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!

Kate Alice Marshall delivers once again! I was so excited to get this YA ARC. This was a quick paced thriller filled with lots of twists and turns. When Mercy is brought with a group of other teenagers, who has each survived a traumatic event and are thrown into a new game in a ghost town, where triggers are thrown around and very tension filled survival situation where each is tried and tested on who to trust and who is killing them off one by one. Teaming together with their survival skills, each teen tries to survive, and it’s just not about the money anymore. Mercy’s character works to help others and fight instincts about surviving together. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Kate Alice Marshall for this ARC. It was delightful to read!

Thank you so much for this arc! Typically, to me, YA thrillers are rather slow to start, but this one immediately hooks you in to the story. Full of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. I did not expect the ending at all.

This thriller set its dark tone early on and didn’t let go of it! It had an intriguing cast of characters with sad backstories. Some twists caught me by surprise, but I found some a bit predictable. All in all, a great read!

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me on the edge the whole time. The twisted were surprising and unexpected.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220999068

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 I think this author is a fantastic writer. This book was like a combo of the hunger games/squid games..I thought the idea of it was unique!! Mercy is a great main character. She’s preserved after experiencing such trauma in her life and not letting it define her. All to risk her life so she can pay for her sister to attend school. Of course there’s a rotten egg out there it’s just a matter of finding out who…it would’ve kept me up at night if I were Mercy. If you’re into survival/game show/murder mystery, then this one’s for you. I specifically enjoyed the second half of the book when things really started picking up🙊 Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Penguin Young Readers Group for the early copy!! It comes out in July🫶🏻

Stupidly implausible. Marshall should revisit her Coleridge. And the file is incredibly buggy. Pages don’t load.

I liked this book! It feel like this was perfectly YA—less intense than an adult psychological thriller but not watered down at all. This was an interesting concept for a story.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC! Despite this book being classified as a YA novel, it didn't feel too young and naive. I loved the aspect of a reality game show and it made this book that much more interesting! Truly enjoyed my first book by Kate Alice Marshall

I have read many of this authors books. This is my first time reading her YA books. It has the same tense, edge of your seat feel that keeps you guessing until the twist is revealed. I enjoyed this. It was so close to a 4 star read to me, but overall good story

I was pretty hooked on this from the start and struggled to put it down! I’m a sucker for reality TV and horror and in this reality TV “gone bad” book, I needed to see what happened next!

Publication Date: July 29, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first YA in years and I have never read a Kate Alice Marshall novel.

The story is about a group of teen survivors who were supposed to be joining a competitive game show in a ghost town but things take a turn quickly.

Some topics/themes are:
✨friendship
✨ things are not always as they appear
✨ don’t judge others before getting to know them

Overall, if you are looking for an exciting and thrilling read, this is for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin group for the ARC in exchange of my honest opinions.

5 stars
Expected publication date - July 29, 2025

Thank you, NetGalley, and PENGUIN GROUP for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Mercy Gray is chosen to participate in a reality show called 'Survive This' with 7 others. When she arrives, she meets the other contestants, but no one else is there. No crew at all. Shortly after the groups failed attempt at the first challenge, they find one of the contestants murdered. Now, everyone is a suspect, and not everyone is who they claim to be.

I absolutely loved this book! I am now an older adult, but the story and characters were still relatable. I was already a huge fan of the author and was pleased to love this as much as her other work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great thriller. I really enjoyed this book and had a great reading experience.

Net galley offered me this title for 48 hours to read and I barely set it down, I was determined to finish it before it expired. And it was good enough that I had no trouble doing so. There were a lot of twists and turns I wasn’t expecting, which kept it very engaging. The ending took me by surprise as well, I never saw it coming, which I love. I like my endings to be a surprise and to be well explained, so I understand why everything has happened that way it has. This book tied things up nicely and still managed to move along smoothly. The backstories of each character were interesting as well and you could see why they were all chosen for this game. I found its devilishly delightful. I was given an advanced copy to read and all opinions are my own.

Great YA locked room mystery with good characters and atmosphere. Mercy, along with seven other 19-20 year olds, sign up for a survival type reality show where they will be completing challenges in a ghost town. As soon as they arrive, things go sideways and nothing seems above board. We get to know some characters better than others, but our heroine, Mercy, is very developed with an interesting back story. Each character has a past trauma and the stories were woven in well. It was twisty, dark story - very on brand for this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.