Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I also have the written copy of this book as well to review.
This was an interesting book told both in the past and the present from three POV’s.
I enjoyed the narrators and I think most of the book was well written.
Characters were interesting and the view into the life of a cult and its members I found to be fairly interesting and accurate based on some true crime books I’ve read before.
I didn’t love the ending but otherwise an all around decent book.

Only the Guilty Survive had me hooked from the first page. I picked it up because of the gorgeous cover and am so glad that I did.

As a true crime fan, it was interesting to see the inner workings of cult leader Dom’s mind and how he was influenced by others before him like Charles Manson and Jim Jones.

I thought author Kate Robards did a great job weaving Claire’s narrative today with Lollie’s view of the past. The pacing of the story was good but I still have a lot of questions after the ending though which is why this isn’t a five-star for me. The last couple of chapters felt like they were rushed and there are a few pieces of the story left unresolved.

All three narrators were fantastic. They did a great job of getting into each character’s POV and really conveyed the desperation, loneliness and question for answers that each one felt.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Kate Robards for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

Claire was a former member of a cult named The Flock when her best friend was murdered and everyone in the flock dies rather by suicide or murder no one knows. Not even Claire she has spent years after trying to remember those final days. Why is she still alive and who killed her best friend? With the 10 year anniversary of Lollie death comes up so does a podcaster trying to figure out what really happened.

There were parts of this book that didn't make sense and parts that didn't add up for me. As we unravel the past and present I think we left a lot of answers un answered and the ending just made me go... wait what and just felt like all the thoughts and actions Claire had throughout the book mean nothing.

I was hoping since it was real like/podcast it would be parts in podcast formats like a few others I've read but it was just all told in one format. So it didn't feel like 2 stories going at once.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

A well plotted cult story, Only the Guilty Survive follows Claire, the only survivor of a cult that committed mass suicide.

Years after the tumultuous end of the cult called The Flock, Claire is trying to live her life. She has a therapist, a quite library job and the support of her parents since she didn't move far from town. A podcaster comes to town and suddenly the memories that Claire cannot recall threaten to emerge. Why did she survive? What happened to the leader?

Robards creates the perfect balance of flashbacks to cult life to Claire's current half of a life. It is easy to understand how and why the Flock worked and feel for the members. If you like a cult novel, this is for you!
#dreamscape #katerobards #onlytheguiltysurvive #podcastnovel #cultnovel
#BethHicks #LeanneWoodward #GrahamHalstead

This was unsettling and creepy, a perfect read/listen for spooky season! I'm definitely going to keep this one in my back pocket for a book club we host at my library, Death and Donuts.

4/5

I was really interested in reading this book when I first read the synopsis. I didn’t like it as much as I hoped I would. It was interesting, but it was very repetitive and that got old. I enjoyed the narration.

This book is an interesting one. I don't read many thrillers with cult tropes, and now I think I would explore that sub-genre more. While it's maddening to listen to, it's a challenge in compassion and different than other thrillers I've read.

I think this was great on audio. I think it may have been slow if I read a physical copy. I'm glad there was a full cast and labeled chapters for the different characters and timelines.

This may be a good fit if you enjoy:
- books about the inner workings of cults
- whodunnits with multiple perspectives and timelines
- books with investigative/podcast elements
- quick, full-cast audiobooks

My critiques would be
- I think Dominic's (the cult leader) character could have been ramped up a bit to the level of despicable or a flawed person that readers feel for even though he sucks.
- The reveal was unexpected which is good thing, yet I wanted more. It felt a little out of nowhere.
- The ending could have been jaw dropping, but when I rewound the audio to revisit some details, it didn't feel as exciting. I think there was some potential there.

Rating: I liked it! (3)

The perfect mix of creepy and disturbing and could be taken from the 6 o'clock news. It will keep you up at night...

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were great. The premise was very interesting but it was so repetitive that I found my attention drifting. Parts of it were very interesting and I’m sure some will love it but unfortunately it wasn’t the book for me.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3

That was certainly… a book 😅

I don’t like to leave bad reviews, but I was unfortunately disappointed by this audiobook.

The book was slow and repetitive, which really sucks because I was so excited to listen to this audiobook based on the description.

There were so many characters introduced, and I didn’t find any of them likeable.

I listened until the very end, hoping everything would be wrapped up nicely and I’d be left with that “okay, wow, it all made sense” feeling. Unfortunately, I was just left wondering WTF I read… and not in a good way.

Thank you to NetGalley and dreamscape media for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Claire is the only survivor of a doomsday cult (The Flock) that fell apart when one of the members (Lauren/Lolly) was murdered and the cult came under public scrutiny. She still lives in the small college town where she grew up and everyone hates her, and now a podcaster is investigating the cult and Lolly's death, so Claire is back in the spotlight and trying to remember/figure out what exactly happened to her cult pals.

No spoilers, so I'm going to be extremely vague here and say I did not enjoy this book. Claire was extremely difficult to root for, the plot was extremely repetitive and slow, and the eventual explanation for what happened didn't make sense.

I was hoping for something along the lines of Listen for the Lie because of the small town + podcast + dead friend + is she a survivor or a perpetrator? (with a bonus cult!) and this was not it. I do think readers who enjoyed A History of Wild Places might like this (?) more than I did.

Lots of twists and turns in this cult based thriller. The author makes excellent use of jumping back and forth in time to create suspense and mystery about how the cult met its tragic end.

My love for cult books is overshadowed by the true crime podcaster trope. The cult part is lukewarm, with the author repeating the same information in an info-dumpy fashion. The characters, Claire and Laurel, are difficult to empathize with despite their horrors. The plot lines and character details don't add up, and the author's Americanization of the name Jock is confusing. The ending solidifies the book as a one-star book, but the baddie reveal and emotionally abusive husband Henry are kept in the drafts.

2.5/3. Rounded down.
I was quite underwhelmed. I was so eager for this story. The podcast aspect, the cult story. But it fell very short.

This was so good! The first time I’ve read about a cult who ultimately decided to unalive themselves because the leader told them to. The reasons why others were kidnapped and there was only one survivor is the reason this story caught wind of a man covering it in his podcast. This was an interesting listen and I hope more people listen

A true crime podcast and a cult? Sold!
We start solidly with a very gr opening and the duel viewpoints over the two periods of time were interesting to start with but I found myself getting bored about halfway through. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, or find them that interesting, and there wasn’t really anything that gripped me.
Narrator was good.

I recently had the chance to read an advanced copy of "Only the Guilty Survive" by Kate Robards, thanks to NetGalley. Initially, I was uncertain about the book; it seemed like it might be a challenge to get through. However, as the plot unfolded, I found myself deeply engrossed.

The story revolves around the Flock, a cult that ended in a mass suicide, leaving only one survivor, Claire Kettler. The narrative is told from the perspectives of multiple characters, each adding depth and intrigue to the tale. I was particularly drawn to the way Robards portrayed Dominic Bragg, the cult leader, capturing the complexities of his thoughts and motivations.

Although the book was difficult to grasp at first, it ultimately won me over. I'm eager to explore more of Robards' work in the future!

I knew I would love this when I read the description and it didn’t disappoint!

Premise - the sole survivor of a death cult can’t remember the last, disastrous moments before her friends all died. Years later she has tried to move on with a new life, but she’s still haunted by her past and when a podcaster makes the story news again, she’s in a race against him to find out exactly what happened to her all those years ago… and what role she played.

I really enjoyed the voice in this and it had all the creepy psychological weirdness that makes me love cult thrillers. I wasn’t sure exactly what happened or why for a lot of the book - it was so fun!

I enjoyed Claire as a perspective character, even though she read whiny, but the reason this isn’t quite a 5 star read for me despite all it has going for it is the cult leader. We got to see his perspective (YES!) but weirdly that didn’t really clarify/solidify his motivations as much as I’d hoped. He was a weaker character than I wanted - I’m all for hypocrisy and flaws in a cult leader, of course, and mental illness definitely works, too, but his belief in himself didn’t really sell me.

I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Beth Hicks, Leanne Woodward, and Graham Halstead. A full cast audiobook is a real treat and this cast did a great job! They brought Robards’ book vividly to life. I highly recommend listening to this one, especially if you’re trying to wile away the hours during summer travel (or make housework fun).

Thanks, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw this book recommended for fans of Riley Sager I knew I had to read immediately! This is my first Kate Robards book and it didn’t disappoint, I found the storyline to be interesting and captivating, a page turner that kept me reading to find out the mysterious of the past.

“Only the guilty survive” follow present day Claire, the sole survivor of a cult called “the flock” that came to an abrupt end in 2014 when the other members acted out a mass suicide. She has attempted to move on with her life, yet shoulder the blame and harsh judgements of her small town.

The only issue is, she remembers very little about her time in the cult, and has no idea why she was the only one left out.

The POV swap between hers, and that of another member “Lollie”. In Lollies POV we are taken back to the past in the weeks leading up to the death of the cult, as we watch events unfold from a first hand account.

I enjoyed the two POV, as well as both of the main characters. I felt so bad for both of them knowing their dire situations. Usually I’m not a fan of cult fiction as I find it to be repetitive and boring, however this story brought to life new ideas from a fresh perspective and kept me entertained throughout.

The alternating narrators each did a fantastic job in bringing their characters to life, props to: Beth Hicks, Leanne Woodward and Graham Halstead

Thank you to the Kate Robards, Dreamscape Media, Crooked lane books and NetGalley for the arc.

publish date: Aug 6th 2024

Did not like this one. Too many characters. Too convoluted, story was just too strange. Not a good story.