An all-female pop rock band starts experiencing some measure of recognition, and among the group are best friends Vienna and Madison. Vienna is mostly interested in making music, while Madison is also interested in the fame that could come with it. While traveling through a blizzard on the way to an event, they are in an accident. One band member dies, one is horribly injured, and the group takes shelter in a nearby cabin. People start dying, and Madison just flat out vanishes. Vienna is unsure if Madison had something to do with the deaths, or if she is also a victim.

I found the first half of this book a lot more enjoyable than the rest. The initial pacing was really good, the storyline was interesting, and the dynamics between the characters kept my attention. In the second half, which is when I usually expect the momentum in a thriller to build, I thought the story lost steam, and as it went on I became less invested in figuring out exactly what is going on.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Mary McKinnon, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Vienna and Madison have an unlikely friendship, and that friendship turns to rising fame, followed by tragedy. This story had several twists that kept me guessing at the ending.

Rock ‘n’ Roll with a dash of murder. This is a locked room thriller that meets Daisy Jones & The Six.

A band is form when 5 girls are in high school. The two main characters, Madison and Vienna. One a lead guitarist and the other the drummer. They are well on their way to becoming a successful band and striving towards fame.

One day they have a horrific car accident that leaves the stranded during a snowstorm. One instantly dies and another severely injured. With just three band members left, they take refuge at an abandoned cabin.

How far are you willing to go for the price of fame? Twists and turns with lies and murder. This is perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid. This was my first book by Hannah Mary McKinnon and it won’t be my last.

Thank you to Hannah, HTP and NetGalley for the opportunity.

Vienna is a self taught drummer. She and her best friend, Madison, actually started a band in high school. So, when Vienna’s world falls apart after high school she heads to NYC to live with Madison. Vienna decides to start a new band, Bittersweet, and they are gaining lot of attention. 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.

This story fluctuates between before the accident and after the accident. And it leads you astray in the first half of the book. And then it all comes to light!

This is not my favorite book by this author. I have read several. And I cannot put my finger on why. I just didn’t enjoy this book as well as some of her others. It is a book I enjoyed reading, while reading it. But if I put it down, I did not want to pick it back up.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I could not gobble this book up fast enough! While I have loved Hannah Mary McKinnon since I read You Will Remember Me, I found my new favorite by her. This book was so entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat! I highly recommend this great thriller!

****Many thanks to Hannah Mary McKinnon and MIRA books for my gifted copy!

I rated this 4.5 stars rounding up to 5 on Goodreads.

Thank you Netgalley, author and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

The Bittersweet is an upcoming all-girl band that has the potential to become the next big thing but an unfortunate accident while on the road ends up having catastrophic events with the death of the majority of the band ladies , one missing and lone survivor Vienna with memory loss. What really happened that fateful night ? Where is the missing band member, guitarist Madison ? Will Vienna ever recover her memories to unlock what transpired during the gruesome event?

Okay, I did not see that coming!
What seemed like an accident of a group of friends/band members who take shelter in a remote isolated cabin during bad snow storm sounded like a survival story but as the story progressed it had me raising my eyebrows in shocking surprises !
The book is divided into 2 Parts. The first gives us the current timeline when the accident takes place and they are trying to survive /get help and alternative chapters narrates story from the past that involved the two main characters/friends Vienna and Madison, it's all about how they met each other as classmates in their teenage years , their respective families, friendship, their talent for music , how they end up creating their band , it's progression , eventual success, which is all laced with toxicity making your mind spin.

It's around the 50% mark into the book that the second part comes into play and we are introduced to the first big revelation/twists, this is when the story picked up in pace for me and brought the crazy thriller aspect into play.

The isolated setting initially, the unreliable narrator and crazy plot twists keeps you turning pages fast, short chapters help keep your attention too.
Including the social media frenzy , fan wars, unrelenting pursuit from press and media to air the ongoing scandalous story gives it an interesting touch especially in the current real world situation when everything out there is newsworthy.

Greed for fame, money , toxic friendship, girl band that rocks with a, be careful what you wish for , this book has this all and makes it a bingeable summer read.

It's a 4/5 ⭐ read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing MIRA for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Hannah Mary McKinnon. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Vienna and Madison grew up very differently, but became close friends in high school. Vienna had a tough home life, and Madison came from a wealthy family who had high expectations for her. Music united them. Vienna just wanted to play; Madison was looking for fame.. They eventually add 3 more women to their group and start having success. On the way to an event, the band's car goes off an icy mountain road in the Catskills during a blizzard, leaving one member severely injured. They take shelter in a nearby abandoned cabin, but who will survive?

Wow - my mouth dropped at the twist and I was all for it - bravo! This book had me questioning everyone and believing no one. This book really shows the ugly side of fame, the pull it has over so many people, and what some people will do to achieve it. McKinnon's writing nailed the tension and the atmospheric feel of a remote cabin in the mountains during a blizzard. I loved the social media blurbs plus the rock and roll theme throughout. Don't miss this one this summer!

Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon is a fast paced psychological thriller that follows high school best friends Vienna and Madison as they become rising star musicians. Unfortunately, their success is cut short after an accident as their band is on the way to a party in the Catskills.

Not only was this a fast paced thriller, but it also did a great job showing the realistic side effects of stardom. I very much enjoyed it and am adding McKinnon’s backlist to my to-read list!

I’m having a difficult time reviewing this one. Part one completely hooked me and I read furiously through, trying to unravel what might have happened. Unfortunately, the believability really fell off from that point on and I found myself angry at the characters and unable to connect with the rest of the story for all of the lies, duplicity, and terrible actions.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early copy of Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon. I have read many of McKinnon's books, and I did feel like this one was a little bit different than her previous books. It was like Daisy Jones by Taylor Jenkins Reid meets thriller, and I wasn't sure how I would feel about it going in, but I did really like this one. It was entertaining and full of drama, with twists and turns that make you want to keep reading. Every time I thought I had it figured out, something else would happen and I would realize I was wrong and it would make me want to keep reading to find out what was happening.

An in depth psychological thriller. After the big twist/reveal about halfway through we really get into the kind of the killer. Kept me riveted throughout this book!

This was a great thriller with several twists and turns that I didn’t expect or predict!

Torin and Madison are friends who start a duo music group. With their success they are encouraged to form a band. They rather easily complete the band and all decide to go to a cabin for the weekend. A snowstorm derails their plans when they are in an accident. From there, they try to figure out how to survive in a blizzard in the middle of nowhere and they start dying one by one.

Sometimes when stories have this many characters I get confused but the author did a great job of developing the characters enough that they each stood out in the story. I thought I had it figured out at about the 40% in mark. But I was definitely incorrect! When the plot twist happened I was shocked!!

This thriller is definitely a different concept than many others I have read. Being a big music fan myself, I loved the aspect of them being in a band. I found the story to be very engaging and a quick page turner. I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, and Harlequin Trade publishing, as well as the author for this advanced readers copy.

It’s Pub Day for this amazing book!! There is so much to love in here. Female friendships turned toxic. I mean, what’s a little murder between band mates? This is my favorite of all of Mckinnon’s books. The flow of the writing kept me completely entranced, as did the characters. The dual timeline was done so well with the past gradually catching up to the present for an explosive shock. If you haven’t read this, I highly recommend it.

Interesting plot that definitely held a suspenseful thrilling ride. Besides a the documentary of a famous band sub-context, it is vastly different than Daisy Jones and the Six which it has been likened to.

Five women are on the edge of stardom with their band Bittersweet. As they travel together to an event in the Catskills, a car crash will have devastating consequences upon the group.

I loved every minute of this book. From the very beginning I was hooked. The writing is fantastic and the story is even better! I was not expecting such a huge twist in this book.

Only One Survives is a gripping addictive thriller. It's what a happens when Daisy Jones And The Six has dead people.

It's a blend of music, the amazing friendships we cultivate in young adulthood and the freedom of finding our way in our own. It's complicatedly layered with jealousy, selfishness and the quest to be known.

It makes you wonder what you would do on your rise to the top.

So good

One of those books that keeps you on the edge and wondering who's who and if what you read is what is really happening.
A well plotted and tightly knitted story, growing suspense, toxic relationships, and a dual timeline that helps you to understand and is never confusing.
Loved it, a page turner that kept surprising me and on the edge.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Hannah Mary McKinnon’s new release “Only One Survives” was fun and exciting for me to read. I love McKinnon’s storytelling, and how she weaves women’s fiction with Thrillers. Cabins always scare me. The title to this was electric enough to scare me! The musical element really had me loving it more. McKinnon does it again!!
#OnlyOneSurvives #NetGalley Thank you for the advanced reading copy in exchange for a fair and honest Review.

"Becoming the star is easier when the rest of your band is dead..."
Starting a band has challenges, but Vienna and Madison think as long as they have each other their band Bittersweet will be successful until one fateful day on a snowy mountain everything changes. Their van slides off the side killing one member and critically wounding another. An abandoned cabin sits idly in the snowy woods beckoning them in for shelter. What they don't know is that not everyone will survive. Each member will meet a gruesome fate. Madison disappears completely while Vienna is the only survivor...she thinks...
This is jaw dropping and twisted. The eeriness is amplified with the chilling atmosphere. You will not be able to predict this one because not everything is as it seems. A lot of characters to keep up with, but it helps that it is laid out with blogs, social media and news reports. It is really that good that I highly recommend you add this one to your TBR. It is so hot outside that I was relieved by the snowy scenes. It took me awhile to get to the end because it wasn't something I could enjoy while on the beach.
Thank you NetGalley andHarlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Only One Survives is true to it's name and will have you on the edge of your seat as they fall one by one.
Vienna Taylor didn't have it easy growing up, but behind her drums it all disappeared. Her best friend Madison sang and played the guitar, and together they formed an all girl band named Bittersweet. Things were looking up and they were finally getting noticed. But things took a turn when on the way to a gig they got caught in a blizzard and their car went off the road. With one member dead and another injured they find a place out of the storm but instead of finding safety one by one her bandmates begin to die, and Madison disappears. Vienna is forced to face the truth, was her friend capable of killing their bandmates? She can't believe it, but do the innocent run?
This was such a fun book, I couldn't put it down, and it had me guessing long past what made sense. This twisty thriller will keep you guessing and leave you awestruck. A must read!
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.