Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this arc.

Kate Alice Marshall is one of my autobiuy authors so when I saw I got approved for this arc I freaked out! Guys, I’m not going to give anything away. I just want to say this is so so good. Please go read it!

I jumped into this book without reading the description and I was not let down. This is one of my auto read authors.
I looove reality tv show so this was right up my alley.
A group of people who have all survived some sort of traumatic experience are asked to be on a reality tv show about survival. When they arrive it’s not at all what they expected. This was such a wild ride.
It reminded me a lot of Mr Beasts show, Beast Games but with some murder and not as cheesy.

Highly recommend reading this one if you enjoy survival thrillers or murder mysteries with psychological twists.

Release Date: July 29, 2025 (pre order this one, you will notttt be let down!!)

Kate Alice Marshall’s We Won’t All Survive is a fast-paced survival thriller that blends suspense with rich character development. The story follows Mercy Gray, one of eight contestants on a high-stakes reality survival show, Survive This, where the winner takes home a life-changing cash prize. But things take a dark turn when, after a failed challenge, one contestant is found dead—and the killer could be anyone.

Mercy, a survivor of a mall shooting, joins the show to help pay off her sister’s medical bills. But when she arrives at the isolated location, it becomes clear something is off. With no crew and only cryptic video instructions, the stakes quickly rise. As the group navigates the challenges, Mercy must figure out who she can trust before the killer strikes again.

While the book follows a familiar survival thriller format, its strength lies in the well-rounded characters, each with their own emotional depth and compelling backstory. Marshall avoids the usual shallow characters often found in this genre, making you genuinely care about their fates.

Though the identity of the killer is somewhat predictable, the fast pacing and psychological tension keep the story engaging. The book is a solid pick for fans of psychological thrillers with complex characters and high-stakes drama. We Won’t All Survive is a gripping read that will keep you hooked until the very end.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of suspenseful YA with an interesting premise, and this book did not disappoint! Our heroine, Mercy Gray, comes to an isolated "ghost town" called Landry's Gap to participate in a survivor style reality TV show. When she gets there, there is a surprising lack of staff (producers, film crews, etc.), as well as a missing host, survival expert Damen Dare. Mercy, along with a group of other contestants, is locked in the town as Dare's prerecorded videos begin to play. The group competes to earn things like food and water, as it appears the game is moving forward. However, they are thrown into chaos as one of them is found dead under suspicious circumstance (bruises around her neck, etc.). It seems that each of the contestants was chosen due to having a "precursor event" which means trauma (Mercy is the survivor of a mall shooting, others were involved in hiking accidents, train crashes, etc.), as Dare thought only young adults had the elasticity to "break out" of the comfortable way of thinking that he thought was necessary to survive some sort of apocalypse. This story was compelling throughout - there were a lot of mysteries to unfold, including whether the contestants are who they say they are. No one knows who to trust, and all of the contestants feel that they might not make it out alive.

I love Kate Alice Marshall's previous books for their nuanced plot lines, strong writing, and compelling characters. I was thrilled to get an ARC of We Won't All Survive, but it was a miss for me. The dialogue and narration both felt choppy, and the story just didn't grab me. I'm disappointed since I was really looking forward to this book; however, I will absolutely read whatever Marshall publishes next.

This was my first time reading a YA book by this author. I’ve previously enjoyed her adult thrillers. So, I was excited to read a new genre from her. A survivalist reality show sounded interesting, but this book was a struggle for me to get through. Maybe it’s because I read a similar YA recently or that the middle part of the book was repetitive. It could also be that the book format was hard to read and that put me in a bad mood. I’m not sure, but this one just didn’t grab me like I had hoped. I also felt like at times the dialogue was clearly written by an adult trying to be a teenager.

There are definitely some intense moments and the locked room aspect really made everything scarier, but this book has been done so many times before. Evil billionaire making young kids play games for money, but include murder. I think I need to take a break from YA thrillers. Then maybe they will stop all sounding the same to me.

Wow, what a page turner!

The premise of the book had me super intrigued. The whole premise of the reality TV show just reminded me of Survivor so that’s all I could think of in my head lol

While I found some parts dragging a little bit I still really enjoyed it.

I’m not good at figuring out who the killer is and why they did what they did so I wa plenty surprised by the time the ending came around.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARc.

We Won't All Survive can best be labeled as part murder mystery and all thriller. This was such a unique story and I loved it! I can't wait to read more by Kate Alice Marshall.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of WE WON’T ALL SURVIVE by Mary Alice Marshall in exchange for my honest review.***

Billionare Damien Dare organizes a reality survival show with eight survivors of real life catastrophes. Narrator Mercedes Gray, who lived though a mall shooting now suffers from chronic pain. She hopes winning the contest will pay for her sister’s college tuition. Immediately upon arrival, Mercedes senses things may not be what they appear.

Through no fault of Mary Alice Marshall, given the length of the publishing journey, I’ve read a several stories about people brought together for a reality show orchestrated by a sinister wealthy person with ill intention. I’ve enjoyed each of Marshall’s previous books, so I was excited to read her latest book despite the premise.

I had difficulty embracing the characters, even Mercedes, though I understood her motivations, being in the competition with the very dangerous exercises felt foolish. Still, Marshall’s crisp writing and ability to keep me interested on the outcome.

YA readers will enjoy WE WON’T ALL SURVIVE.

Thank you to Net Galley for the arc.

I'm terrible at putting most of my thoughts on books into writing, but this was an interesting take on reality survival shows. The exploration into individual trauma and its impact on one's actions/reactions was well written.

This was a gripping story with quite a bit of twists and turns. I felt myself genuinely surprised at various moments throughout the story. One of the best whodunnit thrillers in awhile.

Kate Alice Marshall’s, “We Won’t All Survive” is a twisty, psychological survival thriller that digs deep into guilt, trauma, and the blurred lines between heroism and self-preservation. The protagonist, once hailed as a hero after surviving a shooting, joins a brutal reality show—one that quickly turns into something far more sinister. The contestants expect cameras, competition, and strategy. Instead, they find themselves truly stranded, with no crew, no escape, and something deeply wrong lurking in the empty set.

Marshall crafts an intense, psychological pressure cooker where trust is scarce, allies are unreliable, and survival means confronting not just the dangers outside, but the demons within. Is the protagonist really a hero, or just someone who made it out alive? As paranoia takes hold and tensions rise, the novel twists and shifts, keeping readers on edge until the shocking end.

Dark, edgy, and unpredictable, We Won’t All Survive is perfect for those who love survival horror with a psychological punch.

Thank You NextGalley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

They thought they were contestants on a reality show. But the cameras are gone, the gates are locked, and someone’s already dead. In this game, survival isn’t about ratings—it’s about staying alive.

Here are reasons to read the YA Thriller

📚 Reasons to Read We Won’t All Survive
Reality TV Gone Wrong. What starts as a high-stakes game show becomes a terrifying fight for survival when contestants start dying one by one.


A Gritty, Complex Heroine. Mercy is strong, scarred, and smart, still carrying the trauma of surviving a mass shooting while trying to save her sister’s future.


High-Stakes Suspense. With no way out, limited resources, and strangers she can't trust, every chapter cranks the tension higher.


Social Commentary with Thrills. The book cleverly critiques media exploitation and trauma, all while delivering jaw-dropping twists.
I love this author’s writing style, and will read any books from them in both the YA and Adult genres. This book was fast read for me and I devoured it in two days. While there were some characters who were not as memorable, the majority of the ones you really end up liking. I figured out the twist pretty early on, but it didn’t really stop me from enjoying this book.

We Won’t All Survive by Kate Alice Marshall is a high-stakes, psychological thriller that blends survivalist reality TV with a chilling mystery. The story follows Mercy Gray, a teenager still grappling with trauma and medical debt after surviving a mall shooting. When she’s invited to compete in a new survival reality show hosted by billionaire Damien Dare, it seems like the perfect chance to change her future.

The novel’s premise is gripping, seamlessly merging reality TV drama with an escalating sense of dread. The tension builds as contestants are thrown into a dangerous, isolated setting where no one can be trusted. However, the story stumbles slightly in its introduction of characters. With so many contestants presented at once, their backstories and traumas are only hinted at until much later in the book.

Despite this, Marshall delivers a stunning plot twist that completely shifts the narrative. Just when I thought have it figured out, the truth unravels in an unexpected and satisfying way. The way the mystery is revealed to piece together how everything led to that moment—is one of the book’s strongest elements.

The only real drawback is its length. With such a compelling premise, it would have been even stronger with more time spent exploring the contestants’ stories instead of summarizing their personal storylines through their narration instead of having a separate chapters to know them. A deeper dive into the game’s structure and the psychological toll on the participants would have added more depth.

That said, We Won’t All Survive is still a fantastic read. The tension, the unexpected turns, and the well-executed twist make it a thrilling and engaging book. While the pacing may be uneven, the payoff is worth it. If you enjoy survival thrillers with strong psychological elements and shocking reveals, this one is definitely worth picking up.

‘From the bestselling author of I Am Still Alivecomes a new nail-biter that's part survival story, part murder mystery, and all thriller—perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson!’

Aside from having to read this book on my phone, I thought it was a worthy read. A puzzling, page-flipping whodunnit. Young readers will likely love it. Think Big Brother, Squid Games and.... mmm maybe a dash of Naked and Afraid (- the naked) all hookin' up and having a twee lil lad.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers for this arc in exchange for review. I am always grateful.

Pub: 7.29.2025

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for allowing me this as an ARC for my review. I have been loving Kate Alice Marshall stories so I was super excited and appreciative to read this one early.

This book presents a compelling narrative that grabs your attention from the start. It reminded me of a hunger games vs survivor type of story. The plot keeps you engaged, making you want to know what happens next. The characters backstories intrigued me as we learned about them and that add layers to the story.

However, there are moments in the book where the storyline felt a little dull which became detracting from the overall flow. While these sections don’t completely ruin the experience, they do interrupt the otherwise exciting pace.

Despite those moments, the book is still a worthwhile read for those who enjoy character-driven stories with a touch of suspense. The highs of the plot more than make up for the occasional lows, making it an enjoyable experience overall.

Quick read. They thought is was a survival show until someone dies. Who is killing off the survivors one by one. Mercy doesn’t trust anyone until she survives to the end

This is a definite must-read for fans of thrillers but it is not for the faint of heart. Mercy Gray survived a mass shooting at a mall, but her finances are way below what she needs to help her sister Jaime go to college, so she signs up for a reality survival show. Convinced that she is ready to take on any challenge, Mercy shows up to a ghost town that the host and owner of the show, Damian Dare created just for this event. Along with the other contestants, Mercy faces more than she bargained for, including being locked into the town without food or water. I really enjoyed the lightning fast pace of the story and the interactions between the characters, but my favorite part was guessing what would happen next and to whom. This story had plenty of suspects, all kinds of false trails and lots of secrets to be revealed along the way. The characters are relatable and evoked sympathy for their plight, but I was more than a little stymied about why some of them were chosen to participate. Not to worry because all was explained in the end, as long as the heart racing holds out that long. This book is suitable for older teens and young adults but it is very intense and horrifyingly realistic at times. Take the TV show “Survivor” and make it a deadly game of cat and mouse and you have this book, ready for be enjoyed. The plot is intriguing, the characters are mysterious and the action is non-stop, so there was nothing not to like about this book.
Disclaimer
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC
This is a YA version of a locked room mystery where traumatized youngsters are brought together to a mining town for a reality TV show run by a deranged techbro

This was a great thriller. I loved how it all came together. I had inklings of things, but was never able to fully guess the twist, but there were enough clues that it made sense; exactly what a twist in a thriller should be!