The Only Survivors: a compulsive, gripping shock of a thriller from the bestselling author of The Last House Guest

Product Information

The accident occurred when Cassidy and the other survivors were in high school—a pivotal time in all their lives as they were preparing to graduate and enter the “real world.” Do you think the accident severely altered the course of Cassidy’s life? Where do you think she would be if she never went on that trip? Can you imagine a vastly different life for any of the other characters? Grace saw Ben arguing with Mr Kates, driver of the first van. It seems like Ben cheated. Ben suggests that Mr. Kates has an inappropriate relationship with Grace. SYNOPSIS: A group of former classmates reunite to mark the 10th anniversary of a tragic accident only to have one of the survivors disappear, casting fear and suspicion on the original tragedy.

Second, the story just wasn’t holding my attention but I was hoping for a huge payout by the end. Unfortunately, the reveal didn’t surprise me. Once upon a time in 2019, I read Megan Miranda( The Last House Guest) and I liked it so much that I swore I would read more of her books. Sadly, I have made this promise to several other authors. 🤷‍♀️ Here I approach 2023 humble and asking for a second chance. I have to say, for a group of adults, they sure think and behave like teenagers. Did their emotional development get stunted at the time of the tragedy? Perhaps. On the morning she would’ve been leaving for the tenth year reunion, she gets a text from an unknown phone number, informing her that another one of the Survivors is dead.Just spam,” I said, dropping the fork to the plate, pressing my hands to my knees under the table, to keep them still. I fought the urge to turn the phone facedown. The nine students who managed to escape the river that night were irrevocably changed. A year later, after one of the survivors dies by suicide on the anniversary of the crash, the rest of them make a pact: to come together each year to commemorate that terrible night. Novel Premise: A group of adults gathers together once a year to remember the tragic accident that took members of their school and two teachers. With two of their fellow comrades already dead and another one missing, it soon becomes clear that someone out there is watching and they want "the survivors" to reveal their secrets once and for all. And then, before I could stop the image: I saw them running, funneling out the front door, a massive wave rising up behind the house, sky darkening, shadow expanding. The chaos of panic, and wondering who I would save first— At the same time, strange things are going on at the house in which they gather every year. Is someone out to get them? Is one of them coming after the others?

Almost immediately, something feels off this year. Cassidy is the first to notice when Amaya, annual organizer, slips away, overwhelmed. This wouldn’t raise alarm except for the impending storm. Suddenly, they’re facing the threat of closed roads and surging waters...again. Then Amaya stops responding to her phone. After all they’ve been through, she wouldn’t willfully make them worry. Would she? They were nine! But a decade later they are only seven! One of them committed suicide as the other overdosed!Since a tragic accident on a school trip ten years ago, the nine remaining survivors made a pact to reconvene on the yearly anniversary.

the edge of the dunes, protected only by aluminum storm shutters and cedar shake siding that had faded over the years to a weather-worn gray. Their names were a drumbeat in my head, our lives perpetually bound. Amaya, Clara, Grace. Oliver, Joshua, Ian. Hollis and Brody. Me. A miracle, it seemed, that there were any of us at all. Growing up, Miranda lived in New Jersey [9] [3] [5] and spent time at her grandparents' house in the Poconos. [4] Megan Miranda's 'Fracture': Compelling thriller and romance is life-affirming". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-04-05. So I feel I’ve been a bit harsh, and as I always want to find the positive, as I know *I* could never construct a fiction novel, I will say the author did a good job of describing the atmosphere and constructing a nice cast of characters.

I pressed my fist to my teeth, let out one single gasp, hoped it was muffled under the sound of running water. First, it’s a challenge when there is a large cast of characters to really get to know any of them, and with the exception of Cass, that is the case here, as well. As a reader who enjoys strong character development, that is one reason that this one missed the mark for me. We learn the bare minimum about each, so I never grew to care for or empathize with any of them.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Scribner/ S&s / Marysue Rucci Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions. Fans of Miranda’s previous works won’t be surprised by her skillful timing of twists and turns, but even longtime readers will appreciate just how tautly plotted this thriller is. She doesn’t just employ the use of alternate timelines and perspectives; she breaks the mold entirely, using mirrored settings, dynamics and secrets to both expose the errors of her characters’ past and highlight the effects of the allegiances they’ve formed. The result is a masterwork of craft artistry, so clever that you could almost read it twice --- once for the plot and once to appreciate the technical acuity of its author. It had to be Amaya. She was the one who reached out with the details each year. She cared for us deeply, as a collective. She cared about everything deeply. You know (as is common with many thrillers/mysteries) when an author is trying to build suspense, giving hints to the ultimate event that impacted the characters, but not revealing what truly happened so you’re on the edge of your seat wondering WHAT’S GOING ON with the characters in the book? This was happening here, only the hints and lead up were just incredibly boring, to the point where I was like - tell me or not, I really don’t care - I just want to finish this book. I also felt the ending was fairly predictable, and the climax was absolutely anticlimactic. I was left feeling… “Oh.. this is it?!” Almost immediately, something feels off this year. Cassidy is the first to notice when Amaya, annual organizer, slips away, overwhelmed. This wouldn’t raise alarm except for the impending storm. Suddenly, they’re facing the threat of closed roads and surging water . . . again. Then Amaya stops responding to her phone. After all they’ve been through, she wouldn’t willfully make them worry. Would she?The group drew straws for someone to attempt to get to the trapped students. Jason lost the draw, and was swept away by the rising river current. Three other students (Ben, Trinity, and Morgan, died at the scent).