Ten years ago, the quiet town of Iola, Michigan was thrown into chaos when the enigmatic cult, The Flock, orchestrated a mass suicide at an abandoned bird sanctuary. Led by the charismatic Dominic Bragg, the cult's demise was preceded by the disappearance and presumed murder of local pageant queen, Laurel Tai. Her best friend, Claire Kettler, was left to grapple with the tragedy, haunted by a gaping hole in her memory. Unable to recall the events surrounding Laurel's disappearance or the cult's final days, Claire lives with the weight of unanswered questions. Now, with the arrival of podcaster Arlo Stone, determined to uncover the truth about the cult and Laurel's murder, Claire is forced to confront a past she can barely remember.

Unfortunately, I thought that Only the Guilty Survive falls short of its potential. The first strike was Claire's amnesia, which is a trope in mysteries that automatically makes me groan. Additionally, the characters all felt fairly one-dimensional. The cult leader feels cartoonish rather than truly menacing. Offering chapters from his perspective probably hurt the novel more than helping it since his motivations aren't any further elucidated through them. Claire is a bit of a wet blanket and there isn't much there to endear her to readers.

The pacing of the novel is uneven, with crucial information withheld until late in the story. I'm a firm believer that readers should be given the clues to solve a mystery, and I don't think that was the case here. The abrupt ending was also disappointing, providing little closure and leaving me more baffled than anything. While the premise of a mysterious cult and a missing girl is promising, the execution ultimately falls flat.

The narrators all gave great performances, but I was disappointed that the podcast episodes weren't produced as such.

This review will be posted to Goodreads on August 5, 2024.

Kate Robards' Only the Guilty Survive follows the story of Claire, the sole survivor of a massive cult death. In the present, a podcaster looking for fame finds Claire and tries to unearth the truth of what happened to the cult she once belonged to. For years, she has claimed no memory of the events leading up to what is debated as mass murder or mass suicide or the separate kidnapping and murder of Laurel, her best friend inside the cult. As Claire is pushed to clear her name and remember what happened, her past catches up to her quickly. There's a reason her therapist and her father have tried to keep her from remembering the events of the past.

Only the Guilty Survive had the potential to be a great cult thriller. Unfortunately the end falls flat and wraps up too quickly, leaving the reader begging for more. More plot, more character development, more mystery.

Genre: Thriller
Expected publication: August 6, 2024

Only the Guilty Survive is a thriller by Kate Robards. It tells the story of a podcaster who is looking into a cult’s mass suicide and the murder of a local beauty queen. The cult is in the small town of Iola, Michigan and is led by Dominic Braag. The cult is known as The Flock. The mass suicide of The Flock takes place just after member and beauty queen Laurel is kidnapped. Claire (the only survivor and Laurel’s best friend) takes the brunt of the blame for what happened. Dominic is nowhere to be found and Claire wants to know what really happened. Arlo (a podcaster) starts investigating 10 years later. In order to keep her secrets Claire must find out the truth before time runs out.
Honestly, I started this book expecting more than it gave. I didn’t really care for the characters that much. Claire was annoying. I am a true crime junkie and saw this book was about cults (I know it’s fiction, but I was excited anyway), so I wanted to read it. It’s a book I could have gone without. It’s an okay read and one you can read pretty quickly, but it’s one that won’t stick with me.

This was a great audiobook! I was able to complete immerse myself into this story, almost as if this was a real case I was following.

Although I was able to predict the 'big twist,' I didn't even mind because I loved the overall mystery and storyline. I highly recommend!

The characters in this book were pretty memorable. I appreciated the nuances between the cult members; they weren't presented as mindless drones, they were each given a personality. Additionally, I thought Robards did a great job with the setting. I could imagine a sleepy college town like Iola. I could feel Claire's uneasiness in the place, picture the home and garden of her father, the library, the college, and the bird sanctuary. However, the plot was lacking. Lolly secretly entering a pageant, Claire spending a decade recovering from a cult she was in for a few months, Dom admitting to following a blueprint of former cult leaders. Those things don't make sense. It didn't work for me. I was especially disappointed in the ending. It was abrupt with loose ends. Even when a book is set to become a series, there is the expectation that the initial offering end well. Based on the description, I expected more.

If you like Cult thrillers this one might be for you. Sadly I couldn't get into it and had to DNF pretty early on. The narration was just okay but the story definitely fell flat for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest feedback. I will still be interested in trying more from this new to me author in the future.

In Only the Guilty Survive, Claire, the only survivor of a cult known as The Flock, must re-examine the tragic events that happened a decade earlier, including the disappearance of her best friend, Laurel, when a podcaster arrives in town to investigate the case.

The Reader is treated to Claire's perspective in the present, Laurel's perspective in the past, and another perspective, which I'll keep mum on for spoiler's sake. The back-and-forth between the women was a good way to tell the story. Claire, in the present, has very hazy recollections of her time within The Flock, so Laurel's past perspective is really essential for building that aspect out.

This is a fine book. It does nothing wrong. It tells a story that I feel like a lot of Readers will have fun with. For me though, the mystery just wasn't engaging enough to feel invested in. It didn't pull me in. The character work was fine and I did think that Laurel's past perspective showcasing the lives of those within The Flock was fairly interesting. Overall though, it did nothing to make it memorable, or really stand out for me in this genre.

I think if you are looking for some light entertainment, or a story you can easily fit into your weekend schedule, this could be a good selection. I did feel the audiobook narration was strong and would suggest that format.

Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'm glad I gave this one a shot!

I give this a 3.5 rating. There was not as much interest for me in the present time with Claire. She was difficult to like and I felt like she was ultimately whiney.

The chapters that were in the past between Laurel and Dom were interesting and I wish there was more info into the cult themselves and what happened there.

The epilogue threw me for a loop and kind of left us with questions unanswered. I'm unsure if the plan is to create a sequel but I would read it!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book! The narrators were very good!

I would say this is a solid 3.5. I could see a sequel coming from this, especially since a huge piece of information is still missing.

I’m not usually drawn to cult-related content, but this audio thriller completely captivated me. From the first episode, I was on the edge of my seat, unable to stop listening. The storytelling was masterful, with each twist and turn leaving me eager to hear what would happen next.

The podcast format added an extra layer of intensity, making the experience even more immersive and gripping. It managed to keep me engaged from start to finish, with the suspense building in all the right places.

By the end, I was thoroughly impressed. This audio thriller exceeded my expectations and has given me a newfound appreciation for how engaging and powerful this genre can be.

3.5 stars

From the book description:
“<i>The mass suicide of a cult known as The Flock sent shockwaves through the small rural town of Iola, Michigan. Led by the charismatic Dominic Bragg, The Flock camped at an abandoned bird sanctuary before their sudden and shocking demise. The deaths came just weeks after one of their members, Laurel Tai, a local pageant queen, was abducted. The town turned its blame and fear onto the sole survivor, Claire Kettler–Laurel’s best friend. Burdened by grief and unanswered questions about her friend’s murder and her fellow cult members’ deaths, Claire can’t help but wonder what really happened, especially when the cult leader is nowhere to be found. When podcaster Arlo Stone begins poking around ten years later, determined to uncover the truth about the cult and Laurel’s murder, Claire is propelled back into action. In a desperate attempt to puzzle out the past and keep her secrets from being spilled for the entertainment of thousands of listeners, Claire must dig into a tangle of unanswered questions before time runs out and history repeats itself. </i>”

This book is told in two parts from two perspectives in each part: Both parts feature Claire’s perspective in the present day; Part 1 feature’s Laurel’s perspective leading up to her disappearance in the past, while Part 2 features Dom’s view leading up to the Flock’s death in the past.

This book was hard to rate for me. Reading the description the book immediately intrigued me and it was really well written, hooking me immediately, with both the past and the present stories. I loved both the mystery of what was happening at the Bird Sanctuary under Dom (the cult leader/guru), because you realize immediately that something is ominously wrong- and not just because we already know that the group will be found dead at the end of the summer; but also the present-day story of Claire and her inability to cope with her past.

It was really a great set-up for a mystery/thriller that had some parts that came together really well.

Butttttt……some didn’t. And they landed really, really flat. I don’t want to spoil anything, but some of the main mystery solution is really, quite frankly, dull. Like, it comes out of nowhere and just, kind of, happens. And I had no emotional investment in it after everything. Like seriously? That was it?

But Another part did hit some of the right notes and left me with the chills. But also some questions…..it needed some more explanation based on the rest of the story. Like, based on the rest of what we read, it didn’t quite fit without more context, even though it was good. I’ll give you that, it was good.

So yeah, this was a great book overall, but the ending needed maybe some more tweaking. Which dampens it a little bit, because the ending is, well, important.

But it’s still very worth reading. I’d recommend it.

This was an interesting book, as I've always been sort of fascinated by cults (in that rubbernecking kind of way). I very much liked the flashback chapters, but I wasn't the hugest fan of the current time chapters narrated by Claire. I found her character irritating, but I guess living through a cult situation doesn't leave the most stable person behind. Still an overall interesting book and I didn't guess how all the moving parts fit together in the end.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for this honest review.

Only the Guilty Survive is a thrilling dive into the dark world of a cult known as The Flock. Robards expertly constructed the twisted tale of Claire, the lone survivor of a mass suicide that took the life of every member except herself and the cult leader Dominic.

Now Claire is struggling with survivors’ guilt, overcoming mental and physical trauma, her ever growing suspicions about what really happened to her friends, and the constant concern of where Dominic has disappeared to. The story gets even more mysterious when we learn the tragic story of Claire’s friend Lollie, who was murdered before the cult suicide, right before her planned escape.
Robards crafts an emotionally charged story line!

Claire’s PTSD and her struggle with repressed memories are depicted in a way that makes you feel her pain and confusion. As a true-crime podcaster starts digging into the old case, Claire is forced to confront her buried memories and uncover the truth.

This book’s authentic portrayal of cult dynamics, combined with a suspenseful plot and complex characters, makes it a compelling read from start to finish.

***Contains some MA language and content
Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!

Claire was a total dingdong and extremely hard to root for. Her husband was horrible. Her dad was a jerk. Why did she stay in the tiny town where everyone hated her? The explanation for what happened to Lolly made zero sense. The person who did the thing had MANY better options to get the result they were going for instead of doing what they did. The podcast angle was underutilized. I usually enjoy hearing from the bad guy, but the sections told from Dom (the cult leader)'s perspective were ridiculous. Sorry, I just couldnt give this one more than 2.5 stars - rounded to 3.

This book really appealed to me before reading it. It is about a cult, its leader, an unsolved murder, and a mass suicide. It seemed like such a great story, but the execution of it was lackluster. The cult itself seemed so disorganized, which is not the vibe I’ve gotten from any other cult documentary or book I’ve read. As far as what the cult is interested in the only vague answer is enlightenment. I just wished that the cult itself was better developed. Also must cult leaders don’t believe they are leading a cult. They truly believe the delusion they are teaching, but not the cult leader in this book. He is fully aware he is deceiving people and manipulating them. Someone that aware doesn’t shout cult leader. Also the book was very slow. The last 5-10% of the book was the most interesting but it went so quickly that it felt like a ton of buildup for nothing. Also not sure it even made that much sense. The chapters from Dom’s pov were unnecessary and felt very random. Overall I was just disappointed.

Beautiful cover, true crime podcasts and a cult!! This had me very excited to start this audiobook. I enjoyed the multiple POV’s. Claire the main character was a bit annoying in the beginning. I would have loved to have more of the Dominic’s POV. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend to readers.
There were multiple narrators for the audiobook and all were fantastic.
**I listened to the audiobook but this cover is so beautiful I need it for my bookshelf*


Thank you Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for early access to this audiobook

I really wanted to love this book, but there were too many things that were missing. The FMC was super aggravating & I couldn’t connect with her at all. However, the plot holes & repetition were the main reasons I didn’t fully enjoy this book. Great concept, but needed better execution.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, & author for an advanced audiobook copy.

The cover and cults. I was intrigued by those two things. I expected some Jim Jones vibes, and Charlie Manson antics, but unfortunately this story just didn’t do it for me.

Dominic Bragg, a man who idolizes cults and their leaders, decides to form his own. He then names it “The Flock” and they live on Birdhaven. One of the members, Laurel, dissappears, and shortly after 14 members are found dead. The only remaining member is Claire, and 10 years later a podcaster brings the story back to find the truth.

This book takes place in multiple time periods and various POV’s. The main character, Claire, was quite annoying and, honestly, kind of pathetic. I know that was not what the author intended, but it’s really all I thought the whole time. This book was very inconsistent, and at times confusing. Things seemed to flip flop, and at the end I’m still slightly confused about who did what and why? Who knows. This one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for this audiobook!

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭 (𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐬 “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤”) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧. 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 (𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭, 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲; 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝; 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐦: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭).

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 “𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲.” 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐭. 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒦𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝒷𝒶𝓇𝒹𝓈, 𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓅𝑒 𝑀𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒶, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I listened to this one on audio and I did like the narrator. I thought the voice was nice and easy to read.

However, I did not like this book. I felt like the characters were so unlikeable and it was hard to connect with anyone. I also felt like the podcast element was barely used and I think that was a missed opportunity. I think the podcast element was hyped in the synopsis since it is so popular right now but it wasn't in the actual book much. I also felt the the cult part was just too surfacey and felt like a lecture about cults rather than being in a cult (if that makes sense.)

Overall, I just did not like this one. I hope others love it.