This is probably my favorite Holly Jackson title to date. The suspense and mystery of it all was done really well, and I went in skeptical of how successful a story set in such a confined space with a spoiler in the title was going to work. This is definitely joining the ranks of the top YA thrillers I recommend to teen patrons.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley! This was a slowish start but quickly picked up and turned into an edge of your seat thriller. I enjoyed the story and think it’s a great turn from A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Can’t wait to see what’s next!!

Five Survive is the newest book from Holly Jackson of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder fame. I really enjoyed that series so I was eager to jump into a stand alone by the author. Unfortunately, I found this to be a slow book lacking the character development that made AGGGTM so enjoyable. By 25% I found myself skimming and completely unengaged.

Told over the course of one night, there are six friends traveling south to Florida for Spring Break in a 31 foot RV. Among other things that make this book annoying and boring, the fact that the RV is 31 feet and not 30 or 29 or 32 is expounded upon at least twice per chapter, sometimes more. I'm talking literal paragraphs about the size of the RV, completely irrelevant to the current plot. Was this supposed to be interesting or was it just filler to make this story that could have been a tight 250 into 400 pages?

I can say that the story picked up a bit in the final third, but I was still skimming without missing any details of significance. I will still give Holly Jackson consideration in the future, but I will take my time and read reviews before jumping onto the bandwagon with her next publication. I really can't recommend this one.

A mostly enjoyable and suspenseful read. I almost abandoned the book a few chapters in. The short, choppy sentences and Red’s way of thinking and inability to remember things seemed confusing and stilted. But once the mystery started, I was hooked on finding out what was going on. Most people seemed suspicious at some point, which I appreciated. Red’s lack of focus/memory turned her into an unreliable narrator which also added a layer to the mysteries as well.

This is my first my Holly Jackson, and it’s the concept that really got my attention. Six friends trapped in an RV in a secluded back road with a snipper somewhere in the woods. I mean what a unique and intriguing concept, I had to see how it would play out.

It played out exactly how I was hoping, in a suspenseful and entertaining read. Although I guessed some of the twists, the book was written in such a great way that I was still locked in, living on the edge of my seat the entire way through. Plus there were a few twists thrown in I didn’t expect.

Some parts were a bit far fetched so definitely be prepared to suspend disbelief for this one. Also wasn’t a huge fan of all aspects of the ending but I loved how the last chapter was formatted so made up for not loving the content as much.

Lastly just have to note how Red is such a quirky character and unique narrator, I loved getting to read from her POV.

Oh my goodness! Five Survive will keep you on the edge of your seat! Lost in an RV, gunshots, night…umm…did I say LOST??!! Once again a hit by Holly Jackson!!

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review!!

This was my first Holly Jackson book and I went in pretty blind. I’d been interested in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder so I was wondering what her writing was like.

First, I couldn’t get over that the main character’s name was Redford. Her parents secretly hated her. Also, she was piles of piles of sympathy bait. Every bad thing in the world was happening to her and I was like how much worse can it get? And then it got worse.

The beginning was slow and it kinda lost me till the end of the middle till the end. There were so many twists and turns I was gasping and screaming at the end. It was so wild. Everything just popped off so fast. I thought I’d called the twists but I was way off so I enjoy when that happens.

I liked how Holly made the characters here. Everyone seemed suspicious but everyone also seemed very sympathetic. There always has to be a crazy leader character and Oliver was such a wild card. I hated him so so much.

I really want to read Holly’s other books now. She seems to know how to master the twists so I’m here for it.

Guys, am I starting to like locked room mysteries?! I loved AGGGTM and Holly Jackson didn't disappoint with this one. This book was terrifying and kept me on the edge of my seat. I don't want to give anything away, but if you end up reading this, message me so we can discuss the ending!

Book Review! 📚🥳

Five Survive By Holly Jackson 🚐🔎

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhousekids for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this thriller of a book, it was great! I never saw the twists coming and was genuinely holding my breath the whole time trying to figure out who the culprit was. I enjoyed reading about our main character and liked how unique and flawed she was. It made her interesting and more real. I also really liked hearing and uncovering everyone’s secrets, some were super surprising and I never saw them coming.

For me, this book was a 4 star instead of a 5 star for two reasons. One reason is that I found the beginning of this book a tad boring and slow. The other reason is that I didn’t love the ending. I felt it was a great idea for an ending, but just felt a little rushed.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loved Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series or thriller lovers!

Look out for this book on November 29th and pick it up! It’s worth your precious reading time for sure!

#netgalley #fivesurvive #randomhousekids #bookstagram #books #booksta #bibliophile #currentreads #ilovebooks #fiction #bookish #bookcommunity #booklove #bookblog #bookworm #booknerd #book #2022reads #reads #2022books #reading #bookreview #bookrec #bookreview

A riveting story about six teenagers who find themselves stuck in an RV in the middle of nowhere, with a sniper hidden outside threatening to kill them unless one of them reveals a secret. I really enjoyed this book; I thought the pacing was really good (not too fast and not too slow). I also felt like each of the characters was well fleshed out (although it did take me a bit to remember who was who). The ending was--interesting?--I'm really not sure how I feel about it. The story generally makes sense, but I just didn't love the direction it went.

Overall, though, I'd still recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good thriller! I definitely don't regret reading it and enjoyed the experience. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC for review.

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"You can't see me but I can see you..."

Five Survive is, most likely, one of my most intense reads of this year. I greatly enjoyed reading A Good Girl's Guide to Murder trilogy and when I heard about Holly Jackson's newest release, Five Survive, it became one of my highly anticipated books.

Five Survive is a suspenseful story of six friends, travelling in a RV at night, who get lost in the middle of no-where. After fixing a blown-out tire and trying to retrace their steps, the rest of their tires are shot by an unknown shooter. Stuck in the RV, the panic begins to set in. A walkie-talkie is left on their RV and the six friends are tasked with revealing a terrible secret or they will die...

Holly Jackson knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very end. The story is a fast-paced adrenaline rush with a dash of anxiety. You will truly feel immersed in this wild range of emotions as the six main characters begin to show their true colors and reveal shocking truths about themselves.

I really liked this crazy ride of a book and its well-developed characters - not Oliver though, he can rot. As much as I disliked Oliver to the fullest I enjoyed the way Jackson shows different sides of what panic does to people and what they would do to save themselves and others from uncertain death. I was frustrated for some of the book due to character decisions but I don't know if it was a good or bad frustration. Overall, I had a great experience with Five Survive and I look forward to what Holly Jackson has in store for the future.

4.5 stars

Red and her friends are road tripping in an RV to head to the beach for spring break. The long drive would be worth it for the beach at the end. Everything was going great until their RV suddenly breaks down in the middle of nowhere. No phone signal, no anything.

Suddenly, a sniper shoots out their tires. According to them, one of the six on the RV is hiding a secret. A dark secret. In order for them all to survive, they have to share it. Before the clock runs out. But the sharing of secrets makes tensions run high, and they have to decide what they’re willing to do to survive. If they all want to get out of there alive.

Thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Five Survive to review! Holly Jackson made a name for herself with the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder seres, so I was excited to pick this one up. Always happy to read a new thriller, especially an edge of your seat one like this!

Jackson has a knack for writing a story that’s paced in just a way that you just keep turning the pages. They’re really difficult to put down! In this book, we get a lot of twists and turns that keep you guess at each moment throughout the book. What’s going to happen next? What’s the next secret that’s going to be revealed? I just wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen.

While I appreciated the pacing, I will say the overall story here did seem like a bit of a stretch. It definitely makes for an exciting story, but it wasn’t really quite believable in the way that A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder was. Kind of reminded me of the third book in that series, if I’m being honest. I like my thrillers a little more grounded in reality.

Overall, if you enjoy fast-paced thrillers, you’ll definitely love Holly Jackson’s new one!

3.5/5 stars

Oooh man, this novel takes you on a really wild right!

6 friends on a road trip in an RV for spring break. It's supposed to be all fun and games, until secrets catch up with them.

The entire novel happens in a 31 foot RV over the span on 8 hours, which I absolutely loved. I've always loved TV shows that have episodes that happen in real time, so a novel that also happens in real time was really fun. It helped me to feel as if I was there with them, going through the same trauma that they were going through.

This novel did start of a little slow, but once the secrets started pouring out, it definitely picked up the pace. I loved the characters, but I wish that I would have gotten a little bit more background on them. Nonetheless, this was a really fun novel by such a talented writer. I definitely enjoyed the read and absolutely recommend it if you've got an afternoon to just binge!

Setting out in an RV for spring break seemed like a fun option for this group of friends but things take a turn when the group loses GPS signal and finds themselves lost in a remote wooded area with a flat tire. The group changes the tire but as they try and pull away all four tires pop. Confused the group exits the RV only to realize there is an active shooter somewhere in the trees who not only shot out the tires but also their gas tank. The friends find themselves trapped with no way to call for help. The shooter leaves them a walkie talkie and tells them that one of the 6 has a secret and if they divulge it he will let them go. The problem? Everyone seems to be hiding something and as dawn approaches things get more tense with everyone trying to keep their secrets while also surviving the night. This was a great read and I stayed up way into the night because I had to know what would happen next. This thriller did not disappoint.

I was really excited for another book by Holly Jackson because I absolutely loved AGGGTM series but Five Survive didn’t have that same wow factor. Five Survive is a long drawn out thriller about teens traveling in an RV for spring break only to get stuck in a hostage situation until someone reveals a secret. The story takes place over an 8hr period but at the rate it moved it felt longer; the story didn’t start to really pick up and move until around 75-80% of the way through. I did really like the ending- it saved the story and wrapped up everything and filled in some of the gaps.

All the characters weren’t great but not horrible expect for Oliver- could not stand him. You could tell from the very beginning he was going to be a problem and that’s exactly what he was. This is very much a YA thriller with teens dealing with way more than they should. If you like YA thrillers then I would keep it on your tbr but go in knowing that this is very different from AGGGTM.


Thank you publishers and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I wanted to love this book, as the blurb really caught my eye. However, I struggled to even finish it.

The writing style just didn't work for me, and it could've benefitted from a much tighter edit. Common practice today points toward action beats vs. dialogue tags, and this book was a prime example of why that's the case (way too many "said" uses on each page!). Everything about the storyline felt choppy, and I was never able to connect with any of the characters, who felt a bit unrealistic. The premise was good, but sadly, it failed at the delivery.

This was a wild ride from beginning to end. I never knew what was going to happen next and I loved it. Also I know it's not the point but I need Red and Arthur to be together so I don't appreciate the ambiguous ending.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I received an ARC copy of Five Survive via NetGalley to read and review. I’m giving Five Survive 4.5 stars but rounding up to 5.

Imagine going on spring break in an RV from Philadelphia to Gulf Shores with five other people then getting lost and ending up trapped on said RV with a sniper demanding to know one person’s secret. Do you work together to find another way out or do you turn on each other to find who’s secret is wanted and what that secret is?

I was completely engrossed from start to finish. Jackson did a wonderful job with putting us in Red’s head during this insane situation. The way the characters think and react were all well thought out.

I have two minor issues, I’m not sure if the following are true spoilers so from here read at your own risk.







There are two things I think are a little far fetched.

1. I’m not sure one sniper can take out four tires on an RV….not saying it’s impossible but seems unlikely.
2. The fact the brothers planned where to have the RV stranded and planned for every possibility almost across the country from where they live is again not impossible but extremely unlikely. This one bothers me a little more since they’d have to really scope this area out ahead of time to make sure no one stumbles upon them (although this does happen and helps make the story more realistic).



All in all I really enjoyed Five Survive and would recommend!

A spring break RV trip turns into a nightmare in Jackson’s newest pulse-pounding thriller, firmly cementing her place on my auto-buy list.

I really enjoyed this nail-bitingly tense YA thriller – to the point where I stayed up way too late to finish the book and slept through my alarm the next morning. (And I don’t regret it!) From the immediate empathy for our viewpoint character, Red, to the multilayered of the unfolding plot, every chapter draws the reader closer and deeper until all the secrets are revealed, for better or for worse.

Red is a troubled character, with a clear case of PTSD from various things she’s gone through in her life, and Jackson pulls you into her head and her world with care and precision. The very Red-centric nature of the narrative was very well done, with vivid descriptions and sensory details, combining with the push and pull of the exchanges between her and the other characters to keep me on edge the entire read. I very much appreciated that while there are distinct relationships between Red and the other characters, the focus stayed solidly on the thriller plot and its slowly rising tension.

The nature of the threat that Red and her friends finds themselves facing fits perfectly in the story, yet isn’t one that I would have ever predicted. And even with the outside threat that traps them, the real conflict is as much between the six friends in the RV as they try to save themselves from the situation they’ve found themselves in. There are plenty of twists and turns and revelations, and in the end the story wraps up perfectly. As I closed the book, I felt battered and exhausted, but in the best way.

Five Survive was everything I had been hoping for from Jackson’s next release, and I sincerely thank the publisher for the opportunity to read it.

This was one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2022! I love Holly Jackson and her Good Girls Guide to Murder series is one of my FAVs! This was just as great! I flew through it and felt like I was an additional passenger on the RV! I was equally freaked out, engaged and surprised throughout the whole story. I trusted no-one and loved the ending! This definitely makes me second guess any RV related trips in the near future :)