I typically love Holly Jackson books and although I finished this one in one sitting, it lacked a sense of urgency. I didn't really care for any of the characters and thought it should have moved faster.

If anyone knows how to do a YA mystery/ thriller it's Holly Jackson. Five Survive takes a little while to situate you in the story and build up all the characters and why you should care about them vause everything unfolds in such a small period of time. But once it picks up, it definitely picks up.

Holly Jackson has done it yet again. There’s just something so captivating about her writing. She knows how to put just the right amount of suspense and tension that has you filled with anxiety and restlessness which makes it hard for you to put the book down unless you finish it. Even then her books leave you thinking long after you have read them and five survive was nothing different.
Five survive had me utterly hooked from the first chapter and dug it’s claws so deep I could not leave it until the last page.
I always look forward to Holly’s new books and they never dissapoint.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much to the publisher (and Netgalley) for the free book.

This is an hell of a novel and Holly Jackson confirms herself one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors.
Holly Jackson returns after Good Girl's Guide to Murder with a mystery that captures you and keeps you eagerly glued to its pages until the last sentence. I have to admit I wasn't expecting all the connections that emerged during the story, nor some of the events that happened, but we're talking about Holly Jackson, you can expect everything from her (and she has no mercy for her characters).
The claustrophobia and terror of the main figures seeped into me during the whole reading and it unsettled me in the right way. This is a powerful, disturbing story that really makes you consider how rotten, toxic and distorted our society can be. I was shocked at the end of it, and I still have to recover (and the exactly same thing happened to me with As good as dead).
That said, since the truth we discovered had and will have a very great impact on Red and, I believe, her future, I would have preferred a less open-ended epilogue and a concrete confrontation. That doesn't mean the last chapters weren't perfectly heartbreaking.

I enjoy Holly Jackson's books as they are fast paced and easy to get through but I think I've outgrown YA mysteries as they just don't hold my attention enough. They are fun and good palette cleansers and, as usual, she's got some good twists and turns that you don't see coming! The book was fun but I feel like I've read it before. I would pick up as a palette cleanser and I'd continue to recommend but I don't think I'd go out of my way to purchase this type of book.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Jackson writes a face paced thriller that covers 8 hours. Six friends inside an RV on their way from Philadelphia to Gulf Shores for spring break. A wrong turn in the dark has them broken down in the woods. A flat tire, which they successfully change, has them back on the road. But then, pop, pop, pop, pop. All four are now flat. What is going on? No cell signal and confusion reign. Then they hear someone saying Hello - over and over again. Someone in the RV has a secret and the sniper outside the the RV wants it revealed.

Over the next few hours, secrets that were not meant to be shared come to light as the sniper reveals that is not the secret he wants. Tensions are high, decisions made, and not all will survive.

This was a fascinating read. I devoured this book in a day - more please!!!

4.25 Holly Jackson, you have done it again.
 
Five Survive is a fast-paced thriller, all taking place in just a few hours. It’s definitely an anything-can-happen book.
 
The author, Holly, is great at pacing. I didn’t really feel bored at any point, it’s very eventful, and things were always happening. Omg, the tension... The tense atmosphere was very much there, and it intensified the more you read. Which is exactly what you want in a thriller.
 
The characters didn't feel two-dimensional, but I did wish we could have gotten to know them more because, for me, most of them were forgettable.
 
There is a flake of romance, nothing crazy; it’s basically just crumbs. I honestly don’t remember much about the romance, nor did I really care necessary.
 
If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller with a few twists, this is the perfect read. You will have a good time. I highly recommend it.
 
I will read anything Holly Jackson writes; she just has that magic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed a lot about this book - the pace, the closed-door setting, the constant tension and anticipation, and Red's narration. I also did NOT enjoy some things about this book - Oliver and the ending being the two main things.

Holly Jackson is masterful at the art of creating suspense, and she does it here. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!!! I love how she writes. I love how she creates mystery when the setting never moves and the story takes place over 6 hours.

I just wish things had ended differently.

Overall, highly recommend, especially if you enjoyed AGGGTM.

3.5 stars. Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse!

Holly Jackson does it again. A group of kids get stuck in the woods overnight in an RV with a sniper demanding to know a secret from them. The twists and turns had me questioning who I could trust until the very last page.

This story is a good example of how one person’s choices affect so many others.
There’s so much tension and mystery. Even when you think you know everything…🤯.
Like with most life or 💀 situations, you start to discover everyone’s true character rather quickly. I will not spoil anything with names, but I found myself yelling at the book multiple times (especially to one certain someone - ugh!)
I loved this one, but I will say it had a rough start for me. Luckily, by the fourth chapter the story starts to pick up. Which, I know, maybe that doesn’t sound like a very long wait, but it was a long three chapters IMO 😆. (I devoured this one in one sitting after I got over that bump though.)
There is a cliffhanger-ish ending. You get a little closer though so it helps with the sting.

I hate that I am writing this - as I love all of Holly Jacksons books, but this was not it for me. I was going to push through, but I just couldn't. I read four chapters and closed it forever. It felt dragged to me. I wasn't into the cast and the writing just didn't draw me in as her other books.

I loved A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, so I knew I had to read this one as soon as I first saw the cover. This was an extremely fast-paced read; this would be a great title for getting out of a reading slump. One place where I really struggled with this book was that I had trouble truly connecting to any of the characters. While we see everything from Red's POV, her character felt distant throughout the story. Additionally, since the stakes were raised so early, it had trouble maintaining the same level of energy. As a result, the middle section sagged quite a bit. That being said, the ending was unexpectedly emotional and really gave me the connection to Red that I had been wanting the entire time. Overall, this book was an enjoyable read despite some pacing troubles and a main character that was a bit hard to reach.

Holly Jackson has done it again!

This book had me on the edge of my seat and needing to know who the person was that was trying to harm them and why. I had several theories throughout this book, and I suspected everyone, but I was still shocked by the ending because of how it all went in the end.

Our main character is Red who along with her friends Maddy, Arthur, and Simon, along with Maddy's older brother Oliver and his girlfriend Reyna are road-tripping to Florida for spring break. Now going into this situation it sounds like it could be rough since no one has ever driven an RV before and that many people in one RV can only lead to them getting on each other's nerves after a while. At first, everything is going smoothly, but then they lose the GPS signal, and then somehow their tires get popped on a small back road leaving them stuck. From here on out things go from bad to worse quickly.

There is a sniper hiding in the woods, who has cut them off from all outside resources and won't let them go until one of them tells a secret by morning or it will be bad for all of them. This of course leads to chaos and all of them trying to find a way to get away from this sniper and to safety, while also trying to figure out who the person is with the secret.

Overall I loved this book. Red is a great main character whose skills with the walkie-talkie are vital since it becomes clear pretty quickly that one of the people in the RV will do anything to save themselves. As the time in the book started to get closer to morning and things got more chaotic we see Red start to put the pieces together, while also finding out things that about the others that she would have never suspected. When she puts it all together in the end it is heartbreaking and extremely chaotic still.
Jackson did such a good job of keeping that chaotic and stressed feeling going throughout the book, while also putting in little bits of hope that maybe just maybe they'll be able to find a way out.

This book is perfect for the spooky season and any season really. If you like putting together a mystery and attempting to solve it then this is the book for you because of how many secrets there are.

(I read both the arc and a finished copy from the library.)

Oh, Holly Jackson…you’ve got me again! I was quite shocked to see so many negative reviews on “Five Survive” as I thought it was good. It wasn’t great, but I don’t feel it warranted as much negativity as it got! Does it compare to the “Good Girls” trilogy? Mmmm, no BUT it was still a great book.

Jackson has such style in her writing that she can really capture you right off the bat. “Five Survive” is a YA thriller that takes place over the course of ONE night.

Our main character, Red, and her five friends Maddy, Oliver, Reyna, Arthur, and Simon are traveling from their home in Pennsylvania all the way to Florida in an RV for Spring Break. You get the vibe almost immediately that Red is going through something internally. And while traveling that far in an RV isn’t a teen’s dream per se, Maddy knows Red can’t afford flying so the RV thing was her plan and everyone was onboard.

As you can imagine, a bunch of teenagers traveling in a tight RV, and DRIVING one for the first time…can’t be all smooth sailing. At first, everyone is hyped for their trip and excited to arrive but that quickly changes when they get lost on a remote road that’s nearly impossible to turn around and get off. To make that situation harder? Something popped their tires. That something…a sniper hiding in the woods actually SHOT THE TIRES.

So begins the next tumultuous 24 hours. There are six people trapped on a small, hidden road in a disabled vehicle with no cell service, no spare tires, and no way of getting any help while there is clearly someone watching/hunting them right outside. Soon they try contacting the person to find out why they’re doing this and it quickly becomes clear that this meeting is not coincidental and the person knows someone in that RV.
Chaos ensues and the six friends start turning against one another as they reveal detrimental secrets to try to get through this mess.

I enjoyed this read a lot. I loved how fast the pace was. It was one of those reads where I was kept up much later than I should have been because I HAD to know what happened next. The only reason this didn’t get five stars is because the explanation of the sniper, to me, felt like it was pulled out of left field. It was just strange and left me feeling disappointed. I know this book was not meant for my demographic, but even still some things just didn’t add up.

Overall, this was a solid 4 stars and I’d definitely recommend this for those who like a quick read with a chaotic timeline and a multitude of different personalities. I’ll forever be a lover of Holly Jackson and can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!

Super angry at myself for waiting so long to read this one! So many fantastic twists and the pace was great after you make it through the first 50ish pages.

I liked the premise and plot twists of this one. It was a little slow in the middle when the kids were trying one scheme after another to escape their circumstances-one or two fewer attempts could have worked just as well. The dynamics between the characters were done well, especially the volatility that would undoubtedly arise amongst people trapped in a small space in a life-threatening situation. The resolution was clever and somewhat unexpected - it was satisfying without being perfectly tied up in a bow.. Overall, it kept me entertained.

After taking a wrong turn while in route to spring break, Red and her friends find themselves trapped in their RV, with an unknown sniper demanding information. If no one gives up their secret, they all die. But who in the group has the secret, and what is it? I love a good locked room mystery, and this one was intense. I liked the twists, and definitely hated the main villain of the story. I had trouble putting this one down. A great read. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I loved her previous books but couldn’t get into this book. Not sure why but will try again later. Tried about twenty percent

Five Survive hooked me instantly! The story took place over 24 hours (locked room, race against time tropes), allowing the plot to unfold with nonstop action and suspense. The teenagers in this RV had a suitcase worth of secrets they were hiding from each other. In fact, the gunman wanted only one secret in particular, so it was fun guessing who held the secret and what was the secret about.

Emma Galvin’s narration added to the heart-pounding drama. She even added annoyance to the characters you wanted to hate. Highly recommend this format! If you enjoy YA thrillers, definitely add this one to your TBR.

Red is on a road trip for spring break with five friends. When their RV breaks down they realize it wasn’t an accident and someone wants one of them dead. There’s eight hours until dawn and they must find a way to escape. Secrets will come to the surface, someone is lying, and tension is rising.

I’ll start by saying this is my first Holly Jackson book and I’ve heard amazing things about GGGTM. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me. The beginning was promising but somewhere in the middle it felt like it dragged. For a story that is told in a span of 8 hours… it should not drag as much as it did or even at all. Then the ending was so fast I was getting whiplash. I didn’t feel any connection to the characters and if I’m being honest the only feelings I had was how obnoxious they were and If anyone was going to die… the right character was chosen. I am not heartbroken over it. Although Five Survive was far from a hit for me, I am not discouraged and I will give Holly Jackson another chance. I have her others on my TBR and I am confident I’ll find a winner.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Delacorte Press for the ARC and the chance to read and review it honestly.