April 2023

Megan Miranda once again nails a twisty thriller with THE ONLY SURVIVORS. The premise drew me in quickly: “Seven hours in the past. Seven days in the present. Seven survivors remaining. Who would you save?”

Picture this: Ten years ago, a group of students survived a horrific accident. Bonding over this, they decided to meet each year at a house on the Outer Banks to reminisce and spend time with each other. Before their latest get-together, one of the group members has died, and as they gather for the 10th time, another goes missing.

Megan alternates between writing in the present day and slipping into each character’s own thoughts, giving readers time to get to know them better. By doing this, we see what was known by each character about that fateful day and what was hidden. There are things that people would rather not reflect upon, namely those left behind in the crash. The suspense level is ratcheted up throughout the novel --- and you will find your thoughts about the characters shifting as you come to learn more.

After I finished THE ONLY SURVIVORS, I wanted to read it again to delve into how smartly it is constructed. Typically Megan never knows how a book is going to end once she starts it. I am curious to see what she was thinking as she began this one --- and how she decided to develop it the way that she did.