Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. “Only One Survives” tells the story of Vienna Taylor and her band, Bittersweet, alternating timelines between the early formation of the group, and the aftermath of a tragic accident that later results in the deaths of several band members.

The narrative takes quite a turn shortly after the mid-way point, using a familiar thriller trope that creates a ‘Breaking Bad’ vibe to the story. The relatively early reveal leads to a somewhat slow, drawn-out denouement during the second half of the book.

Pacing issues aside, the characters are engaging and the ‘rise to fame’ complications are timely and relatable in today’s social media world. Overall, an enjoyable read and recommended for fans of the genre. 3.5 stars (rounded down to 3).

I want to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love Hannah Mary McKinnon and all books she has and could ever write! When I saw this arc in my inbox I jumped with excitement. I could not set this book down, I set all things aside to just disappear into this book. You get everything!!! Twists and turns, mystery, surprises and fear all mixed into one serving. You will be gripping the sides of your book, your chair or whatever is around you—all the way to the last page. You will be second guessing these characters and everything you think you know as you read. I loved this book and 10/10 recommend. Run fast and slap this book straight on your TBR.

I had requested this thinking it was an isolated who-dun-it cabin in the woods trope. Only about 1/4 of it is actually set there, but it goes along with the flashbacks of Vienna and Madison. (Which, I DID actually like the flashbacks and hearing about their past). The rest of the book is basically Vienna dealing with the aftermath of everything. The ending was definitely NOT what I was expecting, and who 'survives' was also not what I expected. I had to sit for awhile after that ending, tbh. I don't know if I hated it or loved it, lol. This book wasn't what I was expecting but I also think I'd read other books by this author still. Thank you to Netgalley, publisher, and author for this ARC.

Interesting premise that didn't quite meet my expectations.

Vienna Taylor had to grow up fast in less than ideal circumstances. When her beloved grandmother dies, Vienna finally leaves home to move to New York with her best friend from high school, Madison Pierce. We follow Vienna through the trials and tribulations of establishing a life in New York while Madison attends college and parties with her college friends. What Vienna really wants is to make music and finally, she gets a band together that seems like it's going to take off.

Just as the band is finding fans and support within the music industry, an accident on the way to a music event in the Catskills changes everything. Plunging temperatures and a blizzard force the band to take cover in an abandoned cabin in the woods. With no cell signal and several band members badly injured, it doesn't seem like things could get worse - until they do. Vienna's band members start to disappear. Can she find a way out before she is a victim?

I thought that this might be a closed circle mystery, with lots of time spent in the remote cabin where sinister and spooky things are happening. Then I thought that the story was actually about fame and how it can corrupt those that seem utterly incorruptible. Then I thought "ahh hah", it's actually a serial killer story where the big nasty conscience-free baddie is too smart to get caught and continues to kill with impunity.

It is none of those things. I'm hoping that from the description of my experience reading, you understand why I rated this book 2 1/2 stars. It had a lot of potential but in my opinion, struggled with it's identity. There were so many good things happening in the story, starting with the band being trapped in a cabin during a snow storm. There was an opportunity to really dig into the isolation, the creepiness of the situation and the fact that one of them is a murderer but that didn't happen. In my opinion, the cut over from the cabin to the next part of the book was awkward and I spent the rest of my reading time trying to figure out what this book wanted to be.

I think the potential in this book is amazing but it didn't quite get there for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, HTP Books and the author for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Daisy Jones twisted into a locked room mystery in a remote cabin. I read all the author’s other books, and I enjoyed this turn away from domestic thrillers. I’ll be eager to see what she does next.

the descriptions, title and the cover drew me into requesting this book and I was so exited to read it. I Reas about 30% of it and decided to not finish it because it wasn’t for me

love thrillers and I thought the concept was really nice but this book just didn’t keep me hooked in.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and MIRA for the ARC of this book. When I first started this book I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy it or not. I found the beginning a little slower then I would like with all the characters and the time jumping but once I figured out what was going on I honestly couldn’t put it down.

It was a fun read with a couple good twists. The twist in the middle of the book was definitely my favorite as I think the ending twist was a little more predictable which I was able to see coming.

If you like a fun, twisty thriller with an unreliable main character then I would definitely recommend the book. #netgalley #onlyonesurvives

This book wasn't 100% my cup of tea which surprised me because all the individual elements seemed right up my alley. I think I lacked a connection with any of the characters, but that being said I did really enjoy the way the book started, as well as the jumps between the past, present and future. I also enjoyed the switch up in the way the story was told between part 1 and 2! Overall I'd give the author another chance even if this book wasn't for me. I know there will be lots of people who do enjoy it.

I would like to start this review by thanking NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.
*SPOILER ALERT -THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*
This book got off to a slow start for me. I even told my husband I was at 44% of the way through and could still put down the book. I wasn't hooked yet. However around 50% of the way through the book that was it for me, I could no longer put it down as I needed to know what came next for Vienna. For me the author did a great job of making me believe one thing was going on only to turn around and pull the tablecloth our from under me by revealing what truly happened in this book! I started out #TeamVienna in the beginning (this is something you will understand as you read this book) but by the end I wanted Vienna to meet the ending she deserved. This was a great book if you have the patience to get through the first half of the story as the author lays out what happened. I really enjoyed not seeing the truth of what actually happened until the author was ready to tell me and when I finally did find out I had to keep going because I had to know if Vienna would eventually be figured out or if she'd end up spilling everything herself as she seemed to be slowly unraveling. I never really saw Libby figuring it all out and I think that was the authors plan all along to make you think Libby was quiet but also a good friend to Vienna. For the first half of the book I had liked Vienna and I wanted her to succeed until the author slowly reveals to you just how vile she truly is and once that happened I wanted her thrown in prison to rot her life away yet the end she met was satisfying enough for the feelings of hatred I had developed towards her by this point. I'm so happy Libby ultimately decided that fame was not worth the sacrifice of her soul, that she would not choose fame over becoming vile like Vienna ended up being. This was such a great book and I highly reccomend reading it!

I loved the writing of Hannah Mary McKinnon. There were so many different keywords that I thought of for this book, but I didn’t even know where to begin. What I can assure you is that I really enjoyed all of it.

What started off as a friendly spat in high school turned into a life-long friendship. Vienna grew up opposite of Madison, but they remained thick as thieves despite obstacles in their way. Forming a band, performing, and adventuring into the music world with additional bandmates. That is until a fateful night when their vehicle encounters a snowy road, an accident, and a large snow storm.

To finish the first act, what happens at the cabin is explained. But what about the second and third parts of the book? That is where the details differ and the reader is led on the true adventure of what has happened between these friends. What is murder, what is an accident, and what is all an illusion?

If you’re a fan of “Daisy Jones and the Six”, this isn’t to be missed. If you’re like me and not such a fan, this still is a book not to be missed. It has so much to offer the thriller lover in us all!

How far would one go for fame? With the band lost, wounded, and dying in the Catskills, who will make it? And why would one person simply disappear after such a tragic night?

This was a thrilling read from start to finish with so many twists! The storylines of friends bonding over music, turning into a budding girl group, that is destroyed in a disastrous accident... I mean, can you ask for more?

Daisy Jones meets the Yellowjackets in this thriller. You won't be able to put this one down!

The description of this book is what drew me in but I just wasn't able to get into it. To be honest it wasn't enough for me to finish the book. I got about 50% of the way and stopped reading. I know others who loved this book so unfortunately it wasn't for me

Well, that was confusing.
Only One survives is a lot of plots and subplots in one book and it confused me more than really excite me or engage me.

What is this story about?
The story is about a girl band, Bittersweet. On the way to an event, the Bittersweet’s van careens off an icy mountain road during a blizzard—leaving one member dead and another severely injured.
They seek shelter in a cabin to get to safety and seek out help.
But can the girls really trust each other? Especially when one by one the band loses members and one of the girls is the suspect.

This sounds amazing, right? I thought the whole book will be about these events. I thought it will be atmospheric and scary and I will feel that blizzard, even in the coziness of my home.

I felt the cabin-part of the story was a means to an end and it was written to the point without building a climax or even suspense. A larger part of the story was about the past of drummer Vienna and her best friend and bandmate Madison. You follows these girls in the past and later on you follow Vienna after the cabin incidents.
The story starts to drag at that point and for the purposes of shock there are some twists.

I wished the story stayed at that cabin.

2 stars.

ARC kindly received from Netgalley

Awesome book! Great twist! Author is one of my favorites! Would recommend to a friend, 5 stars!!!!!!!!

The book delivers a couple great twist and was difficult to put down for me! I loved the having the blogpost and other media mixed in. The two timelines were easy to follow, the plot interesting, and the characters had good dimension. Highly recommend this to any suspense lover.

Read if you like
- Bands / rock music
- Easy to dislike characters
- Split timelines
- Hard to guess twist
- Moody settings


Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade publishing for the eARC. All opinions my own!

If you want a story that will make you miss your bedtime, this is the one! #onlyonesurvives by @hannahmarymckinnon is phenomenal! Coming soon!July 2024! Preorder preorder preorder! You will not be disappointed.
This is a 5 star read that has drama, mystery, suspense, and many moments that will make you speechless!

ARC received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the format of dating and working our way through the past, and through the time beyond the accident. It really painted a picture of the timeline in a wonderful way!

Just when I thought I had it figured out, Hannah pulled the rug out from under me and let me plummet from the second floor right into the basement. Last time I read a thriller that revolved around the music industry, I was bored stiff. But this one had a death grip on me. As we jumped from the past to present, and beyond the accident - I was impatiently waiting to see what other surprises were waiting for me. Definitely a book that I was excited to get back to every time I had a spare moment, and definitely a book that didn’t disappoint! Bravo!

This was a wild ride! There is a twist in the narrative after first third of the book and then things really accelerate. The backdrop being a band was really interesting and fresh feeling even if they did climb to fame way too quickly to be realistic.

My only quibble was that since there was such a limited number of characters and most of them were dead, it was easy to guess who the person(s) under minding her were so it was kind of anticlimactic.

Still, a fast read and a lot of fun.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

I actually almost stopped reading this book because the prologue wasn't holding my interest and I wasn't liking the style. Honestly I think the prologue actually took away from the book. I'm glad I gave it another chance because I ended up liking the book! Part 1 goes back and forth between past and present setting you up to feel a certain way about the characters and then part 2 has kind of a Gone Girl vibe. Definitely worth a read that kept my interest.

Vienna Taylor and her band, The Bittersweet have a tragic wreck in the Catskills. They all wanted fame and fortune but some worse than others. Not all survive and fingers are pointed.
This was a great story that was very gripping. It had plenty of twists and turns. Thanks NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC that will be released July 16, 2024!