Cara-Louise Scott
Holly Jackson always brings to life her Young Adult crime thrillers, never failing to captivate her readers, and her new novel is no exception. In Five Survive we are taken through just one evening, between 10 pm and 6 am, as six friends take a road trip that doesn’t exactly go to plan.
Road trip gone wrong
The novel’s central character, Red Kenny, is in an RV with her best friend Maddy, Maddy’s older brother Oliver, Oliver’s girlfriend Reyna, classmate Simon, and new friend Arthur. When they break down in the middle of nowhere they think it’s just an accident, but it soon comes to light that this is far from the truth. They have been trapped here by someone — someone who wants one of them dead.
“Not all of them will survive the night”
The six friends are given until dawn to either escape (which proves impossible) or to work out which one of them is the target, with a secret that the killer wants to be revealed. Not all of them will survive the night.
Holly Jackson is the author of the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder trilogy, which was a Sunday Times and New York Times No.1 bestseller and is currently being adapted for TV by the BBC. Inspired by true crime documentaries, Jackson is one of the UK’s leading YA authors — something proved by her passionate online fanbase.
Tensions rise
Setting up the novel over one night with just six characters may seem a difficult task to keep us gripped with a moving plot, but Jackson makes it work effortlessly. Having tensions rise and being in one setting allows us to get to know the characters inside out and they all change dramatically over the course of the evening too as secrets come out and fear becomes more prominent. These characters are, thus, fleshed out immensely, especially Red. Red felt like a real person in this novel who you begin to feel sorry for, and who also has many flaws and a troubling story which develops her character as the past is revealed.
“every hour brings a new dilemma or argument that keeps you hooked”
Having it set in the RV in the middle of nowhere surprisingly allowed for a lot of tensions and different ways for them to try to work out how to escape or catch the ‘sniper’. The flow of the tension is what is at the heart of this novel and the reason why it will grip you – you are constantly trying to work out who is holding a secret and what will happen now and there are many scenes that could go either way such as with Reyna’s revelation, who certain characters really are and the revealed past of certain characters family members.
Every hour brings a new dilemma or argument that keeps you hooked. There are many secrets revealed at the end that you’d never even expect to be uncovered and they are all linked to the history of each character: there is always someone new to suspect. I’m usually good at guessing plot twists, but this novel is undoubtedly unpredictable. From about halfway through, I really did not know how it was going to end.
Complex characters
Holly gives us an in-depth story of each of these characters too and unpicks friendships, relationships, and past trauma impeccably. The connection between Red and Arthur was undeniable and even though Red felt like quite a shy, vulnerable character, the way that Arthur looked out for her was wholesome, along with the friendship between Red and Maddy, even when strained in some scenes.
“I was also slightly disappointed by the ending”
The only character I disliked was Oliver, who I expect most readers to despise for what he puts Red and many of the other characters through. I was also slightly disappointed by the ending, and would have liked to know more about what happens next—but I suppose that’s the point of many novels, to leave a bit of suspense about the future of the characters’ lives.
Five stars
Five Survive is the perfect read for any crime and thriller fans of any age. If you’re after a novel that will leave you guessing and questioning at every turn, then this novel is for you—you will be gripped from the beginning by the carefully constructed plot, the brilliantly dynamic characters, and the tensions of every scene. Five Survive will leave you shocked and thirsty to read more from Holly Jackson, just as it did for me.
Image Credits: Cara-Louise Scott
Cara-Louise Scott
I am a waitress and writer currently living in London! Graduated last year from the University of Birmingham with a first-class BA English and Creative Writing degree. I am an aspiring young journalist with a love for writing anything related to current affairs, opinion, mental health, food and drink, and travel!