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A review by bladebailey
Five Survive by Holly Jackson
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Six friends have borrowed an RV for a roadtrip when they find themselves stranded on a remote road with no cell service, shot-out tires, and a sniper threatening their lives unless one of them steps forward with a secret he wants.
Five Survive comes together as an exciting thriller with sordid secrets and fracturing relationships, but it does drag its feet for the first 50% or so. I found myself bored and yearning for the constant bickering to stop so that the actual storyline could move forward but, once it did, Five Survive moves fast and has all of Jackson's trademark twists and last minute reveals. I still prefer the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series but Five Survive stands solidly as a standalone thriller with summer slasher vibes, untrustworthy characters, and a narrator who feels unreliable at times. A buried romance subplot helps provide some levity. I definitely recommend Five Survive, my only two criticisms that it can feel painfully slow and I think we're meant to want everyone to survive the night but Jackson succeeds a little too well at making one particular character so repugnant that I was actively begging to see him take a bullet by the end of the story.
Five Survive comes together as an exciting thriller with sordid secrets and fracturing relationships, but it does drag its feet for the first 50% or so. I found myself bored and yearning for the constant bickering to stop so that the actual storyline could move forward but, once it did, Five Survive moves fast and has all of Jackson's trademark twists and last minute reveals. I still prefer the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series but Five Survive stands solidly as a standalone thriller with summer slasher vibes, untrustworthy characters, and a narrator who feels unreliable at times. A buried romance subplot helps provide some levity. I definitely recommend Five Survive, my only two criticisms that it can feel painfully slow and I think we're meant to want everyone to survive the night but Jackson succeeds a little too well at making one particular character so repugnant that I was actively begging to see him take a bullet by the end of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence