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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve gotta say I really enjoyed this book. It was like Daisy Jones & The Six meets Yellowjackets. The book revolves around Vienna, the lone surviving member of the band The Bittersweet. They were involved in a terrible car accident which led to a series of events in which all but her perished.
The book is split between the years before the accident, where Vienna first becomes friends with Madison, the time of the accident, and post-accident as well. Vienna was a very interesting character to follow, and the twists were fun as well.
Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.
The book is split between the years before the accident, where Vienna first becomes friends with Madison, the time of the accident, and post-accident as well. Vienna was a very interesting character to follow, and the twists were fun as well.
Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've been saving this book for the colder months, and I'm so glad I did! Only One Survives by Hannah Mary Mackinnon is a dark and twisty thriller about toxic friendship, fame, and the power of narrative.
After a car crash that leaves one member of The Bittersweet dead, the others shelter in an abandoned cabin to wait out the snowstorm. By the morning, only two people will be found: drummer Vienna Taylor and the documentary researcher who was following the band. Vienna's best friend and bandmate, Madison Pierce, will be missing, and the rest of the band dead. But what truly happened to The Bittersweet?
This book is told in two parts, the first following the events of the crash interspersed with flashbacks following Vienna and Madison's friendship and news excerpts and social media comments about the incident, and the second following the aftermath.
I love the way Mackinnon plays with narrative in this book, pitting perception against truth both through the two part structure and the social media reactions and side-taking. This book challenges the reader to think about what they read and see, to look through the bias of the narrator to the truth.
It also grapples with friendship, fame, family, and abuse. Vienna and Madison both have terrible families, but in different ways. There's elements of class and economic status that shape the way each girl is treated by her parents and how they deal with it. Libby's character adds another interesting element to the discussion of fame and ambition, and asks, where do we draw the line?
I do wish the other band members had a bit more prominence, since they mostly felt like they were there to make the plot work. I think a part of that is the narrative perspective, but I feel a bit like they were bodies rather than women.
Content warnings for physical and emotional abuse, toxic friendship, assault, murder, gaslighting, arson, internet doxxing.
After a car crash that leaves one member of The Bittersweet dead, the others shelter in an abandoned cabin to wait out the snowstorm. By the morning, only two people will be found: drummer Vienna Taylor and the documentary researcher who was following the band. Vienna's best friend and bandmate, Madison Pierce, will be missing, and the rest of the band dead. But what truly happened to The Bittersweet?
This book is told in two parts, the first following the events of the crash interspersed with flashbacks following Vienna and Madison's friendship and news excerpts and social media comments about the incident, and the second following the aftermath.
I love the way Mackinnon plays with narrative in this book, pitting perception against truth both through the two part structure and the social media reactions and side-taking. This book challenges the reader to think about what they read and see, to look through the bias of the narrator to the truth.
It also grapples with friendship, fame, family, and abuse. Vienna and Madison both have terrible families, but in different ways. There's elements of class and economic status that shape the way each girl is treated by her parents and how they deal with it. Libby's character adds another interesting element to the discussion of fame and ambition, and asks, where do we draw the line?
I do wish the other band members had a bit more prominence, since they mostly felt like they were there to make the plot work. I think a part of that is the narrative perspective, but I feel a bit like they were bodies rather than women.
Content warnings for physical and emotional abuse, toxic friendship, assault, murder, gaslighting, arson, internet doxxing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Car accident, Murder, Toxic friendship, Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting
Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
tense
medium-paced
This was a great locked room thriller involving 2 best friends that started a band and enroute to a show, they band is stranded in a snow storm. The story is atmospheric with the snow storm and the story line is a little crazy.
I enjoyed the dual timeline to learn more about their backstory.
This was a wild ride. I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the mixed media format, even if some parts felt unbelievable and over the top. It's a thriller, I can look past that. Though the tone here was more grounded than one would expect from a wild story, so it was a little jarring when it went off the rails. It was still mostly effective.
I just don't see why this had to be so long! It was slow and dragged out at times. Then the ending felt sudden for so much buildup. It was still a page turner, but it could have been snappier and better paced. I don't usually like books about fame, but this kept me reading so I'll give it that. I like isolated settings, and this had an abandoned snowy cabin for a good winter read. I will check out more from this author!
I just don't see why this had to be so long! It was slow and dragged out at times. Then the ending felt sudden for so much buildup. It was still a page turner, but it could have been snappier and better paced. I don't usually like books about fame, but this kept me reading so I'll give it that. I like isolated settings, and this had an abandoned snowy cabin for a good winter read. I will check out more from this author!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.00 stars
-
TW: Murder, Car accident, Gaslighting, Dementia, Toxic friendship, Death, Animal cruelty, Violence
-
In Only One Survives we're thrown into a wild ride of two best friends who have grown up in two very different worlds as they come together to form an all-female band. Best friends Vienna and Madison have big dreams, of starting their band. Our timeline flips between the past and the present, in the past we see how the two have grown to where they are now, and in the present, we follow The Bittersweet after a deadly car crash carrying members of our band.
I enjoyed the pacing of this one, the present chapters are so tense as the girls are isolated in the middle of nowhere and in danger. While the past is tense in other ways, including all the moments where Vienna and Madison don't see eye-to-eye in their friendship, and the direction of their band. Their friendship is written very toxic, but you can't help but want more of them.
I couldn't take this book down, and thank it for getting me out of a reading slump. You'll want to read this one until the very end. The twists are so perfect, the ending does take a bit of a predictable turn, but it still is a really great book.
-
TW: Murder, Car accident, Gaslighting, Dementia, Toxic friendship, Death, Animal cruelty, Violence
-
In Only One Survives we're thrown into a wild ride of two best friends who have grown up in two very different worlds as they come together to form an all-female band. Best friends Vienna and Madison have big dreams, of starting their band. Our timeline flips between the past and the present, in the past we see how the two have grown to where they are now, and in the present, we follow The Bittersweet after a deadly car crash carrying members of our band.
I enjoyed the pacing of this one, the present chapters are so tense as the girls are isolated in the middle of nowhere and in danger. While the past is tense in other ways, including all the moments where Vienna and Madison don't see eye-to-eye in their friendship, and the direction of their band. Their friendship is written very toxic, but you can't help but want more of them.
I couldn't take this book down, and thank it for getting me out of a reading slump. You'll want to read this one until the very end. The twists are so perfect, the ending does take a bit of a predictable turn, but it still is a really great book.
fast-paced
I wasn't sure about this one at first, but I ended up really liking this one! The pacing was good throughout - and the way it was told in parts/sections really helped it move along. The first part we flip back and forth between before the accident and the immediate happenings (the next 24-48 hours) after the accident. The second part is then that point and beyond.
Do not read the spoiler if you haven't read the book because it will absolutely ruin it for you!!
I really liked the unreliable narrator aspect of this, and I think it's what made it so great for me. Throughout the first section you really think you have a handle on everyone, but then the second part starts, and it's revealed that it was actually Vienna that killed everyone, then you are questioning everything. Shortly into the second part we are told that she's writing a memoir of everything that happened leading up to the accident, so you realize that the first section was the story Vienna invented in her memoir. It then makes you question everything you thought you knew. I also really liked that we got her perspective, her paranoid thoughts about getting caught, and that we didn't really know her at all. You go from feeling sympathy for Vienna to realizing she's actually a monster. Then at the very end we get Libby's POV, which again makes you question everything! SO good.
I actually really liked how this one ended, and I didn't feel like there were any unanswered questions or plot lines that were left open.
Do not read the spoiler if you haven't read the book because it will absolutely ruin it for you!!
I actually really liked how this one ended, and I didn't feel like there were any unanswered questions or plot lines that were left open.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes