The Bitter End is an intricately plotted YA thriller that's perfect for fans of isolated, locked-room mysteries like Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and Knives Out, but make it YA. I thought I'd guessed the killer for sure, but I was wrong. It was a fun read, I flew through it in one day.

3.5/5 stars


I enjoyed "The Bitter End" for its dark and suspenseful take on the boarding school setting. The atmosphere was well-done, and the story kept me interested. Some of the characters where a little meh to me, but overall it was a solid read.


Worth checking out if you're a fan of dark academia.

The Bitter End is a twisty thriller about a group of privileged LA prep school seniors on a digital detox ski trip that turns deadly when they become snowed in with a murderer—who might be one of them. The novel blends classic isolated closed-circle mystery elements with a modern twist, including a remote mountain setting, a snowstorm, and the absence of cell phones. The characters are layered and unreliable, making nearly everyone a plausible suspect. As bodies pile up in gruesome and creative ways, flashbacks to a pivotal freshman year party reveal the dark secrets tying the group together. This book is tense, full of backstabbing and the perfect thriller with solid stakes and shocking twists.

The Bitter End is a Young Adult mystery/thriller book that falls into the "group of people trapped in a snowstorm with a killer on the loose" trope. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing if that's what you're looking for. And at the time of reading this book (during a snowstorm), it's exactly what I was looking for.

Overall I thought that the book was a pretty good example of the genre. Though there were multiple PoV characters I felt as though the author did a pretty decent job of making each narrator stand out enough that I could tell them apart, which isn't always the case with these types of books. I thought the suspenseful scenes were written pretty well and I liked how the ending wasn't entirely wrapped up with a pretty bow and that there were still questions left to be answered. (But in a way where I didn't feel cheated that they weren't.)

The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars are the plot holes. I felt that there were a couple of things that were missed that should have been explained and that a few of the characters did things that didn't make sense in the scheme of things. But those plot holes and discrepancies weren't enough to ruin the book for me.

I thought The Bitter End was a pretty good Young Adult thriller with a good cast of characters.

This book starts with a group of high school students on a school trip into the mountains. You slowly discover that none of them wanted to be on the mountain and someone(s) orchestrated their attendance.

As characters start dying, each of the remaining characters has their moment in the spotlight where it seems plausible they could be the killer. The flashbacks to reveal the history between the characters are well done and there are enough twists and turns to keep you reading.

The book was enjoyable and moved quickly. More importantly for me, there weren't moments where the plot was only driven by the stupidity of the characters. Their actions were reasonable given the situation, which isn't always the case in books of this genre.

Thank you to Netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

When the students of Warner Prep are unexpectedly signed up for a different Senior Excursion, eight students find themselves isolated in a Colorado ski chalet for five days without technology. The students plan to make the most of this trip but are soon fighting for their lives as students start dying in suspicious deaths. The students must figure out why they were chosen for this trip and who is behind these deaths while trying to survive the snowstorm that rages outside.

The Bitter End was a fast-paced mystery thriller that was the perfect read during a snowstorm. This book was filled with so many unlikeable characters, each with their own reason for wanting someone dead. The chapters go back and forth from present day to a party that occurred three years prior, and it was intriguing to see each character's secrets reveled. Although I did enjoy the book overall, I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. I felt like some of the questions I had were never answered or rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Publishing for the opportunity to review The Bitter End. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh, all the twists and turns! This is the perfect read for those wintery days by the fire to keep you guessing!

I enjoyed this suspenseful winter tale. I was pleasantly surprised at the twist reveal of the killer even if I found it slightly confusing. The shifting points of view really added to the story. Although I hated the way all of these girls were obsessed with the one lame guy. All in all it was the perfect snow day read.

This wasn't the book for me unfortunately. It started with a school trip where the students get stuck in a cabin due to a snowstorm. This isn't the trip they were expecting though and there is a killer amongst them. Some of the events that unfold were unrealistic to me so it made it a difficult read for me. I know that others will like it though. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Bitter End by Alexa Donne is a perfect wintery read. It kept my interest from start to finish, though there were no really likeable characters. Getting to the resolution of the mystery was a little confusing with the back and forth timelines, but overall, it was a fun story that I would recommend to fans of YA Thrillers and, of course, anyone looking for a quick thriller good for the cold weather outside.

The Bitter End is a gripping YA thriller with dark twists and a tense atmosphere. Donne’s writing keeps you on the edge of your seat, and the story never lets up until the final page.

I rather enjoyed The Ivies and Pretty Dead Queens by this author that I read in the past couple of years, so I was excited to pick this up. If you’re a regular visitor on my blog, you’ll know that I’m starting to steer clear of books with the same old high school teenage drama, but this is one of the few authors I’m making an exception for, because her plots are so delightfully twisty – and this one was no exception!

As expected, I didn’t much enjoy the high school drama, but I absolutely loved the murder mystery. It was a little reminiscent of And Then There Were None, which is one of my all time favorite mysteries. The multiple POVs did a brilliant job at building and maintaining the tension without giving away the culprit until the very end, even through the killer’s POV!

None of the characters were really likeable though I suspect that was intentional, and there wasn’t much of a character arc for any of them either – but I actually prefer plot focused novels for this genre, so that all worked out rather well for me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I’m looking forward to the author’s next work. Highly recommended!

DNF pretty early on, I just could NOT continue anymore. Maybe I’m too old for this genre?


Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review

What would you expect from a group of entitled rich kids stuck on a mountain top without wifi?

I'm sure you're not thinking murder and mayhem, are you? Because, if you were, you're inviting correct!

It's been three years since this group was together in such an intimate way, stuck in a major snowstorm, and history at play.

The way the killers mind works leaves you constantly pondering who is out to get whom and will any of them make it off the mountain?! Twisty and curious at times, smart and playful at others. A solid YA mystery!

Took awhile to pull me in. Came back and tried again. But once I was invested I was invested. Love a teen/scholarly thriller.

The blurb sounded so interesting to me. I prefer YA mysteries to adult ones most of the time. I couldn’t, however, relate to most of the characters and it took me too long to be interested in what was happening next. I am sure many will enjoy it, though, it just wasn’t for me.

Enjoyable read with lots of drama. YA with a group of teens used to getting their way. A senior trip of seemingly selected students with a chaperone. The destination is a remote cabin for soul searching but murder turns out to be the top item. Who is seeking revenge? A great who done it

The Bitter End is a sharp, suspenseful ride through the world of high school cliques, romance, and the creeping horror of a toxic relationship. Holly, the protagonist, quickly gets tangled in a web of obsession when she falls for Aidan, the charming but dangerously manipulative new guy at school. Donne masterfully weaves a tale of growing unease as Holly discovers the terrifying depths of Aidan’s control.

The novel thrives on its slow-burn tension, gradually revealing Aidan’s true nature as Holly’s world crumbles. Donne’s exploration of emotional manipulation and the fine line between love and obsession is chillingly real. While you might want to shake Holly for not running for the hills sooner, her emotional journey feels raw and authentic.

The only downside? Some of the twists can feel a bit predictable, but the tension is high enough to keep you hooked. If you’re into psychological thrillers that make you want to delete your dating apps, The Bitter End will satisfy your craving for dark drama and suspense.

3.5/5 Stars

A winter storm traps 8 high schoolers in a remote ski cabin for their senior excursion. When one of them dies under suspicious circumstances, they quickly realize that they are trapped with a killer who is picking them off one by one.

This was a lot of fun, told in alternating perspectives between the past and present. The chapters in the past allowed the reader to understand how these characters are connected and the secrets they each are hiding from one another. None of the characters are particularly likeable, but they were still interesting to read about. It was fun trying to piece together who the killer could be, as everyone is suspicious at some point in the story.

Another twisty murder mystery from Donne!

I enjoy when mysteries are set in remote locations so everyone is stuck together. No one knows who they can trust and dark secrets start to emerge. The top of a snowy mountain, with no internet or way of getting down was perfect and added a nice extra piece to the tension.

This had various points of view from the high schoolers as they begin to see their friends die. It was fun not knowing who was telling us as the readers the truth and putting together the pieces of what has gone on in the last four years. I also liked the ending, somewhat resolved but with some lingering suspicions out there...

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the copy.