We have once again come upon another YA Fest here at Door Stop Novels. Hard to believe it is already June...like how? How are we already at June of 2023? Regardless, this month brings with it five Fridays, which means five young adults novels will be covered before the 30th, starting with Holly Jackson's Five Survive. When six kids head out for Spring Break in a borrowed RV, getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere becomes the least of their problems.
The Situation: Eighteen year-old Red Kenny is taking a road trip for spring break with her best friend Maddy. Also along for the ride are Maddy's brother Oliver; his girlfriend Reyna; Simon, a friend from school; and Simon's friend Arthur. The six of them will be meeting up with a bunch of others down at the Gulf Coast. It will be a week away from Red's dad, the unpaid bills at home, and maybe even the guilt behind the terrible tragedy that took Red's mom. When the RV gets a flat tire after the kids get lost in the dark somewhere in South Carolina, the hope is that a simple tire change will fix everything and get them back on track. And then the gunshots start...
The Problem: It does not take long for the kids to realize that the RV breaking down was a planned accident. Someone on the outside wants information, and no one leaves the vehicle - or at least no one leaves the vehicle alive - until whoever has the gun gets what they want. One of the six spring breakers has a secret, but who is it? While it is clearly dangerous to be outside, things get steadily worse inside, as the group struggles to survive the next eight hours until daylight. Personalities clash, suspicions mount, secrets are revealed, and accusations get thrown around, along with more than a few threats. Even if the group does manage to survive each other, there is still a threat out there, and at least one person may not make it.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult suspense thriller, with nearly all of the events taking a place inside of a broken down RV in middle of nowhere South Carolina. While the title may give away somewhat of a crucial detail, the events that lead up to the conclusion make it a guessing game. Red may be the focus, but she is not the narrator. Through her perspective, the reader learns some of the history behind her situation, the guilt she feels about her mom, and why the group chose to drive an RV to the coast from Philadelphia, while the rest of their friends chose to fly. As the situation gets more desperate, dangerous personality traits start to surface, and then nothing about the situation feels safe.
My Verdict: There is a reason why this book has spent so long on the New York Times best seller list. Six characters are trapped in an RV while a sniper outside waits for them to make a wrong move. When things almost immediately start to break down on the inside, this story becomes a ride that almost never stops. Tensions remain high; almost every chapter ends in a cliffhanger (so you just have to keep reading); and the story gets more surprising and engaging as each bit of information is revealed on the page. Some people scream at the TV when a character makes a terrible decision; I was screaming at the book for every bad idea, or something not said, or when someone failed to stand up for themselves. Thriller lovers of all ages would appreciate this book. It is certainly popular for a reason.
Favorite Moment: Hard to say...a lot of terrible things happen on these pages. I suppose I will pick a moment when Red proves so be more useful than even she believes herself to be when she shares her intimate knowledge of walkie-talkies.
Favorite Character: She is somewhat of a dark horse in the novel, but I choose Oliver's girlfriend Reyna. Their relationship may look perfect on the outside, and she may appear to be completely on his side in every way, but there is much more to her and her story, and she proves to be useful at a critical moment in the plot.
Recommended Reading: Almost anything by Karen M. McManus would be a good follow-up to this one. Possibly her most popular book is One of Us Is Lying, but I also like The Cousins.
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