I was amidst a reading slump when I got approved for this book. I enjoyed all of Holly Jackson’s A Good Guide To Murder series, so I wanted to dive in quickly. I am happy to say that Five Survive is one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time.

Five Survive follows six teens on a road trip in an RV for spring break. Their RV breaks down in South Carolina at a campsite, and they find themselves hiding from a sniper. They have no means to get out of the campsite as their RV lost power and their cellphones lost signal. The teens need to trust each other, but tensions are arising, and secrets are leaking. They believe that one of them is working with the sniper.

This book was fast-paced, and my heart was pounding, trying to figure out where the story was going. The twists played out perfectly, and they were all unexpected. I loved how the storyline played out over eight hours. I felt like that sped up the story as I got deeper into the story. Although none of the characters were meshed out, it did not take away from how good the story was, and I was still interested in knowing who would make it out alive. This book was one of my favorites by Holly Jackson because it made my thriller-loving self happy with a fast-paced, high stake storyline that had a perfectly executed ending.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Random House Publishing for giving me a copy of the book.

So excited to read this because... a new YA thriller from Holly Jackson! While this is, yes, a YA thriller it does feel quite a bit different from A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (which I loved except for the third). Good difference or bad difference I think will depend on the reader; for me, this book worked in some ways but also annoyed me in others.

The premise of the story: a group of teenagers get trapped in an RV in the middle of nowhere by an outside shooter and are forced to reveal secrets about themselves in order to survive the night. The RV=a pressure cooker and everyone in it is BEING PRESSURE COOKED. Because of this plot, the narrative is broken up hour-by-hour and the whole story takes place over a singular night. This leads to an uptick in suspense but also flat characters.

This was VERY addicting and suspenseful and there were definitely moments my heart was beating so fast in my chest! Holly Jackson is really really good at putting her characters in awful situations lol.

I found the characters really hard to connect with and found one in particular insufferable (in a bad way). I know he was written to be annoying... but if it weren't for the page-turning plot I would've had to stop because he was SO awful. I also found the overall plot a bit nonsensical and wasn't a huge fan of the crime in general, but it lead to an interesting conclusion.

Still, this was a page-turning read and a good book to get me glued to reading. It was fun guessing some plot points correctly and learning others as they were revealed. While this isn't my favorite, I'd still recommend this to Holly Jackson fans, especially if you're looking for something with a creepy vibe.

Five Survive follows six friends on a road trip to Florida for spring break. After their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere, pasts are exposed, secrets are laid bare, and tensions run dangerously high. But is their seemingly unfortunate “accident” really an accident? Is somebody behind this? And who knows more than they’re letting on? Told over the course of eight hours, Five Survive is a fast-paced, high-stakes thriller.

I really enjoyed this book! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I genuinely had no idea where the story was going and I was shocked by every single twist. I’m still trying to process the ending - I honestly have no idea how I feel about it. One of the things that I liked about this book was how distinct and fleshed out the characters were, despite it taking place over a very short time frame. The main character, Red, is a high school senior who lost her mom four years prior. I especially loved how the author tackled grief, guilt, and regret even in the midst of a high-stakes, suspenseful setting. I would definitely recommend checking this one out, it releases on November 29th!!

Read if you like:

- 3rd person pov
- unique, unreliable narrator
- creepy, claustrophobic settings
- shocking revealed and plot twists

*Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

“I guess none of us—the five that survived—will ever be the same after that long night.”

Spring break plans go south, and with only 31 feet (the extra foot mattered), a group of friends need to do anything and everything to survive the night. Red Kenny thinks she’s knows the people she’s with, but when one person is lying, it proves that not everyone is what they appear to be.

This was my first Holly Jackson novel, and I loved it! I’m shocked it’s considered YA because it was so dramatic and intense. I literally could not put this down. The whole premise of this book was so unique. Each time you thought you knew what would happen, something totally different happened. The idea of hidden secrets and testing friendships worked so well in this book. I really hope everyone buys it when it comes out!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Red Kenny is on a road trip with five of her friends for spring break trying to escape her reality a little bit and the sudden traumatic death in her family. When they take a wrong turn and end up out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night things take a turn for the worse when they get a flat tire. As if things couldn’t get any worse they have no cell signal. Soon they realize that their flat wasn’t even an accident. They are literally trapped in a RV in the middle of nowhere with a psycho who has a gun aimed at them. The six of them have eight hours to find out which one is keeping a huge secret and come clean or else they all die.

Y’all Five Survive was crazy as hell. I’ve said this numerous times and I’ll say it again, Holly Jackson writes great edge of your seat YA thriller novels. This one sucks you in from the very first page and doesn’t let up until the end. There’s so many secrets, lies, drama and crazy killer vibes that you will not be able to put this one down. Five Survive was an easy 5 star read. I actually think this would make a great movie too. If you love campy, psycho killers, drama, and secrets then grab this one you won’t regret it.

Six teens, one RV, a trip that goes awry... and now they are stranded with no signal and a killer with a rifle watching and listening to them... the only way they can get out is if one of them reveals the secret... or they all die. Red Kenny is going on a road trip with five friends: her best friend Maddy, Maddy’s older brother Oliver, Oliver’s girlfriend Reyna, Red’s secret crush Arthur, and a classmate, Simon. But when their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, they soon realize that it was no accident as all their tires are destroyed, there is no cell signal, someone is taking shots at them... and a walkie has appeared with a killer on the other end telling them that everything that has happened has been planned. With eight hours until dawn they’ll have to figure out how to escape or which one is the target. But things get more complicated when they all have secrets and when it comes to light... will they be able to face each other. Oliver and Reyna committed an unspeakable act, Simon has a family member that might be involved with crime, Arthur is the mysterious unknown person, and Red has a deep dark secret of her own.

Let me start off by saying it was interesting at first but quickly, and I mean quickly became dull. The characters were pretty unlikable and unbearable, but I guess we have to give them a pass for being teens? Honestly, I adored the author’s previous books so this one was disappointing to read because of how much it lacked. You could honestly skip 30% of the book and still figure out the ending. Sadly this one was a miss for me, though I would definitely recommend giving the author’s works a read because her other series, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is fantastic.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A stunning thriller that takes place over 8 hours. Five Survive kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last page!

Thank you so much Delacrote Press!

Love Holly Jackson! I read A Good Girl's to Murder series, and I'm glad to have been accepted to read this ARC. I loved this book! Her writing style is amazing, and the twists just kept coming. The book pulls at your heart strings. Red and her friends are on a road trip for spring break, until their RV breaks down. No signals, and their RV wheels are shot at. This was an emotional rollercoaster. Just remember, six friends. Only five survive, so get the tissues ready. Definitely urge y'all to read this book!

Five Survive is my first book by Holly Jackson and it prompted me to get my hands on any books of hers that I can. This book was the perfect thriller and the writing was equally great. The main and side characters were compelling and the story had me at the edge of my seat.

Holly Jackson is amazing! She never lets her readers down! Any time I see her books I grab them right up! This was high octane! Will 5 survive idk pick it up and find out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very intense, twisty, but also fun little mystery. I am ashamed to say that even though I own it, I still have never read the author’s other book series, A Good Girls Guide to Murder, but fans of similar YA mysteries (like the works of Karen McManus) will surely adore this one.

As someone whose family is from the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania, I was absolutely tickled when Simon used the term “youse guys”. The author definitely did her research, and it showed! If I could give an extra star for that, I would. A+.

What a page-turner! I flew through this one. It's a very simple setup: six friends are traveling in an RV together when suddenly they are attacked by a sniper who tells them they can't leave until one of them reveals the secret they are hiding. The book takes place over just a few hours in a very contained setting and the tension and plot are just the characters talking with each other to try and figure out who is keeping a secret.
I was impressed by the pacing of the reveals, and it never felt overwhelming or boring. Because of the short time frame, I didn't really connect with the characters emotionally, but I definitely found them interesting.
I recommend this one as a quick easy thriller! (4.5/5 stars)
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

CW: One of the characters is grieving the violent death of her mother, and this topic definitely comes up a lot throughout the book, so warning for grief, loss of a parent, and gun violence.

This is my first by Holly Jackson and I wholeheartedly agree that she writes bingeable books! I finished this one in 6 hours, staying up entirely too late on a Monday night.

I don’t read a lot of YA so I struggled with the juvenile conversations and actions more than others might.

Thank you Netgalley and and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review in exchange for an honest review.

Six friends go on a spring break trip in an RV and get lost looking for their overnight camp ground. They are in the middle of nowhere with no cell service and to make matters worse it seems that none of it was by accident. There's a sniper in the woods threatening them. Someone in the RV has a secret and if they don't reveal the secret then he's going to kill them all.

This is a solid YA mystery thriller. At times I found the characters to be a little annoying and unlikeable but it's that how most teenagers are sometimes? I have a tween. The answer to that question is yes. haha. I feel like this one kept me guessing and I had to know what was going on. The pacing felt a little off at times. I think there was an entire chapter dedicated to how to cover all the windows in the RV. I couldn't put it down though and I really like where the story went in the end. If you liked Holly Jackson's other books then you'll love this one.

I was hooked from the premise alone. I love road trip, thriller/suspense novels. It’s probably because some of my favorite horror movies are ones like Wrong Turn or The Hitcher, and while this book is nothing similar to those plot wise, it does start off with a similar vibe of friends setting off for a good time before all hell breaks loose. You have your siblings, one of their long time best friends, a new acquaintance, and the friend who supplied the ride for the trip. Classic set up. When someone begins terrorizing them and you try to figure which one they are after, Holly does a fantastic job of setting each character up for a turn to look like the guilty party while leading you down a path that you done quite see coming. I absolutely loved the ending and choose to believe that “yes” was the box checked but then again, I’m a HEA type of girl.

When they end up with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, a group of teens on an RV camping trip feel confident in their skills to change the flat and get back on the road. Until all four tires are blown and they realize it wasn't an accident. Someone lured them to this location and is closing in...with a sniper rifle.

I absolutely loved Jackon's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series and couldn't wait to read this! It was fun and fast paced. I read the whole book on a 3 hour flight. The plot was the main driver and kept me flipping pages.

However, I felt a serious lack of connection to these characters. Not enough character development to make me feel truly invested in anyone in particular. I feel like one of the strongest points of AGGGTM were the characters. I fell in love with Pip and Ravi. This felt a bit flat in the character department.

Still a fun read but not something I'll rave about.

"From the author of the New York Times and multimillion-copy bestselling A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series comes a new addictive 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: 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...."

THE book I have been hearing the most buzz about this fall!

Perhaps this is a book best enjoyed by readers who have read the other books in the series. I had not, and did not find the characters likable or the plot believable. The book felt as if it dragged and I found the ending unsatisfactory. Those who are fans of the author and series are likely to get more out of it.

If you love AGGGTM then you are going to love her newest one! It was a phenomenal read! It felt nice to pick up this author again. I will recommend to all the mystery loving teens that I know.

I had to DNF this unfortunately… I really enjoyed her series to A Good Girls Guide to Murder but this book did not have the character development i was looking for 😭