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sherlene_06's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Holly Jackson never disappoints. She ate this one. I was literally at the edge of my seat with this book, reading it every single moment I had to spare. I even stayed up till sunrise when the book started getting intense. I thought the book was predictable; my prediction being: Red had a secret, but oh this book was an onion. So many layers.
And the ending? Goodness. It hurt. Also I hate Oliver (she wrote his arc so well, I actually despise him)
The writing was beautiful, and the way Red's thoughts were incoherent, and haphazard, it was done so realistically. Like Jackson transcripted the thoughts of a real person. It was hard to get into the book at first, but it began picking up the pace quicker than I had the will to put it down.
And the ending? Goodness. It hurt. Also I hate Oliver (she wrote his arc so well, I actually despise him)
The writing was beautiful, and the way Red's thoughts were incoherent, and haphazard, it was done so realistically. Like Jackson transcripted the thoughts of a real person. It was hard to get into the book at first, but it began picking up the pace quicker than I had the will to put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
cande_luvisotti's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
alice_in_bookland9's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
bambiisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
xxlynxx's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Book was alright but I’m personally not a fan of leaving the ending up to the imagination T>T
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement and Death of parent
Minor: Cursing and Alcohol
abbys's review against another edition
2.5
It pains me to rate this so low but a book about six people been pinned down by a sniper in a broken down RV shouldn't have been so boring
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Alcohol
Minor: Medical content, Stalking, Car accident, and Gaslighting
camiandkitread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Five Survive” starts off slowly, introducing its protagonist, Red, who echoes Holly Jackson's other heroines—highly intelligent, somewhat quirky, and grappling with social dynamics within a close-knit friend group. This setup might seem like a retread of Jackson’s other works, but it sets the stage for the tension that ramps up as the story unfolds.
As the narrative picks up pace, Jackson demonstrates her skill in creating a gripping and suspenseful plot within the confines of a small space—just 31 feet. The interactions among a diverse cast of characters is handled adeptly, with Jackson balancing the dynamics and delivering a mix of predictable and surprising twists. The high stakes keeps the reader engaged, making it a nail-biting experience despite its slow start.
Although “Five Survive” may not reach the same intensity as “The Reappearance of Rachel Price” or the same cleverness of “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” it remains an engaging listen, particularly effective as an audiobook enjoyed on a dark, stormy night.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
persephonefoxx's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity and Alcohol
scarly09's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Car accident
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol
jelkebooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I'm starting to think that "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" was written by a different author than Holly Jackson's other books, because I'm consistantly having the same issues with her books after that one. Anyway, yeah, I didn't like this one. I promise you, I really wanted to. I thought this would be a fun read because it was more thriller than mystery, and could be a great change of pase for Holly Jackson. It just didn't work for me.
I do have to say that this was a pretty compelling, and fast read. I did absolutely fly through this book. Towards the third quarter I also felt like the tension was incredibly high. I feel like I could feel it, and I was legitemally on the edge of my seat while reading it. So there are definitely some positives. I didn't completely hate this book.
However, my biggest gripe about this book were the characters. Considering that this is mostly the characters talking to each other, that's a big thing to have an issue with. Red wasn't the worst, but I hated being in her head. She's so spacey, and she can't string two thoughts together. It was just so annoying to read about. It also didn't actually end playing a part in the narrative, so I don't know why that was done at all. One of the friends (which is also the loudest one in the book, as in he's constantly talking) is truly a psychopath. I don't like the say that, but he was just beyond an awful person. I fucking hated him, and wanted to suckerpunch him throughout the novel. It made my absolute blood boil. He's also so fucking stupid, he didn't have a single intelligent thought in this book, but for some reason the other characters kiss his ass so much, and act like he's the smartest person ever and everyone should do as he says because he knows best. UUUUUUUUUUGH! I hated it so much.
I also thought the plot was quite predictable. The reveals didn't really shock me at all. It was all just so obvious, but I didn't mind too much. However, the way things unravelled weren't my favourite. It was just quite frustrating, and I feel like I also just needed a little bit more. In the very end it just felt a bit anti-climactic. So yeah, this book just simply isn't my thing.
I do have to say that this was a pretty compelling, and fast read. I did absolutely fly through this book. Towards the third quarter I also felt like the tension was incredibly high. I feel like I could feel it, and I was legitemally on the edge of my seat while reading it. So there are definitely some positives. I didn't completely hate this book.
However, my biggest gripe about this book were the characters. Considering that this is mostly the characters talking to each other, that's a big thing to have an issue with. Red wasn't the worst, but I hated being in her head. She's so spacey, and she can't string two thoughts together. It was just so annoying to read about. It also didn't actually end playing a part in the narrative, so I don't know why that was done at all. One of the friends (which is also the loudest one in the book, as in he's constantly talking) is truly a psychopath. I don't like the say that, but he was just beyond an awful person. I fucking hated him, and wanted to suckerpunch him throughout the novel. It made my absolute blood boil. He's also so fucking stupid, he didn't have a single intelligent thought in this book, but for some reason the other characters kiss his ass so much, and act like he's the smartest person ever and everyone should do as he says because he knows best. UUUUUUUUUUGH! I hated it so much.
I also thought the plot was quite predictable. The reveals didn't really shock me at all. It was all just so obvious, but I didn't mind too much. However, the way things unravelled weren't my favourite. It was just quite frustrating, and I feel like I also just needed a little bit more. In the very end it just felt a bit anti-climactic. So yeah, this book just simply isn't my thing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Alcohol