Spring break road trip with your friends? Nothing can go wrong. Right? Until your RV breaks down in the middle of the forest, with no service, no lights and a mysterious shooter who knows someone has a secret.
Five Survive is a standalone novel by Holly Jackson, author of the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder trilogy, which I also highly recommend.
For anyone looking for a highly addictive mystery-thriller, Five Survive takes place in a 12 hour period. Focusing mostly on Red, who is on an RV road trip with her friend Maddie, among 4 others, who are on their way to meet the rest of their class in Gulf Shores. The group takes a few wrong turns and ends up busting a tire in the middle of a dark road just a little bit away from where they are supposed to camp for the night. After fixing the tire they soon realize that all of the other tires are burst as well, but not from nails but bullet holes.
The group finds themselves huddled in the RV as a shooter watches them from the forest. With no service or even homes, nearby the group struggles to figure out who is in charge and why they are being targeted. After a series of events, its learned that everything that happened was planned, because one of them has a secret, and the shooter wants to know it.
This book is high energy and fast paced, taking place only over the overnight hours that the RV is stuck. The characters, aged between 18-21, all learn that no one was as innocent as they seemed, with all of them holding secrets deep within.
Red, the main character, is suffering from her own trauma, that no one around her seems to understand. As the story goes on, you find yourself being suspicious of everyone in the RV, even Red as the night ticks on.
The plot twist in this story was one I didn't fully see coming, with a few twists and turns making it hard to stop reading as the book went on.
This book was a 5 star read of me, as was The Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Though the books are young adult, I found myself intrigued by the maturity level of some of the characters, but it still felt believable. This book was definitely read in one night for me, which is something that happens only when I feel addicted to the story being told.
For a more full synopsis, please look at the Goodreads link before:
If this review makes you interested in the book, please purchase it from your local indie bookstore! Or, if you need a suggestion on an indie, might I suggest Red Balloon Bookshop, linked below.
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