"Only One Survives" delves into Vienna's journey as the lead drummer and singer in a band she co-founded with her high school best friend. The narrative takes a tragic turn one night, resulting in the deaths of other band members and Madison's sudden disappearance, leaving readers to unravel the events of that fateful evening.

The initial section of the book captivates with its exploration of the band's dynamics, leading up to the pivotal night. As the plot unfolds, the second part gradually reveals unexpected twists, challenging the initial portrayal of events.

While the latter portion of the book may feel slower due to its focus on developing these twists, it ultimately adds depth to the story. Despite this slower pace, I found "Only One Survives" to be an engaging read, earning it a solid 4-star rating from me.

I think I've just read too many books that they all start to seem the same, unless they're by my favorite authors.


This wasn't bad. It started out interesting, then the middle was so... yawn. I fought through and the ending was satisfying but also, similar to all the other thrillers out there.

The book delivers a couple great twist and was difficult to put down for me! I loved the having the blogpost and other media mixed in. The two timelines were easy to follow, the plot interesting, and the characters had good dimension. Highly recommend this to any suspense lover.

Read if you like
- Bands / rock music
- Easy to dislike characters
- Split timelines
- Hard to guess twist
- Moody settings

Yet another big thumbs-down.

3.5 stars. What is the price of fame and what lengths might someone go to in order to achieve it? Social media, as well as other forms of media in general, take this to a whole new level as we see in this twisty novel written by Hannah Mary McKinnon. Vienna is a high schooler in a new school and quickly becomes an unlikely friend of Madison. The two come from totally different backgrounds but share of love of music and decide to join together to make a band. Their friendship has some flaws and is a complicated one. Down the road they add others to their duet. When the band travels during a storm to get to an event, tragedy ensues. The author bounces between “the time of the accident”, “before the accident “, and “after the accident “. Social media enthusiasts weigh in on their theories about what happened. The tragedy turns into a whodunnit and why with a twist. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just leave that with you.
The story reminds me of something you’d see in a Black Mirror episode with a mystery and technology added in. I do feel like your technology part made this a bit different than other books similar to this and made me think about how the modern world has changed things. I wish there was a little more mystery in the second half of the book and a few more twists. The book as a whole was pretty easy to get through.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Publishing for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Sharing the spotlight can be murder …

Hannah Mary McKinnon has crafted a spectacular thriller about a rock group, The Bittersweet, that will evoke memories of your teenage years and early twenties. I was transported back in time by reading the girls’ high school experience and the bands/songs referenced.

McKinnon’s story not only showcases the author’s immense talent at crafting a spectacular, twisty, and creepy story but also at penning the beautiful lyrics featured in Bittersweet’s songs. I went back and re-read some of the lyrics and was amazed at how they gave insight into Vienna’s thoughts. McKinnon’s ability to intertwine the main and subplots with blog posts, news articles, radio transcripts, and social media comments is astounding.

I enjoyed the spotlight on friendship, peer pressure, and dysfunctional relationships, as much as I liked McKinnon’s characters (yes, even the fantastic villains and no, not their actions), the wonderful character development, and her twisty plot. I had to reign in my indignation, ease my discomfort through the creepy parts, and read slowly and reread to make sense of the ‘nothing is as it seems’ plot. It was interesting to see the parallels between the transition of EmVee to Bittersweet with the growth of the girls and stardom.

For someone who has worked with teens for years, I could almost imagine the body language and facial expressions of Vienna and Madison ‘that day’ in the school office. I smiled, re-read it, and nodded as my smirk grew. I’d seen it many times before. McKinnon aced it.

I was gifted this copy by Harlequin Tade Publishing, MIRA and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.