down. Please do yourself a favor and read this book asap. Please check TW'S before reading this book: dark thoughts, blood, gun violence, shooting etc. Despite never having read Holly Jackson before, when I saw the cover and read the blurb, I knew I had to grab this book quickly. Five Survive left me holding my breath, it felt like I was on one of those crazy roller coaster rides, it left me gasping for air, it left me on the edge of my seat the entire time, the twists and turns just kept coming at me from all different directions.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN'S, DELACORTE PRESS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!

Five Survive takes place in the span of eight hours, six friends, and one sniper or so they think.... Eighteen year old Red and her group of friends Maddy, Oliver, Reyna, Arthur, and Simon are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for spring break. Due to Red having no money for a plane ticket for this group of friends to fly, they decide to take an RV from Simon's uncle. Growing up, Maddy was always there for Red, they are like two peas in a pod, Maddy is like a savior to Red. February 6th, 2017 was the day that changed Red's life forever. Red's mom was the captain for the police department in the town they lived in, Red and her mom were having an argument while her mom was on a call, Red told her mom she hated her, but those words were the last thing Red ever said to her mom, the next thing that happens, Red's mom is shot in the back of the head two times. Red lives with guilt everyday for having those words "I hate you" being the last words she ever said to her mom. Ever since losing her mom, Red's dad took it really hard, he started taking up an alcohol addiction. There was no food in the house, bills started not being paid.

It's a long drive, but spirits are high in the RV. That is, until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Red and Arthur get blamed for giving Reyna the wrong directions and ending up where they are. There's no mobile reception and nobody around to help this group of friends. Due to no cell service, there's no way to use their GPS, so Red and Arthur give the directions for where to go, and that's how they end up in the woods. As the wheels of the RV are shot out one by one, and emotions running high, Maddy, Red, Oliver, Reyna, Simon, and Arthur realize that this is no accident, there's a sniper out there in the dark watching them and the sniper knows exactly who they are. Someone in this group of friends has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill them for. A game of cat and mouse plays out as the group of friends desperately try to get help and work out which person in the group is the target. Buried secrets are forced to come out in this claustrophobic RV and tensions in the group will reach deadly force, not everyone in this group will survive the night.

As you think you know the answers already, you are probably wrong. Twists and turns will just keep coming at you. My emotions were all over the place while reading this book, I thought I had all the answers, but boy was I wrong. I didn't know who to side with, I didn't know who to believe as stories were being shared of who the target could be. My heart broke for Red as she was sharing the story of how she lost her mom and the last words that were ever shared between them. The descriptions were so tough to read at times, so just be aware. Holly Jackson certainly knows how to keep her readers second guessing. Holly gave each of the characters their own unique personalities and secrets. As I finished reading this book, I still don't know what to think, other than that I absolutely loved every minute of it. I'm sure many of us has used or heard the "f" word before, but if you don't feel comfortable with the word, just skip over it because it's used numerous times in this book. I didn't want this book to end anytime soon, but I wanted to know which member in the group had the secret the sniper was willing to kill them for.

Five Survive was a really fast paced thriller. It is told from the point of view of Red, an 18-year old girl who is traveling with a group of richer friends on a spring break trip. As they are trying to navigate to their campground, loss of cell phone signal leads to the teens getting lost. Their RV breaks down, and that’s when thing start getting seriously bad. I really loved this book. It was fast paced, and any background information was woven into the story, instead of dumped on the reader as “exposition”. Red was such a sympathetic narrator. I think the author really excelled and writing in a way so the readers felt Red’s confusion and inability to focus, especially at the start, when the attack as not yet begun. I highly recommend this book.

Five Survive by Holly Jackson was twisty thriller. Six friends are on an RV trip to Gulf Shores for spring break. They all have secrets to hide and little do they know, one of those secrets is going to turn their carefree trip into a fight for survival.

I loved trying to figure out how this one was going to end! The setting in an RV in a completely isolated area just added to the suspense. You didn’t know which characters you could trust. I will definitely read more by Holly Jackson!

This book definitely lived up to my expectations. As a fan of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, those expectations were high. I loved how twisted the whole story was. Holly Jackson has a way of leading readers through a mystery to where you question everything and all of the characters suddenly become suspect. I was very pulled in by the unreliable narrator aspect and I loved the complexity of each character when it came to their secrets. Such a good book, and so worth the read.

Five Survive is Holly Jackson's newest book, and as someone who devoured the entire Good Girls Guide to Murder series in about a week, I was so incredibly excited about this book. The story follows Red, a high school senior, on a road trip with her group of friends. Before they can reach their destination, their RV breaks down under mysterious circumstances and they become trapped while a hidden sniper attempts to uncover their secrets.

Holly Jackson maintains the same ability to craft a page-turner as she did in her previous series. I was anxiously awaiting whose secret would be revealed, and felt the emotions running high right along with the characters. For me personally, the pacing and character development was a little bit off. I felt that with the ensemble of characters there wasn't enough time dedicated to explaining the inner-workings of the group dynamic, and the story does take a little bit of time to pick up. I didn't gasp out loud when the 'twist' at the end of the book was revealed, in the same way I did in Jackson's previous books.

Absolutely worth a read, and a great mystery, but I would warn people against comparing this book and Jackson's previous work.

This was definitely an intense book which provided twists in the story along the way. What began as an RV trip with friends turns quickly into a nightmare where friends are really enemies, trust is an issue and everyone is capable of murder. Holly Jackson has definitely created another page turner that you should not miss. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Six friends go on a Spring Break trip in an RV. They get lost looking for their campsite and end up in the middle of the woods, without cell service. They soon discover it was not by accident they ended up in this situation because they are surrounded by a sniper. The sniper wants one of them because of the secret they are harboring. The problem is they all have secrets, which come out one by one. But whose secret does the sniper want? They must figure it out before they are all killed!

The older I get I am finding that YA is sometimes a struggle for me. I find the characters unreliable,annoying immature, and making bad decisions. But I have to remind myself that’s how teens and young adults can be. So with that said. This is definitely a solid, locked room YA thriller that will keep you on your toes and guessing as all the secrets start coming out. It was an average read for me but feel it would be better for someone younger than myself. If you are a true young adult in the age range of teen - 30 and like Holly Jackson novels this is the perfect book for you!

I immensely disliked the main character. No empathy whatsoever.
Lots of teen drinking. Lots of blood. Ridiculous conclusion.
So I guess I would recommend this for older teens that have never read a thriller before.

I have conflicting feelings about this one.

On one hand, the story is super fast-paced. The entire plot takes place over the span of 8 hours, so I guess it would have to be. The vast majority of the narrative (~80%) is dialogue, so that also contributes to the fast pacing. And these things are conducive for a good thriller, as nothing feels like it's dragging. It definitely has a “keep you on the edge of your seat” kind of feel.

That being said, I still managed to get somewhat bored with this. None of the characters are likeable and I didn't care if any of them died, the one setting itself (RV on the side of the road) isn't exciting, and the “secret” is very predictable.

Readers who enjoy a locked-in/cornered kind of scenario might enjoy this more than I did, but I personally don't think this is HJ's best work.

Red is not ok. She hasn’t been since her mother was brutally shot in the back of the head. Red can’t help but blame herself and she can’t move on. Her father has completely fallen apart since the murder and Red really only has her best friend, Maddy that she can count on. When Red, Maddy and 4 others decide to take off on spring break in an RV, Red hopes this will be a trip to help her forget the troubles she lives with. However, when they take a wrong turn down a country road everything changes. Someone is out to get them. One of them holds a secret worth killing over. If they don’t give the secret up, all of them may not survive the night.

This was a super slow start for me. I actually almost gave up 100 pages in, but I’m so happ6 I stuck with it! This turned out to be one of my favorite YA books this year! There were several elements of the plot I never saw coming! An excellent book I’ll definitely recommend!

4.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Holly Jackson for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, this was my first book by Holly Jackson, and I absolutely loved it.

Can I just say, that I love a book with a floor plan? I know that it was only a floor plan of the RV but this helped me visualize this book so much more.

This was well-paced and held my attention. There were twists that I didn't see coming. I loved that it was over 8 hours and we got a lot of details about each character.

Holly's writing is amazing. She knows how to hold your attention. It was honestly a struggle for me to put this one down because I wanted to keep reading.

There were a few things that I still have questions about, like Red’s memory issues and what she saw on the curtains. Other than that, this book was fantastic and one that I definitely recommend.