Hannah Mary McKinnon takes readers on quite a wild journey that will leave readers shocked in this Rock n Roll themed thriller!

This thriller, told in multiple time frames follows two friends, who form a music group in high school into their adult lives as they expand the group. As they are taking off, the group is in a car accident that changes the entire course of their lives. The dual timelines really gives good perspective on the two main characters: Vienna and Madison.

The dual timeline set ups for the present day story that left me in a jaw dropped reaction. I had to go back and reread what had happened because I couldn’t believe the turn the book took at first. This was a fantastic, well written thriller!

Thanks you to Netgalley, Hannah Mary McKinnon and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital ARC of Only One Survives!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a thriller junkie and this 'locked room' suspenseful thriller ticked all the boxes with a bit of rock and roll thrown in!

Vienna and Madison have been friend since high school. Fast-forward a few years and the women start an all female band that takes off. When the band suffers a tragic car accident in upstate NY during a blizzard, one band member dies in the crash. The remaining band members seek refuge in an abandoned cabin where more tragedy strikes.

This fast paced thriller is told flashbacks, detailing the relationship between Vienna and Madison, which sets the stage for the tumultuous events that occur present day, with at least one defining moment that has the desired effect of a “what just happened” reaction! This is a highly enjoyable and entertaining book.

This is a quick, suspenseful story with an interesting music element as main character Vienna relates the ups and downs along the way to being part of a band on the rise when a horrifying car accident and its follow up lead to the death or disappearance of all the other band members. While I personally felt that it landed a bit to heavily on the predictable side, Vienna is one of those characters that does a great job carrying the story and is pretty memorable.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. I enjoyed a different plot this time, something new. Also enjoyed the time back and forth, and the characters, as I got to know each one, and what they had been through together. A little slow paced, but good overall. I did get confused at the end.

✨ 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ✨

Only One Survives
Hannah Mary McKinnon

Whew! Hannah Mary McKinnon. What. A. Ride!

This book starts off with a BANG! It continues to deliver twist after twist that I did not see coming. This story is told in dual timelines- past and present. Which helps the reader get a full picture into the two main characters lives - Vienna and Madison.

To be honest there were a few times I felt the story slow a bit. It was right then that there was another twist. That of course I didn’t see coming.

I am always super impressed when an author writes such an intriguing storyline. Each aspect depending on the thing before. Almost as if they wrote the story backwards. This book was just that!

Only One Survives definitely creeped me out. If you’re a normal person that can watch horror movies then it probably won’t creep you out. 😂 I’m just a baby.

What a wild ride this latest from Canadian Hannah Mary McKinnon was!! A perfect mix of Daisy Jones and the Six for the modern age combined seamlessly with an unexpected serial killer and survival story all rolled into one.

Full of twists and turns and jaw-dropping reveals I never saw coming (a few I did), this book takes on the high cost of fame and ambition and just what toll it can take on those who sacrifice everything in its pursuit.

HIGHLY recommended, this is a compelling, unputdownable must-read summer thriller you don't want to miss! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! Only one survives is by far my new favorite from McKinnon!

Vienna and Madison expand their music duo into a girl pop-rock band, ready for their big break. On the way to an event, the van transporting the band crashes, leaving some stranded, injured, and dead in the midst of a snowstorm. When help finally comes, only one girl remains - and another is missing. This story gives you a glimpse into the past and the events that led up to the crash, showing us how not everything is what it seems.

👏🏼💐👏🏼💐 - This is for you HMM cause 🤯. This threw me for a loop! I loved this. I have a deep appreciation for whatever genre/plot/trope includes fictional celebrities, so I was immediately hooked. I thought this would be a story about survival, but the twists completely threw me! I almost got mad cause I really felt tricked at one point, haha. I don’t wanna spoil for anyone reading this, but it’s definitely a MUST

I just finished this so I have a lot of unpolished emotions… I’ll start with saying this was a quick read. A definite page-turning thriller with multiple timelines and a questionable narrator. This novel showed so much promise. I was excited and on the edge of my seat for the answers and twists… until about 70% through. At this point, it took a weird turn. The ending felt disappointing and the last 30% felt like extra filler that I could’ve done without. Overall, a mostly interesting and thrilling read.

4.25 Stars!!

This one is such a wild ride full of suspense! You’ll believe one thing at one moment and then suddenly doubt it the next.

The first half with flashbacks to the past was a little more slow paced, but then halfway through when it switches to the present fully, the pace really picks up!

I enjoyed the inclusion of the newspaper articles and radio interviews. I liked the eerie and creepy atmospheric setting at the cabin- I do wish more of the story was in this setting though than it had been.

Definitely recommend checking this one out- a bingeable read!🖤

Rating 4.25⭐

Only One Survives, a gripping psychological thriller by Hannah Mary McKinnon, unfolds a suspenseful narrative.  The story revolves around Vienna, who narrates most of the events from her perspective.  It's a dual-timeline saga of a girl with a tumultuous past carving her path in the music industry until a tragic car accident involving the entire band changes everything.

There's a wealth of details I'm eager to share, but I'm mindful of the need to avoid spoilers.  This story is easily spoiled, but I've taken great care to respect your reading experience. These are the best kind of thrillers, after all! You can trust that I won't give away any crucial plot points.

The character development in this book is truly captivating. The characters are multi-layered, adding to the tragic, disturbing, yet thrilling nature of the story.  

The fast-paced narrative is filled with shocking twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This book is a rollercoaster of suspense and thrill, from the tragic car accident to the revelations about the characters' past.  What thriller addict (like me)  doesn't love that?

Lastly, I'm still thinking about that ending, and it's been days since I finished the book.  I won't spoil it, but I will say that it's a fitting conclusion to the story. The characters are developed so well that it's easy to feel empathy for them, and the ending ties up their arcs in a specific way - whether it's satisfying or not - you will just have to decide for yourself. It's a testament to the book's lasting impact, that I'm still reflecting on it.

I At its core, this is a good book. I think most people will enjoy it. It’s like if Daisy Jones and the Six met a thriller book. The book follows a girl band who are traveling in upstate New York during a snowstorm and it ends in a car crash. However this one felt off for me. I think it was a mix of the writing style and the fact that the “twist” or “reveal” happened earlier in the book than I was expecting. I think the suspense of what happened could’ve been drawn out just a bit more to increase the tension as the atmosphere was one of best parts of the book. I also had a bit of a hard time keeping the characters separate as I think they were just a bit too similar. Overall, a unique premise mixed with some common thriller elements this was an entertaining book! Thanks to NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.75/5 Stars

Um. So when they say dnf books? Yeah I can't do that but this probably would've been I'd dnf. But I have to say the last like 4 chapters? Not expected and actually some what decent.

My biggest struggle was the writing. It felt like a 16 year old wrote it and I guess that kind of makes sense since the girls we start reading about were pretty young when the story started. The ending was pretty good because I wasn't expecting it but the dual timelines just did not work. Instead of building character dimensions it built lots of confusion and extra pages unnecessarily.

If Regina George wrote a book and was a
Sociopath, this would be it.

Sorry netgalley & author. But just not my cup of tea.

I enjoyed the beginning of “Only One Survives” as it started right in the middle of the action and the accident the band was involved in. As the story went on though, I just couldn’t find any likable qualities in the main characters and so as the different twists occurred, I found myself not really caring what happened to them. While I think many will find this a thrilling and entertaining read, I found it rather predictable and was just looking forward to starting my next book by the end. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was invited to the Blog Tour for this title. The link to my blog below.
Publication Date: July 16th, 2024
Only One Survives
By Author Hannah Mary McKinnon


https://wendyreadsandwrites.blogspot.com/2024/07/blog-tour-only-one-survives-novel-by.html

This is frightening, intense, heart throbbing, perfectly executed, riveting mystery keeps astonishing you with well thrown, calculated twists on your way at the moments you never expected!

Unreliable villanelles, toxic, dysfunctional relationships, surprising revelations keep you at the edge of your seats!

This is addictive ride you don’t want to put it down till you reach the perfect ending! It’s so freaking good!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my review.

I do not believe I was the target audience for this book. I almost had to DNF, but I wanted to push through and prove myself wrong. This book reads much more YA, which I am not a fan of. I also found the plot somewhat confusing to follow while also being extremely repetitive. The narrator was just gaslighting us throughout the entire book. I can't get down with an unreliable narrator. I feel as though this book would be much more suited for a YA audience.

This was the first book I’ve read by Hannah Mary McKinnon and I can’t wait to read more! It gave all the pop-rock vibes! Only One Survives follows two best friends, Vienna & Madison, as they navigate fulfilling their dreams of performing in a band together. How far will they go to become famous?

I really enjoyed the alternating timelines before the accident and the present. It brought a back story to the characters and the dynamic of their friendship. I also loved the media elements!

Thank you to netgalley and harlequin trade publishing for the opportunity to read this e-arc!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and MIRA Books for the early release of Only One Survives. I enjoyed this book giving it a solid 3.5 stars. Once I was hooked I wanted to find out what really happened and how it was all going to come together in the end.

As a reader who loves and reads many thrillers it is difficult to shock me while reading this genre. I was not overly stunned when the twist happened I thought it could be possible but wasn’t one hundred percent sure. Some little things also threw me for a loop that I did not see coming.

If you like music bands, creepy cabins, wintry woods, and unreliable characters then this book is for you!

This book follows two young women who become friends after an altercation in high school going from enemies to fast friends. They both have a love for music and decide to make a musical duo that eventually becomes a five person band. One of the girls comes from money while the other comes from a broken home filled with no luxuries. They each get a taste of the fame and want it more than anything. What is the limit of fame and what are you willing to do to have your name in lights and on headlines even if it’s negative infamous attention?

Find out soon when you pick up this book that comes out this Tuesday 7/16! It’s a great mystery that will have you second guessing everything!

An author whose books I will always read is Hannah Mary McKinnon. Her newest novel is Only One Survives, and it centers on a band named Bittersweet and a terrible accident on a snowy night.

I love the author’s writing, and she knows how to build suspense keeping the reader engaged. I enjoyed the first part of the book and was totally into it. There is nothing better than a locked room thriller, in this case, an abandoned cabin during a snowstorm.

All drummer Vienna Taylor ever wanted was to make music. If that came with fame, she’d take it — as long as her best friend, guitarist Madison Pierce, was sharing the spotlight and singing lead. And with their new all-female pop rock band gaining traction, soon everyone would hear their songs…

Except, on the way to an event, the Bittersweet’s van careened off an icy mountain road during a blizzard — leaving one member dead and another severely injured.

In order to survive the frigid night, the rest took shelter in a nearby abandoned cabin. But Vienna’s dreams devolved into a terrifying nightmare as, one by one, her fellow band members met a gruesome end…and Madison simply vanished in the night.

What really happened to the Bittersweet? Did Vienna’s closest friend finally decide to take center stage on her own terms?

She doesn’t want to believe it.

But guilty people run.

So what is the price of fame? Can the cost be too high? That’s the focus of Hannah Mary McKinnon’s latest thriller ONLY ONE SURVIVES. This one had me on the edge of my seat throughout.

Vienna Taylor is just a songwriting drummer who only wants to play music. That’s it! Not too much to ask, right? If fame comes along for the ride, it is what it is. She just wants to play music with her best friend, lead guitarist/singer, Madison Pierce. But Madison is a ‘good girl’ who does what her rich father demands under threat of his withdrawal of financial support if she doesn’t go to college at NYU. Struggling, financially strapped Vienna remains home with her irresponsible mother so that she can care for her beloved grandmother. When she passes away, Vienna leaves town and her mother in the dust and heads to Madison and their music. As they start to make a name for themselves, Vienna unilaterally decides to expand the band. Madison is resistant to her idea from the get-go and becomes somewhat of a diva among the band mates. It also seems that she is jealous of Vienna’s attentions being on anyone or anything other than her.

When their van careens off an icy road one night, one of the members dies and the others take shelter from a storm in an abandoned cabin. BUT, what evil lurks within the walls? As the remaining band members meet untimely ends, Vienna and a documentary research assistant, Libby are locked in the cabin’s basement and Madison disappears. When Vienna ’saves’ Libby and they escape the house of horrors, Vienna’s fame skyrockets. Promising a tell all about the incident, Vienna remains in the news and the country is searching for Madison. There’s only one person who really knows what happened in that cabin and she’s not talking.

As I said, this one had me from beginning to end. I love stories about the quest for fame and glory. Throw an all girl rock band and murder into the mix and I’m all in. As usual, the author’s writing is clear and concise. I could feel the tension mount and the cold of trekking through the blizzard in search of help. I will continue to keep Hannah Mary McKinnon as one author I look forward to reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.