On a day I was feeling a little out-of-sorts, The Only Survivor was exactly what I needed. It felt a little like I Know What You Did Last Summer meets And Then There Were None. The past/present storyline worked perfectly as the reader tries to figure out what exactly happened in the past while Cassidy and her friends are trying to figure out what is happening in the present. The gathering place for the surviving group is a house in which they call “The Shallows” and only this group knows about this house. The Shallows remains vacant the rest of the year until this group arrives. While Cassidy is at the gathering at The Shallows, she starts to learn more and more about the other survivors- things she has overlooked in the past. And has someone been watching them? Overall though despite the reservations I enjoy the book. I keeps my attention throughout especially my desire to get to the elusive truth and that when it comes is well played. Josh and Amaya stared at each other wordlessly, and I remembered that they were bound in other ways, not just from these yearly trips—but through Amaya’s family, and Josh’s position in their law firm. It had been a mistake to believe I could just disappear. That I could forget any of this—the memories, the pact. That I could leave it—and them—behind for good.

Are you kidding me?” Amaya said. I wasn’t sure if she was referring to the fact that he’d taken the room, or that he was being so crass about it now. “You can’t just take whatever you want.”

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She always seemed to have a sixth sense, like she knew I’d been sitting at Russ’s kitchen table that morning with every intention of staying put, knew enough to text me—knew what it would take to get me to come. I grew tired of Cassidy’s voice; her affect is flat, as she is almost devoid of emotion. I didn’t care one way or another for her. I was more intrigued by the others, perhaps because we only get snippets from their POVs. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable or empathetic. In the end, I will keep reading books by this author because they are generally pretty good and suspenseful. This might be the case of bad timing for me, as I had just finished a super fast-paced thriller and the plodding pace of this one just didn't work well. Ten years ago, returning from a high school service project, two vans were in a tragic accident and only nine students survived.

A set of wide wooden steps led up to the front door, where we’d taken that single photo our first year—the eight of us crammed together, sitting shoulder to shoulder, knees pressing into the body in front of us, like proof: We’re still here. Miranda has a way of keeping me on my toes. Her storyline is always well thought out, the characters engaging and realistic and the best part? The twist. You will never figure out the twist before she exposes it to you. The Only Survivors is no different. Novel Premise: A group of adults gathers together once a year to remember the tragic accident that took members of their school and two teachers. With two of their fellow comrades already dead and another one missing, it soon becomes clear that someone out there is watching and they want "the survivors" to reveal their secrets once and for all. Miranda earned a degree in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2002 and worked in the field of biotechnology before becoming a high school science teacher. [3] [4] [2] [5] From the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls and “master of suspense, Megan Miranda” (Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl ), a thrilling mystery about a group of former classmates who reunite to mark the tenth anniversary of a tragic accident—only to have one of the survivors disappear, casting fear and suspicion on the original tragedy.

Table of Contents

This is another must-read by Megan Miranda, who never disappoints. Cassidy Bent reluctantly make the annual reunion pilgrimage to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This event brings together the remaining survivors of a horrific event in which there were nine original members. This 10th anniversary trip begins as the "only survivors" are together again, and now there are seven. What has happened to each of them in the intervening years? More importantly, what happened to two of their number? What secrets are each holding, and who has shared some of those secrets? The narrative alternates between the present and “Then.” Chapters in the present are narrated solely by Cassidy and “Then” by varying survivors. I liked the “Then” chapters more, as they offered something different.

The story became much more interesting to me when the chapters about the accident began. Before that, it was hard to understand their motivations for meeting annually when it appeared they were barely friends. The story is well-paced and will keep you intrigued. I was so engrossed in the book that I would give my wife short updates as I was reading (we used to vacation in the Outer Banks). Even with just snippets of information, she was tense and a bit creeped out. I definitely recommend The Only Survivors. I thought the past/present narrative structure was very effective. I loved the Outer Banks setting. And I found the book really enjoyable to read. I thought he was doing better,” I said, my eyes burning, the act of discussion suddenly making it real. But the truth was, I had no reason to know how Ian had been doing at all. a b c d "A scientific approach to writing fiction". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Retrieved 2023-04-04.

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I did follow the bread crumbs correctly this time and identified the culprit. I don't think it was that obvious, but who knows, because I'm usually terrible at nailing the baddie. Just tooting my own horn (toot toot!). It’s why I believed that, for all our differences, for however disconnected our lives were ten years later, we all cared more for each other than we’d admit, face-to-face. They weren’t really friends when the accident occurred but what they survived together has created a bond of sorts. When Clara commits Suicide a year after the tragedy, they decide to meet ANNUALLY at a beachfront rental property owned by Oliver’s family, known as The Shallows, as a way to keep tabs on each other, and to make sure that their pact to keep secret all of the details from that night remains intact.