Review By Kayleigh
Hannah Mary McKinnon is at the top of her game with Only One Survives.
Favourite Quote:
“Seemed I’d been too quick to judge. A love of music and a shared hatred for at least one of our parents? Maybe we had stuff in common after all.”
Goodreads Synopsis:
All drummer Vienna Taylor ever wanted was to make music. If that came with fame, she’d take it—as long as her best friend, guitarist Madison Pierce, was sharing the spotlight and singing lead. And with their new all-female pop rock band gaining traction, soon everyone would hear their songs…
Except, on the way to an event, the Bittersweet’s van careened off an icy mountain road during a blizzard—leaving one member dead and another severely injured.
In order to survive the frigid night, the rest took shelter in a nearby abandoned cabin. But Vienna’s dreams devolved into a terrifying nightmare as, one by one, her fellow band members met a gruesome end…and Madison simply vanished in the night.
What really happened to the Bittersweet? Did Vienna’s closest friend finally decide to take center stage on her own terms?
She doesn’t want to believe it.
Everytime I pick up a book by Hannah I’m always prepared to have my mind blown. She consistently exceeds my expectations for what a twist thriller can do. Only One Survives is perhaps my favourite of hers yet.
This book explores fame, fantasy, friendship and survival through the present day when the band Bittersweet is in a tragic accident with only one apparent survivor, Vienna; and the past when Vienna and her best friend Madison meet and build their friendship and band. Hannah writes incredibly strong, powerful and morally gray women. I’d love to see Vienna and Madison perform. Their bond is electric. And their drive is endless. They’ll stop at nothing to be a success.
Only One Survives is like an 80’s rock anthem – it soars and builds and you can’t tune it out. This is one of those books that you need to have time to sit down and be sucked into. There’s twists and turns, and like with all the best thrillers, not everything nor everyone is as it seems.
I adored this book. It’s hard to gush about it without giving away spoilers. I loved the dynamics of bittersweet, the tension building up to and after the accident, and the past POVs where we meet Madison and Vienna and see their trauma bond friendship develop. Go read it!
Thank you HarperCollins Canada for the ARC in return for an honest review.
