Five Survive

Red Kenny plans to drive cross-country in an RV with five friends during spring break. The group includes her best friend Maddy, Maddy's boyfriend Oliver, Oliver's brother Reese, and their friends Arthur and Imogen. What begins as a road trip becomes a fight for survival when their RV breaks down on a remote mountain road at night. Someone is targeting them from the darkness, and they must stay inside the RV to stay alive. The group discovers they are being held hostage by a sniper who knows their secrets. As hours pass in the confined space of the RV, tensions rise and trust erodes while they try to understand why they were chosen as targets. At its core, this locked-room thriller examines themes of loyalty, deception, and the weight of past choices. The story raises questions about how well we truly know those closest to us and what we're willing to do when pushed to our limits.

Readers call this a fast-paced thriller that keeps them guessing until the end. Many finished it in one sitting, noting the intense pacing and claustrophobic atmosphere of the RV setting. Likes: - Tight plotting with multiple twists - Character dynamics and tension - Short timeline (8 hours) creates urgency - Different from author's previous mystery series Dislikes: - Some found the ending rushed - Characters could be underdeveloped - Middle section drags for some readers - "Too many reveals stacked at the end" - Goodreads reviewer Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (82,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (5,800+ ratings) StoryGraph: 4.2/5 (7,900+ ratings) Several readers note it reads more like an adult thriller than YA, despite the marketing. Multiple reviews compare the confined setting and tension to locked-room mysteries. The audiobook received specific praise for maintaining suspense through the narration.

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🔍 Author Holly Jackson wrote this thriller as a departure from her popular "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" series, proving her versatility across different mystery formats 🚐 The entire story takes place over just one night in an RV, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere similar to classic "locked room" mysteries 📱 The book explores themes of social media influence and digital privacy, reflecting Jackson's interest in how technology affects modern crime-solving 🎯 Each chapter counts down the hours until dawn, creating a real-time tension device that mirrors the urgency of the characters' situation 🌟 The book was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller upon its release in November 2022, marking Jackson's fourth consecutive bestseller