The students of LA’s elite Warner Prep can’t wait for their Senior Excursion—five days of adventure in one of the world’s most exclusive locations. This is not your average field trip. The eight students can’t believe their bad luck when they end up in an isolated Colorado ski chalet. Their epic trip is panning out to be an epic bore. Until a winter storm traps them in this remote ski cabin. They will find themselves stranded with a killer—who may be one of their own or is it?

The author has written a fun and twisty mystery/thriller. The book is focused on three women who find themselves trapped in the stories that aren’t really theirs. I found the mystery of why the students were being killed off a true mystery as I didn’t know who the killer was. The author wrote an excellent book.

This one was good. My favorite? No.

They were a little too self involved for me. I get that it is supposed to be because influencers, private school kids etc but I think I just never felt a connect. The HS kids will love it though.

I did love the story line and the ending I just wish I connected with the characters more…

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Thank you Random House Children’s for my copy! All thoughts are my own

I am not a thriller reader by nature but I am always tempted by YA Thrillers. Maybe it’s the influence of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or maybe it’s my love of Gossip Girl (the original), something always draws me in. Especially when it’s rich kids behaving badly…which The Bitter End has in abundance.

I was totally drawn to this book due to the mountain setting and the students being trapped in a blizzard. It kept me on my toes and I really couldn’t guess the ending. It made me feel adequately spooked but intrigued enough to keep reading. Overall, an enjoyable wintery thriller for fans of Pretty Little Liars, The Ivies, and even Euphoria.

Synopsis:

“The trip of a lifetime might be the death of them all.The students of LA’s elite Warner Prep can’t wait for their Senior Excursion—five days of Instagrammable adventure in one of the world’s most exclusive locations. This is not your average field trip.Which is why eight students can’t believe their bad luck when they end up on a digital detox in an isolated Colorado ski chalet. Their epic trip is panning out to be an epic bore . . . until their classmates start dropping in a series of disturbing deaths. The message is clear: this trip is no accident.And when a blizzard strikes, secrets are revealed, betrayals are exposed, and survival is at stake in a race to the bitter end.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Setting—A ski chalet on top of a mountain in a blizzard! An epic setting for any mystery but really great for a high stakes YA revenge plot.

Couldn’t Predict the Ending—I really was on my toes the whole time and didn’t know who the culprit could be.

The Unsettling Feeling/Was Actually Scary—I haven’t felt “thrilled” but thrillers lately but this one definitely got me there. Some of the deaths were so gruesome! Which not to say I liked, but they were definitely scare-worthy.

What Didn’t Work:

Pacing—Things felt a little off pacing wise, especially with the jumps in time. I was hoping it would feel like something I couldn’t put down but there were definitely moments I needed to go back and read to fully understand.

So Many Characters to Keep Up With In First POV—With so many characters, I wish this book had been written in third person POV. It’s probably a reader flaw because I’ve been struggling to focus lately, but sometimes i’d forget who’s POV we were in and it was hard to keep track of them all.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 4/5

Content Warnings:

death, gore, murder, revenge plots, mentions of sexual assault, grief

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Well that was certainly interesting! The killer was a stone cold sociopath! It was really hard to like any of the main characters, Willa, Piper, and Delaney are the ones I consider main since it's all from their POV's, but if I picked someone it would be Piper. She really was just there because of bad luck and I felt bad for her throughout the whole novel because the killer orchestrated this whole plot and then didn't factor her into it and she nearly died for it anyways!!! Willa I couldn't get behind either for her actions. I found her rather annoying actually that all she really cared about was Liam the entire time. Delaney I didn't like at all, especially after what was revealed about the video done of her.

Wow!! The Bitter End was such a great, immersive YA thriller, that to me is like Scream meets Cabin In The Woods!! I loved being able to see the different POVs and the jumps in timeline were so conducive to good storytelling, but didn't get confusing at all, as is sometimes a trap that these types of stories can fall into. The book, while written for a young adult audience is mature and well-written and doesn't feel like you are reading a book for kids. The plot twists were so well thought out and executed and I was on the edge of my seat from the first chapter to the very last page!!

Thank you to Random House Books for Young Readers & NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book before publication in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

what's it about? ⬇️

When a group of eight high school seniors and their guidance counselor find their planned senior trips suddenly changed to a new location, tensions are naturally high. Where they were expecting weeks in castles learning about gothic literature or dogsledding in Alaska or any number of other fun opportunities, they are no headed to a cabin at the top of a lonely mountain for a technology-free week of self-reflection, which for a group teenagers might just be their worst nightmare. Especially when a snow storm rolls in to strand them on the mountain and one of their classmates mysteriously turns up dead the morning after their first night there.

Told between the points of view of each different student and flashing between the stressful hours of their present predicament and a party three years before that may just be the reason they've all become targets, will they make it off the mountain alive? And when it becomes more and more likely that the killer is actually one of them, will they solve the mystery and unmask their attacker before it's too late?

my thoughts? ⬇️

The number of red herrings in this book were enough to make your head spin, and I mean that in the best way possible. Even trying to figure out who was responsible for the murders as I read, I was suspicious of someone new every few pages, and the twist ending--while making me feel very validated--was also such a crazy fun spin on the rest of the violence twisted throughout the book.

Each of these characters were so flawed and so interesting, and getting a glimpse into their past relationships and the way they've twisted in the present added so much depth to the story. I loved the use of a Cards Against Humanity-type party game to add tension from the first night of the trip, and each beat of this story was paced perfectly.

Also, the inclusion of a character who is on the Asexual spectrum and also has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome was so refreshing and incredible to see, and I loved seeing the way those things had effected the character and the opinions of others' on her. Love, love, love, love, so many piles of love for this book.

based on your likes? ⬇️

If you enjoyed any of the following, I think this one will be great for you (and vice versa)!

🥶 They Wish They Were US by Jessica Goodman - prep school seniors with dangerous secrets to protect, who can you trust?
🥶 Summer's Edge by Dana Mele - a group of friends in peril, everyone has secrets, what's going on at the lake?
🥶 Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning - a social-media cleansing retreat goes wrong +murders, everyone is hiding something.
🥶 Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar - a senior trip for self reflection takes a scary turn, unreliable narrator, who can you trust?

trigger warnings ⬇️

death, murder, blood, violence, anaphylaxis, allergy related death, drug use, drug abuse, drugging others, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, infidelity, emotional abuse, bullying, classism, ostracism, gaslighting, chronic illness, child death (mentioned repeatedly, happened off page), confinement, sexual content, sexual harassment, sexual assault, multiple near-death experiences, injury/injury detail.

If you love books with wintry vibes, you must put this one on your TBR!!! Such a fun, fast-paced whodunit!

A group of seniors from an elite prep school are assigned to a Colorado ski cabin for a tech-free weekend. What starts as a weekend of self-discovery, meditation, and connection takes a deadly turn.

I absolutely loved the And Then There Were None vibe of this book. As the story unfolds, people start dying in mysterious ways - accidents? Maybe, but everyone is suspicious. I found myself guessing and second-guessing as secrets were revealed and motives uncovered. Donne includes lots of red herrings and enough clues that, in hindsight, I could definitely see who was responsible.

I read and listened to the book and found both experiences equally enjoyable. If you enjoy audiobooks, I definitely recommend it. The full-cast narration makes it easy to follow the multiple POVs and highlights the devious and backstabbing nature of the teens in the story. Surprisingly, you may cheer on at least a few of them.

Read this if you love: :
🔐Locked room mystery
❄️Wintey scene - blizzard causes isolation
🤥Unreliable narrators

Alexa Donne's The Bitter End is a gripping YA thriller that delivers both suspense and intrigue. The story revolves around eight privileged teens from LA’s Warner Prep, trapped in a remote ski cabin amidst a deadly winter storm. What starts as an uneventful digital detox quickly turns into a nightmare as their classmates begin to die one by one, hinting that the killer could be among them.

Donne does a fantastic job creating a claustrophobic atmosphere, where every character's secrets and motives are called into question. The tension builds steadily, and the twists keep readers on their toes. The combination of high school drama, betrayal, and survival stakes gives the plot an edge that will appeal to fans of the genre.

However, at times, the characterization felt a bit thin, with some personalities blending into the background. Despite this, the fast-paced narrative and the mystery at the heart of the story make it a thrilling read. The chilling backdrop of a snowstorm and the looming sense of danger add to the story’s intensity, making this a book hard to put down.

A solid four-star read for fans of Alexa Donne’s work and anyone looking for a good page-turner!

I'm not going to lie—I wasn't expecting much from this book, as YA thrillers rarely wow me, but wow, this one was UH-MAZING.

The students of LA’s elite Warner Prep are about to go on the trip of a lifetime to one of the world’s most exclusive locations. However, eight students mysteriously end up at a digital detox retreat with their guidance counselor—what a bore, right? It’s just a bunch of pre-college kids doing typical teenage things, until one of their classmates drops dead, and a blizzard conveniently traps them in their B&B.

At first, I thought it was just some petty, juvenile story, as the characters seem like your typical high schoolers—eager for excitement, mildly horny, and a little backstabby.

However, the story picks up very quickly once the people in the cabin start dying one after the other. Who’s behind it, and what’s their motive? The closed-room setting added to the tension, making it a high-stakes thriller. Since everyone has a motive, I couldn’t trust anyone until the very end.

The audiobook also features a full cast, so I recommend checking it out if you're an audiobook fan.

I really enjoyed this multi-POV, non-linear narrative. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys unreliable narrators and is looking for a good winter thriller, full of drama and suspense, but without much gore.

5 Reasons to read The Bitter End

1. Multiple POV

This alone will keep you intrigued. There were 8 different characters and thanks to that you get 8 different POV. Luckily most of the narration is only told from 3 of the characters so it doesn’t get at all confusing!

2. TWO different timelines

You get the present and what is currently happening and then you also get a party that was attended by all 8 of our characters three years prior.

3. If you’re a fan of YellowJackets and eagerly awaiting season 3 this may help with that anticipation. These 8 characters end up being snowed in this cabin and murder ensues. Who is murdering only one way to find out. I can tell you I wasn’t right at any point.

4. Digital Detox

As if being snowed in with a murderer wasn’t bad enough. The idea of this retreat was to be a digital detox. So not only do the kids not have access to any of their electronics, thanks to Mother Nature, they wouldn’t work even if they did.

5. Murder Mystery

What’s better than a mystery that keeps you on your toes? You’ll be guessing until the very on what exactly is happening!

This was definitely a fun and fast paced YA thriller. There was a lot going on and never a dull moment. There was just something missing for me to make it more, I enjoyed it but I did loose interest sometimes. I do think a lot of people will love it !

I love the isolated location trope and The Bitter End is no exception! The setting of the ski chalet on top of a mountain in Colorado during a snow storm offers the perfect place for a murder spree and adds to the tension and bleakness of the novel. There is literally no escape for the eight teens and one teacher who think they are going on a senior trip and things are about to get a lot worse for everyone than a phone free weekend in freezing conditions.

It becomes obvious pretty quickly that this field trip was not meant to happen and that it is a last minute change, but who created this plan and why? I really enjoyed the plot of this novel and there are lots of secrets and twists revealed the further I got into the story which gave me plenty of suspects to keep an eye on and red herrings that succeeded in throwing me off the scent. The big reveal at the end was a surprise as I hadn’t guessed the culprit or their reasoning and I love how everything came together neatly to answer all the questions that had been building up.

The Bitter End is a multi POV story and not only do you have to keep track of the four main girls and a few one off chapters from the boys, you also have to contend with chapters that slowly reveal an important event that occurred three years ago. In my opinion, this definitely felt like too much was going on and I found it quite hard to differentiate between the girl POVs, especially the rich girls’ Eden and Delaney. They sounded quite similar and I had to really concentrate to remind myself who’s POV I was currently reading. Add on top the chapters from the past, it felt a little too chaotic for me and disrupted the pacing even though the events from that night were integral to the plot.

I think Piper was my favourite character and I enjoyed the chapters from her POV the most as she is one of the smartest out of them all who tries to think logically and clearly while trying to figure everything out. She also seemed to have more fight in her than I originally would have expected and her character development is one of the strongest from start to finish.

I love that the murders are all quite unique which makes it an exciting read, as I kept wondering what is going to happen next and to who. Once you find out who the killer is, all of the murders then begin to make sense and the reveal just adds more intensity to the end as I wondered who was going to make it out alive.

The Bitter End is an incredibly thrilling and fast paced YA book which kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

I'm on the fence with this book. I really enjoyed the setting, which is the perfect location for things to go wrong. However, it was somewhat difficult to keep some of the characters straight, as their voices weren't as distinct as I would have expected. None of the characters were easy to root for or connect with enough to care about what happens to them. And, sadly, many of them seem like the same person but with a different name. However, it is a quick mystery that had the feel of "Clue," which I loved. Having fewer points of view may have helped with some of the issues. I had expected more suspense, but instead, I found this to be a bit of a fluff read.

The bitter end. This book takes you on trip of a group of young adults. There is a killer. Is the killer one of them

In The Bitter End, eight high school seniors are stuck spending their senior trip at a secluded cabin on a snowy mountain in Colorado for a weekend of digital detoxing. While their classmates enjoy luxurious, Instagram-worthy trips to France and Alaska, they're left with only their school counselor and each other. Just when they think the trip couldn't get any worse, things take a twisted turn when one of them turns up dead. As more bodies pile up, secrets and betrayals come to light, making it clear that this getaway was no accident. Can they uncover the truth before it's too late? Their survival depends on it.

This was such a fun and thrilling read! The story is told from multiple points of view and has a dual timeline, switching between the present and a party from three years ago. Piper's POV was my favorite—she's an amateur detective with a passion for true crime, always picking up on the clues. While the book starts off a little slow, the tension quickly ramps up after the first body is found. Overall, this is an excellent locked-room mystery, perfect for the snowy season!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alexa Donne, and Random House Children's for providing the ebook! The setting of The Bitter End is both captivating and suspenseful, perfectly complementing the story's thrilling twists and turns. What starts as a seemingly innocent weekend getaway quickly spirals into a chilling murder mystery, with not one, but four victims. Donne masterfully crafts a cat-and-mouse game, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they piece together the clues. This gripping who-done-it is a must-read for fans of mystery and suspense!

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This was a fun and twisty YA mystery/thriller that is a quick and easy read. Eight students from LA’s elite Warner Prep are on their Senior Excursion. It's supposed to be five days of Instagrammable adventure in one of the world’s most exclusive locations. But, at the last minute, each of the students is pulled from their original excursion and assigned to a new one set high in the mountains. It's explained the excursion will be a digital detox in an isolated Colorado ski chalet.(insert eerie music here)

Well this isn't suspicious at all, is it? Nothing could possibly go wrong, could it? Yep - you guessed it. A severe storm hits the chalet, they are snowed in and the internet and phones are down. There is no car to leave the chalet. It looks like they are in for a few uncomfortable days, but nothing too bad. Then the deaths begin and the suspicions begin to fly. First it's one member of the group that they might be able to check off as an accident. But then one after another student is found dead. It's clear one of them is a killer, and as the suspect list gets shorter and shorter, is there anyone you can trust?

All of the characters in this book are horrible people with questionable morals. They all have secrets they don't want revealed, and their relationship with the other students have multiple layers. All of the narrators are unreliable and you never know whose version to believe. There are plenty of red herrings, which are quickly dispelled when each suspected person is killed off. Things continue to get worse for the survivors as they barrel toward the exciting ending.

The author does a great job of building tension as the story progresses. You can almost feel the student's despair jump off the page as their plights get more and more dire. The reason behind the murderer's killing spree was a bit ridiculous - but then again, mass murderers are not exactly known for their clear thinking.

Overall this was a quick and fun read that can be read in a day or two. If you like closed door mysteries and reading about bratty, spoiled kids getting picked off one by one, this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from TBR and Beyond Book Tours, the author, NetGalley, and Random House Books for Young Readers. All opinions are my own.

Eight teens are trapped in a ski lodge in the middle of a blizzard with a killer on the loose.

Eight seniors who did not want to be on a four-day trip to a mountain in a ski lodge found themselves without internet access. Instead of embracing the situation, Eden, one of the seniors, drugs the chaperone and throws a party with the contraband alcohol they sneaked in. Unfortunately, the party takes a tragic turn when Declan, a former TikTok influencer and one of the seniors, dies. Soon after, the group begins to die one by one, indicating that there is a killer among them. Will they manage to survive and uncover the identity of the culprit?

The book I just finished was absolutely gripping and utterly impossible to set down! I devoured it in less than a week. It was my first foray into the thriller genre, and I was captivated by the challenge of trying to unravel the identity of the killer. It reminded me of the intense mystery-solving in Danganronpa, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Willa is a character I found incredibly relatable and endearing, and I couldn't help but root for her. Declan's larger-than-life personality was intriguing, and Delaney's outward perfection left me questioning her true nature. Wyatt's penchant for video games added an exciting layer to the story, while Eden's dramatic tendencies kept things lively. Liam's unwavering loyalty was put to the test, and Camille's prickly demeanor added a dynamic twist. Lastly, Piper's enigmatic personality and sharp intellect drew me in.
Give this book to fans of thrillers who are intrigued by a thriller with a revenge best-served cold.

Happy Reading, Paige ❤️ 📚

Good YA stuck in one place can't get away or communicate kind of murder mystery with more than one death. The interesting thing about this one is that there was a death in the past, and we unveil that mystery from the flashbacks. I appreciate the vocabulary level in this one.

A nice paced YA thriller. The book is set in the past and present which I personally like when it is done well, which I think this is done well. I liked how the past and present helped to show the plot of the story unveil.