Is it possible to have a sophomore slump after a trilogy? Because that's definitely what this felt like. This was very reminiscent of "No Exit;" in the same way I did not resonate with that book, I felt the same with Five Survive. Far too many characters yet nothing interesting or gripping about any of them. It didn't make sense why this group (of what it seemed both college and high school students) decided to go on this trip for Spring Break (which hardly ever aligns for the two school types). The stakes felt unrealistic and silly and despite being relatively fast paced, this book dragged for me.

I will give Jackson another try, but this was a huge miss in my eyes. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy! Oooh boy! This book kept me hooked!

I didn't anticipate a YA novel about a Spring Break road trip could actually grab my attention. Holly Jackson does an amazing job of creating so much suspense throughout this entire book.

I personally would have preferred some of the secrets to have been revealed sooner. It took a lot of escape trials before getting somewhere with the secrets. I enjoyed the twists and turns. My biggest reason it's not five stars is that there wasn't enough grounding in reality.

I will definitely be recommending this to my students and friends too. They will love it!

Six friends. One night. One deadly secret. Five survivors.

Five Survive is a YA mystery/thriller about six friends taking a road trip in an RV for spring break. When they find themselves lost and their RV breaks down, the group quickly realizes that this is no random accident. Someone has trapped them, and their only chance of survival is if they can identify which of them is carrying a secret worth killing for. Tensions rise and danger grows with every passing hour, with one thing becoming very clear - not everyone will survive the night.

This book is told from the perspective of Red Kenny, an 18-year-old high school senior still reeling from the death of her police captain mother five years earlier and the way her world - and her father - has crumbled since. Right away, I was grabbed by the strong narrative voice. Red has a unique perspective on the world, and I love how much characterization was achieved through her semi-stream-of-consciousness narration of events. Her character allows for an exploration of regret, shame, and guilt and how they influence our actions in the present, which provides something meaningful for readers to return to between action sequences.

And the action! I commend Holly Jackson for her ability to maintain such high levels of tension in a story that takes place entirely inside a 31-foot RV. It was such a unique version of a locked door mystery, and the tight quarters only ramp up the suspense for explosive moments of action. Holly Jackson is very skilled at her craft, and reading this book makes it clear. I really felt the full force of each character's experience, and I found myself rooting strongly for (and sometimes against!) them as they tried to survive eight harrowing hours together. I found the resolution of the story to be satisfying as well. Everything fit well into the story and delivered some genuine surprises and emotions without feeling rushed or forced.

I look forward to diving into the rest of her work! If you’re looking for a tense, edge-of-your-seat thriller that teeters on the edge of madness, I recommend this book wholeheartedly!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

First book from this author and I must say it was quite entertaining. She managed to make me really hate Oliver in this book. I never wanted to slap someone from the book so much! Ughhh! Definitely a page turner. The twists surprised me and left me satisfied. Thank you so much for the ARC!!

This is why I don't go camping 🚫🏕️😆

Thank you to #netgalley @netgalley and @randomhousekids @delacortepress for this copy of #fivesurvive

Here's the synopsis:
From the author of the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series comes a new blockbuster thriller about a road trip that turns deadly. Eight hours. Six friends. Five survive.

Red Kenny is on a road trip for spring break with five friends. 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. . . .

My thoughts:
What a fun way to pull off a locked room #murdermystery and a perfect example of why I don't camp 😆 I loved the plot and the way this ended. I did find myself annoyed with some of the characters - Oliver for being a bully and an ass, and basically everyone else (but especially Red) for not standing up to him. But if you enjoy #yamysteries you should definitely check this one out - out on November 29!

This is the 4th book from Holly Jackson that I've read and like the others, I absolutely loved it. Unexpected secrets, betrayal, and twists I didn't expect all made for a story that kept me flipping pages. There were a few times where I felt like clues were made pretty obvious, but then other clues that I completely missed, so I didn't see the ending coming. The read was really quick, but given the surrounds, it could only go on for so long. I think the author did a good job of telling the story without dragging it on too long. There was one part in the middle that I didn't care for, but it's a spoiler, so I won't say what it was. I just felt like there could have been a different outcome or a more less likeable character there.

Holly Jackson is back again, Five Survive his her next novel and after devouring her Good Girl's Guide to Murder series I obviously needed to read anything else she put out! Five Survive is told over an 8 hour time span and will absolutely consume you. It will send chills down your spine and make you desperate to find all the answers. I do recommend this one, especially if you can take a day and read it in one sitting - in my opinion the way it's meant to be read. I don't recommend reading this one alone in the dark because honestly, I was terrified.

Wow, that escalated quickly!

I was more than happy to pick up the latest from Holly Jackson since I enjoyed A Good Girl's Guide to Murder so much. And while I wouldn't say I liked Five Survive quite as much, I still enjoyed the ride.

This book starts off innocently enough, six friends traveling in an RV for spring break. But then they get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere where neither of them have cell service, and are at the mercy of a sniper who has them trapped. What does he want from them? Why are they the target? Who's hiding something?

This was fast-paced, suspenseful, and intense. There was so much tension and conflict I found myself gritting my teeth throughout the book. The dialogue, chemistry and conflict between the characters was written well.. I was invested in the main character and frustrated with a couple other characters. The book ended up going in a direction I didn't expect and I was satisfied with the twist and the ending. Holly Jackson does a great job writing a tense and satisfying YA thriller that kept me engaged and interested.

Special thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love thrillers that keep me at the edge-of-my-seat and guessing who is the villain the entire time--that is what this book provided. I think this was a great standalone novel by Holly Jackson (who wrote one of my favorite trilogies). I think there are some moments in the book that seem a little far-fetched, but overall it doesn't take away from the book too much. I look forward to more of Holly Jacksons work!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this until the end. The story was intense and kept me entertained. I just didn’t care for the ending at all.

This book absolutely consumed me. It’s written as if it’s in real-time over an eight hour span. If you are able to sit and read this book in one sitting, it would be a phenomenal experience. I wasn’t able to, but this book had me on the edge of my seat every time I set it down. One night, I even had to wake my husband up to cuddle me because I was so freaked out 😂 the story telling of being trapped in an RV made me feel like I was one of the six friends.
At this point, I will read Holly Jackson’s grocery list. If you want a nail biter thriller, pick this one up!!!
*Link to IG post to come on pub day.

Oh my gosh. How am I supposed to form coherent thoughts after finishing this?

Five Survive is a worthy successor to Holly Jackson's "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" trilogy in everyway.

This book is gripping from the first chapters and I got through it in two days. It was a terrifying read that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I never successfully guessed the twists and the ending had my jaw on the floor.

The first thing I loved about this book was Red's internal monologue and narration. She is an incredibly interesting and unique narrator with a distinct voice. I loved the setting of a dark, abandoned RV in the middle of the woods. I loved the cast of six characters and the tension between them all. As the reader, I could feel the terror and panic through the pages. It was addicting and I never wanted to put it down.

This...was simply incredible. I will read anything Holly Jackson writes.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Holly Jackson is one of my favorite authors since I read the AGGGTM series. I loved this one too. It was an edge-of-the-seat experience!

I loved the writing and tension sustained throughout the book. The best thing about this book is that it makes you suspect every character. The ending, which I didn't predict was good. I normally don't like romantic subplots in a thriller but it occurred naturally, towards the end I was rooting for them.

⭐️4.5/5 stars.
Plan to read this in one day, because with those mini cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, it is impossible to stop.
Once again, this author took me on the craziest ride. It was reminding me of horror/thriller movies like Hush by Mike Flannigan and the Saw franchise. And the plot twists!!! Holy crap!
I loved how engrossed I got with this story. I literally read it in one day.
I love that I forgot the title of the book until the 20% mark, and suddenly I was so concerned. The emotions it brought out of me. I felt physically sick during the voting scene. Then was sobbing like a baby with that final letter.
This was amazing. I highly recommend this book. And I’m not just saying it as a fellow Philly girl who appreciated all the references. We even had a “Jawn” thrown in. If you love a good twisty, turning, thriller, you need to read this book.
Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Children for providing the ARC for my honest review.

Holly Jackson's latest young adult novel is a page turning, horror story about six young friends who are heading on a RV road trip for spring break. Each of the kids have secrets that they aren't ready to share, until they are taken hostage by a mysterious sniper and forced to show their cards in order to stay alive.

Overall, this is an exciting and quick novel but not Holly Jackson's best work in my opinion. The plot twists are very easy to see coming and the antagonist, Oliver, is positively loathsome which I don't believe was Jackson's intent. For those readers new to Holly Jackson's works, I would suggest starting with the "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" series.

Holly Jackson always amazes me with her writing and plot twists. This book kinda reminds me of one of us lying but riley sager wrote it( i have never read riley sager) I hate oliver #oliverhateclub I loved this book but i have to say i prefer aggtm but that also might be because it got me back into reading

Now I love Holly Jackson, this one however just did not hit like the previous series. I loved that we still got some multimedia through the book, but road-trip thrillers are not my thing.

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.

This book was definitely a high-stakes adrenaline rush book, perfect for anyone who loves thrillers, especially locked-room type mysteries. The reveals all throughout the book, as the cast of characters tried to figure out who the one with the secret was, kept surprising me. The reveal was a bit outlandish, but the author made it work. I also loved the ending.... I felt like that was the perfect way to end this book. I definitely recommend this one!

Reading a Holly Jackson novel is like being a crackhead for a day or two because that’s how long it takes me to finish her books. Utterly addictive and the ultimate “Couldn’t Put Downess”.

Though to me Red was a less compelling MC than Pippa from AGGGTM, the story remained to be just as twisty, unexpected, and thrilling.

Another thing that I missed is the inclusion of mixed media elements that could have made this even scarier. Maybe we could have had police reports, court reports, an anonymous tip, etc.

Now I’m left waiting and wanting more Holly Jackson novels. Perhaps an adult mystery/thriller where darker themes and topics could be explored?

Red and her friends are taking an old RV on a road trip for Spring Break, driving from Philadelphia to the southern coast. But when they get lost on the way to a campsite in South Carolina and break down well after dark, things take a turn for the worse. With no cell service and no one to help, they begin to realize that their tire didn’t just pop – it was shot. As things escalate, they realize that the sniper is after a secret and won’t release them until the truth is revealed.

This was a well-paced suspense that kept me frantically flipping the pages until the very end. The characters were very well written with unique personalities, and I enjoyed seeing how they each handled the stress differently. The story was told from Red’s POV, and the hints and pieces of her history that were scattered throughout really added to her character.

There were a few things that weren’t very well explained (one example was Red’s memory issues), but they didn’t detract much from my enjoyment of the work. I really loved how the author chose to leave the ending a bit open-ended as well as the article/report that were included at the end. Also, I couldn’t believe that the vast majority of a book this great took place during eight hours – this was a fun and intense way to write this book that I highly enjoyed.

I don’t recommend starting this book right before bedtime (like I did), but I absolutely DO recommend reading it! Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for allowing me to read and review this work, which will be published on November 29, 2022.