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jessw17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, and Car accident
Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Suicide, Stalking, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
lindsayvale's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Stalking
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Vomit
herelieshenry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Suicide, Stalking, and Car accident
Moderate: Addiction, Death, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
j_squaredd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Suicide, and Vomit
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Author: Megan Miranda
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: April 11, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Atmospheric • Layered • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
A decade ago, two vans filled with high school seniors on a school service trip crashed into a Tennessee ravine—a tragedy that claimed the lives of multiple classmates and teachers. The nine students who managed to escape the river that night were irrevocably changed. 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.
Their annual meeting place, a house on the Outer Banks, has long been a refuge. But by the tenth anniversary, Cassidy Bent has worked to distance herself from the tragedy and from the other survivors. She’s changed her mobile number. She’s blocked the others’ email addresses. This year, she is determined to finally break ties once and for all. But on the day of the reunion, she receives a text with an obituary attached: another survivor is gone. Now they are seven—and Cassidy finds herself hurling back toward the group, wild with grief—and suspicion.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Having only read one Megan Miranda book previously, I was drawn to her latest release because of the stunning cover. I picked this one up hoping for an entraining palette cleanser and it was certainly that.
What I like:
• the setting. Miranda does atmosphere really, really well. Here the Outer Banks, particularly the house, are a character all their own. It felt creepy and suspicious.
• the structure. Told in dual timelines, this one has a unique structure with the present timeline moving forward linearly, whereas the past timeline was told in reverse. This structure worked really well in helping create suspicion.
What I didn't like:
• the large cast. It took some time to sort everyone out, and because there are so many characters I never got a good sense of who each was. It made connecting or liking any of them pretty much impossible.
• the unreliable narrator. Given I never got a good sense of any of the characters, I really never felt connected to Cassidy (who narrates the present timeline), so I just didn't care at times.
A slow burn and slightly predictable thriller, The Only Survivors isn't a story that will stick with me long-term, but I did enjoyed my reading experience at the time. I can definitely see it being popular this summer, and I'll continue to explore this author's work for the entertainment value alone.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Megan Miranda fans
• readers who enjoy locked-door mysteries
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"There's a moment, when your mind rebels against what it knows to be true."
"There are things you have to do to survive, and there are things you have to believe too - and this was one of them."
Graphic: Mental illness and Car accident
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, and Alcohol
sibling death, PTSD, overdosebookedupandie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Alcohol
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, and Drug use
leebeeloves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying and Vomit
aileron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse and Stalking
Minor: Gun violence and Vomit