Five Survive is an exceptional YA thriller, surpassing my super-high expectations to deliver a riveting story expectedly playing with intense paranoia, suspense and earth-shattering secrets.
It is no secret that Holly Jackson is one of my all time favourite authors. Her ability to meticulously plot a razor-sharp thriller, packed full of twists and turns, is unparalleled. Every time, she knocks it out of the park and always manages to surprise me. Five Survive is no exception to this rule, providing a twisty standalone mystery that had me utterly glued to its pages.
The claustrophobia of the setting of the RV serves to heighten the already thickening tension that much more. When you know everyone is hiding something but they literally cannot move beyond these small confined spaces, the atmosphere is incredibly fraught. It is intense and makes for gripping reading, as every little moment counts. Tempers fly and explosive revelations are made. There is a point in the book where things really kick into a higher gear in a deadly, blood-soaked scene that is just heart-wrenching. You can see it coming but it still shatters your heart. For me, it was just how unnecessary it ultimately was and reminds you of the stakes at hand here. The countdown aspect of the story also served to heighten this further. I read the novel across eight hours, wanting to mimic some of that experience. You can feel your heart racing as time runs ever closer to the finale and the slowly revealed layers to the central mystery are jaw-dropping. There are so many factors at play here and watching them all come together is sensational.
The paranoia and increasing suspense are second to none. You start to question everything you are presented with and every character, including Red herself. I really enjoyed Red as a protagonist. Her sharply felt grief still affects every aspect of her life, constantly replaying previous events and having this consummate sense of guilt alongside it. Jackson’s portrayal of grief felt nuanced and realistic, showing that fluctuating circle of emotions and long-term effects. Red’s trauma presses deep into her bones, changing her perspective on life entirely. However, she is also determined, loyal and practically useful. Her skill set really feeds into the desperate attempts at survival. The coping mechanisms and defence strategies she has placed around herself are also broken down in really interesting and often unexpected ways. For example, some of the most shocking moments are deeply intimate and tie into the tangled web of interpersonal connections on this RV.
Of course, it helps that Jackson is deftly skilled at creating three-dimensional characters that all have something distinctive to draw you into them. You usually either love or hate them passionately. Every one of them is guarding a life-changing secret and their exposure completely flips the narrative on its head. You are thrown down so many different paths and Jackson’s juggling of these plot strands is fascinating. It becomes an enjoyable challenge trying to work out what will happen next and you will probably be wrong at every turn.
Five Survive is a relentless thrill ride from the queen of YA thrillers. This is easily one of my favourite reads of the year.
Five Survive is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
The brand new unmissable crime thriller from Holly Jackson, best-selling, award-winning author of the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy.
Eight hours.
Six friends.
One sniper . . .
Eighteen year old Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for Spring Break. It’s a long drive but spirits are high. Until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. There’s no mobile phone reception and nobody around to help. And as the wheels are shot out, one by one, the friends realise that this is no accident. There’s a sniper out there in the dark watching them and he knows exactly who they are. One of the group has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for.
A game of cat-and-mouse plays out as the group desperately tries to get help and to work out which member of the group is the target. Buried secrets are forced to light in the cramped, claustrophobic setting of the RV, and tensions within the group will reach deadly levels. Not everyone will survive the night.
