The Only Survivors

The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda is a slow-burn thriller told in two timelines.

The main character, Cassidy, tells the story of present-day events: how she and a group of her high school classmates who survived a tragic accident reunite for a week, as they do every summer, at a beach house on the Outer Banks.

Interspersed throughout the forward-moving narrative are retellings of the accident itself that happened ten years ago from the perspectives of other survivors.

There are two intertwined mysteries at play: (1) what really happened that night long ago when two vans plummeted into a river and 12 people died, and (2) who’s behind the threats the survivors are now facing that could expose their misdeeds on that night.

The pact that they’ve made to protect one another seems to be falling apart and lives are at stake.

Miranda’s writing is clear and engaging. This particular story, though, did not hook me. I had a hard time caring about the characters staying at the beach house, though I did feel drawn to Ian and Clara, who have each died since the accident. I was most interested in learning the truth about what happened when they were teenagers, and on that front, the author delivered a satisfying reveal!

In all, the revealing *gasp* moments were few and far between and made reading most of the book a slog. The plot only got to be page-turny at about 75%, and even then, the suspense didn’t sustain.

Other readers may have a ball with this one, but it was just okay for me. I’m certainly willing to try more books by this author! I love the sounds of some of her other titles and will give them a chance in the future.

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for this ARC! The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda comes out on April 11, 2023.