I’ll admit that I was kind of like, well, let’s see how this stacks up, but I’ve been reading a lot of “And Then There Were None”-type plots lately, and I don’t know…

Folks, this was good. I was right there, trapped in a house on top of a mountain in Colorado during a snowstorm with eight potential murderers for a few hours yesterday and today, and I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Donne knows how to keep you guessing and off-kilter, so that you go back and forth in your mind about who the culprit is. There’s a couple of twists in here that legitimately made me gasp.

This book is sure to be a hit for the YA thriller fans, no matter the age. Look for it in October!

Now I need to go check out the author’s other books…

I received an eARC from NetGalley and Random House Children’s (thank you so much!). I am writing this view entirely voluntarily.

Big thank you to PRH and NetGalley for sending me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Bitter End - Five Stars - Fun read, keeps you on your toes, wonderful setting, isolation trope with a killer. Love love love!

Alexa Donne's storytelling grows stronger with every book she releases. The Ivies was a favorite of mine, but The Bitter End may have dethroned it in my books. She has the ability to twist characters into realistic monsters that I find myself struggling to not relate to. Her settings are perfect for the tropes/plot.

First up, the premise is delicious. A bunch of snippy rich and famous, and not so rich and famous, teens with tense relationships all around, are shipped off to a remote mountain in the middle of nowhere. All of our characters were supposed to go on a different senior trip, but at the last minute were switched to this digital detox mindfulness adventure. It doesn't take long for bodies to start dropping. While at first, it may seem like an accident, it doesn't take the group long to realize the first death, and this whole trip was no accident. And, with a blizzard crashing the party, they're stuck on a mountain with a killer.

Also, the dual-timeline? Absolutely amazing! The slow build of garnering details as characters slowly remember their past (crappy) actions is fantastic. It was such a good detail and I'm so happy Donne went for it! It really paid off for me

I ate it up, truly. I love when books are just a good time. It was so much fun to read! I am notoriously bad at guessing who the killer is in thriller books (years of academy training watching Criminal Minds, WASTED!), and Donne always does a good job of making me fall for the red herrings. I don't think I've guessed one of her killers to date. She needs to write more thrillers and I need to start guessing better to up my percentage rates (I just saw she's writing an adult thriller, so I'm super excited about that!).
So, like I said, the red herrings are wonderful. Everyone has a motive, everyone has an angle, and everyone has an excuse (until they're dead oops). It's all believable, but not frustrating. It's not a dangled carrot in my face mocking me for not getting it right. Like I said, it's so much fun.

I highly recommend picking up The Bitter End when it comes out this October. The atmosphere is perfect for that fall-into-winter season. It's twisty, it's fun, it has good disability representation! What more can you ask for?

THE QUEEN IS BACK!!!

I've been waiting for Donne's next book for a LONG time, and The Bitter End did NOT disappoint!! I was drawn in immediately by the setting, a remote ski cabin in the mountains where a group of eight teens find themselves stranded with a killer who may be one of their own. The tension was tightened inside the cabin as a blizzard blew in, making this a true closed room thriller that is also a ton of fun.

This latest novel also showcases Donne's growth as a writer over the past few years. The prose is descriptive, the story well-paced and the MANY twists and turns were just . . . *chef's kiss*. A VERY well executed thriller with all the right beats.

Couldn't put it down and already ready for the next one!!

In short, I loved it. Loved the twists, the red herrings, and the retelling aspect. I thought I had it figured out about halfway through, but I was wrong. And then by the end, maybe I was right after all?! I don’t know, but I look forward to a sequel if there is one! Alexa Donne is fast becoming one of my favorite YA thriller writers and an auto buy for me.

It’s a large cast with multiple POV, dual timeline, and crossover dating in the friend group, so I did have to scroll back to the 1st page of a chapter occasionally to remember whose POV I was in, but that wasn’t distracting enough to be a problem.

I'm a BIG fan of Donne and was so excited to have the opportunity to read an early release of "The Bitter End"! I'm a sucker for any kind of "who done it" with alternating POVs, but this one became a little confusing with how many characters there were. On top of that, their personalities and voices blended together, making it difficult to keep track of who was who and requiring me to page back and forth to remember who was talking and what role they played. This had a fun storyline that kept you guessing, but too much felt borrowed from "One of Us is Lying" to me. Some of the language was also overly complex, making it feel unrealistic coming from a bunch of teens - I'm an English teacher and needed to look up quite a few words! While I prefer Donne's other works, it was a quick, easy read that I think many of my teen students would enjoy. Thanks so much for the ARC!

Book:
THE BITTER END by Alexa Donne
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children for the arc Out: October 15
Review:
5⭐
After reading THE IVIES and PRETTY DEAD QUEENS by Alexa Donne, I knew I needed to read THE BITTER END.  This book really started strong and stayed strong, engrossing me as I read, pointing out suspects, perplexed by the happenings. Each new twist and detail I learned throughout this book was crazy.
This multi-pov book is all about secrets, betrayal, and world of whodunit. And the whodunit, I didn't see it coming and that last chapter definitely has me questioning that.
THE BITTER END is fast-paced, and it's a thrilling ride throughout. I devoured this book, the mystery pulling me in and keeping me there. This book is a must read if you love whodunits.

What I Liked About It:
*everything

High school students on a class trip that none of them requested. Misery in itself, but it gets worse when their classmates start dying.
This will keep you guessing until the end on who the murderer is.
A very good who done it story.

I have no words! The plot twists kept coming and I was intrigued by the entire story. I was not expecting the mystery to be what it was, but completely shocked in a great way. The ending gave me chills and I need another chapter to see what happens! Overall, I had a great time reading this novel!! 4.5/5 Stars

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"The Bitter End" by Alexa Donne delivers a gripping and suspenseful mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I totally thought that I had the mystery figured out early on in the book, but I was pleasantly surprised when I was completely wrong. The mystery is definitely filled with a lot of twists and turns as well as plenty of red herrings (which works perfectly for a book inspired by “And Then There Were None”), so if you’re looking for a well-written mystery that will keep you guessing, then you will definitely enjoy this book.

Set against the backdrop of a remote ski cabin during a winter storm, the book follows a group of teens from LA's elite Warner Prep who find themselves trapped with a killer in their midst. From the outset, the tension is palpable as the students grapple with their unexpected situation and the chilling realization that someone among them may be responsible for the string of disturbing deaths. As secrets are revealed and betrayals exposed, the stakes escalate, leading to a heart-pounding race for survival. The book is filled with different POVs and different timelines (the present and 3 years ago at a party where all the characters were present), and every character gets a POV at one point. Sometimes certain characters not having a POV is a big giveaway of the identity of the killer, but because everyone gets one (except one I believe – and that’s for a specific reason), you are still guessing throughout on the identity of the killer as well as truths about certain events from 3 years ago.

The pacing is fast-paced and relentless, making it difficult to put the book down once you start.
You will find yourself fully immersed in the story, eagerly turning pages to uncover the truth behind the escalating danger facing the characters. Every single character is holding at least one secret, and they’re all quite unique and sometimes surprising. The ensemble cast of characters depth and complexity to the narrative, keeping you engaged and invested in their fates. I definitely enjoyed Piper’s perspective the most with Delaney being second. Willa wasn’t as developed as I wanted her to be, and some of her actions felt a bit cliché. Despite this characterization, I was still invested in the overall mystery.

Overall, "The Bitter End" is a must-read for fans of YA mystery and thriller genres. A couple of deaths are a bit cliché, but there was still plenty of murder in this book. With its compelling plot, well-drawn characters, and unexpected twists, it's a thrilling ride from beginning to end. Dunne has created another amazing YA mystery, and I definitely can’t wait to read another one of her books.

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I couldn’t put this one down, finished it in a day! Piper, Delaney, and Willa aren’t friends, Delaney and Willa used to be though. But they all end up on the same senior experience, along with a few others all friends of Delaney’s. None of them can figure out how they ended up there when that’s not what they signed up for. And they sure as hell don’t want to spend a weekend at a remote Airbnb in the mountains on an electronic detox. Let alone with each other. Add that they are with the schools grumpiest and strictest guidance counselor and they are sure to have to fun whatsoever. Especially not when secrets not revealing themselves and people start dying. They seem like accidents but are they? And how does everything connect to a party from 3 years ago? Who can Piper, Willa, and Delaney trust? Intriguing and will keep you engaged! All 8 of the students are horrible but all the more interesting because of it! I spent most of the book thinking I knew the why but I was very wrong! They who threw me off and wasn’t what I was expecting! Also the ending had me shook! Fast paced and captivating definitely one to check out for mystery lovers!

I have been a big fan of this authors, other books, and this was in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie’s, And The There Were None but set in a secluded cabin in the mountains during a terrible snowstorm. All of these students from Warner Prep think that they are there, because they are on their senior excursion, and it was meant to be a technology, free retreat, but each of these people has a secret, and some not so secretly hate each other. As the storm rage is on outside the hunt for a murderer inside comes to an Apex as bodies begin to pile up in the ski room. I finished this in one day. I had the pages turning as fast as I could, I can’t wait to get it into my classroom.