This was exactly what I needed! I finished the queen of crime’s Will Trent series, aka Karin Slaughter, and have been majorly slumping lately. I just couldn’t sit down with anything and get further than a page or two. But when I started Megan Miranda’s upcoming release, I was hooked!

10 years ago, an accident left twelve students dead, and nine survivors were left to live with the guilt of surviving. On the cusp of graduation, these nine students were lucky to be alive and while they all went their separate ways, they get together every year on the anniversary of the accident. At The Shallows, an old cabin in the Outer Banks that the locals call ‘The Ghost House’, the survivors have an unspoken pact to never talk about that night, to never tell anyone their secrets, and to always be there when the others need them. But the number of survivors keeps dropping. After a decade, there are only seven. Chloe was lost to suicide years before, but it’s Ian’s death being so recent has isn’t the only thing keeping everyone on edge.

There are two main viewpoints in this story. The majority is told from Cassidy’s perspective, which is set in present day as she tries to understand what’s happened. We also get flashback chapters to the actual accident, and I really liked the way Miranda did a flashback for each survivor. It gave us a really good view into what happened that night and also constantly made me second guess who I thought was the villain. Sometimes I feel these flashbacks just make the book longer, but every perspective just added to the already suspenseful atmosphere and twisted the story even more. I went through periods of like and disliking just about every character we meet and could not stop reading.

Filled with suspense and clever twists this book was unputdownable. I can normally predict the endings of thrillers, but this one surprised me. I loved how everything wove together in the story and if you’re looking for a great thriller (especially during hurricane season, a rainy day, or while at the beach) this one is the perfect pick!

AMAZON | GOODREADS |★★★★★

The Only Survivors comes out April 11, 2023. Huge thank you to Scribner for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.