Shotgun Beginning Focuses Into Laser Ending. This is one of those stories that opens up with a lot of moving parts, even as we only really get a single perspective of them, so it can be a bit difficult of a read to get into at first. Compelling, to be sure, particularly the accident during the blizzard, but through these intro sections the tale doesn't seem to know what it wants to be yet... and thus the reader may find it difficult to follow.

This noted, as the story progresses, things become ever more clear and pointed and the book finally decides what it wants to be... and oh, boy. Absolutely several interesting twists here, both within the story and in how the story itself subverts expectations of the reader.

Ultimately this is going to be one of those stories that seems like a bit of a challenge up front, even if compelling, but stick with it long enough for the tale to figure itself out. Because once it does, you're in for a fun time indeed.

Very much recommended.

This twisted thriller is full of surprises and revelations that I just didn’t see coming! Sure, there were clues and I did figure out some things about the band and the interactions between the characters, but there was so much that caught me with my mouth open, totally unsuspecting that the book was going in that direction. The story of a rock girl band would normally not be my kind of story because I’m not a rock fan, but the way the story developed, with Madison and Vienna meeting and starting their own duo and then including others who combined to create the sensationally popular Bittersweet, was a compelling read with lots of reasons to keep me reading. The first reason, of course, was that I really wanted to know who survived the horrible accident in the blizzard and what happened to the other members of the band. I could have never guessed the revelations that were like a snowball rolling downhill; they just picked up momentum and kept growing. I was not a real fan of any of the characters because I didn’t consider them particularly likable. On the other hand, all of them were well-developed and dynamic. The plot moved along at a good pace and then, like the revelations, picked up speed and took off like a rocket ship so that once I got to the second part and found out who survived, I really wanted to know what happened in that isolated mountain cabin and why only one survived. What a nail-biting story, with escalating tension and an immersive plot. The reading experience was like no other, with my determination to piece the clues together and the author’s mastery of keeping things secret until she was ready to reveal them. This was brilliantly written and intriguingly complex…highly recommend it, but be prepared to stay up late reading!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This story starts out with a horrific car crash. The band members end up taking shelter in an abandoned cabin during a winter storm. One by one, they start dying, and one band member goes missing.

This book is a pretty good ride. You are reading from the perspective of Vienna, who is one of the surviving members of the band. It jumps between the past and present and each timeline is fascinating. I found myself wanting to read the next chapter to see what would happen next.

I really enjoyed the main characters and this book took its time developing them. Vienna is all sorts of complicated, and I loved every minute of it. You never know who to watch out for in this book.

Overall, this is a pretty fast-paced read. The characters were complex, and the plot was well thought out. I would recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC to review. All opinions are my own. This book is available today, July 16, 2024!

It was a dream come true…until it became a nightmare. Best friends Vienna and Madison are about to achieve their dream. Their band is about to hit it big. They should be celebrating a bright future, but when a blizzard sends off the road in the mountains their future, their very survival, can be measured in hours. Now maybe it was because I was reading this one in the middle of a major storm (I had no power and the wind outside was howling) but I really got into this one. The story was intense and so many of the twists took me by surprise. It’s clear that fame is a dangerous beast! I believe this is my first time reading Hannah Mary McKinnon and I have to say I’m quite impressed and look forward to checking out more of her work. I’d like to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Only One Survives.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R34EWZZUNLXQBD/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This was not at all the story I was expecting from the synopsis. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more had I not gone in with different expectations. Not so spoiler alert, the majority of it doesn’t take place at the cabin. It’s not really a survival thriller like I thought it was going to be. There's a lot of backstory about Vienna and Madison growing up and forming the band. Then there's a lot of present day after the accident, with few flashbacks to the actual accident. The story becomes more about toxic friendships, the price of fame and fortune gone wrong, what people are willing to do to both obtain and maintain it. I found myself wanting to skim by the end. It was all just a little underwhelming to me. I have one particular gripe about it that is somewhat spoilery, so I’ll hide it here: I like unreliable narrators when they’re done right, but in this case it pissed me off. It wasn’t a known thing from the beginning, and instead I felt duped by the author when halfway through it was like… just kidding, this character isn’t at all like I told you they were, for the first 200 pages I was lying to you. And when that understanding and connection I’d been building with the character got ripped away, I was left not knowing how to feel anymore. Overall, it was just okay for me.

4.5 stars
Today is Bittersweet day!
It seems like ages ago when Hannah Mary McKinnon announced the plot of Only One Survives, and I've been anxiously awaiting since!
I love books about bands (Opal &Nev, Daisy Jones et al.) and once I found out her newest thriller centered on all-woman band The Bittersweet, I was hooked without needing one detail more.
Only One Survives is very well my new favourite of Hannah Mary's.
So join me in meeting the band - Vienna, Madison, Isabel, Gabi and Evelina.
This book is out today. (As I semi-creepily peer out the window anxiously awaiting my pre-order copy to land at my doorstep...)
And don't miss the Spotify playlist to accompany the book, picked by the author herself, along with original lyrics!
Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollinsca @htpbooks for my eARC for preview.

What really happened to The Bittersweet? I'd love to blurt out every juicy detail; you've got to read the thrilling story for yourself!

Picture this - an all-female band on the brink of stardom. They're on their way to an event when disaster strikes - their vehicle veers off a remote mountain road, and things turn dark. There's a fatal accident and a chilling disappearance.

From there, it's a heart-pounding tale of survival, friendship, and betrayal. With shifting timelines and unexpected twists, you'll be on the edge of your seat as the band members face one harrowing ordeal after another.

But that's just the start - the narrative delves deep into the complex relationship between the two lead members, Madison and Vienna. Once the action kicks off, you'll be unable to put the book down. "Only One Survives" is a story that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster - wild, intoxicating, and utterly captivating.

Although I have most of Ms. McKinnon's books on my TBR list, I was shocked to find this is the first I've read! I'm so impressed by this book and her kindness that I'll move them up on my list.

Thanks to the author and HTP Books/Mira for providing an ARC of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

#OnlyOneSurvives #HannahMaryMcKinnon #htpbooks #MIRA #htpinfluencer #pulsepoint #thepulse #thrillerbooklovers #thehive

Only One Survives is the perfect story of the ugly side of fame, and the lengths some will go to gain and keep it.

Firstly, I love how ambiguous the blurb is and how the foreshadowing gives nothing away while maintaining a lovely level of creepiness and foreboding. For a while I didn’t know if this was going to be a ghost story, if one of the characters was murdering the others, or if it was an outside person who had happened upon their unfortunate party.
The book is told in alternating timelines, before the accident the Bittersweet suffers and the years leading up to it, and after. We get amazing unreliable narrating and villains, toxic relationships, and a good look into what fame does to a person. The intensity throughout was so well done, I read this book in 2 sittings in 12 hours after having been in a slump.
The outcome was SHOCKING, and the final twist at the end was even more shocking despite having guessed at it previously.

I loved this book, I couldn’t put it down from start to finish and I’ve already added the author’s backlog to my TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 7/16/24

Thank you so much to HTP Books for the ARC!

This was such a fun and twisty read! I absolutely loved it!

Just when I thought I had everything figured out, McKinnon threw me a major curve ball and I LOVED the plot twists! And yes, twists plural because they just kept coming!

When a girl band crashes their car and ends up stranded in the snow, they take shelter at a nearest place they can find, an abandoned cabin in the woods. The stress and fear brings out the absolute worst in some of them and reveals what they have been hiding all along.

The story alternates between current day and past timelines in short chapters that had me flipping pages so quickly! The character building was done so well as they were all unique and easily distinguishable! If you're looking for a perfect thriller you won't be able to put down, this is it!

This one stars with an interesting premise, all female band started by two best friends, a car accident, major snowstorm, secluded cabin, one missing… sounds good right?!

Part 1 had me hooked, the story started in the present with an article/blog about the band and a tragedy. It then flips back to the past prior to the accident - how the two friends came to meet and their shared loved of music and the making of the band. The writing was smooth, I enjoyed the back and forth in timelines, the addition of social media comments and activity was fun, it was very well done…

Part 2 is where I start to lose interest…without giving anything away, I just didn’t believe it, the twist felt unbelievable to me based on the behavior and thoughts in part 1. It started to feel predictable and I figured what happened towards the end was inevitable… it was a little over the top for me and it just kept getting more ridiculous as it went on (400 pages)…

The grand reveal happened early and was not convincing based on the flow of the first part and the end was inevitable, no shock factor. The first half of the book was great, the second, not so much. Still a good read, but just adjust expectations on plausibility.

As mentioned, I do enjoy the writing and will read future work by this author. You Will Remember Me remains my favorite Hannah Mary McKinnon book to date.

Thank-you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC!

Synopsis: A tragic accident on a remote mountain road leaves an up-and-coming girl band stranded - and not everyone will make it out alive.

Thoughts: Well this was a wild ride! It has been awhile since the twists in a thriller got me this good! Without delving into spoiler territory here, I will say that this one had me questioning who to trust and totally shocked me - I read a lot of thrillers and thought it was pretty unique. It’s a binge-able page turner of a read with both the thriller aspect and the relationships and drama between the band mates.

Read this if you like:
❄️ locked-room style mysteries
❄️ twisty thrillers
❄️ music groups
❄️ dual timelines

This was such a fun and twisty thriller that was full of suspense. It had me sucked in from page one, and I didn’t want to put this book down. I loved that the characters were members of a female rock band because that brought some tension to the story. The way it was written was utterly unique, and had me captivated throughout.

The build up in part one was done so well, and the creepiness of the scenes after the accident had me on edge. Then part two starts, and I was totally shocked. I can’t say much more without giving things away, but I will say that this book rocked (pun intended)! The writing was phenomenal, and although it was my first book by McKinnon, it certainly won’t be my last!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Book: Only One Survives
Author: Hannah Mary McKinnon
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Mira, for sending me an ARC. I cannot remember the last time I would give star reviews back to back. This was an edge-of-your-seat, exciting, and well-done thriller. I have read a few other thrillers by Hannah Mary McKinnon and enjoyed them all. I came into this one with high expectations and it did not disappoint.

In this one, we follow Vienna, who was a member of an up-and-coming all-female band called the Bittersweet. The key word here is was. The band was hit with a tragedy, in which all the members either died or disappeared. That is all, but Vienna and a documentary flimmer. Madison, Vienna’s best friend, is missing and is believed to have had something to do with the tragedy. Part of what happened to the band is weather-related. The roads were bad and their car ended up sliding off the road. It is what happened afterwards that has people talking. Vienna wants to be famous, but not in this way. She starts to write a book to work through what has happened. The problem is trying to figure out what is fact and what is fiction.

One thing I liked about this was it was told in then and now. Sometimes I am not a huge fan of this, but found that it worked well for this story. We get to see everything that got us to this point. Now, of course, this is being told from Vienna’s point of view. Everything is twisted in a way that is fitting for her. We have to work through what is real and what is not. All of it is played out in a very convincing way. We see how our characters are viewed by Vienna and are put into this story that she wants to tell. What I mean by that is to keep in mind that Vienna is writing a book. Of course, what she puts on paper is going to be the version that she wants to tell.

Vienna is driven. She is the one who comes from the wrong side of the tracks. Her mom and stepfather would rather visit the bar than be a parent. Her mother always sides with her stepfather on anything. She is abused and feeling worthless. The only thing she has going for her is her Grams and drumming. It is drumming that brings her and Madison together. Madison is rich and everything that Vienna is not. Yet, their love for music brings them together and sparks a very unlikely friendship. When Vienna’s grandma passes, she moves in with Madison. Madison is having trouble at university and her life is spiralling. Her parents notice, but they don’t know that Vienna is living with her. If they did, they would only blame her for Madison’s behaviour. Their moving in with each other does spark the music again.

Both have different views on how to do the music, but they do end up forming a band. This band is all female. We get to see the highs and lows, the good and the bad. We get to see how having more women in the mix changes Vienna and Madison’s relationship and dynamic. We know that Madison wants to be famous and Vienna wants to make music. There are disagreements. It gets to the point where we can see that everything is in trouble. Then, the accident happens. The events that transpire from it make sense from the story. Once again, we have to figure out what is real and what isn’t. It makes for a very twisty story.

One thing that I did not like about this was the fact that the big reveal comes a little over halfway through the book. I know I gave it a five-star rating, but it’s something that I don’t like in thrillers. Now, I will say the way Hannah carried out the second half of the book was strong and very well done.

Overall, I did enjoy this one a lot. If you like twisty and fame-driven stories, you will like this one.

This book comes out on July 16, 2024.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/_DZ7xj5AvHw

Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a very highly recommended, remarkable, twisty psychological thriller. Once I started reading Only One Survives it was impossible to put this excellent thriller down.

After the two discovered their similar interest in music while in high school, drummer Vienna Taylor and guitarist Madison Pierce became best friends and began playing music together. After high school they briefly formed a duo called EmVee. Their success led them to form an all-female rock band called The Bittersweet, with some resistance from Madison, that also took off with a record deal. As they are heading up in the Catskills to a party to celebrate their success, their van crashes in a blizzard. They are injured and need to find some where to shelter - and not everyone will survive.

The writing is absolutely brilliant and exceptional! I was engrossed throughout the whole novel. The narrative unfolds in dual timelines following Vienna and Madison and all the events along their path to fame that lead them to the struggle to survive. The plot in both timelines is equally compelling and captivating. To avoid spoilers I can't say too much more, but there are several huge, jaw-dropping twists that occur - HUGE ones that make you gasp and reread what you just read as your head threatens to explode.

There is a large cast of characters but it is easy to follow who is who and where they fit into the plot. Vienna and Madison are both depicted as fully realized, flawed, realistic individuals.

If you like music and psychological thrillers with twists, you have to read Only One Survives. Thanks to MIRA Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

3 stars

This is a fascinating premise, but like some of the characters' plans, the execution can be fine-tuned.

Vienna and Madison have been friends for years, and that's been especially important for Vienna, who struggles to make lasting and meaningful friendships. Between a difficult home life and a generally unusual way of approaching her circumstances, Vienna has NOT been set up for success. However, with Madison's help and their joint love of music, she persists.

The novel begins with a terrible car crash in which all members of the band Vienna and Madison are in are seriously injured, at least. Readers learn everything in relation to the accident as each chapter begins with a note about the number of days to or since the accident. While this timeline works well, the pacing is challenging. The accident is shocking and scary, and the immediate aftermath is suspenseful. Then, the characters and events become, respectively, challenging to root for and a bit too slow to roll out.

There are some significant turns toward the end of the novel, and transparently, if I had not been reading an advanced copy (I REALLY try not to DNF these under any circumstances), I do not think I'd have persisted when some of the big reveals and motivations behind them came to light. Things get...heavy handed.

I enjoyed the concept and elements of the characters and plot, so I'll give this author another try, but I won't be making my most enthusiastic recs for this one.

If you are looking for a mystery/thriller that will truly surprise you, this is it. Vienna Taylor, from a poor background, and privileged Madison Pierce are unlikely best friends, but their love of music brought them together and keeps them bonded even when things get tough. They first form a duo and then add new members and become a very successful female rock/pop group. While on their way from New York City to the Catskills for an industry holiday party, they're in a car accident and become stranded in an abandoned cabin during a blizzard and not everyone will survive.

The main characters in this book are memorable and I enjoyed following their ups and downs. There is one person in Vienna's life that is such a one-dimensional villain, it's hard to take some of the actions seriously even though they were appalling. Some other things appear to be predictable, but I soon learned that appearances can be deceiving!

Since the story involves a pop/rock band and has some multimedia elements (podcast transcripts, newspaper articles, social media comments), some readers have made comparisons to Daisy Jones and the Six, which is still on my #tbrlist. The cabin scenes have vibes that remind me of the TV series Yellowjackets, as you're wondering who will survive and what is really going on. Besides the current timeline dealing with the accident and the aftermath, there is a past timeline that talks about earlier events in Vienna and Madison's lives. I love being surprised and this twist is very unexpected, but it also made me a little sad when the truth was revealed. I can't say too much more without spoiling the shocking plot turn, but even the most seasoned thriller fan will do a double-take when it occurs.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley, HTP Books, and MIRA. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

Stars: 2.5
Synopsis: Up-and-coming female rock group and longtime friends Madison and Vienna have been through a lot together. Having navigated strained family relationships, they take solace in their friendship while foraging a path together, as bonded as sisters. When tragedy strikes during the trip to their upcoming gig, the group is left stranded and physically in bad shape. As these friends are pushed beyond breaking points, their true nature is revealed, and relationships dissolve quickly.
Format: E-Book
Review: It starts with a bang and I was engrossed. I read this book in one sitting, and the multiple shifts in the timeline had me turning pages as quickly as I could. The friendships are dynamic, and uncovering this group's history had me devouring this book. While I was quickly hooked, a little over halfway in, things took an unfortunate turn. I wouldn't say I like it when the writing feels like there is a deliberate attempt to explain every thought and decision a character makes…the over-explanation in the second half was a real detriment to the pacing of the overall story and felt extremely repetitive. This book has so much potential. The beginning was great. I wish the second half had held up and been able to deliver the way the first half had.
Pros: I love multiple timelines, the backstory of the main characters, and books with girls misbehaving. The first half was fantastic. The development of the relationship between these two best friends, as well as Vienna's relationship with her Gram, felt natural and, honestly, a little relatable. I also enjoyed all the band and pop culture references, including the blog-style comments shared throughout.
Cons: I loved this book out of the gate. Unfortunately, shortly after the halfway mark, things started to feel repetitive, and the plot took some very elaborate turns. I loved the idea of the obsession with social media, but it became exhausting, and I wanted to skim large sections (which I didn’t do…but wish I had). On a funny note, every time I read a book with an unreliable narrator, I always walk about thinking about an episode of Scooby Doo… the reference, whether inadvertently or not, wasn’t lost on me.
Recommend(Yes/No/Maybe): No for me, but maybe for you. This book has so much potential but ultimately fell short. If you like books that take the time to share every internal dialogue a character has and lay out every plot point to tie up all the extraneous details, this book might be for you.
Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me the opportunity to review the title.

Right from the beginning, a dual timeline plot pulled me into Vienna and Madison's toxic relationship and gave me a front-row seat to its shift - from friendship to potential fame.

But, it was the actual plot that gripped me. Part One established everything leading up until the accident, and Part Two slapped me with a twist that had me gasping. Dark, intense, perfectly plotted, and with an eerie setting, this book captured me completely. The reveal really made the story, so I'm avoiding saying anything more. If you love stories about talented girl groups and fame-hungry characters, this book is going to do it for you. It even has my favorite trope of them all: the locked-room, closed-circle murder mystery. Sure, the book isn't perfect, but it's thrilling and unexpected. Highly recommend!

“Only One Survives” is a unique thriller that had many twists and turns along the way, and I’m surprised to say that I have never quite read anything like it!

Main character, Vienna, tells the story of her music career from the beginning up to the tragic accident involving her and her band members. As a reader, we know from the beginning that she is the only supposed survivor- what we don’t know is how and why? Throughout the novel, we as the reader are left to navigate the present with the past and put the pieces back together and figure out what happened.

Overall Thoughts: (including why it received it’s rating)
Rating 3.5/5

The first half of the book took me by storm. Starting with the dramatic car crash on page one, we are immediately, as readers, left to wonder, “how did we get here?” Immediately thrusted into the past, the book took me on a wild ride, always wanting more, and constantly trying to find clues about how the accident started. With the boo being from the first person point of view, we deeply learned the thoughts of one character, and I found this to be an effective way to communicate emotions of the story. Finding out the whole first part of the novel was actually a manipulation of the true story leaves me to wonder “what really ever happened?” This was such a unique question to have as a reader!

What I didn’t like was that after we found out who the killer was, it felt like the novel started to fall flat a bit. Characters had already developed, so we were left analyzing the psychotic behavior of our killer which made the book hard to relate to. Some instances felt far-fetched and unrealistic, but I did love that the book explored the effect of fame and lack of privacy on seemingly the most normal of people. Toying with this from the beginning through the end of the novel was the string that held this story all together for me.

Overall this is a read that I would recommend to friends and family that were looking for a twisty, thought-provoking thriller!

ONLY ONE SURVIVES is the latest twisty thriller by Hannah Mary McKinnon. I have loved all of this author’s books and this one is no exception. Vienna Taylor and Madison Pierce have been best friends since high school. Vienna is a drummer and Madison is a guitarist. Despite the differences in their backgrounds, the pair form a duo that quickly gains popularity on the music scene. Soon they add three additional members and their all-female pop rock band, The Bittersweet, is poised for stardom. To celebrate signing a recording deal, the band is invited to a party in the Catskills. Accompanied by Libby, a young woman assigned to film a documentary about the band, they head for the mountains, only to be involved in a devastating crash on the icy roads. One band member is dead at the scene and another is severely injured. The remaining members find an abandoned cabin where they hope to shelter from the blizzard until they can call for help. But something unusual begins happening in the cabin. One by one, members of the band are dying and when help finally arrives, Madison has disappeared. What really happened on that snowy night? As the story unfolds, we learn the story of the past and what led up to the events of the present. I enjoyed this atmospheric story and the unpredictable twists and turns blew me away. This is another winner for Hannah Mary McKinnon and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Highly recommended! Thank you to the author publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.