This was fun and different. I was captivated from page one.
I thought this was well thought-out plot-wise, and the writing was great.
The alternating points of view add energy to the narrative, with Piper’s perspective emerging as especially engaging. hile the plot twists are plentiful and keep you guessing until the end, the final reveal might leave some readers wanting more clarity. Even so, this doesn’t diminish the overall excitement of the journey.

The Bitter End by Alexa Donne is a fun, fast-paced, locked-room mystery with Agatha Christie vibes—think And Then There Were None but YA. I really liked how Donne simultaneously put technology at the heart of the story through the flashbacks and then removed the teens' access to it at the cabin.

Alexa Donne always nails it with her mix of teen drama with characters you love and hate (this is a good thing) and high-stakes suspense. The Bitter End is no exception. How the past ties into the present-day mystery adds depth to the story and makes me suspicious of pretty much every character at least once.

If you’re into locked-room mysteries and survival thrillers, The Bitter End is the perfect winter read. Just maybe avoid reading it at a cabin during a snow storm…

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for the gifted arc.

I appreciate that the books I read by Alexa Donne I can never guess or predict what is going to happen! I devoured this within one setting. I almost feel like this could have a book two, but I fully love that it is a standalone book

The Bitter End by Alexa Donne is a fast paced closed room mystery set up that pulled me in from the first page and left me stunned by its ending.
Things i loved
1. Character motivations were well developed and added to the intrigue.
2. Pacing was perfect and kept me hooked
3.Scene transitions in particular were handled exceptionally well.

Who i recommend this title for

The Bitter End by Alexa Donne is a great entry point to the authors work for mystery fans while being a special treat for existing fans eager to see more of her style.

This book had me on the edge of my seat! I was not expecting the twist at the end, but holy cow was it out of nowhere! I really enjoy her writing, so I knew it would be good, but the concept and the way she pulls you in is on the next level. Fantastic storyline and plot, I felt as if it was executed brilliantly. This book had me speechless for five minutes after finishing. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to read it and review it!

This gripping teen thriller plunges readers into a tense, snowbound nightmare where secrets and suspicions escalate with every turn of the page. When eight students from LA's elite Warner Prep are trapped in a remote ski chalet during a winter storm, they find themselves in a deadly game where the killer might be one of their own. With shifting narrators and a large ensemble cast, it can be a challenge to keep track of all the characters and their relationships, especially in the early stages. However, once you're immersed in the story, the tension and mystery will draw you in completely.

The locked-room mystery setup is reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s classic style, with the remote and snowy setting adding an extra layer of isolation and suspense. If you enjoy the intricate web of secrets and motives found in Murder on the Orient Express, you’ll likely appreciate this book's similar atmosphere. As the stakes rise and the characters’ hidden truths come to light, you'll find yourself piecing together clues and second-guessing every character's motive.

Despite the setting among privileged teens, the characters are surprisingly relatable and grounded, making them feel like real people rather than clichés. The author does a great job of balancing their flaws with moments of vulnerability, keeping the reader invested in their fates. The plot twists are sharp and unexpected, making the journey to uncover the truth both thrilling and intense.

While the book ends with a hint of a sequel, it doesn’t rely on a cliffhanger, so readers can enjoy it as a standalone story. Fans of tightly-wound mysteries with high stakes will find this a compelling read. Mark your calendar for its release on October 15th!

Recommendations:

Movie: Murder on the Orient Express (2017), for its locked-room mystery, snowy landscape, and intricate web of connections.
Book: One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, for another high-stakes teen thriller with shifting narrators, secrets, and plenty of twists.

This locked room mystery was suspenseful perfection. There's a diverse group of students that have been "randomly" assigned a digital detox week away at a ski lodge. Of course they get snowed it, the electricity goes out, and people start dying. The drama is intense from the first chapter. I read this book while on a hot and sticky beach vacation and it was the perfect book for chills.

Eight teens and their counselor go on their senior trip to a skin cabin in Colorado. With no other visitors, no devices, and no other staff on hand, the nine people settle in for a weekend of cross-country skiing, board games, and binge drinking. It starts to blizzard, forcing them to bunker down. When one of their classmates turns up dead, a fun-filled weekend turns deadly. With no ability to get help, will they survive the weekend? Who is killing them?

Told through alternating points of view, the plot is engaging, well written, and intense. The characters are engaging, well developed, and draw the reader into the story with lots of twists and turns, readers will be guessing who did it up until the very end. Readers who like mystery, thrillers, suspense, and horror will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most high school and public library collections. 4 stars, Gr 9 to 12.

I am a cronic Alexa Donne FAN. I love her YA thrillers, I don't read a lot of thrillers but I never skip Donne's new releases. This one was good but it did feel like there was maybe too much going on. I could not keep these characters and their partners straight. I did guess the killer but I love when that happens. Not as good as Pretty Dead Queens for me but I will still read everything she releases! 3.5 stars

DNF 22%

I felt there were too many POVs to get into the story and the characters weren’t well defined enough. The foreshadowing was incredibly heavy handed and kept me from being invested instead of making me interested in what was coming next. The set up of the relationship between the students and this teacher seemed really unlikely and the way they took advantage of her was just too much for me.

Pretty solid YA Thriller, but I admit that some of the other books by Alexa Donne were better. I was really enjoying the book, thinking it was going to be a modern adaptation of And Then There Were None, but the ending and the reason for the murder spree was (for me) disappointing. I still think it's worth the read though.

This was a really solid mystery! I enjoyed the twists and the final reveal. At times it was hard to "listen" to the teens talking, but it fit the profile of YA.

The Bitter End was a solidly suspenseful, chilling winter mystery! There was enough drama in this friend group to sustain a few novels (perhaps a sequel?) While the gross privilege of these teens was sometimes annoying to my adult mind, it is exactly the kind of dramatic relationship that drives some of the most popular books in my library (and some of the most popular TV series as well.) I loved the creative ways that the characters disappeared and died throughout the book, and until the suspect pool started to become really small, I was still guessing about who the guilty party might be. I appreciated the perspectives offered by the author - choosing one of the popular girls, an outcast within the group, and a non-clique member as narrators helped to round out the perspectives offered. I would definitely read another mystery by Alexa Donne in the future, and I expect that this book will be very popular in my high school library.

I loved a good locked room mystery - especially when it takes place during a storm and everyone is stuck together with no escape. I believe this was written as a YA novel but I thought it read a bit more as a regular thriller which is awesome!

This was young adult but didn’t read like it. This was a fun and fast paced thriller that takes place in the cold alone, my favorite!

This was a solid mystery! It was engaging and had me questioning everyone. The ending fell a little short but I deff still enjoyed the ride this story took me on. I look forward to reading more from this author

I binged through this one! This had all of my favorite elements - who did it, one by one and add in a seasonal storm/isolation. This was an incredible, fast-paced read!

For any fan of locked room mysteries combined with a remote location – this one is for you!

Eight teens on a senior trip at a remote ski chalet in Colorado meet with a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Each teen has beef with at least one of the people there, putting them all at odds. When the first person drops, everyone becomes a suspect!

This entire premise is cat nip to my little kitty heart. It features every trope that I love: remote setting, survival thriller, locked room mystery! I enjoyed every second of guessing who was at the heart of this murder mystery and the authors skill at writing complex characters and their complicated relationships!

I can’t recommend this one enough!

Alexa Donne strikes again with another twisty, mind-bending thriller. A group of unsuspecting teens are forced into a secluded mountain retreat, only to find themselves trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse. With unreliable narrators and a chilling atmosphere, The Bitter End will keep you guessing until the very end. A must-read for fans of suspenseful thrillers.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another thrilling mystery by this author. They have become an auto buy author for mysteries at my library. The teens cannot get enough of these. I already have several that have loved this new one.