I expected to love this one, but there were times where I struggled with it, especially at the beginning. I found it difficult to care about the main character, she just didn't seem authentic enough. I didn't care about the "banter" between the characters all that much either. However, once the action got going and I started to feel attached to the story and the cast, it was a good read. I'd recommend it to YA thriller readers.

i started agggtm a couple years ago now and never ended up finishing it. mostly, because my hold was due at the library, but i was also not invested enough to find another way to pick it up. however, i was excited for concept of five survive, and thought it would be a fun, face paced thriller, if nothing else. i ended up enjoying my time with the book. i wouldn't say i loved it, or found it to be anything particularly new, but it was an engaging read. the narrations style took some getting used to, but i think in the end it was one of my favorite parts of the book as it felt very authentic to our main character. ultimately enjoyable, but nothing special.

Definitely a must read! Don't let the fact that it's a YA book keep you from reading this one. I enjoyed it and think it will be a good one to read if you enjoy mystery thrillers.

The pace of this book is perfect- there is always something happening and I love that. Of course it did take a bit for the story to really take off and sniper right in but once it did, you are in for a ride.

I will say that it took me a bit to understand Red's thoughts, but after a while and getting her backstory it makes sense and is easier to follow along.

My only dislike was Oliver, I could punch him in the face! But all the other characters were extremely likable and I enjoyed their character development throughout the story.

THE ENDING!!! WOW!! That's all I have to say.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for the eARC for my honest review. I will be posting my review on my instagram page @talkgoodbookstome very soon.

I did audiobooks with the Good Girls Guide to Murder series and my brain kept trying to “hear” the book that way for the first couple chapters. This is a completely different style but gets the reader engaged immediately just like the GGGTM series. Jackson does a good job in showing in words how severe anxiety from trauma can show up. How the person can seem spacey or quirky on the outside while there is a thunderstorm of thoughts and feelings brewing within.
The story is very interesting and compelling enough to want to read in one sitting. I’m taking a star off because I figured most of the mystery at the halfway mark but I’m much older than the target audience so keeping at 4/5.
This was an ARC courtesy of @netgalley.

oh my gosh! Holly Jackson does it again with another amazing and intense book! This one starts off with action right away. I felt like every time I tried to guess who I thought had the secret something would be revealed and I would be wrong. I enjoyed this one so much and the twist at the end I definitely didn’t see coming.

OH MY GOD… after reading the agggtm series i trust holly jackson completely, like i will literally read any book of hers and know that it’s gonna be good, and this one absolutely was! the plot was excellent and the characters were so compelling too. the book got scary really quickly but i couldn’t put it down, it was just TOO good. anyways, this was such a great book, can’t wait for everyone to read it when it comes out

thank you netgalley for the ARC!

Five Survive by Holly Jackson ✨

This book was INTENSE. It was a wild ride with the wildest concept. It kept me turning pages, but it was just pure chaos up to the end.

The book was more gory than I expected from a YA novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

OMG!!!! This. This. This. This is a thriller!!! This!! Forget what you think a good thriller is and just read this! As soon as possible. I thought my teeth were going to break bc I was clenching my jaw so hard, ya'll! This is beyond.... I shall call it: a jawclenching, heart racing, thriller masterpiece.

Six people go on a road trip from Pennsylvania to the Gulf for spring break. Four of them are high school students and two are in college. One of the reasons they are in an RV to travel is because Red can't really afford a plane ticket so her best friend Maddy planned this trip with that in mind. It's a good group but there is immediate tension already because Maddy's pre-law brother, Oliver, puts himself in charge. (It's incredibly annoying).

When they arrive in South Carolina to stop for the night at a camp site, they get lost and wind up in the middle of nowhere. (And, as someone from SC, I can promise that getting lost in the middle of nowhere there is seriously the freaking middle of nowhere and it's so scary, lol) . However, this seems to be no random just getting lost, especially when all the tires and the gas tank are shot out. There is a sniper in the woods. They communicate through a walkie talkie. And, the sniper wants to know a secret that only one of them can tell. But who is it? And, what is the secret?

This book is incredible. The author really illustrates how basic humanity can be lost and turned into something horrifying and ugly in a situation like this that is so frightening and puts a group in such a vulnerable position.

I recommend this for all fans of thrillers!

Out November 29, 2022!

I could not predict anything that happened. The pace and “no one is safe” vibe was amazing. SO good!! I wish I could read it for the first time all over again

Great read! As you travel with six kids on their way to spring break you learn a lot about them, and wonder who has the secret?! Who to trust? Who’s telling the truth? Starts with a slow burn but ends with a bang!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Holly Jackson and Delacorte Press for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

Five Survive
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Pub date: November 29, 2022
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Red and her friends are on a spring trip break, driving in a RV. When they take a wrong turn, thanks to crappy cell phone service, the whole trip changes. They are trapped in an RV with someone watching in the dark. The only way to get out of the RV safely is by telling them the secret they want to hear. However, as the night goes on they realize everyone in the RV has secrets. Not everyone will tell their secrets and not everyone will survive
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So I am freaking out about this book! Not only is it my first ARC, shout-out @netgalley @randomhousechildrens @ho, but it was so freaking good! Red, the narrator, is so likable. She has been through so much and always thinks everything is her fault. I loved seeing her development throughout the eight hours trapped in the RV. She slowly shows that she is not someone who can constantly be walked over. As everyone’s secrets slowly come out, she realizes more of them connect to her life than she thought possible. This might be a YA novel, but it was all the fast-paced, whodunnit action of an adult thriller. It definitely caters to a younger audience with the ages of the characters, but I could not stop reading to see what happens. The ending was something I would have never seen coming. I seriously loved this book, so all of the stars. And let’s be real, I will be picking this physical book up when it’s out

https://instagram.com/fashionably.bookish?igshid=NmNmNjAwNzg=

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of this. I was initially very excited for this, but as I continued to read the more I realized how much I hated all the characters. The plot was so unbelievable that I was pissed fr the start. No thank you.

When I started this book, the whole thing started rough for me. I just kept wanting it to get better as far as action-wise. We have a group of teenagers in an RV, and the plan is to have fun though it all goes sour when they seem to have taken a wrong turn. Six friends, someone has a secret, and they all need to learn how to trust one another to see the next day. We got to see how these teenagers handle situations, and sometimes the ones you think to have your back may be the ones that are quick to throw you under the bus.
The book started to pick up around 30 percent, I would say. Once it picked up, I flew through the story wanting to know the outcome. I will say I did not see the twists coming at all. Like, when one twist hit, I was surprised. Then the next bomb dropped, and I was like, oh sh!! I love books like this. I can not wait for my students to read this; I am sure they will love it.
I learned this author has written a Good Girls Guide to Murder, so I plan on reading that if it is as good as this one.

I absolutely loved A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Every single book. Even the last one which was a bit of a mess, if I’m being completely honest. So I was beyond thrilled to get an arc of Jackson’s newest book. Six teens trapped in an RV by a sniper, each with a secret they don’t want getting out, sounds intriguing, right? No. It was too much.

Here’s the deal, it took me a very long time to get invested in this book. I was probably 30% into the story before I started to care about it. That being said, I didn’t like any of the characters. At any point of the book. Ever. In fact, by 51%, I was so angry and annoyed, and ready to vote off the island, one specific character, that I wanted to throw my kindle across the room and DNF. But I pushed through, and as happened in book 3 of AGGGTM, I couldn’t stop reading. No matter how crazy, or confusing, or just flat out stupid ridiculous things got, I had to see it through. So, for that fact alone this book will get 3 stars from me… I guess? Honestly, I’m struggling with a rating here. The book kept me entertained, but I was enraged throughout most of it.

Ps: I loved book 3 in AGGGTM, and this book had very similar vibes, but something just didn’t translate as well. Also, open ended, up for interpretation endings? Not. A. Fan.

I thought this was a really interesting young adult thriller. I thought character development was a bit uneven, with some far more developed than others, but overall it was a quick and enjoyable read if you’re interested in YA fiction.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Red is on a road trip for Spring Break, with her best friend Maddie, Maddie’s older brother Oliver, Oliver’s girlfriend Reyna, Red’s other friend Simon, and her crush Arthur. Along the way they end up in a forest alone… thinking it is just a series of mishaps they soon find out it’s much more dangerous. Trapped by a mysterious shooter that wants the secret one of them hide, will they all survive?

Holly Jackson did it again! “Five Survive” was absolutely gripping. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! The setting was so creepy and claustrophobic. It added an extra layer to the story to make it even better. I was worried with 6 characters that it may get a little redundant, or I might mix people up but the characterization for each and every character was so well thought out and sculpted. I liked the way Holly Jackson interwove Red’s past with her present! The plot twists were sooooooo good. I genuinely had no idea where the story was going and around the 60% mark I thought the main conflict had been resolved, but I was so wrong. This book keeps giving until the very last page. I did feel that there were some slow parts for me, parts where it felt a little bogged down in details. But the intriguing parts kept me going through those and far outweighed the slow parts! I could not picture a more perfect ending for this book that the one that we were given and the possibilities of what could happen in the future are endless. I think this is a great follow up to the “A Good Girls Guide to Murder” series. If you enjoyed those or like mysteries in general, I highly recommend checking this one out! I can’t wait to see what Holly Jackson writes next. Thanks to Holly Jackson, Netgalley and Random House Children and Delacorte Press for the e-arc in exchange for my thoughts.

ARC REVIEW
Five Survive by Holly Jackson

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A nonstop ride to find out the truth.

☠️ Red is on a spring break trip with her friends, traveling in a RV. When the RV gets ambushed and a sniper demands a secret or everyone will die, the six passengers must scramble to fine a way to safety.

This was an interesting one. Here’s my thoughts.

☠️ interesting premise. The idea that the friend group is trapped in an RV was fascinating. But, it was a lot of talking at times. If you are a fan of movies that are set all in one location, than this is for you.

☠️ the characters were interesting. Not everyone in this group are really friends so seeing how they react to the situation and each other’s secrets was fascinating.

☠️ This was thrilling at times. Being stuck in one place with danger all around was cool. But I will say I wanted more terror from it.

All in all, this was an enjoyable YA thriller!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC book in exchange for an honest review.

Release: 11/29

Being a big fan of Holly Jackson's other works (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder), I was excited and nervous about this one. Excited because I get to read another book written by the author and nervous about whether I would enjoy it/ it would meet up to my expectations since AGGGTM set the bar really high in my opinion.

I'm very happy to say this book did not disappoint and was actually amazing, I read it in 7 hours in the same day. It was fast paced since the book takes place in one night and I loved the way it was structured, sections of the book divided according to the time- 8 hours, from 10pm to 6am. I also really liked the characterization of the 6 characters, it was so distinct and my feelings towards them were so strong, whether it was love or hate or annoyance.

I did think the ending was little rushed, just the very last part, I wish they had shown more of it instead of telling it. But I enjoyed the overall mystery and the conclusion. I had my doubts about the big reveals, but I wasn't able to guess some of them so the thrill and shock of the reveals were fun to experience!

In terms of comparison, I couldn't stop comparing my experience reading the author's trilogy versus reading Five Survive, but I don't think that is fair to the stories since they are very different even though they are both young adult mysteries. I did enjoy AGGGTM more than Five Survive but that had to do with the trope in the trilogy that I personally enjoy more (the detective/ solving the mystery vibe) which this book didn't have obviously because the story is different. So yeah, the book didn't live up to AGGGTM for me, but I also don't think that's something the book needs to do.

I highly recommend this book if you're in need of a mystery book. The book is coming out in December but it is set during spring break so I think it'll be perfect to read this anytime December to March to gear up for/ get excited for spring!

I know I"m late to the Holly Jackson game, but...wow. This one was intense. Six high school students become stranded in thier RV on the way to spring break. The catch--a killer is holding them hostage because one of them has a secret. Well....all of them have secrets, but he is looking for a specific one. This was a wild ride and not for the squeamish.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ebook ARC in exchange for my review.

Eight hours.
Six friends.
One sniper . . .
Five Survive.

Eight words and I was gripped and *needed* to read the latest Holly Jackson YA Thriller. I've read her work before and enjoyed it immensely. This is no different.

We have 6 characters stranded in an RV, tires blown out and a sniper waiting for one secret. Trust falls apart between the friends and the sides of people you thought you knew come out. They all have a secret, whose is the one that is worth dying over?

Red is a complicated main character. She's dealing with guilt and grief over the loss of her mom years ago. The beginning of the book was a tad confusing because of her jumbled thoughts. Does she have memory issues because of her mother's murder? Or was it always a thing? It is mentioned her mother helped her find misplaced/forgotten things.

There's one character in particular written in a specific way to get a strong reaction out of the reader. It's something I think Holly excels at. I had quite a few out loud clap backs to the character. I'm surprised none of the other characters did for most the book.

While the storyline ends up with tons of twists, it keeps the reader gripped the whole time. For me they all worked. It kept me reading, wanting to know how it would all end. How could five survive when none of them should given how the story progresses? Definitely worth a read.

What I didn't like: well, what was the curtain pattern?