Only the Guilty Survive by Kate Robarbs follows a young woman as the 10 anniversary of the Flock were discovered dead. Claire is the lone survivor who was the one to stumble upon the Flock in the van that had been running all night. Claire has blocked her memories from her time there and now since a pod caster is revisiting the case and interviewing family and friends about the ones that didn't survive the fateful tragady. It looks to Claire that she is being blamed for the events that took place. Now her memory is coming back in bits and pieces she needs to find out what she did before it is too late.

Wow! This was the perfect blend of True Crime + fictional mystery. This was such a splendid and eerie take on cults, true crime fascination, and small town small mindedness.

The setting of this cult being in an old orangeologist residents was such a cool take on the Jonestown/ Manson Family era cults. The different POV chapters were great to get in the head of both victims and the people taking advantage.

It was tense and fascinating. It was an exciting Adventure right up to the very end.

Claire's quiet life as a small-town librarian gets shaken up when podcaster Arlo Stone comes to town digging into a local cult. The members called themselves The Flock and Clarie knows all about them.... she is their sole survivor. As Arlo investigates, Clarie has to come to terms with her involvement in the cult and figure out what really happened to her friend and fellow Flock Member, Lolly.

There's a lot to like about this book. Right from the first impression, I love the cover! Then, reading the description, I was hooked-- Cult situations are fascinating, and The Flock is SUCH a cool name. It simultaneously provides for a tight-knit feeling and a lot of creepy imagery. The podcast angle gives you a reason for the new investigation and the potential for a cool cast of characters unrelated to the case.

There were also some struggles. The whole fascination with cults is that the leader is so charismatic that you can't help but taken in by him and his whole idea for this exclusive, tight knit, self-sustaining community. You can think the People's Temple situation was crazy, but Jim Jones sold people on the idea of leaving the stress of working your whole life and living in a tropical paradise with a thousand other similar minded people. I'm not really sure what the appeal of The Flock was, it was really just a bunch of kids living on a mostly abandoned property. The leader also didn't seem to have anywhere near the charisma of Jim Jones. In fact, The Flock leader came off creepy and many times Lolly & Claire recall him he's doing things that make them feel uneasy so I'm not really sure what the appeal was for the girls. I understand their homes lives weren't ideal, but they weren't bad, either. There really wasn't much for them to run away from so there wasn't any compelling reason for them to stay with The Flock. These girls literally could have just walked off back to their homes. I just didn't feel like it ever really hit its stride with the cult situation and the present-day situation is pretty dull, so it just dragged a bit.

Overall it just seemed like the author just didn't do enough research into cults to be able to really set the stage and make you feel like you're there or at least make you understand the appeal. The whole time I just kept thinking 'yeah just walk away'. I never once felt like the girls couldn't leave or that the leader was making it so enticing they didn't ever want to leave. They wanted to leave and they could have, so the book just kind of dragged. That being said, the writing is good. Structurally, voice wise, plotting of events, ect, all good. The writer is definitely talented, I just don't think this was the right subject.

This was an interesting read! It kept my attention, was creepy, and a nice quick read. I can’t say I was super surprised but it was good! Great for a quick read. 3.5/5

If you like Cult suspense books you may like this book. I did find it a bit repetitive and it left me wanting some more detail. Overall it was a solid 3/5 read for me.

I was really excited when I read "cults" and "podcast" in the book description, as these are two of my favorite subjects/themes in books. However, this story fell flat. The main character, Claire, is somehow overdramatic and dull at the same time. This story had so much potential to get super weird, but the twist was predictable, and you could see it coming a mile away. However, I will give the author another shot in future works.

Podcaster Arlo Stone begins digging into the strange events surrounding a cults mass suicide. The mass suicide of members of a cult known as The Flock happens a few short weeks after one of its members is abducted and murders. The deaths only leaves cult leader Dominic Bragg and one member Claire Kettler alive. With Dominic in the wind and Claire left alone to take on the aftermath of this devastating event will anyone truly figure out what happened to the members of The Flock?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this story. It was able to keep my attention as well as have me guessing throughout the narration. I spent the whole time thinking the person behind Laurels murder was someone else than it turned out to be and that is always a good thing in a mystery/thriller. I did get a little confused at times with the storyline as it went from past to present. The epilogue left me with one giant question that I won’t post here in case I’m right and then spoil the whole book for others if you’ve read this one lmk so I can message you about it! I liked how the author really brought Claire’s story full circle and gave her the ending I was hoping she would achieve. I also liked how based on my reading it seemed that the author did her research on other infamous cult leaders while writing Dominic’s character. He was the worst but also a great character to read when his POV chapters came. I would rate this audiobook 3.5/5 stars! Over all I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I am not a huge mystery and thriller fan, but this year I have been forcing myself to listen and or read more mystery— 'Only the guilty survive' is superb. I'm happy I had both the physical book and the audio book, when I say I cannot write this review without spoiling, I genuinely mean it. This book I can already envision social media talking about it for months on end. Thank You NetGalley for the early copy of the book and audiobook. 4.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Only The Guilty Survive by Kate Robards will be released on August 6th, 2024.

This is such a tough one to review. On the one hand I was IMMEDIATELY drawn into the story and eager to continue listening. I felt like I needed to know what happened and who was to blame for all of the major plot points (I am avoiding a summary of the story because I don't want to give any spoilers). On the other hand? The plot was kind of all over the place. There was SO MUCH potential for this book to make some really interesting plot twists and yet everything was kind of just skimmed over. Cult books are always so hit and miss and usually they are easy to rate, but this one is hard. I enjoyed the story but it was just...missing something. The characters needed more development and there were a number of plot holes I just didn't like.



And the epilogue made me so mad. I need more information. The audiobook narrators were great, though!

This was okay. I loved the tips about how to persuade people to join a cult. That ought to come in handy. I did suspect the ending but I doubt most people would. The narration was good.

First of all, I absolutely love this cover! I’m such a sucker for floral covers❤️

This book, Only The Guilty Survive, had so many elements that I love seeing in a thriller novel:
• a true crime podcast
• a cult
• multiple POVs
• dual timelines
• small town/rural setting

This was the first book that I have read by @krobards_author and I really enjoyed her writing and the pace of her storytelling. The audiobook is well narrated by a cast of characters which helps with multiple characters and timelines.

I highly recommend adding this audiobook to your end of summer listening list especially if you love thrillers involving a true crime podcast.

Thank you @dreamscape_media for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)

Only the Guilty Survive
Kate Robards
The Flock was a cult. Claire joined when she a teen. She was the only survivor when The Flock committed suicide. The citizens of the small-town suspect Claire had something to do with the deaths of the members of the Flock. Claire does not what happened the day of the suicide nor does she know why she is alive, and they are not. She continually asks herself, why did they leave her behind? She still feels a sense of loyalty to, Dom, the leader of the Flock. A true crime podcaster stirs the pot by asking questions about the 10-year-old crime. She questions Claire’s role in the murder of Laurel, a member of the Flock and a beauty pageant queen.
It was hard to have sympathy for Claire. She seems to be in a cycle of sadistic and manipulating relationships. It seems to be a never-ending progression and she seems to crave that type of relationship. The plot of Only the Guilty Survive was choppy and at times contradictory; the plot has a lot of filler. If the book had been as well written as the synopsis this would be a five star book.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book.

I love cult books so this one was an automatic request for me, unfortunately this was really not for me. The FMC is highly unsufferable, the story is repetitive and just not at all intriguing. The POV's just weren't original and the plot just didn't work at all. It just did not make sense in the end.

Podcasts, investigations, multiple POVs in various time periods and walks you through how a single person survived the cult while 14 others perished. Claire, the only survivor of Dominic Bragg-cult leader, doesn’t remember much of what happened during her time in the cult, “the Flock”. She pivots between current time and ten years prior when she walked away from her family and joined The Flock in Bird Haven. All of her repressed past comes to life when a podcaster comes to town to investigate what happened a decade prior. Though she had attempted to stay out of the limelight, this new energy and interest in the case uncovers secrets and exposes what really happened while under the influence of “Dom”. As her past and present merge together, Claire starts looking for anything that can connect the dots and explain how one of her friends from Bird Haven was murdered. The premise of the book is good although the presentation is a bit lack luster. Needed more of a catch to engage the reader and have them excited about where the plot line is going.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, the author and NetGalley.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this audiobook ARC!
Who doesn't love a culty thriller?! I was invested in this story from the beginning, and my interest never left.
This book was written in a multi-POV structure, and has the character depth any reader will love. Although this book wasn't a 5-star change your brain chemistry type of read, I very much enjoyed this book! Highly recommend.

This book was tracking to be a four star read for me until the end. As previously mentioned, I'm a big fan of the podcast in the mystery story set up that they had going and I was really enjoying the switching POVs. Going back and forth and getting the POV of the dead girl before she died was really interesting, particularly as she tried to navigate getting herself out of the cult. But as we got closer and closer to the end I was starting to worry about how they were going to tie it up because it didn't feel like it was wrapping up at all. I was really disappointed with the ending, enough so that this almost could have been a two star read just from how out of nowhere it seemed. It felt like Kate Robards really just ran out of steam and slapped and ending on it and was done.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

TW for abuse, cults, and familial trauma.

This book was a wild ride. I enjoyed the ride, I'd recommend the ride, I don't know that I'd want to re-read it? Think adult version of The Honeys meets a murder mystery thriller. It was a well-written book with characters that were relatable telling the story. It calls out abusive behavior that you might think isn't if you grew up with it, but also talks about the indoctrination that can happen when the wrong people are trusted.

This book did a great job of immersing you in the story, even when it switched narrators which is impressive to me.

Definitely recommend to those who like thrillers, psychological thrillers, and mystery.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audio arc. All opinions are my own.

I was really excited for this book, and the narrators did a great job bringing this story to life. Claire is the sole survivor of a cult ended by a mass suicide, which she discovered. It has been 10 years, she's gone through therapy, is married, and works part-time at the library. A man doing a podcast comes in one day and Claire decides its time to try to figure out what happened.

The pacing of this story is great, with the trade off of Claire in current time, and flash backs to one Flock member, and the leader.

Having grown up in a cult myself, I am familiar with the intricacies and psychological dynamics involved. Unfortunately, this book was a tedious and disappointing read.

The author fails to capture the true essence of cult operations, focusing instead on dry, repetitive anecdotes that lack depth and authenticity. The writing style is monotonous, making it a struggle to stay engaged. It felt like the author had no real understanding or firsthand experience with cults, resulting in a superficial and unconvincing narrative.

I was expecting a compelling, well-researched account that could shed light on the complexities of cults, but this book did not deliver. It was a waste of time and I would not recommend it to anyone seeking a genuine understanding of the subject.

Beautiful cover and the plot was promising. I found the characters a little drab and the book a little slow moving. I did think the bones were good but I kept waiting for the book to really pick up and have more intensity than it did. There were moments that I thought were done well, but I kept wanting more, and sadly more times than not I felt it fell a little flat. The depth to characters was ok, the back and forth between points of view was good, and the ending did make sense but again did lack a little something. I don’t regret reading the book as I think it was fine, but just wasn’t great.

I would like to thank Kate Robards, NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this audiobook.