Only one survives starts out with a strong atmospheric scene in which 6 females who have braved a snow storm for a work road trip (working being the lOnly one survives starts out with a strong atmospheric scene in which 6 females who have braved a snow storm for a work road trip (working being the life of a rock band), and as a result find themselves careening off a cliff and crashing in the snow.
What you need to know about this book: The majority follows the relationship between two best friends “em and vee”, who meet in high school, start and band, and the events leading up to expanding the band and the present day car crash of a situation (metaphorically and literally).
Secondly, there are multiple formats to this book, scenes set in the past, scenes in the present where the group is attempting to brave the elements of the snow storm and find help and shelter. The third and fourth formats are newspaper articles and radio interviews where the band is being discussed pre and post car accident.
In the post we know these things, one of the girls is missing, two are alive, and the rest are dead. But we don’t know who, how or why until the end.
What I liked about this book: I love snowstorm thrillers which this book features, at some points we also have a locked door element where there is no help around, no cell service and a potential killer on the loose.
I liked the different formats and change between timelines. I liked the dynamics between two friends coming together from different backgrounds (rich and poor), the different pros and cons to their upbringing, the obstacles this caused and the result of those obstacles.
The way the twist dropped towards the end, there wasn’t any warning or gradual build it, it was literally dropped into the readers lap by one single sentence that I had to go back and read 3-4 times to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me. The twist really caught me off guard so props to the author for that.
What I wasn’t a fan of: the overall ending I felt was too unbelievable, the author spent so much time on building character profiles that felt very solid, so when everything got jumbled around at the end I struggled to adjust mentally or believe what I was seeing,
This started out as a snow storm thriller and although that aspect was present, the majority of the book was spent in the past and beyond that moment in time. As snowstorm thriller tropes are one of my fave I just wish there was more scenes within that category for me to enjoy the elements of.
Overall this was a good read, my first of this author and likely not my last.
Thank you to Hannah Mary McKinnon, Harlequin trade publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy....more
I had to collect my thoughts because there is so much to unpack here!
Nightwatching definitely lives up to its status in the thriller genre. This is mI had to collect my thoughts because there is so much to unpack here!
Nightwatching definitely lives up to its status in the thriller genre. This is my first Tracy Sierra book and I will be adding her to my auto read author list, I was truly blown away by the contents of this book!
The first chapter absolutely throws you head first into the deep end and I felt as though I was plunged into ice water, the fear immediately seeping through my skin and I could almost hear my heart pounding in my ears.
The descriptive scene of an intruder in the house was so chilling and creepy. unbeknown to him, the mother was awake and frozen to the spot, aware of his presence in the pitch dark. Everything took place in only minutes, but I felt to the reader that hours past by at a gruellingly slow pace as our FMC went through all the scenarios in her mind, trying to decide the best path to take that would secure the safety of her and her two young children before the “monster” could get them.
The scenes with the intruder were truly agonizing, how do you keep young children quiet and safe for hours on end, all the while the big bad guy is patiently waiting them out with plans to harm them, nothing could be more torturous for a parent and that was palpable through the pages.
The other side of this book had flash backs from the past to events following the intrusion. There was a lot of subtext and undertones about the trials that women must endure alone due to the ignorance of men. The way that it is so easy to not believe a woman, and instead label her as delusional, paranoid, hysterical, an unfit mother, simply because she won’t placate people by being agreeable and making their jobs easier by saying she was lying and it was all a hoax.
The way a woman can start to doubt herself after the people who should be the protectors refuse to safeguard and validate her. How easy it is to be suspicious instead of listening to the difficult truths.
The book ended with a bang, so much tension building up, I was honestly spooked whilst reading in the dark, the atmosphere was chilling and claustrophobic.
I enjoyed the conversation about what defines somebody as crazy. Surely an individual who could go to such lengths to harm innocent people mustn’t be sane? And yet at the same time how can a sane person be so methodical? So rational in their thinking and plotting, aware of every outcome and consequence in a moments notice. Is it scarier to believe the people who wish us harm are fully sane because then we have no excuse, rhyme or reason for their behaviour? No where to place the blame?
It’s safe to say I loved everything about this book and it is in my top 3 reads this year. A thousand stars, highly recommend!!! A definite must read. Applause to the author! ...more
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