“Only One Survies” by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a thrill of a roller coaster ride of a read. While one of the reviews suggests this is for fans of “Daisy Jones and the Six,” I’d say that while it is about the forming of an all female retro rock band, that’s about the only similarity. This book is divided into two timelines - before the accident and after. The reader follows Vienna through her life - her not great upbringing, meeting her best friend and eventual band-mate Madison, moving to New York City, playing and writing music, and being on the cusp of stardom — before the accident occurs. After the accident, Vienna tries to cope with losing her bandmates and her missing best friend … and avoid suspicion from the police. As the story unfolds the reader learns that all that is presented is not quite as it seems. This was a rather quick and engrossing read and I liked the twists and turns (though some was predictable, but it didn’t deter from my enjoyment of the overall story).

Only One Survives is a thrilling exploration of how far people will go to be famous, and the toll it takes on friendships, and in this case with deadly consequences. I devoured this book and just when I thought I had it all figured out a new twist would emerge.

Read this if you like:
-multiple timelines
-unreliable narrator
-rock and roll scene with an all girl band
-snippets of media as added storytelling device
-toxic female friendships
-the price of fame
-people with secrets and lies and are not who they appear to be
-survival after car crash in snowstorm trope
-creepy isolated, dilapidated cabin in a snowstorm
-twists and turns with a satisfying ending

My rating: 4 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC that will be released July 16 2024.

Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a captivating & thrilling mystery that will grab your attention within the first chapter. It is a fascinating mix of almost horror meets mystery meets thriller plus add in a wild adventure of a successful all girl band turned tragedy.

Only One Survives is great for fans of…
🎵 Thrilling Mystery
🎵 Multiple Timelines
🎵 True Crime Reporting in the Internet Age
🎵 All Girl Band
🎵 Twists & Turns

I give a round of applause for the fascinating mix of music & thrilling mystery that will captivate readers. I love a good twisted mystery & this totally delivers on that.

If you enjoy music, mystery, twists & thrillers, Only One Survives is a great recommendation!


Massive thanks to NetGalley & MIRA
for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Thank you to Hannah Mary McKinnon, Netgalley and HTP/MIRA for this ARC - one of my favorite reads this year!!

”Beware: some liars tell the truth…”

All Vienna Taylor wants to do is play the drums and break into the music business. Her best friend, singer and guitarist Madison Pierce, is more about fame that comes along with making music. As they hone their crafts and add three members to their band, they are on the precipice of something huge. With a hit song and record deal on the horizon, when the girl band is invited to a party with other musicians, they have to go - even though the blizzard conditions make it less than ideal to travel. Their car goes careening off the road, killing one girl and leaving two others wounded. The remaining girls hole up in a secluded cabin to wait out the storm. But Vienna and the band’s documentary assistant are the only people who make it out of the cabin alive.

When I tell you I devoured this book, I mean I literally could not put it down! Told over dual timelines, Vienna’s back story is laid out in the form of her memoir, as she and Libby (their friend who was filming a documentary about them) try to piece together what happened that night in the cabin. The public at large - which was quite taken with the girl band - all have their own opinions too. People quickly and vocally pick sides - either Team Madison or Team Vienna. That added such a fun extra layer to this story! With nonstop action and revelations, the pacing was pure perfection. And the final twists and turns had my jaw dropping!

We have been talking about this book quite a lot at The Pulse - it has been such a fun one to discuss! “Only One Survives” release July 16, 2024. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

This book was impossible to put down. I loved the flashbacks between what was currently happening. I just felt like the book was too long and the twists were just a little much. Bit the first 60% of the book was fabulous.

I'd been very much looking forward to reading Hannah Mary McKinnon's books having heard great things about "The Revenge List".

More than anything, this book is about the friendship between musicians Vienna Taylor and Madison Pierce and the events leading up to an accident with their band in which one of them survives. I enjoyed the first half of the book which I thought was laying great groundwork, getting us to know the characters very well and building the suspense.

But the second half was long and tiring. I started to see what was happening and found things to be repetitive and dull. If the book had kept up the narrative pace of the first half, we could have something really special here.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the e-copy!

I had to DNF this book at 28%

I was trying to force myself to keep reading and that's just not an enjoyable time. It's a little hard to get through to be honest.

The beginning hooked me and then we started to get into the characters more. Mainly about Madison from Vienna's perspective. I like Vienna but something about Madison makes me uncomfortable. Perhaps that's what the author wants but I couldn't just keep reading and enjoying it. I felt the dynamic was strange, like Vienna was hopelessly in love with Madison and couldn't see how flawed she was. It seemed childish and foolish to maintain a friendship that controls you through money while being wholly ungrateful for their own life. It's sad to watch unfold and I just couldn't care about them any more.

Thanks for letting me read it, just not for me.

After a car crash on a snowy road leaves all 5 members of the newly formed band The Bittersweet stranded in a cabin Vienna fights to survive and keep her friends alive.

This book highlights the flaws of fame and by switching between past and present lets the story naturally unwravel.

The plot was gripping and I was totally engrossed in the characters. A great thriller read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I am truly sorry, but there is just not enough disbelief in the world for me to suspend in order to buy into everything that happened in this book. Every single twist was beyond farfetched and ridiculous. I cannot recommend this one at all.

This was an ARC from NetGalley. That being said, this book is in need of some heavy editing. The typos and formatting errors made it very hard to get through this book. Then moving on to the plot, it felt far too long for the story being told. The plot twist happened in the middle of the story, and was very difficult to but into. It It didn't feel unique or believable. There needed to be more revisiting the first half, and applying the new point of view. Instead, it felt like two different stories. This needs a lot of work to be memorable to its audience.#netgalley #harlequin #bittersweet #onlyonesurvives #thriller #mystery

Who would you become on your rise to fame? This book explores two girls on a race to stardom with shocking twists along the way. Just when you thought you had solidified your opinions of the characters and situations, you experience whiplash as you learn things are not what they seem. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. There are quite a few characters to keep track of but they are well developed and each have their unique flaws and secrets. The timeline switch is brilliant and vital to piecing together the storyline. This was the first book I’ve read by Hannah Mary McKinnon and I will definitely read more books written by her.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Read this book if you like:
👈🏼👉🏼 whodunit
🎭 unreliable narrators
🎸 rock ‘n roll murder

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5

What could be more fun than a locked-room thriller starring an all girl band stuck together for the night due to a car accident. Loved the chills and thrills in this one! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Pub Date: July 16th, 2024

#NetGalley
#OnlyOneSurvives

Only One Survives
By Hannah Mary McKinnon
Review and Rating 3 ⭐️

I loved the idea of this thriller from the start, a new all girl pop rock group called the Bittersweet on the cusp of fame. They are on their way to an event during a blizzard when their van slides off an icy mountain road and one member ends up dead and another severely wounded.
They find an abandoned cabin to shelter in for the night but soon, one by one, the members of the Bittersweet meet gruesome ends until only one survives.
First off, I loved the all female rock group vibe and the multiple POVs and dual timelines.
It took me a little while to get into the first part of the book but after that I felt like it picked up and the twists and turns didn’t stop.
I also really enjoyed the locked room aspect of the story, trapped in a blizzard in the Catskills.
However, something about the second part of the book just didn’t work for me. I just found it to be so unbelievable. I enjoy unreliable narrators usually, but this felt a little out of left field to me. I think I am in the minority here as I have seen a lot of five star reviews. It was still an enjoyable read and I’m giving it 3 ⭐️.
If you enjoy locked room thrillers with an unreliable narrator, twists and turns galore with a side of toxic relationships and rock and roll go ahead and give this one a try!

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

An all girl band encounters a car accident on the way to an event, resulting in all the band members except one surviving. What really happened?

I can't rave enough about this book! I tore through it, having to know exactly what happened and when I got to the end, I was shocked! I always enjoy Hannah Mary McKinnon's books so I knew I was in for a good one before I even started this. The girl band theme was fantastic and I loved how different a setting it was for this thriller. With dual timelines of past and present, I guarantee you'll be on the edge of your seat as you read this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Mary McKinnon for the chance to read this ARC.

I love how Only One Survives has several genres in one! You get hooked in part one and connected to the characters, which is more fiction with some some drama and mystery. Then part two hits you with the twists and it's more thriller. I enjoyed the dynamics, characters, and twists so much in Only One Survives! I really enjoyed this read! Can't wait to read more from Mary!

Wow---what a book! I did not see the final twist coming at all. There were numerous times I couldn't guess what would happen next and had to pick my jaw up off the floor after reading. This book has everything that one could ask for in a thriller and manages to use an age old thriller trope as well. I loved the element of a murder mystery/thriller set in a secluded place--quite frankly my favorite kind of thriller. What sets this one apart is that it weaves the seclusion aspect into present day with great shifts in time and place.

Vienna Taylor is a high school graduate who just wants to make music. Madison Pierce is a goody-two-shoes in high school with Vienna who can carry a tune in a bucket. They become best friends and form a duo called "EmVee". Madison goes away to college and the dreams of becoming a real rock band fall away, but Vienna is not so quick to give up. She perseveres and forms a full band called "The Bittersweet" much to Madison's disliking initially. The group is destined for fame when a crash on their way to a party in the Catskills disrupts everything. The following is a story that will leave you begging for more and wondering whether fame is really worth all its cracked up to be.

I loved the alternating timeline and feel that it matched great with what the author was trying to accomplish. I also loved how much, even after knowing the truth, I still could feel empathy for the killer. I understood her struggle and could see her motive and intentions.

If you liked Daisy and the Six as well as thrillers--I could not recommend this book more for you. Pick it up!!

Hannah Mary McKinnon (favorite author) returns following The Revenge List with her knock-out thriller and ninth novel, ONLY ONE SURVIVES. From murder, rock n roll, mystery, toxic female relationships, and mayhem, prepare for a highly entertaining rockin' adventure!

Wildly delicious! In this intense, addictive, and flawlessly executed tale, the author cleverly explores the fame (the rise and fall) of an all-female pop rock group, Bittersweet. After a fatal car crash on icy roads, one of the members decides the band is now worth more dead than alive in this atmospheric, thrills-by-the-minute suspense.

About...

Set in Portland, Maine, New York City, and a remote cabin in the Catskill mountains, we meet Vienna Taylor, the drummer. She has always wanted to make music with her best friend, guitarist, Madison Pierce.

With their female additions to the band, Isabel Riotto, and sisters Gabi and Evelina Sevillano, they were the perfect blend of powerful women who sang, played, and wrote their own tracks. They were a killer rock group known as Bittersweet and soon became a whirlwind sensation among music fans.

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

They took shelter in a nearby abandoned remote cabin to survive the frigid night. But soon, their dreams of stardom turn into a terrifying nightmare as, one by one, her fellow band members meet a gruesome end…and Madison simply vanishes in the night.

Alternating from how Madison and Vienna's early complex relationship evolved to the tragic accident, leading up to (before and after), and the team member's deaths. The only survivors seem to be Vienna and the young documentary maker Libby since Madison seems missing.

"Be warned, even a small taste of fame will do stuff to you that you won't lie. It'll change you, make you ruthless. It already has."

Who is most desperate for fame, recognition, and checking social media constantly? What really happened to the Bittersweet? Did Vienna’s closest friend finally decide to take center stage on her own terms? Who among them is a cold-blooded killer? Their motive? Who will be the only one to survive?

My thoughts...

ONLY ONE SURVIVES is electrifying! Binge-worthy with a jaw-dropping shocking twist. A deep dive into female friendships, envy, and the price of fame.

McKinnon is at the top of her game with a creative killer murder mystery suspense thriller, twisty plot, well-developed characters, the writing of the impressive lyrics of Bittersweet for all the songs, a playlist, plus two alternating parts, commentary, blog posts, news articles, radio transcripts, and social media which enhances your reading experience.

Atmospheric, the cabin scene is bone-chilling. I adore the Catskills and could envision this vivid setting and the snow and ice. From unreliable narrators, toxic relationships, greed, betrayal, and jaw-dropping twists! You must read to find out who escaped the Bittersweet tragedy and how. What price will they pay for fame?

Topics: Jealousy, revenge, greed, envy, fame, betrayal, family, love, and friendship.

The author takes us back to Vienna's complex early days in her twenties, coming from a poor family with an abusive mother and her boyfriend, an absent father while trying to take care of her grandmother with dementia. Her best friend, Madison (rich), and her chance to move to NYC and their rock band.

Wildly entertaining! Nothing is as it seems in this riveting, creative, twisty thriller! An ideal choice for book clubs, music lovers, and further discussions. Be sure and check out her awesome book club kit! I am a huge fan of the author and have read all her books. I highly recommend this book! It is one of the summer's hottest titles, and you do not want to miss it.

Recs...

This is for fans of the author, Jenova Rose, Taylor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones & The Six, and Emma Cline's The Girls!

Interview...

Stay tuned for my upcoming #AuthorElevatorSeries Q&A Chat with Hannah and ONLY ONE SURVIVES! Behind the book and the author (July 25th).

Thanks to MIRA and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early review copy!

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: July 16, 2024
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This was good. It felt a little rushed at the end, and slow in the middle but I still enjoyed it. After the 50% mark i was hooked. The ending was pleasantly shocking.

This was soooo good!! I’ve never read a thriller like this. The dual timelines work perfectly with the story! I’m obsessed

I truly loved this book. The characters are believable, the storyline realistic. I did not figure it out until the very end. 4 stars.